I am ready to read a longer SciFi series, and it seems two of the most recommended series are Red Riding and Sun Eater. Both are going to be long, so I am debating which one to go with first.
The top 5 SciFi novels ranked, based on my taste;
1. Hyperion Cantos
2. The Martian Chronicles
3. Children of Time
4. The Three Body Problem
5. Project Hail Mary
SciFi books that people love, but I am fairly neutral about:
1. Dune
2. Dark Matter
3. Rendezvous with Rama
I am also a big fan of historical fiction (Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, etc), and I generally don’t enjoy YA at all.
Based on the above, I would really appreciate some insights on which series I would prefer out of the two. Or maybe I should just go read the Expense series?
Thank you all in advance!
by Yinanization
6 Comments
Based on the books you listed and not enjoying YA, I would go with Sun Eater first. Red Rising is not YA, but it kind of starts as a YA Trojan Horse if that makes sense. Dan Simmons is one Ruocchio’s favourite writers too, so that helps.
Both are great but I think Sun Eater aligns more with your comments.
Haven’t read the other but red rising has steadily become my favorite sci-fi series. Can’t recommend it enough. It is very violent tho so trigger warning for that
I enjoyed red rising more because I like character driven stories and the character development was very interesting. It’s also very gritty and action packed. Lots of twists and turns. The sun eater is a bit heavier and conceptually more mature. The prose is incredible in parts, but I wasn’t able to
fall in love with the main characters. They somewhat ‘kept distance’ from the reader if it makes sense. Both very good books though.
Red Rising is fantastic sci-fi and it raises a lot of deep questions about society/class structure, good vs evil from a utilitarian perspective, and changing responsibilities as we progress through life and take on certain roles
I’ve read both the first three Red Rising and the first couple Sun Eater books. Personally, I like Red Rising better, it’s a story about revolution that actually shows overturning the old social order. The Sun Eater books are, IMO, *way* too long and repetitive, there’s a lot of extra stuff that could be cut. They start out a lot like Dune and have some similar themes, but go in their own direction. I personally dislike the direction the Sun Eater books go, as I feel other sci fi novels such as The Sparrow and Excession cover the same themes but in a more intelligent manner.
Both Red Rising and the first Sun Eater book have some YA-like vibes, but aren’t exactly YA books. The main characters of both are teenagers at the start of the first book. The protagonist of Sun Eater is written like a real actual teenager unlike Dune. The protagonist of Red Rising feels immature in some ways, but very mature in others.
Yes. You really can’t go wrong with either one. Both are excellent. (Red Rising because an answer has to be given)