First line: They say that the colonization of the solar system began eight centuries ago.

Summary: In a prequel to the Red Rising series, we get the story of Fitchner and the start of the group called the Sons of Ares in graphic novel format.

Highlights: The story was good. It is nice to see what led to the forming of the group that has a strong presence in the Red Rising series.

Lowlights: I’m not a big fan of graphic novels. It was fun but at times hard to follow since I am not used to reading in this style.

FYI: Lots of gore and some mild nudity.

This review is actually for all six of the installments of the <i>Sons of Ares</i> series.

I definitely don't think this prequel series would work for anyone who hasn't already read the <i>Red Rising</i> trilogy. While it was an okayish storyline, I only actually sat up and took interest when a certain character made their debut. And said character doesn't even speak.

I didn't find the explanation of the world and the caste system to be as clear as it probably should've been, or rather I guess it was explained well enough but still felt jumbled, and I actually didn't like the style of art at all.

Overall, this didn't offer much for me as a fan except I felt almost required to like it when it became clear whose origin story this was. I absolutely recommend the trilogy, and am excited for what comes next from this author, but would probably not push readers to invest time or energy in these illustrated issues.

This comic is the prequel of Red Rising and tells the story of Fitchner and the beginning of the Sons of Ares, we also get glimpses of little Sevro :) Nice illustrations and super cool story!

Questo fumetto é il prequel di Red Rising e narra la storia di Fitchner e la nascita di Sevro e dei Sons of Ares. Bei disegni e storia fantastica come al solito.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I received a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. WOW! Was that an intense ride. For a graphic novel, it read (for me) like a regular 300 page book. I had the same emotional roller coaster, the same amount of details that I crave and the same drama that keeps a person turning pages until the end. A caste system set up based on color. No necessarily the color of skin but what specific color model you were designed for. Each color caste has a purpose and the rules are clear. You can't move up or down. You can't be any more than what you were born into and you can't cross the lines. Fitchner was not supposed to be what he was. He was always different. Even in each of the color caste there was a bottom and top. Being on the top was what gave Fitchner the training and strength he needed to be the man he thought he should be. He realized early on that he would have to fight for everything because he was at the bottom of his caste color, Gold. A missed opportunity provided Fitchner with the best opportunity of his live. A fallout with someone he trusted pushed him all the way to Triton. A cold unforgiving moon that he was to help stabilize. While on Triton, an accident happens and Fitchner doesn't fail to react. He dives in, literally, and tries to save as many people as he can. When the lower caste colors see what he is doing, they come to his aide when he becomes distressed. It is in recovery that he meets the love of his life. Only problem, she is in a different caste color and their love is forbidden. Fitchner throws caution to the wind and lets it all ride on red (pun intended). Upon their return home from Triton, Fitchner has to pretend Brynn and her sister have nothing to do with him. Being the man that he is, Fitchner is determined to make his life as full as possible given the circumstances and finds a black market "carver" to combine his and Brynns DNA and give them a child. It is when his son is born that the problems start and Fitchner realizes he has so much more to lose. Not only was this novel drama packed, it was amazingly illustrated to accentuate the story it weaved.

The Red Rising trilogy was a very pleasant surprise for me. I'm not a huge fan of scifi or dystopias, but after hearing all the blurb about these books I gave them a chance, and ended up falling in love with the world and characters created by Pierce Brown. I'm really excited to see this world in full color and to learn more about Ares, about what happened before Darrow's time and in that sense, this comic works perfectly. If you haven't read the books, there won't really be any spoilers, but it might be difficult to keep track of everything that's happening. For the fans of the trilogy though, this a great treat. I enjoyed every bit of it. I'm giving it 4/5 starts only because the art style wasn't 100% my cup of tea, but will definitely will keep reading. Great read to start 2018!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.