Those you protect will not see you. They will not understand you. But you are the Gray wall between civilization and chaos. And they stand safe in the shadow you cast. Do not expect praise or love. Their ignorance is proof of the success of your sacrifice. For we who serve the state, duty must be its own reward.

Iron Gold is a continuation of the Red Rising Trilogy, one of the best recent sci-fi adventures. Ten years after the Society pact was destroyed and the Golds commanding planet conquered, the new Republic is in anarchy. The last of the Society fleets is around Venus, while the Rim have their independence.

The book intertwines several stories: our former protagonist, Darrow of Lykos, as ArchImperator of the Republic’s force; Cassius au Bellona and his protege Lysander au Lune; Ephraim ti Horn, a Grey from Luna, now an expert thief; and Lyria of Lagalos, a Red from Mars.

Each of the stories presents a different perspective and ends up in a single plot. As usual, the writing is exceptional, the plot is unpredictable and plausible, the pace of action just right and the new protagonists introduced have depth and motivations. What is interesting is that, although sometimes antagonistic, all protagonists have justifiable point of view, making the reader hard to decide who is right.

A point that makes the series so good is that the author uses just the right amount of technical sci-fi jargon. All stories were good, and signaled a departure from the single perspective of the Darrow, as in the trilogy.

The proof-reading was average, I noticed mistakes; while the plot quality, although very good, not at the level of the previous books. The author puts Darrow in a questionable dilemma, which for some readers shouldn’t be really a difficult choice. Finally, I did not get why the book is called Iron Gold.

Overall, an excellent reading, towering at 600 pages, packed with action and a wonderful sci-fi saga. Next book in the new series, in February 2019.