Finally picked up the first Red Rising novel, after hearing about it for years, and it left me with some thoughts!

Going in blind, the dystopian aspect, the - "hunger-games-in-space" setup really caught me off guard.
And especially at the start, there was such a edgy tone to the narration and setup, which, along with the casual violence really did bring up the reminiscence of "YA"

At first I wasn't impressed but when the worldbuilding began to open up, the twists in revised history were revealed, I began to really enjoy this book and reminded me how fun the YA dystopian genre could be.

The pure adrenaline, hype, excitement that pulsed with the MC's anger, wrath, and war path, I was right there with him. The book did a great job making you feel like a God of War.

The tension of the animalistic pack-peer heirarchy, between Darrow, Cassies, Titus, etc- Which of the golden boys will end up on top? The social unrest that's so related to school-years*.* Its been a while since I"ve read a book that really involves itself in that and I forgot how fun it can be.

A few things I wasn't a huge fan of..

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Quickly Humanizing the Worst: Titus and Tactus

With characters like Titus and Tactus, who committed grape, or were attempting to, it was very difficult to gulp down how quickly the novel seemed to try to make me feel emphathetic towards them, and let them off the hook.

There are many other books that contain such brutality, but generally don't so quickly and easily flip it and to make me feel bad for them or completely let off the hook and join the protagonists. They are typically branded as villians throughout. The only other times I've seen it happen were in other YA dystopian novels.

And I understood Titus's reasoning, when the twist was revealed, yet it still did not justify or make me feel emphathetic towards him to the point where the main MC refered to him as "brother" so quickly.

I know there is a hypocrisy in the way I judge these things, since Darrow and many other characters commit brutal acts such as murder and violence- that I don't treat the same way or shun from redemption or emphathy.

But reflecting deeper, perhaps it is because there are many types of physical violence. I can much easier understand hot blooded revenge, ego spats, etc, than I can understand pure psychopathic sadism.

Like even if Titus didn't commit grape, I'd still feel a way about trying to protray him as sympathetic, just for sadistic torturing and violence alone, he felt psychopathic and creepy.

And grape, falls into this later category that is this incomprehensible sadism.

Later on with Tactus, I felt made even worse, for how little penalty he actually faced, how his would-be victim didn't care to see him punished, and how he was able to join the protagonists as a high ranking member and left hand to the MC.

I found Darrow ordering himself to be whipped for Tactus's crimes to be.. very very corny.

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Favorite and Least Favorite Moments

One of my favorite "God Killer" moments of the novel was when Darrow killed Apollo. Striking right at the core theme of the novel; when the game is rigged, you attack the game itself.

The laurels were rigged, Darrow's awnser to Dancer's card game was to eat the card, and during this school battle royale, when the proctor's rigged the game, my favorite moments were when Darrow tricked, defied, and finally attacked the heaven's itself.

The pure childlike adrenaline, hype, excitement, it was all there as he brought the war to Olympus and fought Jupiter.

In contrast, my least favorite moments was at the start. Darrow's wife, Eo- felt like such a prop character. Her attempt to put a battery in her husband's back to start a revolt, was so poorly executed from her pov, and her uncalculated defiance.. felt frustrating.

Another deeply frustrating moment, was when Darrow, using his quick intelligence, managed to finally capture the infamous Jackal, a character truly terrifying in his shadowey buildup, someone Darrow geniuenly feared- and yet, at the cusp of victory, decides to play with.

It was so annoying to see Darrow do anything other than quickly break the Jackal's back and leave him paralyzed. Rip Pax, a very lovable character.

I loved that Mustang didn't betray in the end, and the contrast between her and her psycho borther. Polar opposites, where one is a cold blooded sacrificer, while Mustang teaches Darrow a better way to lead, representing the ideal of what a Gold could be.

For Cassies, I was actually sad they didn't patch things up. As uneasy as it was, I enjoyed their Golden duo friendship. Perhaps I was niave, but I hoped, having pretty much killed him once, Cassies' anger would have abated. An allyship with his family agaisnt the Governer's would have been interesting.

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Conclusion

At the start, I wasn't too thrilled by the book's edgy tone, but man, sooned it picked up and was such a fun ride. Pure, coudn't-put-it-down entertainment I haven't felt in a while.
To me, it feels like the male equivelant of Fourth Wing in many ways, the same demonination of fullfillment fantasy.

Love to hear you guys' throughts on the first book, what was your guys' impressions, favorite moments, worst moments etc?

I just wrapped up my Frankenstein reread! Man, it hits so much harder the second time around,

Details I initially thought were just fun descriptions and entertaining storytelling, I now realized were all wrapped up motifs and foils integral to message of the story- right from page 1.

I felt like hs english teacher the way I was combing through every line for meaning.

A few themes and things stood out to me..

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Ambition and Ignorance

Right from the start, our book-end character-Walton, is a kindred spirit to Frankenstein with frontier ambitions of greatness. Sacrificing pleasure for pursuit

A story here entrenched in the bibilical tale of Adam and Eve, and the fruit of knowledge.

A constant theme I felt, is that Knowledge is.. overrated, especially when it comes at the price of simple joys. That our thoughts can be our demons, and being an ignorant animal satisfied with our base needs and desires might've been better..

A character which I initially assumed as innocuous, Walton's "wholly uneducated" and unnamed ship master was given a suprising backstory, betrothed to the women who loved another. Instead of fighting for her love or resisting, he let go and even gave his fortune/estate to his rival.

During my first read I thought this was an irrelevant fun fact, on my second, I'm convinced that he is a purposeful contrast to Victor and Walton- and perhaps the monster too.

Someone described as ignorant, mild, and satisfied. A well adjusted man who knows his own limitations, and who has let go of his "Eve".

Ambition and pursuit of knowledge bring Victor's pain and destruction;

>"Alas! Why does man boast of sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute; it only renders the more necessary beings. If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and desire, we might be nearly free; but now we are moved by every wind that blows and a chance word or scene that word may convey us.

We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep. We rise; one wand'ring thought pollutes the day. We feel, concieve, or reason; laugh or weep, Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away; it is the same: for, be it joy or sorrow, the path of its departure still is free. Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but mutability"

The Creature's growing awareness, intelligence, and knowledge of his own wretched circumstance brings him greater pain, a fact he awknowledges and lements.

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Adam and Eve, God and Creation

Something I didn't realize during my first read, how obviously setup Victor's parents and childhood is in opposition to his own parenthood to The Creature.

>"...their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me. With this deep consciosness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life,"

^ What an extremely on the nose contrast to Victor's complete lack of consciosness, responsbility or care towards his own "child". It even lays out how aware they were that Victor's future happiness or misery rested in their hands- their responsibility. Just like the creature's in his.

Duties and responsibilities emphasized by his parents, that he didn't even consider during his pursuit of creation. His mother self sacrificed herself for her adopted daughter Elizebeth.

With Elizabeth, his parents gave Victor his "Eve";

>""I have a pretty present for my Victor-- tomorrow he shall have it." And when, on the morrow, she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish seriousness, interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth as mine*-*""

I'm not sure if Shelley is trying to critique sexism with the obvious possesiveness or simply doing an authentic call back to the biblical pattern here.

Adam	Eve	Result
Victor	Elizabeth	Granted by Parents, anchor for Victor throughout the story
The Creature	Denied his Eve	Last hope for companionshop, parraleling Adam not having a parralel counterpart- but in this inversion, he's denied by his creator
Felix	Safie	Felix and his family destitue, banished/alone, depressed- parraleling The Creature's condition. Yet with his Eve, with Safie, came a return of happieness, showcasing that even when faced with solitude- if you have your Eve, happieness is attainable.
Walton's ShipMate	Betrothed Fiancee	In contrast to so many of the other character's, this ship mate happily reliquished to the possesiveness over an "Eve" and still lived a simple happy life.

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Justine Moritz and The Creature

The beloved family maid's background jumped out to me immediately on my second read.

She is The Creature. Justine's Mother- Victor Frankenstein.

Justine, just like the creature, was rejected and hated by her creator from childhood. But unlike the creature who had no one, Justine was taken in by Victor's kind mother.

When Justine's siblings all died, Justine's mother- looking at this as divine punishment for treatment of her spurned daughter, simultaneously begged for forgivness from Justine, and continued to hate and blame her for the sibling's deaths.

>"She sometimes begged Justine to fogive her unkindness, but much oftener accused her of having caused the deaths of her brothers and sister"

This is the entire story told in a nut shell ^. Throughout the book Victor both awknowledges his own responsbiility, but more often, continues to blame and hate the creature.

Its part of the conflicting nature I noticed with Victor- just as Victor tells Walton this story as a warning agaisnt ambition, he also chastizes and attempts to convince Walton's crew to continue pursuing that same ambition..

Ofc unlike Justine, the creature really did kill Victor's family, but there is a poetic similarity of the "divine punishment"

And with the framing of William's death on Justine, the creature makes Justine- his foil character, feel as he does.. framed, accussed, assumed wicked when not.

And its an inversion down to the details, in court Justine is described,

>"..for all the kindness which her beauty might otherwise have excited was obliterated in the minds of the spectators by the imagination of the enormity she was supposed to have comitted. "

Justine's beauty naturally affords her kindness and expectations of innocence, and all the evidence must be used to overcome that bias,
For the creature his ugliness judges him wicked, and he'd need all the evidence and pursuasion to overcome that bias.

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Conclusion

There were plenty of other recurring ideas that caught my attention on a reread, but these were the ones that stood out to me the most.

I'm curious what everyone else noticed or is their favorite part of Frankenstein, themes or moments.

And its not just in the incredible themes and motifs the book constantly makes you ponder, but also in the storytelling itself.
Its an incredibly poetic and chilling premise, an Artic explorer coming accross this half dead man who relates to him a wild story warning agaisnt uninhibited ambition.

I have a few questions,

• Was the possesive nature around Eve an intentional commentary on misogyny or simply an incoporation of the biblican elements? I'm leaning towards the latter.
• What about the details around Safie's duel religion, which to me feels like a black and white critism of Islam?
• Was Victor's descision to deny The Monster his Eve, meant to be fustrating and folley, or a geniune valid and selfless concerned?

I haven't done too much research into the author herself, I'd love to know any interesting thoughts, observations, opinions, etc.

I haven't read very many classics, but this is one of my favorite books so far. This book was a fantastic tight narrative, unlike the terrible Lotr or Moby Dick and Don Quixote which have left bad taste in my mouth for classics.

Just finished the series for the first time- blown away. I'm hard pressed to think of a series that I've read, for that age group, that is as literary and constantly thought provoking tbh.

Book rankings;

1. The Amber Glass

2. Northern Lights/The Golden Compass

3. The Subtle Knife

Northern Lights/The Golden Compass

Iconic. Loved Lyra's street irchen backstory, her relationship with the Gyptians, I found Mrs Coulter to be properly creepy and imposing, and loved the setup of the hyponitizing women kidnapping children. And her taking in Lyra, etc.

Something I felt about the series, even before we got to the multiverus in the other books- there isn't a single asthetic I can visualize. Unlike so many other fantasy books, it feels like such a stiched collage- a metroplis of accentric groups and peoples, the talking bears, witches, cannibal tribes, Gyptians, oxford, etc..

I also love how soft and magical everything feels, the way Gaundault in Lotr- there is no given explanation, no boundaries study, there are just bizzare and strange creatures and peoples with unexplained powers. Like the witches. And especially Mrs Coulter and Asrael.

I know this series has a show, which I haven't seen, but I feel like it'd serve great as a cartoon/anime- she has such anime ass parents. Asrael reminded me so much of Ging. Doesn't gaf about his kid, just busy with his work.

And even the opposition to God, the inversion of angels and church being evil, reminded me of alot of anime like bleach.

Asrael expecting a child to be brought to him for sacrice, is one of those inexplicable power moments.. how? its like he expected it of the universe.. for a child to be delivered to him.

Themes; The critique of religion, the persecution of dust, deamons, and issue related to kids around a certain age, felt like the critism of religious shaming of pubery and sexualilty- which was fascinating.

Overall fantastic start to the series.

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The Subtle Knife

My least favorite so I have less to say about it. Not terrible, but didn't feel the same adventerous magic as the first. Took a little bit to get use to Will taking alot of the spotlight away from Lyra.

Still a fun book and it wasn't until the very next book that I think alot of the themes around the knife, Will escaping from his issues in his own world- became more clear.

Themes; I loved the motif related to the Specter's an once again attacking kids once they passed the threshold of puberty/coming of age.

More moments of inexplicable powers, with Mrs Coulter being even more crazy imposing by being undaunted by the Spectors- who were the boogeymen of the book, and even being able to manipulate them.
Same with John Parry(On reflection, could those have been the Angels Balthamos and Baruch.. not specters? Since it sounded like Balthamos and Baruh had been following Will's father- when they were introduced in TAS?)

Lee Scoursbeys death was the most cinematic moment of the book, and the fact that he had the flower to call help- made it all the more tragic.

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The Amber Glass

This is how you end a series. Everything the story promised, the lore, the big war against the Authority, the revelations, all of it landed for me.
Learning the Authority was just the first angel who lied about being God (mirroring Lyra’s whole arc about lies vs truth), and that Eve was the first rebel, was awesome.
I loved Baruch and Balthamos and how their relationship was portrayed, another critique of religion, and I hated that Baruch had to die.

The book was full of wild and cinematic moments. Byrnison casually eating Lee Scoresby, the priest who almost molests Will, Mrs. Coulter’s implied suicide attempt, the assassin with his twisted sense of morality, (Love how the church has multiple moves and plans, made them feel like a real enemy, not a pin to destroy), the man who knew he was laying dead just outside the barn, Mrs Coulter laying paralyzed at the cave crying for Lyra as the battle resounded and Will and Lyra escaped.
Mrs. Coulter sabotaging the hair‑bomb on that snowy mountain was one of the most intense sequences in the whole trilogy.

But at the same time I couldn't help but think that the whole crisis was her and Asriel’s fault. She went to the church planning to spy and hand over the intention craft, didn’t do it, and almost got Lyra killed. And Asriel clearly knew what she was doing and let it happen.
Also his fortress and rebellion strangely reminded me of Star Wars.

At first I couldn’t decide who I disliked more, Asriel or Coulter. Despite all her evil, I found myself hating Asriel more for how little he seemed to care about Lyra.
So it shocked me how sad I felt when they sacrificed themselves, both of them are easily some of my favorite characters of the series.
Also felt sad at all the other characters dying in the great war, all to protect the kids.
And Lyra barely knows any of it, just like they never learns Balthamos killed the assassin.

Also so interesting the revalation that the authority wasn't some great power that wanted to retire in peace, he was decrypt, senile, and clearly wanted to die. he was kept alive agaisnt his will I think, and death was the blissful release for him.

The big battle felt like the climax, and everything after was this slow, painful walk toward the inevitable separation.

The book doesn’t rip the bandage off, it twists the knife. And as it walked us to the ineviatable seperation, lines like ‘Sixty years later Will would still remember her like this’ were brutal.

Themes:

Critiques of religion, sexuality, puberty, and the idea that growing up isn’t a sin.

Lyra’s journey from a lying child who could read the alethiometer to someone who must tell the truth, and can no longer read it, which somehow relatees to the harpies- haven't quite grasped this one.

The knife, and the idea that you can’t escape your problems. No other world will save you. No savior is coming. Can't build another like Asreal tried. You fix your own world.
Matter connects everything, replacing religious unity, and the ghosts returning to matter was a perfect ending

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Conclusion

There's plenty of plot holes, inconsitencies and question marks, moments that felt more childsh than others- but none of them really matter imo- its not the point.

It was a fantastic series with the last book being exactly what you want with a finale, and the best book by a good margin. Though the first feels more iconic in journey.

It was interesing how much less we felt and heard from the demons as the series went on, the first book felt like you could constnalty hear Pantalaimon's voice, in the last, even before the seperation, not a peep.

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If any of you remeber, what were some of your favorite moments, characters, themes? Critisms? Dislikes?

Is there any other kid book series that you've revisted later on, that you thought was great?