Iron Gold

Published in 2018, Pierce Brown’s Iron Gold is the first installment in the Iron Gold dystopian science-fiction tetralogy. It is a sequel to his first series, the Red Rising trilogy, which is set in the same universe and revolves around many of the same characters. The Iron Gold series also includes Dark Age (2019), Light Bringer (2023), and the yet unpublished Red Gold.

Set in a futuristic Solar system, Iron Gold begins 10 years after the end of Darrow of Lykos’s bloody interplanetary rebellion against the Society, an oppressive regime based on strict social hierarchies. He and his wife Virginia are now leading the Solar Republic and struggling to maintain peace across the liberated planets and moons of the Solar system. In addition to chapters narrated by Darrow, the novel also gives voice to Lyria, a formerly enslaved Martian; Lysander, orphaned heir to the highest-ranking Society family; and Ephraim, a disillusioned thief. Through each of their perspectives, the novel explores The Ethical Challenges of Power and Governance, The Tension Between Family and Duty, and the social dynamics that emerge in the wake of a fallen empire. Brown’s narrative, in its exploration of power and rebellion in a dystopian future, is set firmly in the literary legacy of sagas like Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965) and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (1985).

This guide refers to the 2018 Kindle edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of graphic violence, death, addiction, and racism.

Plot Summary

Iron Gold is narrated in the first person by each of the four protagonists (Darrow, Lysander, Lyria, and Ephraim) in turn. The novel takes place 10 years after the conclusion of Brown’s Red Rising series, which saw Darrow of Lykos’s ascent to power. In a dystopian universe where the oppressive Society has colonized the Solar system’s planets and moons, Darrow led a rebellion, named the Rising, that eventually overturned the Golds’ domination over other Colors. After becoming the Solar Republic’s ArchImperator, Darrow is now dealing with the fallen empire he has inherited and attempting to eradicate the last remnants of the Society forces.

In addition to Darrow’s storyline, the novel also follows three other characters. The first is Lyria of Lagalos, a young Martian whose enslaved people were liberated by the Republic several years ago. After spending years in poverty despite the Sovereign’s promises of a better life, Lyria has developed resentment toward the Republic and its leaders. There is also Ephraim ti Horn, a disillusioned thief who left the Republic’s army after losing too many loved ones in combat. Finally, the last protagonist is Lysander au Lune, the only surviving heir to the Society’s ruling family.

At the beginning of the story, Darrow leads an unsanctioned attack on Mercury. When he returns to Luna, the Senators condemn the brutality of his actions and remove him from power. However, Darrow is convinced that the Ash Lord, the Society’s ruler, is scheming to undermine the fragile peace that he and the Sovereign have been working for. He asks the Howlers, his élite soldiers, to follow him on a secret, final mission to kill the Ash Lord.

Against the Senate’s orders, Darrow, his best friend Sevro, and the Howlers—now branded outlaws—break a war prisoner, Apollonius au Valii-Rath, out of jail. Apollonius uses his knowledge and resources to lead Darrow and the Howlers to the Ash Lord’s hidden retreat on Venus. However, when they get there, they realize that they have been tricked.

They find the Ash Lord incapacitated and unable to lead his armies. The Society’s forces are now controlled by his daughter Atalantia, who is preparing to launch an attack on the Republic while Darrow is away. At the end of the novel, Darrow decides to pick up his identity as the Reaper once again and become the soldier and leader that the Solar Republic needs.

At the other end of the Solar system, Lysander struggles to reconcile his family legacy with his desire to do good. He has been traveling under a false identity for the past 10 years with Cassius au Bellona, his mentor. When they stumble upon a distress signal sent by an unknown ship, Lysander and Cassius attempt to save its crew. However, they find dangerous mercenaries and a mysterious hostage instead.

Lysander impulsively rescues the stranger, a young woman, and they flee to the coordinates she gives them. There, Lysander and his friends are taken prisoner by a ship from the Rim Dominion, a territory outside the Republic ruled by Romulus au Raa. The young woman is Romulus’s daughter Seraphina, and she stole secret information that proves that Darrow tricked the Rim lords into signing a peace treaty.

Enraged, the Rim lords sentence Romulus to death and agree to join his wife Dido’s war against the Republic. Lysander, who is intrigued by Seraphina and seduced by the au Raas’s ideas, reveals his true identity to them. At the end of the book, he decides to offer his services as a leader and a protector to Dido and wage war against Darrow.

Lyria’s story opens with her living with her family on Mars amidst poverty and constant threats from terrorist groups. When the Republic fails to protect her family from an attack, Lyria and her surviving nephew take refuge on Luna. Lyria finds employment with Lord Kavax au Telemanus, an eccentric Republic official.

She finds herself lonelier than ever in this new city and befriends a man named Philippe who helps her overcome some of her trauma. However, the man is quickly revealed to be Ephraim in disguise, and Lyria is shocked and heartbroken when she realizes that he has been using her to get close to Kavax.

Ephraim is initially depicted as a talented thief renowned for his dramatic heists. He and his crew are then hired by the Syndicate, an interplanetary criminal organization, to kidnap Darrow’s son Pax. Although Ephraim is loath to do the Syndicate’s bidding or hurt children, he is forced to agree when his friends’ lives are threatened.

Ephraim spends a large part of the novel planning the heist, including manipulating Lyria into carrying a weaponized drone into Kavax’s ship. He successfully kidnaps Pax and Electra, Sevro’s daughter, but is unable to kill Lyria, the only witness. She escapes the Syndicate’s men and surrenders herself to the Sovereign, who tracks down Ephraim with her help.

After he has delivered the children to the Syndicate, Ephraim is approached by his sister-in-law Holiday ti Nakamura, who works for the Sovereign, and Lyria. They offer him a deal to locate the children to save one of his friends, and Ephraim infiltrates the Syndicate. He is able to kidnap Pax and Electra back, but the Syndicate’s soldiers come after them. At the end of the book, Ephraim is in a dire situation: He has just been shot, and his ship, with the children on board, is about to crash.