War eats the victors last.

When I read this a few years ago, I was put off by the strong language (I ended up abandoning the series halfway through the next book). This time, I wasn't. I think it's partially that I've spent more time around people who talk like the characters in these books, so I'm used to it. But it's also that being around those people makes me see these characters as real. Especially Ephraim, whose grief has driven him into drug addiction and empty loneliness. In his brokenness, I saw people I have met. I saw myself, even, or what I could become without the good things God has given me.

The portrayal of humanity here is unflinchingly honest. The good guys are messed up. They lie and cheat and curse and leave behind their families — but it's for a good cause, it's for the Republic — or is it? The descent of Darrow here, in particular, is terrifying. When all you know, all you're good at, is war, how can you find it in yourself to want peace?

The addition of three extra POVs allows us to see what the war looks like from the side of those left behind in the Republic's wake, the forgotten and abandoned LowColors on Mars. And we also see it from the side of someone who wants to see Darrow dead. It's a testament to Pierce Brown's masterful command of language and emotion that, although I don't (yet) also want Darrow dead, I felt I understood the other side as well, and found noble and honorable men and women on it.

There were also some utterly depraved characters I would never see myself liking or sympathizing with. But human nature, broken and awful as it is, remains a paradox: the worst and most vicious man in this book is an appreciator of beautiful music and literature. He goes into battle quoting the classics. (There are lots of classical references here, which makes my Latin major heart happy!) I am very much looking forward to seeing what these books conclude about human nature. Darrow sees peace as a cage holding back humanity's inherent savage cruelty. But characters like the one I just mentioned challenge that assumption. Peace would never make him kind — but war has not made him lose his appreciation of art.

I don't know how Brown's going to pull off this series. If I don't like the ending, I may lower my rating on this one. But if it goes well — then I will happily give all the Goodreads stars to this master of science fiction. Well done, my goodman.

Note: I was looking at some reviews of the original trilogy and saw people calling it YA. That's not how I'd categorize it — Darrow is a teen in the first book only, and the violent and profane content really puts it in adult territory for me. However, even if I might have suggested the first three books to teens, I would not recommend the later sequels to them. The sexual content, in particular, is greater here. While there's no on-page sex, the references (esp. to morally depraved characters' actions) are prevalent. And with various characters throwing f-words around every other sentence, I don't think this can be called YA by any stretch of the imagination.