We FINALLY Read RED RISING and we need to talk!!! | Book 1 Deep Themes, Deep Thoughts, and Recap

Send us Fan MailSci-Fi Summer is here in full force, boyo! Are you prime? 🤘🐺Earlier this week we brought you a full-length episode introducing our summer bonus series covering Red Rising by Pierce Brown! A long anticipated request from you, our listeners, to join a passionate science fiction fandom… of a book series written by a man. And we had to be honest with you - we were more than a little bit apprehensive. Do we even like sci-fi? Would we understand it or get too caught up in the jargon and lose the plot? Does Pierce Brown write romance and female characters in a responsible and relatable way?We identified and faced our internalized biases, did the research into why science fiction has historically been written for and by white men but remade and challenged by women, people of color, non-binary folks and many others who truly understand the assignment. We can only examine the implications of real or imagined technology and science on society thoroughly, critically, and responsibly through an intersectional lens. After that, everything changed. We realized… sci-fi is very similar to fantasy and we actually consume and love a lot of it but as women we’ve been conditioned not to. And that does a disservice to everyone (*cough* but the machine *cough*). We’re rethinking everything and asking ourselves another iteration of the Romantasy question: does categorizing feminist science fiction separately from general sci-fi help us or hurt us? 🤔We dove into Red Rising book one with open minds, ready to bring you our true reviews, opinions and criticisms. And here they are, convincing you to read along with us as we move through this incredible series. We bring you our spoiler free reviews, “Five Sentence Summary” and all our faves and least faves, but also discuss sci-fi themes, differences and similarities to fantasy, the romance, genre miscategorization, lore and fun facts, quotes, character growth and relatability, and most importantly… themes. Get ready for a turbulent, emotional ride through hyperspace, ‘cuz we’re just getting started.Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Shop our Merch line | *  https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comCheck out these narrator interviews? ⬇️Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJCheck out these author interviews? ⬇️Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKbWe interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNENikki St. Crowe, the queen of spicy fairy tale retellings chats with us about diving into the land of Oz with West of Wicked! https://youtu.be/wwFYSDKcbtE?si=X6iNmUVAE6Xhmv7B____Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:Ashley is wearing: The Last Bookstore sweater from @TheLastBookstore in LA Liz is wearing: a cute Raglan Style Dragon teeAny link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!Support the showYouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix