RED RISING by PIERCE BROWN

Back in my teens when I started to read for pleasure all I read was horror and some fantasy. That continued into my late twenties when I began to expand my horizons, so to speak.

No I didn't start reading elusive Russian tomes or ancient Greek poems. What I did was stop snubbing my nose at "popular" fiction. I picked up some Dan Brown and read me some Michael Crichton. You get the idea. I stopped being a horror snob.

Since then I read most popular things, and by popular I mean books that are "hot". The kind of books you usually see people reading in abundance on the subway or bus. J.K. Rowling. Stephenie Meyer and their ilk. You get the picture.

Anyways, to make a long story short (too late!), since that time of broadening my reading horizons, my absolute favourite book was READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline. And it still is, but just.

Right beside that amazing book is a new kid on the block and his name is RED RISING by Pierce Brown.

I didn't didn't just love RED RISING. I loved RED RISING. I gorydamn loved it! I bloodydamn loved it!

I should just end my opinion piece right here but I want to gush about this novel a little more.

RED RISING takes about seventy or eighty pages to get into, a much needed build up. You might be tempted to set it aside but don't. Because very quickly RED RISING transforms into something unexpected. Something scary but really, really slagging cool! Like, HO. LEE. SHIT. cool!

The rest of the way RED RISING kicks all kinds of ass. I don't want to give anything away, so if you want to know what it's about check out Amazon.com. You will see it compared to THE HUNGER GAMES. Don't pay any attention to that garbage. Yes, I liked THE HUNGER GAMES but it's no RED RISING.

After you get into RED RISING you won't be able to put it down. You will want to keep reading to see what happens next and be completely disappointed that you finished it so gorydamn fast!

I picked up RED RISING because of the eye catching cover. Interestingly, it's my only beef with the book. The cover sucks, in my opinion. Yes it's eye catching but it's got nothing to do with the story. Maybe on a metaphorical level but come on! Part of me thinks it was an attempt to catch the eyes of HUNGER GAMES fans with the whole mocking jay angle. But whatever.

The book rules.

I can't wait to re-read RED RISING in the near future.

Check out a cool interview with Brown at last years comic convention in San Diego.