Book Chat: ‘Morning Star’ By Pierce Brown
Pierce Brown was always fascinated with storytelling from a young age. He remembered the stories his grandfather would tell him, and he would listen for hours. He would tell him stories about tricksters, backwater bandits and clever outsiders. His family moved seven times before he was eighteen, and he went to more than ten schools.
After leaving high school, he realized it was possible to be a writer. It wasn’t until one muggy summer night after high school ended that he started writing. He wrote six books in five years and received more than a hundred rejections in return. He was twenty-two and ready to give it all up. A seed was planted after he read Antigone and saw Mars all bright in the sky, a seed was planted. He took ancient Greece and added stars, spaceships, opera, Romans, twists, betrayal and blood to make Red Rising.
Synopsis:
Morning Star is a 2016 science fiction novel by American author Pierce Brown, the third in his Red Rising trilogy. Morning Star picks up as the lowborn Darrow escapes capture and resumes his campaign against the tyrannical Sovereign of the Society. Pragmatic as ever, he begins to amass the resources and allies he needs to defeat the forces of the Sovereign.
Preceded by Red Rising (2014) and Golden Son (2015), Morning Star was published on February 9, 2016, and debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. Brown announced a sequel trilogy in February 2016, to begin with, the novel Iron Gold in January 2018.
PLOT
Cassius reveals that the Sovereign's secret stockpile of nuclear weapons has been stolen, likely by the Jackal.
Darrow and Mustang seek an alliance with the Moon Lords of Jupiter, who are led by the self-declared Sovereign of the Outer Rim, Romulus au Raa. Darrow's former friend Roque au Fabii is also there, in his position as the Imperator of Octavia au Lune's Sword Armada, to negotiate a truce with the Moon Lords. Darrow secures their support against Octavia when he manipulates Roque into confirming that she possesses planet-destroying atomic weapons to use against them if necessary. Darrow's forces are joined by those of the Moon Lords against Roque's Sword Armada and the fleet of Victra's brutal sister, Antonia au Severus-Julii. Using a tactical ruse, Darrow along with Sefi's Obsidians board Roque's flagship. They overtake the ship, and the proud Roque, refusing to surrender, commits suicide. Antonia flees but is soon captured by Victra. After the battle, Sefi and her Obsidians instigate a riot among the Sons of Ares to execute their Gold prisoners, having been enraged by the savagery of the Jackal. Sevro proves their hypocrisy in dramatic fashion by first hanging Cassius for killing Fitchner, and then hanging himself for his own multiple murders. Astonished, Sefi cuts them both down before they die, and Sevro makes peace with the Obsidians. Sevro and Victra are married in the week thereafter.
Darrow's Red Armada arrives at Luna to attack the Sovereign. Darrow, Sevro and Mustang release Cassius, who swears to distance himself from the war — until he suddenly grabs Sevro's scorcher and shoots him to death. Cassius stuns Darrow and Mustang, sets Antonia free, and the duo takes Darrow, Mustang and Sevro's body with them to deliver to the Sovereign. They meet the Jackal, who coerces Cassius to sever Darrow's hand. Octavia orders Aja to execute Antonia for her dishonorable conduct during the battle with the Moon Lords, and sentences Darrow to death in a live telecast. Cassius, however, kills the Sovereign's Praetorian guards and releases Darrow and Mustang. Darrow fatally stabs Octavia and incapacitates the Jackal. While Cassius and Mustang face Aja, Darrow revives a sedated Sevro. Aja is slain under their combined efforts. The Jackal instructs Darrow to commit suicide, under threat of detonating the nuclear bombs he has placed across Luna. Darrow tears out the Jackal's tongue while Mustang and Lysander direct both the loyalist and the Rising fleets to fire upon the Jackal's flagship which was responsible for detonating the nukes. Nevertheless, twelve nukes go off, killing millions.
With the support of Octavia's young grandson Lysander, Mustang takes control as Sovereign. She disbands the Senate and begins dismantling the Color system and the tyrannical social infrastructure of the Golds. The Jackal is publicly executed. Cassius, having made peace with Darrow and himself, takes off with Lysander to raise the boy in exile. Mustang reveals to Darrow the existence of their son, Pax, who was born while Darrow was presumed dead, and had been secretly in the care of Kavax's wife. Darrow vows to himself to create a better world for his son to live in.
Characters
Darrow au Andromedus of Lykos, a.k.a. "Reaper" and "Morning Star" (Gold/Red): a Red physically remade into a Gold to infiltrate and destroy the Society, he is the leader of "The Rising", the force rebelling against the Society. Darrow is a charismatic strategist and is not afraid of taking immense risks, but refuses to act like a terrorist and goes to great lengths to prove he is not another destroyer.
Virginia au Augustus, a.k.a. "Mustang" (Gold): daughter of Nero, the former ArchGovernor of Mars, and the estranged twin sister of the Jackal. When her former lover Darrow is betrayed, imprisoned and presumed dead, Mustang and her forces secede and join the separatists of the outer rim in what is called the Second Moon Rebellion. There, she and the Moon Lords fight the Sword Armada of the Sovereign. After her peace meeting with delegates of the Sovereign is interrupted, she joins The Rising but stipulates that Darrow must prove that he is not just another tyrant.
Sevro au Barca, a.k.a. "Goblin" (Gold/Red): Darrow's best friend and second-in-command, he is the foulmouthed acting leader of the Sons of Ares. Unlike Darrow, while Sevro is in command of the Sons of Ares, he resorts to terrorist tactics like bombing. The Jackal takes advantage of this to broadcast anti-rebellion sentiments, even going to great lengths to commit acts of terror of his own for which the Sons of Ares are blamed. Under Sevro's leadership, the Sons lose their financial support and consistently fail to ally themselves with other rebelling factions. Sevro does not relinquish command to Darrow immediately when he arrives; Darrow has to wrest control by first beating Sevro and then reminding him how they became friends.
Victra au Julii (Gold): Darrow's loyal lieutenant, and half-sister of Antonia au Severus-Julii, she is imprisoned and tortured at the same time as Darrow. Unlike Darrow, however, her only motive for joining The Rising is revenge against her sister.
Ragnar Volarus, a.k.a. "Shield of Tinos" (Obsidian): Darrow's lieutenant, Ragnar has an unusually loud voice that other Obsidians don't. Having grown up among the superstitious and intellectually undeveloped Obsidians and recruited as a slave warrior into the Society, Ragnar has made several attempts to show them the light but his messengers have been executed. He is fatally wounded in a one-on-one battle with Aja au Grimmus but refuses to die in the traditional way of other unenlightened Obsidians (by refusing to hold his weapon). During his last moments, he urges Darrow to kill his mother, Alia Snowsparrow, who has deliberately kept other Obsidians in the dark and will not be swayed by words
Sefi the Quiet (Obsidian): Ragnar's sister, the silence-oathbound daughter of Alia Snowsparrow, and the heir apparent to the throne of a tribe of Obsidians known as Valkyries. Upon discovering that the Gods she and her tribe worship are mortal Golds in disguise, she deposes her mother, becomes the queen of Valkyries and starts speaking again. She is instrumental in causing other Obsidian tribes to become allies of The Rising.
Holiday ti Nakamura (Gray): a Gray Legionnaire secretly working for the Sons of Ares and Darrow's deputy. Her brother Trigg is killed rescuing Darrow and Victra from imprisonment.
Regulus ag Sun, a.k.a. "Quicksilver" (Silver): a Silver and the richest man in the Society through ownership of the helium-3 refineries on Phobos. As the co-founder of the Sons of Ares, Quicksilver stops funding Sevro and his terrorist activities but is nevertheless instrumental in building their secret hideout city, Tinos. Quicksilver believes that Society has brought mankind's evolution to a halt and has stifled scientific progress to maintain dominance. In his view, what the downtrodden race of Reds does should be done by robots.
"Dancer" (Red): Darrow's mentor in the Sons of Ares and later the Sons' liaison for the Reds.
"Narol" (Red): Darrow's uncle.
Dio (Red): sister of Darrow's late wife, Eo -Wikipedia
Adrius au Augustus, a.k.a. "Jackal" (Gold): Virginia's twin brother, the sociopathic ArchGovernor of Mars.
Alia Snowsparrow (isn't society) (Obsidian): Queen of the Obsidian tribe Valkyries, she is famous for her devotion to her Gods and her religion. Unbeknownst to all, Alia knows that her Gods are a ruse, yet becomes part of the ruse to remain the ruler. When she refuses to abandon the charade, she is killed by her daughter, Sefi.
Cassius au Bellona, the Morning Knight (Gold): Cassius and Darrow harbor deep hatred towards one another as Darrow has been instrumental in extermination of the Bellona family and Cassius has previously killed several of Darrow's friends.
Octavia au Lune (Gold): the Sovereign of the Society. She became Sovereign by decapitating her own father (a tyrannical Sovereign) and presenting it to the senate. She ruled for sixty years and is a staunch believer that the color system brings about the prosperity of mankind.
Roque au Fabii, a.k.a. "Poet of Deimos" (Gold): Imperator of the Sovereign's Sword Armada.
Antonia au Severus-Julii (Gold): Praetor of the Fifth and Sixth Legions and Victra's half-sister, she has shot Victra in the spines and is the reason she spent a year under torture in the custody of the Jackal.
Lysander au Lune (Gold): grandson and heir of the Sovereign.
Aja au Grimmus, the Protean Knight (Gold): the Sovereign's bodyguard and the daughter of the Ash Lord, Aja is the most dangerous swordsman in the book. Her mentor has likened fighting Aja to fighting a river.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Quotes
Ragnar - “I will give Eo your love. I will make a house for you in the Vale of your fathers. It will be beside my own. Join me there when you die.” He grins. “But I am no builder. So take your time. We will wait.”
Darrow - “Suffering isn't real to them. War isn't real. It's just a three-letter word for other people that they see in the digital newsfeeds. Just a stream of uncomfortable images they skip past. A whole business of weapons and arms and ships and hierarchies they don't even notice, all to shield these fools from the true agony of what it means to be human.”
Sevro - “Was still a shit thing of me to say." He raps his knuckles on the ground. "I'm always saying shit things."
Darrow - "I'm glad you said it."
Sevro - "Why?"
Darrow - "Because we've both forgotten we didn't get here on our own. You and I should be able to say anything to each other. That's how this works. It's how we work. We don't walk on eggshells. We talk to each other. Even if we say shit that's hard to hear.”
Darrow - “And if I could bring Julian back to you, I would. But this war is for him, or men like him. The decent. It's for the quiet and gentle who know how the world should be, but can't shout louder than the bastards.”
Mustang - “Darrow…” Mustang smiles over at me. “That is our son. His name is Pax.”
Mustang - “She whispers something and, lowering her head, she pulls down, showing he was loved, even at the end.”
THEMES
Redemption and Mercy
Nature vs. Nurture
Ethics
Talking Points
How was the mourning of Ragnar handled?
Cassius as a prisoner - tells Darrow of Jackal’s acquisition of nuclear bombs
Darrow seeing Roque again
Darrow’s manipulation of Romulus
The huge interstellar battle - Roque has been bested
Roque’s death - justified? What did you feel?
Has Theodora been sidelined? What was the purpose of this character
“Death begets death begets death…” Has this changed over the course of the books
Darrow and Cassius rebonding and sharing whiskey and memories
Unstable grounds with intercooler riots - Nerol’s murder is the catalyst
Sefi learning about the war, was this what caused her to take down golds?
Antonia’s brutal murder of Thistle
Victra pushes Sevro away
Sevro’s amazing moment to help understand perspectives
The catalyst to Victra proposing! IT’S A RED-RISING WEDDING!!!
Darrow BARELY but finally let his guard down with Mustang
Cassius betraying Darrow - the book throw moment that broke us
Cassius’ true loyalty
SEVRO NOT DEAD
Aja needs 4 to take her down
Mustang as Sovereign
Should Virginia have shown her brother mercy at the end?
Darrow should’ve let Sevro kill Lysander, I get that he is a changed man but he is once again letting an enemy combatant live free. How many times has that come back to bite him in the ass?.- Catch22
Darrow’s form of punishment - interrogation for 3 months then the box for 9 months. What do you think this sort of solitude would do to a person?? Was his recovery realistic?
Cassius shows kindness to Darrow at his most vulnerable, what do you think of Cassius now that we’ve seen them as friends and enemies?
Victra is ALIVE - she was tortured with sound and is a shadow of her former self. Did you predict her survival? Thoughts on Darrow jeopardizing the mission to save his friend?
Not all Howlers stayed with Sevro/Jackal, there’s been a split, and those siding with the Jackal are now the Bone Riders. Are you surprised that some stayed with Darrow now that he’s been outed as a Red?
Introduction of new allies - Holliday and Trig. The grays are joining the fold when initially they were the ones to dehumanize/terrorize the reds on Lykos. What do we think of the new additions?
Sevro as Ares - how has this changed him? Does he have enough guidance to lead a resurgence? How do you think he managed without Darrow for a year?
KILLING ENEMIES WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE: This is something the Jackal does, something Sevro is striving for and that Darrow has a conflict about. What do you think the course of action is? Is there room for compassion in war?
Darrow’s footage of the carving was released. How do you think this changes the sway of war?
Ragnar is alive and helps aid in the extraction. We also find out that Mustang is alive
“Forget a man’s name, and he’ll forgive you. Remember it and he’ll defend you forever”
The hazing ritual for new Howlers…. Wtf
Quicksilver’s part in the Rising… did you see this?
They stumble upon negotiations that are taking place, if they didn’t interrupt, a treaty would have been signed for Mustang to take over as Mars’ sovereign and replace the Jackal. How badly did they accidentally mess up?
Discuss the changes in the relationship between Sevro and Darrow and the qualities leadership requires
Why do you think Ragnar went behind Darrow’s back to release Kavax and tell Mustang of their location?
Talk about the stark differences between the Obsidian’s planet and traditions…. Carnivores, griffins, matriarchs etc
Talk about the differences in the background of the ragtag bunch - from Reds in mining colonies with truth withheld, to Golds leaving the weak to die, to Grays being trained from a younger age, and Ragnar’s own living lie.
Cassius was shot by Mustang. Cassius still had Mustang’s earrings, and they were in negotiations together. Where do you think the two currently stand with each other?
Now that Alia has been killed and Sefi has taken the mantle, how do you think the Obsidians will go in the war? Will they go savage/have they had enough time to acclimate, or will this make everything worse?
Predictions!
What did you think about Morning Star by Pierce Brown? Did you prefer it to Golden Son? Let us know in the comments below or join our discord today!
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