Dark Age

Dark Age is a science fiction novel by the American writer Pierce Brown, published in 2019. It is the second book of a tetralogy that continues the story of his Red Rising trilogy, and it follows Iron Gold.

The novel takes place immediately after the events of Iron Gold. Atalantia au Grimmus, the dictator of the Society Remnant, besieges the Solar Republic's Free Legions on the planet Mercury, having destroyed their fleet in orbit.

Three weeks after departing from Venus, Darrow of Lykos arrives on Mercury with his team and rescues Orion from torture at the hands of Atlas au Raa. Atalantia, in the meantime, agrees to a proposition from Lysander for an alliance with the Rim, but her condition is that both Lysander and Seraphina fight in her attack on Mercury, and the assault then goes ahead.

In response, Darrow has Orion create hypercanes using old terraforming technology, which kills many of the invading forces of the Society Remnant. The novel follows the cost of that decision and what it does to the people who have to live with the consequences, and a further book, Light Bringer, was released in 2023.