Dark Age

Dark Age, the fifth installment in the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, was originally published in 2019. A New York Times bestselling author, Brown is known for blending science fiction with classical influences, infusing his narratives with political intrigue, moral complexity, and mythic undertones. Set in a brutal, caste-based future, Dark Age continues the saga of Darrow of Lykos, once a lowborn Red turned revolutionary and now a war-weary general fighting to preserve the fragile republic he helped create. The novel falls within the genre of dystopian science fiction, though its philosophical themes, shifting perspectives, and visceral storytelling also evoke space opera and epic fantasy traditions. As the solar system fractures under the weight of war, the novel explores themes of The Consequences of Power and Its Abuse, The Impact of War on Society and Individuals, and The Complexities of Leadership and Loyalty.

This guide uses the eBook version of Dark Age, published in 2019 by Del Rey.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of gender discrimination, antigay bias, sexual violence, rape, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child death, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, animal cruelty and death, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, sexual content, cursing, illness and death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

Plot Summary

The front matter of Dark Age includes a map of Mercury’s continent Helios, while a detailed dramatis personae introduces the cast, organized by faction: the Solar Republic (the society that has emerged from Darrow’s rebellion), the Society (the remnants of the hierarchical society he rebelled against), the Rim Dominion (a similarly hierarchical society whose elite nevertheless sought independence from the Society), Obsidian tribes (a lower-status group comprised of soldiers, Obsidians were punished for an attempted rebellion with exile to remote regions of Earth and Mars), and unaffiliated characters. A speech from Sovereign Virginia au Augustus condemns the Republic Senate for its inaction and blames Atalantia au Grimmus, “Dictator” of the remaining Society, for renewed hostilities. Virginia vows to rescue her husband, Darrow, who is stranded on Mercury following a failed campaign. (Iron Gold depicts Darrow’s conquest of Mercury followed by the Society’s countercampaign, which besieges the Republic’s forces on Helios). Two months prior to this speech, Darrow and a diminished strike team launched a rescue mission for Orion, a pilot captured by Atlas au Raa, a military leader for the Society despite coming from a ruling Rim family. They infiltrate the Society’s flagship and succeed, but not without losses.

Darrow then prepares two military operations to break the siege on Helios: Voyager Cloak, a decoy, and Tartarus, which uses hidden terraforming weapons called Storm Gods. Meanwhile, he contends with Orion’s deteriorating mental state, the strain of leadership, and the absence of trusted allies.

Parallel chapters follow Lysander, formerly the heir presumptive to rulership over the Society. Lysander escaped death in the coup that toppled the Society by becoming a ward of a Gold named Cassius au Bellona. The two spent several years fighting pirates, but Lysander is now returning to the Society with Diomedes au Raa, Atlas’s nephew and a military leader of the Rim. Though initially uneasy, Lysander becomes increasingly entangled in Gold politics, aligning with Atalantia and volunteering for the invasion of Mercury. He is both repulsed by and drawn to the Society’s power.

The invasion devastates Mercury. Atlas leaves trails of mutilated civilians, and Orion, pushed to extremes, activates the Storm Gods beyond the agreed limits. Darrow is forced to kill her with a remote override. In the storm-ravaged desert, Darrow ambushes Lysander’s unit, nearly killing him. Both men survive—damaged, altered, and poised for further escalation. Heliopolis, a major city on Helios, is besieged, and Darrow narrowly survives an ambush by Atlas.

After announcing Darrow’s (thus far) successful defense of Heliopolis, Virginia fights for Senate approval to send aid fleets. She navigates power struggles between the Vox Populi, a leftist political faction, and the wealthy Silvers, a class of financiers and others involved with currency, leveraging influence, threats, and alliances. Political fractures deepen when her ally Dancer is implicated in suspicious dealings with a crime organization known as the Syndicate, but Virginia uncovers the true traitor: a senator named Publius, who is working with the Syndicate Queen.

Meanwhile, Ephraim ti Horn, a Gray mercenary, recovers from injury and addiction under the care of Obsidian Queen Sefi (in Iron Gold, Ephraim crash landed on Luna, Earth’s moon, while escaping with two children he himself had helped the Syndicate kidnap: Pax Augustus, Darrow and Virginia’s son, and Electra au Barca, whose parents are close allies of Darrow). She recruits him to train her secret force, the skuggi, in guerrilla tactics in exchange for her paying the ransom of Volga Fjorgan, a mercenary and thief who has worked with Ephraim. Pax and Electra train with the Obsidians who hold them captive and challenge their cultural norms. Ephraim earns trust through unconventional teaching methods even as he senses Sefi’s hold weakening. Political tensions, illness, and betrayal culminate in a violent uprising when Ephraim discovers that Sefi is terminally ill.

Meanwhile, Virginia interrogates the captured Duke of Hands (a Syndicate leader) using a device that reveals the Syndicate Queen’s location and Publius’s involvement. Before Virginia can act, the Day of Red Doves erupts: Assassinations at the Senate kill Dancer and other key figures. Virginia is brutally attacked but survives.

On Mercury, Darrow buries the dead, refuses to surrender, and struggles to lead his army with dwindling supplies. A crucial shipment from Virginia reignites hope, and a council of leaders chooses to keep fighting. At the same time, Lysander, presumed dead, survives the desert storm generated by the Storm Gods. Hiding under a false identity—Cato—he is captured and interrogated.

Ephraim, growing closer to Pax, joins Sefi in a ritual hunt and later stumbles into a deadly trap laid by Volsung Fá, leader of the Ascomanni—a legendary branch of Obsidians. Fá brutally kills a skuggi, Freihild, and threatens the Obsidian way of life, framing other factions to provoke war. Sefi tries to prepare Volga as her successor, but her allies do not believe the Ascomanni are real.

A young Red named Lyria and Volga, imprisoned by Victra au Barca (Electra’s mother), are caught in an Ascomanni raid. During their escape, Lyria is infected with a parasitic intelligence. After crash-landing on Mars, she witnesses the violence of the extremist Red Hand group, including the brutal murder of Victra’s newborn son, Ulysses. Disguised as a child bride, Lyria infiltrates the Red Hand, rescues a group of enslaved girls, and helps lead a rebellion. When Victra arrives, the women take vengeance on their captors. Ephraim, who left Luna due to concerns about Fá (taking Pax and Electra with him), receives Lyria’s broadcast and rescues them. However, Ephraim then returns to warn Sefi that her advisor, Xenophon, has betrayed her.

Sefi’s refusal to believe Ephraim results in her downfall. In a violent coup, Volsung Fá exposes himself as her father and challenges her for rule. Sefi loses the duel and is executed, and Ephraim sacrifices himself in an attempt to stop Fá. Fá and his forces begin systematically assaulting the civilian population.

On Luna, the stronghold of the Society, Virginia is tortured by Atalantia only to be rescued by Sevro au Barca (Victra’s husband)—until an attack reveals that Adrius, Virginia’s brother and long-time enemy of Darrow, was cloned following his execution. Adrius captures Virginia and Sevro, but Virginia escapes and regroups on Mars.

Meanwhile, Darrow plans his escape from Mercury. Unaware of Lysander’s true identity, he allows “Cato” to move freely. Lysander exploits the trust, orchestrating a betrayal and detonating a device that disables the Republic’s defenses. He takes advantage of the chaos to rally Core Gold forces. Riding into battle, Lysander claims a symbolic and strategic victory.

Darrow’s forces, overwhelmed and exposed, engage in one last desperate battle in Heliopolis. Despite his injuries and grief, Darrow delays the enemy long enough for others to evacuate. He nearly kills Lysander but fails. However, Cassius arrives and rescues Darrow.

Lysander survives and is crowned in a hollow victory. Atalantia names him her consort and co-ruler, but Lysander begins to see the cost of ambition: Kalindora, his romantic interest and mentor, reveals her and Atalantia’s role in his parents’ death before dying herself. Lysander begins plans to consolidate power, clinging to visions of restoring “order” to a fractured world.

Virginia, now recovered, returns to Mars and wins significant public support. She reunites with Pax and Victra, revealing her scars and grief. Lyria chooses to stay on Mars and fight, and Volga agrees to confront her lineage by returning to the Ascomanni.