Golden Son by Pierce Brown: Series Recap / Summary

Golden Son Recap/Summary

I am someone with a beyond terrible memory so I am usually forced to do a complete reread before a new book drops in a series. I've now got in the habit of doing chapter by chapter recaps for myself as I go. I'll be doing this for this series, so they will drop one by one eventually. I hope they prove useful for others but be warned that these were written as I went, with speed, and so some mistakes are expected. 

Red Rising Recaps:

Red Rising
Golden Son
Morning Star
Iron Gold
Dark Age
Light Bringer
Red God

Golden Son Recap/Summary

Prologue: Darrow is still on Olympus with the ArchGovernor and is about to go on his shuttle. Darrow sees Cassius with his family, who all stare him down but Augustus says they can't harm him. Mustang holds his hand as they board the shuttle.

Part I: Bow

Chapter 1: Warlords - Darrow, now 20, is in charge of a starship (Quietus) and currently has a broken arm. His win on Olympus was 2 years ago and he left Mustang 12 months ago but she'd asked him to stay. They swapped gifts at the time - horse-crested ring for her and a razor for him.

Sons of Ares hasn't been in contact once since he won.

He is now at the Academy, where he is in charge of a fleet of warships. He is once again fighting other Golds but it is with fake ammo. Darrow's fleet and one other are left, the other is led by Karnus.

Roque and Tactus are on Darrow's team. Also Victra au Julii, who is 27 and covered in scars - she is Antonia's older sister, a girl he met at the Institute. 

Karnus is trying to lead them into a trap but they are aware of it. Karnus is Cassius's older brother, but his fleet has been reduced to 1 and Darrow still has 7 warships. He and a few other Bellona's joined the Academy when Darrow did, still wanting revenge for Julian.

They need to chase Karnus through an asteroid field. Darrow isn't worried, as he has his own trap planned.

Chapter 2: The Breach - Darrows fleet is attacked by the fake missiles they are given, taking multiple of his ships out of the game. But he had two of his already sneak up on Karnus and he orders them to attack.

Darrow is celebrating his win and the fact he will now become a Praetor. He is thinking of getting Sevro, Quinn and the Howlers back to join his crew. 

They then see that one ship has been hidden from their view and is now heading straight at them. He tells everyone to evacuate the ship. Darrow breaks his nose during the aftermath of the impact of the ship being hit. Darrow helps carry one of his injured crew, Theodora. 

He has an escape pod in his suite, but others try to escape with him. The Grays who helped him make it to his roon begin shooting the low Colors trying to get in. There are 6 of them in total, Darrow, Theodora and 4 Grays but only 4 seats. One tries to threaten him with a gun but is shot dead by another Gray. One Gray chooses to stay behind.

There is a thing called a starShell on the pod, which is a suit you can wear and then be launched into space. Darrow plans to use it to get to Karnus's ship and get revenge, as he destroyed his ship and killed most of Darrow's crew.

Just as he is about to do it, the Proctors turn off his controls so he can't, letting Karnus get away.

Chapter 3: Blood and Piss - 833 people died on his ship. Darrow returns to the Academy, having lost to Karnus.

Darrow goes to rest in a hot spring and is snuck up on by 7 people from House Bellona, including Karnus. Others include Kellan, Cagney.

They don't plan to kill him yet, only to beat him. He tries to fight but they surround him and easily beat him. But he has used his datapad to call for backup. They cut off his hair and then they piss on him.

Chapter 4: Fallen - Darrow is on the ArchGovernors ship, in his office. It has been 2 months since the incident in the garden and Darrow is now seen as an embarassment an d his position with Augustus isn't secure anymore. 

The Politico, Pliny, is telling Augustus about how there have been multiple bombings on Mars recently, with many Golds killed. Darrow has heard Pliny might have been behind why Karnus attacked him that day in the garden - which he also recorded. Another lancer is in the room, called Leto.

Augustus plans to turn people on Mars against the Sons of Ares(SoA). He'll do this by having his men take some poor Red families hostage and then threatending to kill them if they do not do as commanded. They'll make them wear bombs and then set them off in places with a high volume of children. 

Leto argues against the plan, says it would make them just as bad as SoA. 

Augustus tells Darrow that he plans to sell his contract to a different house because Darrow's blood-feud with the Bellona family is now having a negative effect on him. Mustang is currently a part of the Sovereign's court, which Augustsus blames on Darrow too, thinking he told her to do it.

Darrow tries to convince him not to go through with it, but he insists. 

Chapter 5: Abandoned - Darrow is sure he will be easily killed by the Bellona's once he is no longer protected by Augustus. Julian's mother, Julia au Bellona is set on having him killed, demands his heart is brought to her.

Darrow remembers when he was leaving for the academy, Mustang had begged him to stay for her. She'd almost told him she loved him, but even though they'd spent the year together, he hadn't been able to be honest with her and he knows she could sense that. In the end she gave him his razor and told him to go.

Chapter 6: Icarus - They land on Lunar, where his contract will be auctioned off. Roque is with Darrow and the name Lorn au Arcos comes up, who is now a recluse but was once a Rage Knight and the Sword of Mars. He tried to get Darrow to join his house but he chose Augustus instead.

Victra is on Lunar and sends for Darrow. Victra wonders why Darrow isn't close to her, he blames it on her sister Antonia. Victra confirms Pliny is behind his downfall, and has been plotting it since he joined Augustus. She shows him an address on a dataSlip and asks him to go there, eventually he agrees.

He and Victra go to the place together, go on a ship with 12 Grays, including a man named Valentin and his lieutenant Sun-hwa. They hand them scarabSkin armor to wear because where they're going could be dangerous if anyone recognises Darrow. 

Chapter 7: The Afterbirth - The travel through a city on Lunar where he sees graffiti of Eo. Darrow is disguised as an obsidian. Victra has taken him to see the Jackal.

Jackal was judged harshly for what he did in the games - especially the eating other students to survive part. He didn't bother going to the Academy and considers himself a businessman now. He owns almost 30% of the communications industry along with a silent partner.

Jackal doesn't like Pliny either. Leto was chosen by Pliny as he resembles Augustus's dead son Claudius and wants him to declare Leto his heir. 

The Lost City on Lunar is run by a well known crime organisation, that is clearly controlled by the Sovereign (Octavia au Lune).

Jackal wants take out the Sons of Ares.

Chapter 8: Scepter & Sword - Jackal wants Darrow to work with him and be the one to be seen as taking down Ares.

Jackal says Cassius is going to be made into an Olympic Knight by the Sovereign - who needs a Rage Knight and Morning Knight as hers have retired.

Darrow warns the Jackal that he will kill him if he allows Mustang to be hurt. 

Darrow agrees to work with him. Jackal's first job for him is to kill a man called Fencor au Drusilla. Jackal agrees to get Sevro and the Howlers back for him.

Then Darrow notices a woman and recognises her as Evey, the girl Darrow once told Mickey to take care of.

Darrow goes with Evey, she tells him she plans to kill the Jackal and Darrow runs back just as the bomb she planted goes off.

Chapter 9: The Darkness - Darrow manages to get to the Jackal in time to save him from the bomb but gets injured in the process. Then Darrow steals the datapad from a Red who is a part of the Sons of Ares and uses it to find them.

There he finds Evey and Mickey. Harmony is also there, tells him she is in charge now as Dancer is dead.

They have been crafting an army by having Mickey carve up Reds in to something different, but not into Golds because most can't survive it.

Dancer was killed after he hired some Grays for a job who then sold him out to the Police after he paid them.

Darrow asks her about Titus, the other red in the Games. She admits she sent him there and his real name was Arlus.

Darrow wants to finally meet Ares but they keep refusing him. Harmony has worked for him for years and even she doesn't know who he really is or what he looks like. Harmony shows Darrow more of their plans - they have hundreds of bombings to carry out. 

In three days they will hold a fancy gala to finish the Summit, which will be filled with important people from across all of Society. They want Darrow to help them to carry out an attack there. Essentially want to use him as a suicide bomber.

Darrow refuses so Harmony shows him the complete recording of Eo's death. He will now finally be able to see what Eo said as her last words to Dio - she was asking them to hide a crib from Darrow, as she was pregnant with his child and didn't want him to know after she died.

Chapter 10: Broken - Darrow finally agrees to do whatever Harmony and SoA ask of him. 

Darrow goes back to the Jackal, who assumes Pliny is behind the bomb. Jackal makes some offhand comment about how Victra is in love with Darrow. Jackal tells Darrow he will buy out his contract at the end of the Summit.

Roque tells Darrow he plans to bid on him, that he will borrow the money if he has to. He uses a sedative to knock Roque out, so that he won't die with everyone else at the gala. Even if Darrow doesn't die doing what he has to do, Roque will know he was behind it.

Chapter 11: Red - Darrow is at the gala and finally sees Mustang, who is there with Cassius. Cassius has been given the position of Morning Knight. Darrow only needs to say 'Break the chains' into his ring in order to start off the bombs that will kill everyone, but he can't bring himself to do it. He knows the better way to take the Golds down is internally, through civil war.

Part II: Break

Chapter 12: Blood for Blood - Darrow heads into the gala and makes a beeline for the Bellona table, which he jumps on top of.  Then he gives a speech in front of everyone, claiming the Bellona are corrupt and working to try to steal Augustus's Governorship. He then challenges Cassius to a duel in front of everyone.

Darrow speaks to Augustus, says he wants to help him because the Sovereign favours the Bellona over him. Darrow cuts himself beneath one eye, which is an old blessing they would do on Mars long ago. Augustus gives him his blessing to duel in his name.

Mustang comes to speak to him , she calls him a pawn and he calls her a trophy.

Before they fight, Cassius rubs it in that he has been with Mustang in ways that Darrow hasn't. 

They begin to fight and Darrow pretends like it is hard to keep up with Cassius's moves. But it is a ruse, as he has been training with Lorn au Arcos. He easily gets the best of Cassius - as he taunts him and his family. Darrow wants to cause a war to start between Bellona and Augustus. 

The Sovereign intervenes to stop him killing Cassius, which proves his point that she prefers House Bellona. She quickly changes the rules and now says it can end if Cassius surrenders. Darrow ignores her and cuts of Cassius's fighting arm. 

Mustang steps in his path to stop him killing Cassius, but then the Bellona family try to attack Darrow. A massive fight breaks out.

Darrow tries to help Mustang but she asks him to save her father instead and he does. Leto gets killed during the fight - by the Jackal but not many see it. He and Darrow made some kind of deal before this. 

Chapter 13: Mad Dogs - Darrow, Augustus and others escape using the lifts in the spire. He watches a group of four from House Falthe attack people from House Thorne. They take out the entire family, even the children.

When they get out of the elevator there are 40 people waiting from the families of Norvo and Codovan, but Augustus reveals they work for him. 

They make it to their hangar but the ship isn't there and they find out that Sovereign had them all sent away - she clearly had something planned. 

They are then attacked by Praetorians and Gold knights, 99 in total who are led by the Olympic Knight. The Olympic Knight turns out to be Fitchner. 

Fitchner and Augustus talk back and forth for a while, insulting each other before Fitchner knocks him out with a stunFist. Fitchner demands Darrow comes with him, but Darrow only agrees to go if he swears that none of his friends will be hurt and Fitchner agrees. 

Chapter 14: The Sovereign - Fitchner takes Darrow to the Sovereign. She tells him that he reminds her of her dad, the one she killed so she could take his place. The Sovereigns grandson is there - Lysander, who is only 8.

The Sovereign reveals Lysander is Lorn's grandson. 

Darrow refuses to apologise, says she should apologise as she broke the law. 

The Sovereign asks Darrow to come and work for her but he refuses. But she says if she can't have him then nobody else will. 

The Sovereign asks Darrow to play a game with her, with the winner being able to request anything they want from the other person. She brings out a box.

Chapter 15: Truth - There are two creatures inside that are a mix of scorpion/pitviper/centipede that the Sovereign calls Oracles - they can tell when you lie. She places one on his arm at a cut, so it can latch on. The Oracles can tell if you're lying so then she starts to question him.

Darrow asks how he can win the game and she says that he needs to get her to lie. He asks if he helped Karnus in the Academy and she admits she did. She asks where Augustus hides his electromagnetic weapons and he tells her, asks the same of her. 

He wants to know if she arranged for Mustang to get with Cassius but she tells him it was Mustang's idea. She asks him who Ares is, but he tells her he doesn't know. She seems to suspect that he may be a part of Sons of Ares. 

Mustang comes in and reports the deaths from the fights that broke out after the duel - 73 in total. Cassius lived and they will replace the arm Darrow cut off.

Before the game can end, Darrow asks if she planned to let Augustus and all the people on his table be assassinated at the gala. She lies and says no and is stung by the Oracle. 

Chapter 16: The Game - Mustang is angry as the Sovereign had told her that she would not harm Mustang's family. She defends it by saying it was the only way she could get Augustus out of power without him fighting back and causing more problems. She also believes that if she takes out Augustus, some of the rebellion will die down - shows footage of fighting taking place on Venus (Sons of Ares).

The Sovereign asks Mustang to allow her to take out her father and family, in order to help quash the rebellion. Mustang agrees, although it will mean that Roque, Tactus, Victra and the others working for Augustus will also be killed.

Chapter 17: What the Storm Brings - Darrow is taken to his room, where they have a naked Pink waiting for him in his bed, who he ignores. Another Pink walks in carrying a box, inside is a holoCube that shows a message from Mustang telling him to get down and then the lights go out and the doors automatically lock.

Sevro and 8 other Howlers show up outside in gravBoots and break through the window to get to Darrow. Sevro reveals Mustang got them all here weeks ago. Darrow has figured out Mustang is here to infiltrate the Sovereign's family and help prevent her from taking out her family. 

Sevro drops a big bag on the floor that is moving, has something inside Mustang got for them. 

Chapter 18: Bloodstains - Darrow and the Howlers escape out the window and head to the House Augustus villa. A jamField goes up, trapping them inside while they hunt to find everyone. They find slaughtered Pinks, Browns and Violets - the Bellonas have attacked.

Darrow and the Howlers start fighting the Bellonas but they quickly escape when they realise they are too outnumbered. 

They are then intercepted by two Praetorians and Darrow asks them to take him to Aja. It appears Victra betrayed them. The Augustans tried to leave in 2 ships but were shot down, but some of them survived including the ArchGovernor and the Jackal, as well as Darrow's friends. But they are trapped beneath the pool where they were hiding.

Aja tells Darrow to go back to his room. But he gets the bag Sevro gave him and brings out what is inside - Lysander, the Sovereign's heir. 

Darrow tells Aja to let all the people under the pool to leave or he will kill Lysander. Before they can leave, Aja grabs Quinn and beats her unconscious to try and get Darrow to let go of Lysander but it doesn't work. They all manage to escape on a ship using Lysander as their leverage. 

Chapter 19: Stork - The Jackal flies down to pick up Quinn and take her to the ship. She is having seizures while they attempt to help her. She will need surgery to help reduce the swelling on her brain. Roque shaves her head in preparation.

Darrow knows Sevro loves Quinn, even if he has never told her. They need to get Quinn to a medBay quickly or she won't survive. 

Jackal tells Darrow that Victra is still loyal to him.

Kavax is on board with them - Pax's father.

Tactus escapes with Lysander on an escape pod, meaning Darrow has now lost his bargaining chip and the sovereign can now attack them.

Chapter 20: Helldiver - They attempt to escape in the ship until Darrow comes up with a better idea. He has them fly the ship closer to the enemy ship, Vanguard. Darrow & Sevro get inside starShells and are launched towards the Vanguard - Victra kisses Darrow before he is launched.

Chapter 21: Stains - Sevro & Darrow are blasted into the bridge of the Vanguard. They fight the Golds & Obsidians on the bridge, killing them while they allow the Blues live. 

Darrow takes control of the ship - letting them know that with one press of a button he could kill all 20,000 people on board. But he asks them to fight for him instead. He tells them to capture or kill all the Gold commanders on the ship and they do.

A Stained on board fights his way to the bridge and then introduces himself as Ragnar Volarus - his mother is Alia Snowsparrow and his brother is Sefi the Quiet. Ragnar was being sent as a gift to the Julii but now says that he is now Darrows because he took control of the ship. Darrow accepts and Ragnar says he will now serve him.

Darrow asks Ragnar to save Augustus and the others who are docked in the hangar bay.

Chapter 22: Fire Blossom - Darrow asks for a Blue to come forward to be Captain of the ship. A woman named Orion xe Aquarii comes forward. A Blue called Pellus says she is just a Docker and insults her so she punches him. Others argue why they should be Captain but Darrow chooses Orion.

The Sovereign sends a leechCraft towards their ship. 

Darrow sends a message out via the comchannel where he reveals how the Sovereign tried to have Augustus, his family and those in his House killed. He reveals that she failed and that they now have one of her ships.

They manage to escape from the Sovereign's armada and some ships from other families choose to join them after what Darrow revealed. 

Quinn didn't make it. she died.

Darrow has a recording of everything the Sovereign said to him and he gives it to the Jackal to publish as it will ruin her even more.

Chapter 23: Trust - Darrow goes to talk to Sevro. Sevro said he came because he knows who Darrow is. He has him activate a jamField so they can talk. Sevro tells him that Ares sent him and he has a message from him recorded on a whisperGem. The message essentially tells him to keep doing what he is doing. Sevro knows that Darrow is a Red and still supports and wants to help him.

Victra is still with them, even though her family betrayed Augustus. She tries to make another move on Darrow but he shuts her down. 

Darrow goes to find food but finds Mustang instead.

Chapter 24: Bacon and Eggs - Mustang talks about how she thought Darrow was special and someone better but then he chose to go to the Academy and become just another killer for her father. She went to Cassius for the same reason she went to the Sovereign - to protect her family.

Darrow realises he loves Mustang but can't bring himself to kiss her when he knows he's lying to her and will have to hurt her in the end. She warns him not the trust the Jackal.

Ragnar wakes Darrow to tell him someone is in his suite - the Jackal.

They talk and agree to continue to work together. Darrow reminds him that Mustang cannot be hurt no matter what they do. Then Darrow asks him for info on Ganymede and the shipyards there. 

Part III: Conquer

Chapter 25: Praetors - They left Luna a month ago and are still all on the ship. The Sovereign is still hunting them and has put a bounty out for all of them. They are expecting reinforcements but not for another 6 months.

Kavax has a pet fox called Sophocles that he feeds jelly beans.

Darrow thinks they need to show their strength/power in order to get more people on their side. He wants them to do this by attacking at night and taking their children and ships.

Darrow has maps of Ganymede and all the ships there. One is a moonBreaker. Darrow wants to go and steal every ship there.

Chapter 26: Puppet Master - Darrow wants to kidnap the children from the Institute to use for ransom/leverage. Mutsang accepts this plan as she says Octavia will not stop until they are all dead so they need to win. 

Augustus wants Darrow to go to Lorn and convince him to join them. 

Chapter 27: Jelly Beans - Pax's family tell Darrow they don't blame him for his death and that House Telemanus will always help him when asked.

Chapter 28: The Stormsons - Darrow goes to see Lorn and Lorn tells him about Mars - that House Augustus was always strong but there was a more powerful House on Mars, House Cylus. They had ArchGovernorship and were well liked by the Sovereign at the time.

Back when Augustus was 7, his father tried to kill off the Bellona family with poison but failed. A war started and House Cylus sides with House Bellona.

The Augustus family were caught and the ArchGovernor killed all of them except Augustus himself. Then Cylus raised him for 20 years and he eventually asked for Iona au Bellona's hand in marriage, which was approved.

When the Bellona's returned home after the wedding, they received a box that contained Iona's head inside with the wedding rings inside her mouth.

The Bellona's went to see the ArchGovernor to demand justice but found Augustus there instead. He had wiped out the Cylus family completely. Lorn had helped because the Sovereign told him House Cylus was a threat. 

Augustus had been working with the Sovereign's daugher (Octavia, the now current Sovereign) who convinced her father to give Mars to Augustus. 

Lorn has a pet griffin named Icarus.

Lorn shouts the word Icarus, which is some kind of signal. Darrow then sees that his ship is surrounded. Lorn warns him that a death squad is waiting inside of Lorn's home for him. He tells Darrow to take the griffin and fly off to a hidden ship that he can escape on. Darrow refuses, saying Lorn will join the war whether he wants to or not. Then Darrow gives the signal to his Howlers to bring in the rest of his ships.

Chapter 29: Old Man's Wrath - Pliny is working with the Sovereign to try to take Darrow down. Darrow's hidden ships will easily take out the Bellona's.

Aja arrives, planning to fight and kill Darrow and Lorn. Tactus is also there, who has been made Praetorian. Aja has 12 Praetorian's with her in total.

Sevro shows up with his Howlers, who has added more to since we last saw them.

Darrow detonates landmines that he had secretly been dropping during his walk with Lorn. They detonate in 3 stages. 1st disables pulseShields and sends the Praetorian's flying, 2nd is a gravPit which pulls them all back in and then the 3rd stage explodes them all to pieces - only 3 survive.

Tactus and Aja escape and the Howlers pursue them.

Tactus finds where Lorn's grandchildren are hiding and plans to kill them all. Darrow says that he will forgive him for everything he has done and let him rejoin Darrow and the others, if he lets the children live. Tactus agrees but Lorn quickly kills Tactus after all the children leave. Darrow holds him as he dies.

Chapter 30: Gathering Storm - They are heading to the Hildas station with ten ships that they took from Kellan. Mustang joins them again.

Chapter 31: Coup - Mustang tells him that Augustus has been captured after Pliny staged a coup. He has arrested the Jackal and had Mustang's aunt and cousins killed. 

Mustang had been trying to take one of the Academy's when a Bellona fleet appeared and managed to take out every one of her leechCrafts. Then Pliny came to see her and showed her footage of her father failing to take Ganymede. He told her that he would not let her gamily end because he made an arrangement with the Sovereign.

Pliny tells her that the Sovereign will give him power and position and he gets to pick a reward of his choosing - he chose Mustang. Tells her that he will leave his current wife and marry her. Mustang took one of his eyes as her answer to his proposal.

The Jackal bought her time to escape, but it is likely Pliny has tracking on her ship as his way to find Darrow.

An Orange called Cyther says they could find the devices they are using to track the ship and send it off in a different ship so Pliny is sent off in the wrong direction. 

Sevro asks if he can keep Pliny's eyeball.

Chapter 32: Die Young - Tactus's body is still being kept in the medBay, where Roque is sitting with it. Darrow didn't realise his body was down there. Mustang wants to go and see it.

Roque is upset as he feels Darrow is sacrificing his friends to get what he wants. Tactus never sold the violin Darrow got him and had actually been practicing in secret.

Mustang then tells them what happened on her father's mission. Augustus sent in a lurcher squad of Grays to disable the the defensive nuclear reactors on Ganymede before Augustus and the rest of the ships arrived. They'd assumed all the ships dovked there only had skeleton crews on them but they were packed full of Praetorians and Olympic Knights.

Augustus tried to fight through as best he could. They watch on a holo as Augustus fights before Fitchner and Cassius show up and get him to the ground. Julii ships then finished off Augustus's men.

They question again whether they can trust Victra but Roque defends her and Darrow insists he trusts her.

Pliny has made Augustus's bannerman draw up a statement of surrender to take to the Sovereign. It will include changes to how Mars is run and make Pliny the head of a House, while the Julii & Bellona families will rule Mars.

Once the deal is agreed, Augustus will be executed in the Citadel. 

Mustang says they must rescue them otherwise no one will come to help them and they will lose. Darrow agrees.

Chapter 33: A Dance - Mustang goes to see Darrow in his suite. She asks him about the girl he lost, the one whose name he said in his sleep all that time ago. He keeps pushing her away and she asks him to ask her to stay but he doesn't, so she leaves.

Chapter 34: Blood Brothers - Darrow and some others are hiding amongst a supply drop being taken to Pliny's fleet. Darrow tries speaking to Ragnar to better understand him and what he wants, but Ragnar insists he has no wants and only obeys. Darrow tries to release Ragnar from his service but Ragnar says he shames him by doing that. 

Darrow ends up telling Ragnar about Eo and revealing he is not really a Gold. He gives Ragnar the chance to choose to stand with him and fight for more.

Chapter 35: Teatime - They are brought into the hangar of the Invictus - the lead ship that Pliny is using. 

Ragnar has chosen to join Darrow. They take down communications on the ship and split off to different parts of it. Darrow takes a team to the brig. They free 40 or so Peerless that they find who were loyal to Augustus. They find the Jackal too.

They use a leechCraft thermal drill to make a hole down into the control room. Darrow confronts Pliny but doesn't kill him, instead he leaves him there with his so-called friends who kill him before Darrow has even managed to leave the room.

Darrow sends out a message that he will be heading to Mars and that he wants an Iron Rain.

Chapter 36: Lord of War - Darrow leaked the footage of Pliny being taken down. Others have since come to join the fleet. Darrow gives a speech.

Chapter 37: War - All in the hangar of Pliny's ship. They are using some of their fleet to fight the Beollona's over Mars. Darrow is talking to Sevro and questions if Ares is even real or not. Their army now uses standards with either a wolf or slingBlade on them. Sevro wants to kill Augustus, as he says Darrow no longer needs him. 

Chapter 38: The Iron Rain - Darrow is inside of spitTube and gives his friends a speech before being launched as part of their fleet begins destroying the Bellona ships. Victra goes after their main ship, Warchild. Victra's mother betrayed the Bellona's to join them in the end. 

They land on Mars but lose people doing it. They make their way on foot, fighting as they go. Roque tells Darrow the Sovereign is on Mars and trapped in Agea - but Darrow already knew that and it's why he wants it. 

Chapter 39: At the Wall - Darrow knew where the Sovereign was because he let Aja go, knowing she'd go right back to her and he could trace her there. 

They head to the Institute on Mars and meet no opposition. Darrow tells his men and women that their first aim is to capture the Sovereign.

The Sons have soent the night creating a way into the city using the river. The plan is for Darrow to hunt for the Sovereign. Ragnar will get the gates open and Mustang will take care of the shield.

A Brown girl throws an EMP bomb at them.

Part IV: Ruin

Chapter 40: Mud - The EMP goes off, taking out all of their electronics. Darrow's starShell weighs him down and he sinks to the bottom of the river. The only thing on him that is still working is his razor. The only way he can think to escape would involve losing an arm, but it would open his suit to the water.

He manages to use the razor to get his shell suit off without losing a limb. He then finds Ragnar and cuts him out next. Golds are murdering many of his men on the bank of the river. Ragnar and Darrow steal armor from dead Golds they find before rescuing the rest of their men stuck in the river, including Sevro, Clown, Thistle, Screwface & Pebble. Only 11 of their 50 Obsidians are alive.

Chapter 41: Achilles - Darrow sends Ragnar and the Obsidian's off to get a gate open for his legates. Ragnar has chosen to join Darrow, knowing what he knows. Darrow gives him a razor which angers some of the others, like Thistle, who view him as a slave. Darrow knows Thistle won't follow him now because of it.

The rest of them travel on foot with no armor, hoping they can reach the Sovereign in time. Ragnar gets the gate open and kills the Wind Knight. They reach the Citadel and plan to get the Sovereign to leave it rather than hunting her down.

The shield around the city finally turns off - Mustang did it. The Sovereign will now be made to try to escape as more of Darrow's soldiers fly in. Darrow has to run and leave everyone else behind so he can try to reach her in time. 

He sees the Sovereign running to her ship with Aja, Karnus and Fitchner. Darrow manages to jump aboard before it can leave without him.

Chapter 42: Death of a Gold - Darrow is on the ship with the Sovereign and 6 Praetorians. They plan to kill him but realise he has a grenade. They roll the ship so that he drops it. Fitchner argues with them, saying they shouldn't kill Darrow because he could be useful to them alive. The Sovereign then orders Fitchner to kill him. 

Karnus pushes Fitchner out the way and tries to kill Darrow himself but Darrow takes him down alongside another Praetorian. Karnus had managed to cut him and he is very disorientated.

The Sovereign again demands Fitchner kills Darrow and gives her his head. Fitchner talks quietly to Darrow so no one else can hear - says it has been him all along and that Darrow was an idiot because he had everything sorted. Darrow asks him to tell Mustang/Eo that he loves them.

Fitchner then puts on his helmet, uses his pulseFist to knock everyone else back and then throws a sonic grenade at them. Blasts a hole in the ship for them to escape from - Darrow realises that Fitchner is Ares and has been the whole time.

Chapter 43: The Sea - Darrow wakes up on the beach with skingrafts on his body and Mustang beside him. Darrow has been unconcious for a week and the Sovereign escaped. Mustang's father is alive - the Jackal had him rescued. Roque captured most of the Bellona fleet. 

Mustang warns Darrow that Roque may be a potential threat, but he believes he can trust him. 

Lorn has allied with Victra and her family, they have made a deal with them.

Cassius and his mother are both missing but assumed alive, but his father and all his siblings were killed. 

Darrow gets overwhelmed by everything and cries. Then they kiss and he realises he can't let Eo and his guilt get in the way anymore as he loves Mustang and wants her. 

Chapter 44: The Poet - Darrow goes to talk to Roque - who feels used by Darrow. Sevro interrupts them, the Jackal has captured Ares and his friends 'the Red, the Pink and the Violet'.

Chapter 45: Gifts - They travel to Attica, which the Jackal now controls. The Jackal is having a new suit made for Darrow. Darrow has brough Victra and the Jackal presents. Then they are seemingly 'attacked' but Darrow set it up. It's Sevro and the others who manage to free and take back Dancer, Harmony and Mickey.

Darrow 'protects' the Jackal from them, earning his trust.

Chapter 46: Brotherhood - Darrow goes to see Dancer & Mickey. Then he speaks to Fitchner and asks for his story. He met his wife in a hospital after an earthquake. She'd lost a leg and they didn't want to replace it as she was a Red. Fitchner took her with him when he left. They moved to Mars and had to see a Carver in order to have children. Sevro was born. The Carver told the authorities about them 2 years later and they came while Fitchner was away with Sevro and killed his wife. Her name was Bryn and she was only 22 at the time. Sevro is half-Red and has only been told now.

Augustus wants to adopt Darrow into his family and make him his heir as they want Darrow to eventually be Sovereign. Darrow wants to go and see his family first and take Mustang with him but Sevro warns that he would have to kill Mustang if she doesn't accept it once she knows he is a Red.

Chapter 47: Free - Darrow goes to the garden where he buried Eo - so that he can get closure and move on, even though he knows he will always love her.

Chapter 48: The Magistrate - Darrow is met by the MineMagistrate Timony au Podginus. Darrow says he is there as they haven't been meeting mining quotas. The magistrate says they have had trouble with the miners rebellling.

Darrow asks Mustang to come with him.

Chapter 49: Why We Sing - Mustang follows him through his old town and questions how he knows where he is going. Darrow is finally going to fully let her in. 

He gives her a holoCube outside of his family home and tells her to watch it and then come in when she's done or leave.

His mum is awake and knows who he is, even though he looks so different. 

Mustang watched the holoCube and has left, is on her way back to the ship. He can let Sevro and Ragnar grab her so he has a chance to talk to her, or let her go. He lets her go. 

Narol is believed to be dead - fell down a mineshaft with Loran two years ago but they never found their bodies. 

Darrow tells his mum everything.

Chapter 50: The Deep - Darrow had shown Mustang the video of his carving. Mustang comes to find him and holds a scorcher to his head. She struggles to understand what he wants and if she can stand by why he does it. He tries talking to her but Ragnar shows up and plans to kill her in order to save Darrow. 

Darrow and Ragnar both end up kneeling before Mustang, putting their trust in her not to kill them. 

Chapter 51: Golden Son - Darrow is taking part in a victory parade in his honor. Mustang didn't kill them but she did walk away from them and hasn't been seen since.

After the ceremony Augustus asks Darrow to go with him and then questions why he gave Obsidians razors. Augustus wants him as his heir, not the Jackal. He also wants Darrow to marry Mustang. Reveals he also lied to the Reformers, he plans to put them all in prison once they have won against Octavia. Darrow pretends to go along with his plans.

Now they are all at a dinner hosted by Augustus. Darrow is to be presented with the Triumph Mask by Roque, which comes in a big ivory box.

Darrow realises too late that it's a trap. Roque has betrayed him, drugs him and Darrow then notices a bunch of the Pinks are actuallys Golds in disguise. Roque uses the term bloodydamn, showing that he knows who Darrow really is. 

Antonia shoots Victra. Lilath attempts to kill Lorn, cutting off 4 of his fingers. The Jackal stabs Lorn, killing him. 

Cassius and Aja arrive - Cassius says Darrow killed his family, including the children but Darrow has no idea what he is talking about. Cassius says he will find Sevro and Mustang and kill them both to punish him for it.

Cassius wants to kill him but the Sovereign ordered he be kept alive. 

Jackal tells his father, Augustus, that he paid Karnus and six Pinks to assault Claudius's girl so that he would fight and get killed. Planned it so his own brother would die. He was only ten at the time. Then the Jackal shoots his father in the head, killing him.

Jackal opens the ivory box and shows Darrow that the mask isn't in there, but Fitchner's head is, with his mouth full of grapes.

Red Rising Recaps:

Red Rising
Golden Son
Morning Star
Iron Gold
Dark Age
Light Bringer
Red God