Golden Son, Pierce Brown, Four Stars

The second book in the series probably tops the first, a real page-turner in many parts. Brown's prose is sparse but effective. At first, I thought the first-person point of view would limit the action, but Brown successfully has machinations brew off-camera, so to speak, and spill back into the narrative at key moments, keeping the action flowing breathlessly. The protagonist Darrow does develop as a character, often in ways revealed to the reader but not fully self-conscious of himself. Many of the other characters seem a bit more two-dimensional, but Brown gives certain key characters their own trajectories. Brown continues to develop what might have been a simplistic haves versus have-nots story and add layers of humanity and complexity. The ending is more what one might expect in a mid-series book, leaving one wanting to pick up the very next book immediately, whereas Red Rising let one stew in peace for some time before proceeding to the next one, if desired. Overall, a very good read, it will be the standard for science fiction dystopian stories for some time to come. And it will spawn the inevitable movie or television adaptation, having already produced its own board game...