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Books like Red Rising
Red Rising starts as a school story and becomes an interplanetary war. Which half hooked you decides what comes next.
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Red Rising has two distinct halves. The first is a brutal academy where children are taught war by being made to fight it. The second is interplanetary caste politics at enormous scale. People who loved one often do not care much about the other.
What hooked you
- The academy. Ender's Game is the original, The Hunger Games the most famous, and The Poppy War the darkest.
- The caste politics. Dune is the ancestor of all of it, and The Will of the Many is the best recent version.
- The character writing under pressure. The Blade Itself does this better than almost anything, in a fantasy setting.
- The narration. Tim Gerard Reynolds is the series' defining voice and much of why the audio editions are so well regarded.
And first, the honest answer: Golden Son. The second Red Rising book is faster, larger and better, and it is where the series stops being a school story. If you finished book one unsure, book two is the one that decides it.
What to listen to after Red Rising
Labeled by which half hooked you. Credits from the publisher's catalog; prices from Amazon at our last check.
| # | Title | Best for | Narrator | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Golden Son Pierce Brown · read by Tim Gerard Reynolds The second Red Rising book is faster, larger and better. Where the series stops being a school story. | Continuing Red Rising | Tim Gerard Reynolds | $23.51on Amazon |
| 2 |  The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins · read by Tatiana Maslany Children fight to the death on television while the capital watches. Still the tightest YA dystopia and still genuinely angry about spectacle. | A fast listen that works for teens and adults | Tatiana Maslany | $17.88on Amazon |
| 3 |  Ender's Game Orson Scott Card · read by Stefan Rudnicki & Harlan Ellison A child is trained in zero-gravity war games to fight a war he does not understand. Still the tightest military-SF premise ever executed, and still uncomfortable in the right ways. | A plot-first listen with a real ending | Stefan Rudnicki & Harlan Ellison | $17.71on Amazon |
| 4 |  The Poppy War R. F. Kuang · read by Emily Woo Zeller A war orphan tests into an elite military academy, and the book turns much darker than its opening promises. Be ready for that turn. | Listeners who want grimdark with a historical spine | Emily Woo Zeller | $31.49on Amazon |
| 5 |  The Will of the Many James Islington · read by Euan Morton A hidden prince enrolls in an academy where citizens surrender their will to those above them. Dense, puzzle-box plotting with real momentum. | Listeners who want a mystery inside their fantasy | Euan Morton | $27.69on Amazon |
| 6 |  The Blade Itself Joe Abercrombie · read by Steven Pacey Grimdark's best-known opening: a torturer, a barbarian and a vain duelist, none of whom are the hero they think they are. Very funny, very bleak. | Listeners who want character over quest | Steven Pacey | $7.99on Amazon |
| 7 |  Dune Frank Herbert · read by Full cast (12 narrators) The desert-planet epic that most modern science fiction is still arguing with. Dense, political, and far more about ecology and religion than about spaceships. | A commitment listen you will think about for years | Full cast (12 narrators) | $29.52on Amazon |
| 8 |  Fourth Wing Rebecca Yarros · read by Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton A scribe's daughter is forced into dragon-rider training where most cadets die in the first year. The book that made romantasy a mainstream category. | The romantasy everyone is talking about | Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton | $27.69on Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Our top pick · Continuing Red Rising
Golden Son
by Pierce Brown · narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2015
The second Red Rising book is faster, larger and better. Where the series stops being a school story.
On audio
Reynolds again, with a much bigger political cast.
Who should skip it
- Not a starting point.
- Ends on a severe cliffhanger.
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Pick 2 · A fast listen that works for teens and adults
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins · narrated by Tatiana Maslany
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2018
Children fight to the death on television while the capital watches. Still the tightest YA dystopia and still genuinely angry about spectacle.
On audio
Tatiana Maslany's reading of the recent edition is sharp and unsentimental.
Who should skip it
- Violence involving children throughout.
- The love triangle is the weakest thread.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 3 · A plot-first listen with a real ending
Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card · narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 2
- Audio edition
- 2002
A child is trained in zero-gravity war games to fight a war he does not understand. Still the tightest military-SF premise ever executed, and still uncomfortable in the right ways.
On audio
A multi-voice production that separates the children's chatter from the adults' manipulation, which is the whole engine of the book.
Who should skip it
- The children speak like strategists, not children; that is either the appeal or the dealbreaker.
- Some readers find the author's politics hard to set aside.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 4 · Listeners who want grimdark with a historical spine
The Poppy War
by R. F. Kuang · narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2018
A war orphan tests into an elite military academy, and the book turns much darker than its opening promises. Be ready for that turn.
On audio
Emily Woo Zeller holds the tonal shift from school story to atrocity without slipping.
Who should skip it
- The second half contains extremely graphic atrocity.
- The tonal break in the middle loses some readers entirely.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 5 · Listeners who want a mystery inside their fantasy
The Will of the Many
by James Islington · narrated by Euan Morton
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2023
A hidden prince enrolls in an academy where citizens surrender their will to those above them. Dense, puzzle-box plotting with real momentum.
Who should skip it
- A lot of invented hierarchy to absorb up front.
- Ends on a hard cliffhanger.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 6 · Listeners who want character over quest
The Blade Itself
by Joe Abercrombie · narrated by Steven Pacey
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2015
Grimdark's best-known opening: a torturer, a barbarian and a vain duelist, none of whom are the hero they think they are. Very funny, very bleak.
On audio
Steven Pacey is the most-recommended fantasy performance on the internet for a reason — his Glokta alone justifies the credit.
Who should skip it
- Almost nothing is resolved; it is the first third of one story.
- The cruelty is the point, which not everyone wants.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 7 · A commitment listen you will think about for years
Dune
by Frank Herbert · narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff, Scott Sowers
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 12
- Audio edition
- 2007
The desert-planet epic that most modern science fiction is still arguing with. Dense, political, and far more about ecology and religion than about spaceships.
On audio
The production shifts between a single narrator and a full cast, which some listeners love and others find jarring. It does give the Fremen scenes real scale.
Who should skip it
- The interior monologue style is hard to follow at speed — this is not a 2x listen.
- The switching between solo and cast narration is uneven.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 8 · The romantasy everyone is talking about
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros · narrated by Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 2
- Audio edition
- 2023
A scribe's daughter is forced into dragon-rider training where most cadets die in the first year. The book that made romantasy a mainstream category.
On audio
Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton split the viewpoints, which is what lifts the romance scenes above the page.
Who should skip it
- The worldbuilding is thin next to the romance.
- Ends on a cliffhanger that makes the sequel non-optional.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Matched to what you liked
| If you loved... | Read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| More of this | Golden Son | Better than book one; severe cliffhanger |
| The academy | Ender's Game | The original; children who speak like strategists |
| The spectacle and the anger | The Hunger Games | Lighter, and still genuinely angry |
| The brutality | The Poppy War | Second half contains extreme atrocity |
| The hierarchy and the puzzle | The Will of the Many | Hard cliffhanger ending |
| Character over plot | The Blade Itself | Fantasy, and Steven Pacey's best work |
| The scale and the politics | Dune | Dense; not a 2x listen |
| A faster, romantic version | Fourth Wing | Much lighter; thin worldbuilding |
Where to go next
- For the genre, science fiction audiobooks.
- For the YA shelf it is often placed on, young adult audiobooks.
- For grimdark fantasy, fantasy audiobooks.
- If Hunger Games was your route in, books like The Hunger Games.
Frequently asked questions
What should I read after Red Rising?
Is Red Rising YA?
What is like Red Rising but fantasy?
Who narrates Red Rising?
Does Red Rising get better after book one?
Sources
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