Red Rising Saga reading order

A plan for the whole series

7 volumes, 4,384 pages, about 80 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “Iron Gold” (by 53%). Plan your break after volume 3, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 4, “Iron Gold”, below its predecessor (8.1 after 8.8). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 6 the form returns.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2023. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around March 9, 2027, about 3 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026

   • 1. Red Rising2014 · 468 pages · 9 h
   • 2. Golden Son2015 · 464 pages · 9 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 11, 2026

   • 3. Morning Star2016 · 672 pages · 12 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 20, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 312 h16 daysby January 6, 2027

   • 4. Iron Gold2018 · 672 pages · 12 h
6. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by January 9, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 415 h20 daysby January 29, 2027

   • 5. Dark Age2019 · 800 pages · 15 h
8. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by February 2, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 513 h17 daysby February 18, 2027

   • 6. Light Bringer2023 · 682 pages · 13 h
10. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by February 22, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 611 h15 daysby March 9, 2027

    • 7. Red God · ≈ 626 pages · 11 h
12. The end of the series

    March 9, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

≈ next to a page count: a volume with no page count in our data is counted at this series’s average.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: the finale is the best part. The last volume (9.1) stands above the rest. Whoever reaches the end gets the reward.

Best volume: Light Bringer (9.1, 636 ratings). Weakest: Iron Gold (8.1). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 53%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2023. The last volume (9.1) scores close to the series average or above it.