Golden Son
Pierce Brown, 2015
Science fiction Contemporary fictionFantasy
A young warlord trained by the ruling caste plots from inside their empire, chasing a fleet he means to turn against them. A tense, pride-driven climb through imperial politics, with a defiant voice, sharp dialogue and a constant sense of dread.
Feels like defiance, dread and longing. About power, war and love.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy defiant, power-hungry science fiction with Roman-flavored politics and a hero working from inside an empire. It is the second book in its series, so starting here may leave you missing earlier loyalties and setup.
Why read it
It gives you a tense, pride-driven look at power from the inside, with a hero whose defiance keeps the political scheming sharp.
A page from the book
Two men agree on the only thing worth dying for.
“You have everything, Karnus. Wealth. Power. Seven brothers and sisters. How many cousins? Nieces? Nephews? A father and mother who love you, yet...you are here, drinking alone, killing my friends. Setting the purpose of your life to ending me. Why?”“Because you wronged my family. No one wrongs the Bellona and lives.”“So it’s pride.”“It’s always pride.”“Pride is just a shout into the wind.”He shakes his head, voice deepening. “I will die. You will die. We will all die and the universe will carry on without care. All that we have is that shout into the wind - how we live. How we go. And how we stand before we fall.” He leans forward. “So you see, pride is the only thing.” Pierce Brown.Brown built the Golds' Society on imperial Rome: Latin phrases, Roman names, and a caste system whose rulers call themselves Peerless.
Books that feel like this
The Hunger Games Trilogy (Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay)
Suzanne Collins, 2008
Also dread and power.
More by Pierce Brown
Morning Star
Pierce Brown, 2016
A captive hero, a brutal hierarchy, and the cost of turning pain into purpose in the Red Rising saga.
Red Rising
Pierce Brown, 2014
A sixteen-year-old Helldiver in the helium mines under Mars, fastest hands in his clan, decides the order of things can be broken.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Golden Son for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy defiant, power-hungry science fiction with Roman-flavored politics and a hero working from inside an empire. It is the second book in its series, so starting here may leave you missing earlier loyalties and setup.
- What is Golden Son like?
- A tense, pride-driven climb through imperial politics, with a defiant voice, sharp dialogue and a constant sense of dread. Feels like defiance, dread and longing. About power, war and love.
- What should I read after Golden Son?
- If you liked Golden Son, try King's Cage (Victoria Aveyard), The Hunger Games Trilogy (Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay) (Suzanne Collins) and The Wicked King (Holly Black).
A taste of the feed
What it means when the eyes you fear are a mother's eyes.
And his eyes are worst of all. Her eyes, Elara’s eyes. Once I thought them cold, made of living ice. Now I know better. The hottest fires burn blue, and his eyes are no exception.
King's Cage · Victoria Aveyard
One old gesture, rarely used, that means three things at once.
Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don’t expect it because I don’t think of District 12 as a place that cares about me. But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take Prim’s place, and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.
The Hunger Games Trilogy (Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay) · Suzanne Collins
Power dressed as a joke, and everyone in the room knows it.
The three of you have one solution to every problem. Murder. No key fits every lock.” Cardan gives us all a stern look, holding up a long-fingered hand with my stolen ruby ring still on one finger. “Someone tries to betray the High King, murder. Someone gives you a harsh look, murder. Someone disrespects you, murder. Someone ruins your laundry, murder.
The Wicked King · Holly Black
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