Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a sci-fi book series about a color-coded social hierarchy in a futuristic universe where humans have colonized other planets. The premise of the series is that the ruling class, the Golds, are physically superior and rule with an iron fist over the lower classes, the Reds. The Reds are treated as slaves and forced to do the hard work, such as mining helium-3 on Mars to help terraform the planet. The main character, Darrow, is a 16-year-old Red who is driven by a desire for justice and a memory of lost love. He infiltrates the Institute, a proving ground for the Golds, where he competes for his life and the future of civilization against the ruling class.