A review by billyjepma
Golden Son by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I haven't been this consumed by a book series in years. And it's a weird feeling, both because it's not one I often have, since I tend to favor standalone books over ongoing series, and because I know these particular books aren't of the highest quality, technically speaking. They amount to a unique brand of masculine wish fulfillment, I think, albeit one with firmer politics and empathy than you'd expect from something with that label. Darrow is such an insert character for Brown and his readers, and his tortured nobility amidst a society in need of leveling is the kind of heroic male archetype that will never go out of style despite its limitations. And as rousingly propulsive as Brown's writing is, he continues to be held back by the shallow focus of the masculine ideal he's crafted. The women in this book are richer and sharper than the first, but most of their intrigue comes from how they affect Darrow, another sign of how limited Brown's storytelling can be.

And yet, I love it all to death. Brown's storytelling might be limited, but it reaches the highest peak of that self-imposed ceiling. If this is wish fulfillment, then it's a wish that is not unworthy of fulfillment. Darrow might be a masculine ideal, but he might be an ideal that's actually worth a damn. To Brown's credit, he often practices self-awareness with Darrow's characterization, too, never letting himself or the reader forget that Darrow is condemning himself by engaging in the same deceptions and brutality he's fighting against. That messy, murky morality is the lifeblood of these books—that, and the ever-so-impressive spectacle of its action and the kinetic pace of its plotting, of course. Whenever I felt like the story was growing too fond of itself, there would be a new twist of the knife or complication of an idea to mix things up and muddy the waters even further. I love how cynical it is and how dour its beliefs of humanity are, even as it dares to ponder the beautiful and terrible potential of a better future. It might fall into the dystopia genre, but it has more edges and a far less heroic slant than many of its peers, at least the ones I'm familiar with, and it's all the better for it.

At their core, these books—and this sequel especially—excel at occupying a unique and special place between the pulpy thrills of an 80s action movie and the hard, angry edges of modern political unrest. It's a delicate balance that doesn't always work perfectly, but it's scratching an itch I didn't know I had and definitely didn't know I wanted this bad. It's the perfect story for me to finally read, hot off another horrendous presidential race, full of exhaustion at the prospect of the next four years, and stuck with an aimless, shapeless sort of anger I don't know what to do with. As an outlet for all of those feelings, this series is a bloodydamn miracle. 

“That’s what Society does—spread the blame so there is no villain, so it’s futile to even begin to find a villain, to find justice. It’s just machinery. Processes. And it rumbles on, inexorable till a whole generation rises that will throw themselves on the gears.”
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