Now that the hardcover version of Red Rising: Sons of Ares is out, the timing seems right (or past due) to answer some questions about it for Red Rising fans who either just heard if its existence or haven’t gotten around to checking it out.

What is Red Rising: Sons of Ares?

Red Rising: Sons of Ares is a comic series that consists of six issues set in Pierce Brown’s Red Rising universe. All issues have been included in the Sons of Ares hardcover book, which — to be clear — is not a novel. It’s all six issues of the comic series featuring gorgeous artwork and a suspenseful story that any Red Rising fan should read. We’ll get into the vague and more-specific description in a moment.

Is Sons of Ares official Red Rising canon?

Yes, Pierce Brown co-wrote the story with Rik Hoskin. This is an official Red Rising story.

Should I read it before I read the Red Rising series?

No. While Sons of Ares is a prequel to Red Rising, you do NOT want to read it before finishing Red Rising, Golden Son and Morning Star. There are some great reveals in Pierce Brown’s original trilogy that will be spoiled for you if you read SoA first.

In fact, I’m going to drop an obligatory spoiler warning here specifically for those who haven’t read the original trilogy. STOP READING THIS ARTICLE. Finish the books, then come back to this, because I’m going to talk about what it’s about and it will spoil those reveals from the books. 

(For those who HAVE read the original trilogy but haven’t read Sons of Ares, I won’t spoil anything major about the comics in this article.)

What’s Sons of Ares about?

The super-vague answer is that Sons tells us a bit of Fitchner’s backstory and the events leading up to the birth of Ares. If you want a bit more info on the plot, read the next paragraph.

But what’s it actually about?

Fine, you want a few more details? The comics jump around in time, showing us Fitchner’s time at the institute, the events that led him to meet Bryn and eventually have Sevro. And then, the end of that story. Shit obviously escalates.

But haven’t we already heard this story?

Well, yes and no. Golden Son gave us some bullet points to Fitchner and Sevro’s backstory. Sons of Ares reveals some new pieces to the puzzle, which weren’t in the original books. Some of them understandably so. I’ll leave it at that.

Is it any good?

Sons of Ares is great. I actually enjoyed it even more rereading through the whole thing all at once. As I said, it’s very suspenseful, not to mention beautifully illustrated. This is a story I didn’t realize I needed to hear until I read it. It’s well worth a read (and then a reread).

I’m planning on posting more thoughts about the series (with spoilers) once I’ve organized them. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions of your own, post a comment or send me a message through the contact form.