Title: Red Rising: Sons of AresAuthor: Eli Powell, Pierce Brown, Rik Hoskin
Series: Red Rising: Sons of Ares #1
First Published: March 6, 2018
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Pages: 152
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating:
Synopsis:
From the world of the best-selling YA series Red Rising comes a story of love and loss and rage! In the future, when mankind has spread across the stars, the hierarchy of man is dictated by the color of one’s caste. The Golds rule all, but what will happen when one falls for a lowly Red? See how a forbidden love will set the course of events for the future and lead to the formation of the formidable Sons of Ares! Written by author Pierce Brown (The Red Rising Trilogy) and Rik Hoskin (Heroes of Skyrealm, Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand), with art by Eli Powell (Yakuza Demon Killers, The 13th Artifact), comes the in-continuity story of revolution and Red Rising!
Review
Sons of Ares is a spin off of the Red Rising series and takes place long before the events of the books. The story follows Fitchner au Barca, a gold peerless scarred and father to Sevro, the main character of the book series. While Red Rising is all about revolution, Sons of Ares is about the cause, the catalyst that prompted unrest among the people.
The graphic novel does a pretty good job of presenting readers with the world in the Red Rising series. Through the eyes of Fitchner readers are able to see how utterly broken the caste system is, from the lowest color levels all the way up to the highest rungs on the ladder. No one is spared from the cruelty of an unfair society, even those born to privilege and worshipped like Gods.
While I absolutely loved the backstory and the message it has about society, I wish the relationships between characters could have been better developed, particularly between Fitchner and Bryn. I didn’t feel convinced of their romance, and even some of Bryn’s inner turmoil in the later parts of the story feel rushed. The only character that was actually developed was Fitchner, others barely had personalities or played very brief roles in the story.
The art in Sons of Ares is pretty dark and gritty. This comic is not for the faint of heart, there is a lot of violence and a plethora of action scenes. I have no doubt that fans of the book series will probably appreciate seeing parts of the world come to life.
Dialogue boxes were different colors based on the speaking character’s social caste and I found this detail to be pretty cool and very helpful. Just seeing those different colors automatically gives me information about each character that is encountered. It really drives home how divided the castes are and changed the way I saw or thought of the characters just by seeing those different colors.
Overall I think this was a pretty decent graphic novel that I think can be enjoyed by both fans and non-fans of the Red Rising series. It’s relatively easy to follow for those unfamiliar with the story though references would likely help. The Red Rising wiki has a simple color guide available to use as reference.
Speaking as someone that has not yet read the books I found everything fascinating, it’s a decent introduction to the series. The graphic novel has piqued my interest in the series and encouraged me to pick up the first book.
Quote
“All they told us of the lowcolors, the rabble, was a lie designed to divide us, to manipulate us.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Eli Powell
Eli Powell is a comic book artist.
About Pierce Brown
Pierce Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star. While trying to make it as a writer, Brown worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next novel.
About Rik Hoskin
Rik Hoskin is a UK-based writer of science fiction novels and comic books. He has written over twenty novels, working mostly under the pen-name “James Axler”. As Axler, Rik has been the primary writer of the Outlanders series since 2008, and has also contributed five books to the Deathlands series. In the comic book field, Rik has written Superman, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Mercy Thompson and various DreamWorks characters including Shrek, helped develop a successful Spider-Man title aimed at younger readers, and has written approximately 400 stories for Disney. He is currently writing a science fiction novel for Resurrection House under his own name, and a graphic novel for US comic book publisher, Dynamite.
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