Red Rising: The Sons of Ares is a prequel series to Pierce Brown’s NYTBS Red Rising Series. It will cover the birth of a rebellion and provide backstory of some integral characters from the original trilogy.

Comic: Red Rising: The Sons of Ares

Story by: Pierce Brown

Script by: Rik Hoskin

Art by: Eli Powell

Color by: Jordan Boyd

Summary

Finally, we have reached the conclusion of Red Rising: The Sons of Ares. The penultimate chapter left us with Bryn holding Arturuis with his own razor wrapped around his throat and that’s exactly where this one picks up.

Arturuis hands over a stud which will open any door in the Board of Quality Control’s facility. Bryn then knocks him out, grabs Sevro and hastens to make her escape.

Meanwhile, Fitchner, Fenix, Ryana and Cylax, are surrounded by an army of Grays.

Image Courtesy Dynamite Comics for Red Rising: The Sons of Ares book 6

Cylax is able to find a passageway for Fitchner to escape through, but it requires the others to remain behind to stave off the Grays.

Fitchner makes his way to the facilities security center where he sees Bryn making her escape with Sevro wrapped in her arms.

Arturuis comes to and deploys an elite squad of Lurchers to deal with the insurrection. As they come barreling towards Fenix, Ryana and Cylax, Cylax deploys the fire suppressant system and the trio are able to escape.

Unfortunately for Bryn, this resulted in an emergency shut down being enacted and the stud give to her by Arturuis no longer works. Trapped on a bridge and about to be captured she decides that throwing Sevro over the edge would prove a mercy.

Fortunately for the infant, his father leaps up and snatches him out of the air, saving his life. Sadly, Bryn is recaptured and Arturuis arrives to confront Fitchner.

After cutting off his hand, Arturuis demands Fitchner choose which life be spared, his wife Bryn, or his child Sevro.

Fitchner chooses to save his child and Arturuis remarks that it will be their secret.

Fitchner, Fenix, Cylax and Ryana leave the facility.

After a brief return to Triton, where Fitchner and Ryana take part in a funeral for Bryn with her family, the duo returns to Mars.

Then, the Sons of Ares are truly born.

Final Thoughts

The story of the birth of the Sons of Ares is now complete. Overall I enjoyed it, though I do think I would have preferred a standard novella, instead of the comic series. That said, I admire the vision and creativity it took to go the comic route.

For me the best part of the series was seeing the Society from the point of view of an actual Gold. We get to see its rampant casteism and the Gold’s disdain for all other lower Colors. The latter was especially interesting for me.

Had the Golds valued the lives of the Low Colors at all, Arturuis never would have allowed Fitchner and Sevro to leave his facility alive.

I am interested in seeing if the name Arturuis comes up during the events of the original Red Rising trilogy, so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that next time I reread it.

For fans of the original trilogy, this is a must read, but for newcomers, I’d definitely advocate reading the books first.

Overall, and I say this with almost no frame of reference, I’d give the series about an 8.3/10. I enjoyed it, the artwork was incredible and the story was interesting.