Iron Gold

Plot summary

A decade after Morning Star, the Republic and Society remain at war. Virginia rules the Republic, while Romulus au Raa governs the Rim Dominion. Darrow leads Republic forces as ArchImperator. Dancer heads the opposition in the multi-Colour Senate.

Magnus au Grimmus, the Ash Lord, commands the Society from Venus. Defying the Senate, Darrow launches an Iron Rain on Mercury, freeing the planet. Upon his return to Luna, Dancer tells the Senate that Darrow secretly refused Magnus’s ceasefire. The Senate turns on Darrow, who plots with the Howlers to flee and kill Magnus.

Before leaving, Darrow and Sevro say goodbye to their children. Virginia orders the Wardens to arrest Darrow, but he escapes, accidentally killing ArchWarden Wulfgar. On Earth, Darrow frees Apollonius au Valii-Rath from a maximum security prison, planting a bomb in his head to force cooperation. Meanwhile, Lysander and Cassius, living as vigilantes in the Asteroid Belt, save Seraphina au Raa from Ascomanni raiders.

Pursued, they follow her coordinates to Romulus’s forces, who take them to Io. Romulus orders Seraphina imprisoned and Cassius and Lysander executed. His wife Dido stages a coup, stopping the executions, freeing Seraphina, and imprisoning Romulus. Seraphina knows Cassius’s identity and tells Dido.

At Dido’s command, Seraphina had hidden footage of Darrow and Victra destroying Ganymede’s dockyards inside Cassius’s safe. Dido demands he open it; he refuses to prevent war. To manipulate Lysander, Dido vows revenge on Cassius for her daughter and father-in-law’s deaths. Cassius defeats many House Raa members in duels but loses to Seraphina.

Lysander reveals himself and opens the safe to save Cassius. Dido shows the footage to the Moon Lords. Diomedes tells Lysander that Cassius died from his wounds.

Characters

Darrow of Lykos, known as the Reaper and the Morning Star, is a Red physically remade into a Gold to infiltrate and destroy the Society. He serves as ArchImperator of the Solar Republic. Virginia au Augustus, called Mustang, is Darrow's wife and the elected Sovereign of the Republic. Sevro au Barca, also known as Goblin and Ares, is Darrow's best friend and second-in-command.

Victra au Barca, Sevro's wife, is a wealthy shipping magnate. Cassius au Bellona, former Morning Knight, is an independent freedom fighter who has reconciled with Darrow. Lysander au Lune is the grandson and heir to Octavia au Lune, raised by Cassius. Kavax au Telemanus is a longtime ally to Virginia and Darrow.

Niobe au Telemanus is Kavax's wife. Daxo au Telemanus, a Gold Senator, is son and heir to Kavax. Thraxa au Telemanus, daughter of Kavax and Niobe, is one of Darrow's Howlers. Magnus au Grimmus, the Ash Lord, leads the Society from Venus.

Atalantia au Grimmus is his sole remaining daughter. Julia au Bellona, Cassius's mother, harbors hatred for Darrow. Romulus au Raa is Sovereign of the Rim Dominion. Dido au Raa is Romulus's wife.

Seraphina au Raa is their remaining daughter, a Peerless Scarred and blademaster. Diomedes au Raa, the Storm Knight, is their eldest remaining son. Marius au Raa is a Quaestor and son of Romulus and Dido. Alexandar au Arcos is a Howler and lancer to Darrow.

Development and themes

Brown announced a sequel trilogy to Red Rising in February 2016. He noted that he started seeing many plots, particularly with the Ash Lord and the chaos that happens when an empire falls. Brown said that while the first trilogy followed Darrow's quest, the new series explores the consequences of Darrow's rebellion, asking whether they have unleashed dark ages or a renaissance. He cited the primary theme as 'What is better, rule and order or chaos and freedom?' and explained that the new book is about seeing the people affected negatively by the positive actions of Darrow.

Before publication, Brown noted that both Darrow and Mustang would be integral characters, and the novel would be told from four viewpoints: Darrow, another familiar character, and two new ones. He chose Darrow, Lysander, and two new characters with a grudge against Darrow: Lyria, a Red freed from slavery, and Ephraim, a Gray whose husband was killed rescuing Darrow. Brown said he wanted to expand the universe and see how others perceive Darrow. The new trilogy explores planets and elements only briefly touched on in the previous series.

Brown called the scope huge and far more ambitious than Red Rising, spanning the solar system and weaving in disparate cultures. He noted that many characters are not wrecking balls like Darrow and must use other means to achieve their goals. The novel's title refers to the original Gold conquerors, an ideal that many of the former ruling class wish to bring back in their fight against the Rising.