There are certain book series that are almost impossible to replace once you finish them, and Pierce Brown’s Red Rising is definitely one of them.

The series has a little bit of everything.

There are massive battles, political betrayals, class warfare, friendships, rivalries, shocking deaths, complicated characters, and enough twists to make you question just about everyone. What begins as a dystopian story about a young man at the bottom of society eventually transforms into a sprawling space opera about revolution, power, war, and what happens after you tear down an empire.

That combination is exactly what makes finding books like Red Rising difficult.

You can find plenty of great science fiction novels. You can find military fantasy. You can find dystopian novels about rebellion. You can even find books filled with deadly academies and political intrigue.

But finding another novel that combines all of those things quite like Pierce Brown does is much harder.

The good news is that there are some incredible books and series that capture different parts of what makes Red Rising so addictive.

Some have protagonists fighting against rigid social hierarchies. Others feature enormous interplanetary wars. A few lean more heavily into fantasy than science fiction, but deliver the same brutal competition, revenge, betrayals, and relentless pacing that make Darrow’s story so much fun.

If you finished Red Rising and aren’t sure what to read next, these nine books should be near the top of your reading list.

9 Books Like Red Rising

1. Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
2. The Will of the Many by James Islington
3. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
4. Dune by Frank Herbert
5. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
7. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
8. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
9. The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

1. Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

If you want the book on this list that feels like the most natural recommendation after Red Rising, start with Empire of Silence.

Christopher Ruocchio’s novel is the beginning of the Sun Eater series, an enormous science fantasy saga following Hadrian Marlowe.

Hadrian is recounting the story of how he became one of the most infamous figures in human history. Long before becoming a legend, however, he is a young man attempting to escape the life that has been planned for him.

That decision sends him into a much larger adventure involving gladiatorial combat, imperial politics, alien civilizations, warfare, and the fate of humanity.

There are obvious similarities to Red Rising.

Both series feature charismatic but deeply flawed protagonists whose decisions eventually influence events on a galactic scale. Both blend science fiction with elements that sometimes feel closer to epic fantasy. And both spend a great deal of time exploring empires, aristocracy, warfare, loyalty, and the complicated consequences of power.

The biggest difference is pacing.

Red Rising throws readers into the action quickly and rarely slows down once Darrow reaches the Institute. Empire of Silence is much more deliberate. Ruocchio takes his time developing Hadrian and the civilization surrounding him.

That patience eventually pays off.

The Sun Eater series grows dramatically in scope, and readers who enjoy watching Red Rising evolve from a relatively contained dystopian novel into an enormous interplanetary conflict should appreciate the similar sense of escalation here.

Read this if you loved: the space opera, political maneuvering, enormous scope, complicated protagonist, and Roman-inspired civilization of Red Rising.

2. The Will of the Many by James Islington

Even though The Will of the Many is fantasy rather than traditional science fiction, it may be one of the best recommendations for anyone who loved the first Red Rising novel.

James Islington introduces readers to Vis, a young man hiding his true identity inside an authoritarian civilization known as the Hierarchy.

The society operates through a system called Will in which people surrender part of their strength to those ranked above them.

Power literally moves upward through society.

Vis has very personal reasons for despising the system. But when he is given an opportunity to enter an elite academy, he must hide his intentions while navigating dangerous classmates, powerful families, political schemes, and mysteries that suggest the Hierarchy may be far more complicated than he imagined.

Sound familiar?

Anyone who remembers Darrow infiltrating Gold society should immediately understand why The Will of the Many belongs on this list.

Vis is surrounded by people who cannot discover who he really is. He must learn the rules of an elite civilization while simultaneously trying to defeat it. The academy setting creates rivalries and alliances, while the larger political story slowly expands around him.

There is also a strong emphasis on hierarchy and inequality.

Instead of Colors determining someone’s position in civilization, power is structured around the transfer of Will.

The result feels familiar without simply copying Pierce Brown.

And once the book begins revealing its larger mysteries, The Will of the Many becomes even harder to put down.

Read this if you loved: Darrow infiltrating the Golds, the Institute, hidden identities, elite academies, political intrigue, and shocking twists.

3. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

If your favorite part of Red Rising is watching Darrow transform himself into an almost unstoppable warrior, then The Rage of Dragons should immediately go on your reading list.

Evan Winter’s epic fantasy novel follows Tau, a young man living in an incredibly violent society that has been fighting a seemingly endless war.

Tau doesn’t begin the novel dreaming of glory.

He wants to survive.

But tragedy changes everything.

Consumed by revenge, Tau becomes obsessed with becoming one of the greatest swordsmen alive. He throws himself into brutal training with a determination that borders on self-destruction.

That intensity makes The Rage of Dragons one of the easiest books to recommend to Pierce Brown fans.

Tau and Darrow are very different characters, but both possess an almost terrifying ability to turn pain into motivation.

They refuse to accept the place society has assigned them.

They train relentlessly.

They make reckless decisions.

And once they decide what they want, very little is going to stop them.

Winter’s novel also explores inequality, warfare, privilege, revenge, and the sacrifices people make while trying to transform an unjust society.

It doesn’t have spaceships or futuristic technology, but emotionally, it captures a lot of the same energy.

The battle sequences are particularly good.

Readers who love the frantic violence and momentum of Pierce Brown’s action scenes should feel right at home.

Read this if you loved: Darrow’s transformation, brutal training, revenge stories, relentless protagonists, class inequality, and incredible battle scenes.

4. Dune by Frank Herbert

You can’t talk about epic science fiction involving powerful families, political schemes, warfare, charismatic leaders, and enormous empires without eventually arriving at Dune.

Frank Herbert’s classic has influenced generations of science fiction.

The novel follows Paul Atreides after his family is given control of Arrakis, the desert planet that produces the most valuable substance in the universe.

Almost immediately, Paul finds himself caught in an enormous political conspiracy.

What follows is a story involving rival families, religion, prophecy, economics, ecology, rebellion, and imperial politics.

Dune and Red Rising aren’t identical reading experiences.

Herbert is slower and much more interested in philosophy, religion, ecology, and political systems. Brown is generally faster, more action-heavy, and driven by explosive twists.

But their larger concerns overlap in fascinating ways.

Both examine charismatic leaders.

Both question what happens when revolution becomes mythology.

Both explore the struggle between powerful families competing for control of civilization.

And both understand that winning a revolution can create entirely new problems.

That last part becomes increasingly important as the Red Rising saga progresses.

Darrow’s story isn’t simply about destroying an oppressive civilization. Pierce Brown spends a lot of time examining how difficult it is to build something better afterward.

Readers fascinated by that part of the series should absolutely experience Dune.

Read this if you loved: political strategy, powerful families, rebellion, war, morally complicated leaders, and enormous science-fiction worlds.

5. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Readers who loved the Institute sections of Red Rising should consider picking up Ender’s Game.

Humanity is preparing for another potential war against an alien civilization, and military leaders believe children may hold the key to victory.

That brings Ender Wiggin to Battle School.

Ender is extraordinarily intelligent and unusually capable of understanding his opponents. Once inside the school, he is placed in increasingly difficult situations designed to test his strategic abilities.

He must learn how to lead.

He must figure out who he can trust.

And he must constantly overcome challenges created by people intentionally pushing him toward his breaking point.

The similarities to the Institute aren’t difficult to see.

Both stories place young characters inside highly competitive systems where failure has enormous consequences. Alliances matter. Strategy matters. Leadership matters.

Most importantly, being physically powerful isn’t enough.

The protagonist must understand people.

That is something Darrow learns repeatedly throughout Red Rising. Some of his greatest victories happen because he understands loyalty, morale, psychology, and symbolism better than his opponents.

Ender operates similarly.

He doesn’t simply win battles. He changes the way the game is played.

If the military strategy and competitive elements of Red Rising are what originally hooked you, Ender’s Game remains an essential science fiction novel.

Read this if you loved: the Institute, military strategy, tactical battles, young commanders, competition, and psychological warfare.

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The comparison between The Hunger Games and the first Red Rising novel is obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate.

Suzanne Collins created one of modern fiction’s most memorable dystopian worlds with Panem, a nation divided into districts controlled by the wealthy Capitol.

Katniss Everdeen comes from District 12, one of the poorest areas in the country.

When her younger sister is selected to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place.

She is sent into an arena where young people must fight until only one survives.

But survival is only the beginning.

Like Darrow, Katniss gradually becomes something much larger than herself.

She becomes a symbol.

That transformation is one of the strongest connections between the two series.

Neither Darrow nor Katniss begins with the intention of becoming the face of a massive revolution. But oppressed people eventually see something in them that can be used to challenge those in power.

Both series are fascinated by propaganda, symbols, social inequality, sacrifice, rebellion, and how revolutionary movements transform individuals into legends.

The arena structure of The Hunger Games also makes it especially appealing to fans of Red Rising’s Institute storyline.

There are shifting alliances, brutal betrayals, constant danger, and powerful people watching everything unfold.

If you somehow made it through Red Rising without reading Suzanne Collins’ famous trilogy, now is a perfect time.

Read this if you loved: dystopian societies, rebellion, deadly competitions, social inequality, revolutionary symbols, and protagonists fighting impossible systems.

7. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

One of the best things about the Red Rising saga is watching its world expand.

The original novel feels relatively contained compared with what comes later. Eventually readers are dealing with fleets, planets, political factions, enormous armies, and conflicts that can change the future of the entire solar system.

If that evolution is what you love most, read Leviathan Wakes.

It is the first novel in The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey.

Humanity has expanded throughout the solar system. Earth, Mars, and the Belt have developed distinct populations, cultures, interests, and political tensions.

Then an apparently ordinary mystery threatens to ignite something much larger.

The series combines mystery, politics, warfare, technology, conspiracy, and genuinely excellent space battles.

Compared with Red Rising, The Expanse generally feels more grounded.

Pierce Brown’s universe often embraces the larger-than-life feeling of mythology and epic fantasy. Characters become legends, and battles can feel almost Homeric.

The Expanse is more interested in how people might realistically live throughout the solar system and how economics, resources, gravity, politics, and distance would shape those societies.

But both series become sprawling political epics.

If you reached Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, or Dark Age and realized that massive interplanetary politics were what you really wanted, Leviathan Wakes should be one of your next books.

Read this if you loved: the solar-system setting, political factions, space battles, conspiracies, warfare, and the expanding scope of the later Red Rising books.

8. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Few protagonists on this list possess the same furious energy as Darrow.

Wu Zetian does.

In Iron Widow, humanity fights enormous alien creatures using giant transforming machines known as Chrysalises.

These machines require male and female pilots, but female pilots are frequently treated as expendable resources.

Zetian enters the system for one reason: revenge.

Her sister was killed after becoming a pilot, and Zetian intends to make the person responsible pay.

Things quickly escalate.

Instead of quietly accepting the role society has given her, Zetian begins challenging the entire structure surrounding her.

That makes Iron Widow a great recommendation for readers who enjoy the anger at the heart of Red Rising.

Both stories take place within civilizations built around rigid inequality.

Both protagonists experience devastating personal loss.

Both decide that surviving inside the system isn’t enough.

They want to break it.

The novel also delivers giant battles, political manipulation, romance, violence, and a protagonist who isn’t particularly interested in becoming morally perfect just because she is fighting an unjust society.

That moral messiness is another connection to Red Rising.

Darrow frequently makes choices that force readers to consider whether achieving a just goal can excuse terrible actions.

Iron Widow isn’t interested in easy answers either.

Read this if you loved: revenge, rebellion, angry protagonists, oppressive hierarchies, spectacular battles, and morally complicated revolutionaries.

9. The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

The Combat Codes may not have the same enormous name recognition as Dune or The Hunger Games, but it is worth checking out if the combat and training elements of Red Rising are among your favorites.

Alexander Darwin imagines a future where conflicts between nations are settled through highly trained fighters rather than traditional warfare.

These warriors train inside specialized academies where physical ability, discipline, strategy, and competition determine who rises.

The story follows characters caught inside this system as they uncover larger questions about the civilization they serve.

The academy environment alone should appeal to readers who enjoyed the Institute.

But the similarities extend beyond the setting.

Both stories are interested in how societies turn violence into institutions.

They create elaborate rules and traditions around brutality, then teach young people that succeeding within those systems represents honor.

Naturally, things become much more complicated when characters begin questioning the structure itself.

The martial arts focus also gives The Combat Codes a distinctive identity.

Rather than enormous fleet battles, much of the tension revolves around individual fighters and carefully choreographed combat.

That makes it a great change of pace while still delivering many of the qualities Pierce Brown readers are probably searching for.

Read this if you loved: the Institute, combat training, competitive academies, warrior cultures, underdogs, and characters challenging established systems.

What Should You Read After Red Rising?

If I had to recommend only one book to someone who just finished Pierce Brown’s series, I would probably choose Empire of Silence.

Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series has the scale, political intrigue, enormous civilization, science-fantasy atmosphere, warfare, and complicated central character that many Red Rising fans are looking for.

But if your favorite part of Red Rising was the original novel and Darrow infiltrating Gold society, The Will of the Manymight be an even better choice.

The setup is remarkably appealing for anyone who loved the Institute.

Vis is forced to enter an elite world while hiding who he really is, surrounded by powerful people who would destroy him if they learned the truth.

Fans who primarily want action should try The Rage of Dragons.

Readers who want political complexity should go with Dune.

If military tactics were your favorite element, choose Ender’s Game.

And if what you really want is another enormous science-fiction series involving competing factions across the solar system, start Leviathan Wakes.

Books Like Red Rising Ranked by What You Loved Most

For another huge space opera: Empire of Silence

For something most like the Institute: The Will of the Many

For brutal action and training: The Rage of Dragons

For political intrigue: Dune

For military strategy: Ender’s Game

For dystopian rebellion: The Hunger Games

For solar-system warfare: Leviathan Wakes

For revenge and revolution: Iron Widow

For combat and academy competition: The Combat Codes

Why Red Rising Is So Hard to Replace

Part of the reason readers constantly search for books like Red Rising is that the series refuses to remain one thing.

The first book can almost be described as a dystopian survival story.

Then everything changes.

The series grows into political science fiction, military science fiction, space opera, tragedy, and something resembling epic fantasy despite taking place in a technologically advanced future.

Darrow changes along with it.

The angry young man we meet at the beginning is very different from the leader forced to confront the consequences of years of warfare later in the saga.

That character development gives the series weight beyond its spectacular action scenes.

Pierce Brown also understands pacing.

Just when you think you understand where a story is heading, an alliance collapses, someone betrays someone else, a battle takes an unexpected turn, or a character makes a decision that changes everything.

That unpredictability makes the books incredibly difficult to stop reading.

And then there are the characters.

Sevro, Mustang, Cassius, Ragnar, Victra, and countless others make the universe feel much bigger than Darrow alone.

Friends become enemies.

Enemies become allies.

Relationships that appear simple become increasingly complicated as everyone develops different ideas about loyalty, justice, and what society should look like.

Finding another book that perfectly recreates all of those elements may be impossible.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of novels capable of scratching the same itch.

More Books to Read If You Love Red Rising

Once you’ve finished these nine books, there are several other science fiction and fantasy novels worth exploring.

Readers looking for enormous science-fiction worlds can try Hyperion by Dan Simmons or Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Fantasy fans who want brutal politics and morally complicated characters should consider The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.

If you mainly loved the competitions and deadly academy atmosphere of the original Red Rising, Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education offers another dangerous school where simply surviving is an accomplishment.

And readers who want more revolutionary science fiction should look at The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin.

None is exactly like Pierce Brown’s saga.

That is probably a good thing.

The best books to read after finishing a beloved series aren’t necessarily copies of it. They are stories that capture part of the experience while introducing you to a new world, new characters, and new ideas.

Final Thoughts on the Best Books Like Red Rising

Finishing a great series always creates the same problem: what do you read next?

After Red Rising, that question becomes especially difficult because Pierce Brown combines so many genres.

Thankfully, there are plenty of fantastic options.

Start with Empire of Silence if you want another gigantic science-fantasy saga.

Pick up The Will of the Many if you loved Darrow’s infiltration of Gold society and the brutal competition of the Institute.

Try The Rage of Dragons if you want another protagonist fueled by rage, loss, and an almost unbelievable determination to become stronger.

And don’t overlook classics such as Dune and Ender’s Game, whose explorations of leadership, warfare, politics, and power make them natural companions to Brown’s series.

Whichever book you choose, these nine novels prove that finishing Red Rising doesn’t have to mean leaving epic rebellions, brutal battles, political betrayals, and unforgettable characters behind.

Your next obsession might already be waiting on this list.

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