I started the Five Towers series on a long weekend when I had been reading a lot of literary fiction and wanted something that moved differently. The first book, set in the Blue Tower, left me genuinely curious about where Cipher would go next. I came to The Red Tower several weeks later, specifically on a Saturday morning run that turned into a two-hour listen on the couch afterward. That is the kind of series momentum J.B. Simmons has built.
The Red Tower is the second entry in the Five Towers series, and it picks up with Cipher having left behind the friends and the particular form of power he developed in the first book. He is now searching for the person who mattered most to him in the world, and he must acquire entirely new capabilities in a new tower environment to do it. The architecture of the series, in which each tower carries its own color, its own rules, and its own form of mastery, is what sets it apart from standard fantasy progression series.
The Review
Where the Blue Tower tested Cipher's mind and gave him power through thought and wind, the Red Tower demands something different: passion. The thematic logic of each color having its own corresponding inner resource is elegant, and Simmons executes it without making the symbolism feel mechanical. Cipher learning to channel his passions is not just a game mechanic. It is also a genuine character development arc.
One reviewer who almost put the series down three times but pushed through described the experience as so intriguing and creative, adding that they could never predict what would happen next. That unpredictability is real. Simmons does not follow the standard fantasy checklist, and the Scouring, the competitive arena event that sits at the heart of the series, continues to generate genuine tension in this volume.
Another reader noted that this book made them think about their own life, which is high praise for what might look from the outside like a fantasy adventure. The subtlety of the character work is where the series earns its better reviews. Cipher is not a simple hero accruing power. He is someone learning to understand himself through increasingly demanding circumstances.
Why Listen to The Red Tower
At seven and a half hours, this is a substantial listen that covers significant ground in both plot and character. Listeners who felt the first book took time to settle will find this one more confident in its pacing. The new tower environment introduces fresh characters, both allies and threats, without the bloated roster that sometimes burdens mid-series fantasy. Reviewers specifically praised the fact that new characters are genuinely interesting without being overpowered placeholders for future books.
Steven Heinke's narration is consistent with the first volume, which matters for series continuity. His voice work does not distract, which in a fantasy series covering this kind of emotional and tonal range is the correct ambition.
The Caveats
This is emphatically a second book in a series. The synopsis makes no attempt to disguise that, and listeners who have not heard the Blue Tower first will be missing essential context. Character relationships, the rules of the Scouring, and Cipher's specific abilities all build directly on the first volume.
Some reviewers noted the worldbuilding can become complex enough to lose its thread briefly, though none found it ultimately impenetrable. The series rewards patient listeners who are willing to let Simmons unfold his world on its own terms rather than seeking the clearest shortest path through.
Should You Listen to The Red Tower?
Series fans who completed the first book will find this a satisfying continuation and should listen without hesitation. Readers who enjoy fantasy with genuine thematic ambition alongside its adventure elements, comparisons to Tolkien appear in the reviews, will find Simmons working at a level above typical progression fantasy. New listeners must start with the Blue Tower. Those looking for lighter, faster fantasy with simpler stakes will find the series' introspective texture a poor match.
Quick Take
- Voice: Steven Heinke handles the series' varied tone competently, keeping the energy up during action sequences while giving the introspective passages room to breathe.
- Big ideas: Identity and self-discovery, power and passion, loyalty versus independence
- Atmosphere: Propulsive and emotionally resonant
- Worth it?: A strong second entry in the Five Towers series that deepens both its world and its protagonist in ways that will keep series readers committed.
