Character from Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Minotaur — a flamboyant psychopath genius who turns warfare into theater and murder into art. He is Gold excess given a razor and told to perform, and he never stops performing.
Apollonius au Valii-Rath is what happens when Gold's warrior culture produces a narcissist with genuine talent. The Minotaur is a spectacular fighter, a cunning strategist, and a showman who treats the entire solar system as his personal amphitheater. He is brother to the late Tactus and inherited the family's mercurial intensity amplified to operatic proportions. Apollonius kills beautifully — he composes, he choreographs, he delivers monologues mid-combat because for him, violence without artistry is mere butchery. He is funny, terrifying, brilliant, and completely untrustworthy — loyal to no faction, no ideology, and no person except himself and his aesthetic standards. He quotes philosophers while eviscerating enemies and throws parties in besieged cities. The line between genius and insanity in Apollonius isn't blurred so much as it never existed. He is a wildcard who allies with whoever offers the most interesting story, which makes him simultaneously the most entertaining and most dangerous piece on the board.
Enormous and theatrical, with a body built for spectacle — massive, muscular, draped in gold and crimson like a living propaganda poster. His face is handsome to the point of absurdity, with wild eyes and a grin that promises either a party or a massacre, possibly both. Horned helmet when in battle, earning his Minotaur title. Every gesture is staged, every movement designed for maximum dramatic impact.
Also known as: Apollonius, The Minotaur, Valii-Rath