Preview
  • Golden Son

  • Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy
  • By: Pierce Brown
  • Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
  • Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (50,024 ratings)

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Golden Son

By: Pierce Brown
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
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Publisher's summary

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown's genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.

©2015 Pierce Brown (P)2015 Recorded Books
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What listeners say about Golden Son

Average customer ratings
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think this is my favorite

2nd time around. caught my self saying out loud several times "this is SO good!"

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9 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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I felt like the first book was a great Epic story

I felt like the first book was a great epic story and this second book was really just a filler. it didn't quite grab my attention like the first book did. still loved it but not quite as good as the first.

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7 people found this helpful

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Empire Strikes Back It is a worthwhile listen.

The hero rises and fights nobly against his enemies. Darrow grows and so does the rest of the characters. It is a book on that will have you on the edge of your seat.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great follow up to Red Rising

Usually book two of a trilogy is the least favorite book in the trilogy. It is usually just the set up book. Golden Son is a fantastic book. I don't think it was better than Red Rising, but it is a really great book. It definitely stands on its own.
The narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds is so good. He has become my favorite narrator ever. I have never heard a bad book from him.
I highly recommend this book. I highly highly recommend listening to this book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Golden Work of Fiction

I cannot believe it has taken me this long to find out about Pierce Brown and his fantastic trilogy. I finished Red Rising the first novel in the trilogy in late spring of this year and loved it. My one gripe was that I thought the novel lost its way towards the books final act. I just finished Golden Son the second book in the trilogy and quite frankly its one of the best books I've read all year.

What I loved about Red Rising was that the main protagonist Darrow is far from perfect. Yes he's become quite the physical specimen, but under the armor and the golden exterior is a very flawed and deeply conflicted soul. Pierce Brown really leaned into the social injustice of this world and Darrow at times finding himself enjoying the splendor of being on top. It's a rare novel that mends together huge action sequences with quiet reflective moments.

Golden Son is a surprising second novel that doesn't stop introducing you to its main character. I found the quiet times in Golden Son were some of its best. Don't get me wrong Darrow diving for fleeting space crafts or competing in duels is great fun, but the book is such a great representation of the levels of our own society that I found those just as entertaining. There were countless moments in this novel that you get to take a deeper look at what drives Darrow and the conflicts anyone in his position would feel. Am I doing this for the right reasons? Will it make a difference? Will anyone even care?

For me Golden Son is a near perfect novel. I'm not sure I still enjoy the relationship between Darrow and Mustang. For me it just detracts a bit from what makes this world so compelling but its a minor gripe in what is otherwise a truly remarkable piece of fiction. I stayed up far too late to finish this book something I haven't done in a long, long time. And I can't think of another novel I would have rather done that for. Golden Son is a really great book and it makes me even more excited to see what Pierce Brown has in store for the final novel in the trilogy, Morning Star.

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Well now I'm just sad.

Not much to say I'm not one for long reviews, but damn now I'm just sad. The book was wonderful from start to finish. But now all I want to do is cry.

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Better than the first

Golden Son is a fantastic follow-up to Red Rising. While the first book does a great job of setting the stage, the second is what really sets the tone for the entire series. It’s so much grander as new characters emerge and old ones are developed. We witness the true breadth of the universe as battles, betrayals, and new alliances are forged.

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Solid sequel.

Love the narrator. Love the sequel. It nonstop suspense, movement and anticipation. Well done Peter.

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fantastic second book

second book was just as fast paced as the first. can't wait to start the third book

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1 person found this helpful

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Great book

This is a truly great followup to Red Rising. The action, world building, and characters are all great and I really enjoyed listening to this. Darrow continues to defy all odds and achieve great things. Overall, it is a great read/listen.

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1 person found this helpful