The Will of the Many and The Rage of Dragons deliver the closest match to Red Rising for sheer forward momentum, ruthless trials, and a lone protagonist infiltrating a lethal ruling hierarchy. At ReadNext, we match books on what made the original work. If you want Roman-styled elite schooling paired with an undercover rebel, start with James Islington’s novel.
The twelve picks fall into three groups based on the core qualities of Red Rising: deadly academies and combat trials, furious revolts against rigid social castes, and large-scale space opera conflicts. Readers seeking fast pacing, uncompromising stakes, and morally complex protagonists will find titles suited for adult and mature young adult tastes.
Books Like Red Rising, Grouped by Core Appeal
Deadly academies and trial by combat
1. The Will of the Many
James Islington
James Islington sets an undercover fugitive inside an elite academy patterned on Roman civic ranks. You get the same razor-sharp tension of an outsider hiding his identity while competing in lethal intellectual and physical games. The hierarchy runs on personal sacrifice, which mirrors the societal cruelty of the Golds. Readers who dislike extensive political maneuvering might find the middle act slower than Pierce Brown’s novel. Expect graphic violence.
Find it on Amazon
2. The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang gives readers an impoverished dark-skinned outsider who tests into a prestigious elite military academy. Like Darrow, the heroine faces relentless class contempt from wealthy classmates and survives through extreme physical discipline. The story escalates into brutal wartime atrocities, graphic violence, and deliberate self-harm. Readers looking for a clean moral victory will want to pass, as the story tracks a descent into catastrophic choices.
Find it on Amazon
3. The Combat Codes
Alexander Darwin
Alexander Darwin builds a gritty world where nations settle territorial disputes through single combat in fighting pits. A grizzled scout pulls an unsanctioned underground brawler into an elite martial academy to fight for the ruling class. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are grounded, vivid, and technically precise. Readers who want expansive planetary space battles instead of focused ring duels should pass. Contains graphic violence.
Find it on Amazon
4. Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card places a tactical child prodigy into an isolated orbital battle school where commanders manipulate the rules against him. The pressure-cooker environment and tactical war games share direct DNA with the Institute trials in Red Rising. Ender faces severe psychological isolation and physical bullying. It lacks the visceral gore of Pierce Brown’s universe, making it ideal if you want tactical brilliance without graphic body horror.
Find it on Amazon
5. Fireborne
Rosaria Munda
Rosaria Munda drops two orphans into a merit-based dragon-riding military tournament following a bloody class revolution. One rider was born an aristocrat, while the other survived the old regime’s street massacres. Their rivalry and ideological fracture capture the fragile politics of post-rebellion governing. Young adult readers appreciate the tight focus on loyalty and duty. It contains frequent violence and tactical aerial combat, but avoids extreme adult brutality.
Find it on AmazonFierce vengeance against a brutal caste system
6. The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter
Evan Winter delivers a relentless pace powered by a commoner’s obsessive desire for vengeance against an untouchable warrior caste. The protagonist subjects himself to agonizing training and supernatural danger to defeat superior foes. Its breakneck combat tempo matches the frenetic energy of Darrow taking the field against the Peerless Scarred. Skip this pick if you want complex planetary politics, because the narrative rarely pauses for breath. Graphic violence is constant.
Find it on Amazon
7. Iron Widow
Xiran Jay Zhao
Xiran Jay Zhao writes a ferocious heroine who enlists in a giant mechanized war effort specifically to assassinate the male pilot who killed her sister. Like Darrow, she rejects the subordinate role assigned to her station and turns the elite military structure against itself. The story features graphic violence and disturbing body horror. Readers looking for patient, gentle diplomacy will find none here, as rage fuels every major scene.
Find it on Amazon
8. Heroes Die
Matthew Woodring Stover
Matthew Woodring Stover presents a future earth where an authoritarian corporate caste broadcasts gladiatorial combat from a parallel fantasy dimension. An aging actor must return to the bloody arena to rescue his estranged wife from political execution. The tone is cynical, profane, and soaked in graphic violence and harsh language. Readers who prefer hopeful revolutionary idealism may find the grim corporate atmosphere excessively grim.
Find it on Amazon
9. An Unkindness of Ghosts
Rivers Solomon
Rivers Solomon sets a tense uprising aboard a massive generation ship strictly segregated by race and social stratum. The protagonist operates as an observant surgeon on the dark lower decks, uncovering systemic sabotage at great personal risk. The novel prioritizes institutional oppression and internal resilience over battlefield glory. Contains graphic violence and mentions of sexual assault. Readers seeking pulse-pounding action set pieces may find the investigative pace deliberate.
Find it on Amazon
10. The Space Between Worlds
Micaiah Johnson
Micaiah Johnson follows an impoverished woman hired by a tech oligarchy to harvest data from alternate realities where her alternate self has died. Survival in the slums makes her uniquely qualified for corporate exploitation. The class divide between the wealthy enclosed city and the wasteland fringe echoes the split between low Colors and Golds. Contains realistic violence. Readers wanting vast fleet space battles should note the action remains localized.
Find it on AmazonHigh-stakes space opera and galactic intrigue
11. Empire of Silence
Christopher Ruocchio
Christopher Ruocchio crafts a sprawling space epic about an exiled noble who flees his aristocratic family and survives in gladiatorial pits before ascending imperial ranks. The Roman-inspired interstellar society and grand moral tragedy align closely with Pierce Brown’s worldbuilding. The prose is rich, philosophical, and deliberately paced. Skip this choice if you need rapid action right away, as the world unfolds gradually. Graphic violence occurs throughout.
Find it on Amazon
12. Leviathan Wakes
James S.A. Corey
James S.A. Corey balances the political tensions between Earth, Mars, and the exploited working-class Belters against an alien conspiracy. The gritty space combat, practical orbital physics, and class-driven unrest mirror the larger system-wide clash found later in the Red Rising sequence. It features multiple viewpoints and investigative pacing instead of a single rebel’s fury. It includes moderate violence and corporate body counts throughout.
Find it on AmazonThe Three Core Elements of Pierce Brown’s Storytelling
Pierce Brown combines high-adrenaline plotting with deep emotional stakes. Readers return to the series because it rarely slows down once the central conflict begins. Understanding which element hooked you makes picking your next book straightforward.
- Institute trials: Privileged youths form houses, fight for territory, and practice ruthless statecraft under real physical peril, mirrored in The Will of the Many and The Poppy War.
- Class rage: A protagonist fights to tear down a genetically engineered caste system from within, mirrored in The Rage of Dragons and Iron Widow.
- Space war: Fleet engagements, orbital tactics, and planetary combat expand the scope across solar systems, mirrored in Leviathan Wakes and Empire of Silence.
How to Choose Your Next Book by Reading Preference
Select your title based on whether you prefer tactical arena games, blistering revenge arcs, or large-scale galactic empires. Each path satisfies a different appetite left behind by the Sovereign and the Peerless Scarred.
If you loved the strategic games and undercover infiltration of the Institute, read The Will of the Many. If you want relentless pacing and a protagonist driven mad by grief and training, pick The Rage of Dragons. If your favorite aspect was the vast interplanetary warfare across Mars, Luna, and the outer rims, pick Leviathan Wakes.
Our pick changes if the fleet battles in the later Red Rising books were what hooked you, making Leviathan Wakes the top choice instead of The Will of the Many.
Who Should Skip These Books and What to Pick Instead
These twelve recommendations center on combat, systemic cruelty, and intense emotional trauma. Readers who want cozy fantasy, lighthearted banter, low-stakes romance, or peaceful space exploration should look elsewhere. The characters in these worlds face torture, execution, and devastating losses.
If you want high-stakes competition with lower violence and modern virtual challenges, explore Books Like Ready Player One. If you want a survival tournament centered on rebellion but written for a broader young adult audience, read Books Like The Hunger Games. Readers desiring romantic fantasy with dragon training should turn to Books Like Fourth Wing.
Content and Age Considerations for Younger Readers
Red Rising is often read by older teens, but the broader series contains mature content that expands dramatically in later volumes. The recommended titles reflect similar adult material. Several books contain explicit scenes of graphic violence, battlefield trauma, and systemic degradation.
Parents and younger readers should exercise particular caution with The Poppy War, which depicts brutal war atrocities and self-harm, as well as An Unkindness of Ghosts, which includes mentions of sexual assault. For younger readers seeking tactical schooling with lower physical gore, Ender’s Game and Fireborne provide safe entry points.
What to Read After Finishing These Recommendations
Once you work through these twelve picks, consider exploring adjacent genres that share similar themes of resistance and survival. Military science fiction, classical historical fiction, and dark progression fantasy frequently share the DNA that makes these books so compelling.
Our broader catalog offers dedicated pathways across speculative fiction. You can browse Books Like the One You Just Finished to find matches for other favorite series. If you still feel uncertain about which tone fits your current reading mood, try our interactive What should I read quiz to narrow down your next title quickly.
