In a previous article, I reviewed Red Rising by Pierce Brown, you can find that review here. When I made that article, I had read the first book and was on the second one Golden Son, at the time. I finished it and tore through the third, Morning Star. I was too emotional over the last one to write about it, but now with the latest installment, I feel it is my duty to write about it. If you haven't read the first three, then I suggest you stop reading this article, as it will contain spoilers for them, but I will keep the bigger spoilers from the book out of this review.

Iron Gold, the newest book in the Red Rising universe is more than just another chapter in the life of the protagonist of questionable morality, Darrow of Lykos, The Reaper of Mars. Taking place ten years after the events of Morning Star, we see Darrow at 33 years old; older than his father ever was.

Despite hoping otherwise, the decade did not pass peacefully. it has been a long ten years of fighting a war the only way Darrow knows how; the absolutely craziest way possible with his elite group of miscreants: The Howlers, and his psychopathic guardian angel, Sevro. With Virginia au "Mustang" Augustus as Sovereign and Darrow as ArchImperator, their fledgling Republic faces enemies both internal and external. We know how Darrow and Mustang deal with external threats but are they out of their depth with the internal ones?

But this book is about more than just Darrow and his family. It expands the Red Rising universe, by taking the point of view of other people. Iron Gold follows the lives of those affected directly, somewhat indirectly, and indirectly by Darrow breaking the chains of The Society. In that respect, we have Lysander au Lune, whose life was forever changed after Darrow did what he did. The murder of his grandmother, The Sovereign of The Society at the hands of the Helldiver, has understandably put him in a difficult situation; forced to live as an outcast on the edge of the inner rim with Cassius au Bellona.

Next, we have Ephraim ti Horn, an ex-soldier Gray whose life was altered not by Darrow himself, but the legend he created. With the heart-breaking death of Trigg ti Nakamura, Holiday lets Darrow know that he left a fiancé behind; this is that man. He has grown cold since Trigg's death and pushes everyone away. With no love for the old society or the new Republic, he turns to a profession that can fill the void in his life. Thievery.

And we have Lyria, a Red from Lagalos. Her life was changed after the Republic freed the Martian mines and the Reds within them. Having Quicksilver's robots take their jobs, the Reds had to wait in camps before they could be transferred to a more stable location. That promise was one even Mustang couldn't deliver, as she and her family have been there in the camp for five more months than they should have been. And dangers other than poor rations and malaria-carrying mosquitoes loom over them.

This sort of plays off the quote that Fitchner said: "Some men have threads of life so strong that they fray and snap those around them..." This was said to have Darrow keep his distance from Sevro, fearing that his son will die if Darrow keeps him around. But Darrow proved that wrong in Morning Star, and that their threads are interwoven and made stronger for it. But their interwoven thread have changed the face of the Solar System.

This book is written in the same style Brown has cultivated in his last three books, but with each character having different lives, the tone and inflection shifts from Darrow's almost poetic cadence the series is famous for. And like the previous books, Pierce Brown writes scenes where time passes and characters still live and operate. When the book switches perspective, they still make plans and that sense of suspense to know what they're going to do is not lost in this book. It is in fact, intensified, there are scenes when everything is going wrong (a staple in this series) and suddenly we're pulled worlds away, to another sphere of problems with another set of people causing them.

And of course, we get to see characters that have lasted through the trilogy, some we love, some we hate, and even some we hate to love. If you've read the first three books then I shouldn't have to tell you about the lovable scamps Darrow keeps around, and I'm sure you have your favorites. Getting to see how they've changed (or stayed the same) is a treat in it of itself.

Pierce Brown seems almost determined to make is fans cry with this latest installment and he just might succeed. Pick a copy of Iron Gold, and get ready to break some chains, Howler!