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Rise of Empire Vol 2 Riyria Revelations Michael J Sullivan 9780316187701 Books

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Rise of Empire Vol 2 Riyria Revelations Michael J Sullivan 9780316187701 Books

I have been reading for pleasure since the early 1980s and I have not been paid or given any incentive for this review. I have confirmed purchase of each of these books on Amazon for my Kindle Paperwhite and I am writing this review for all of the Riyria novels and will post this for each. Please see the authors’ notes for reading order of this series but this review is based on reading in chronological order:

The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles)
The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles)
The Death of Dulgath (The Riyria Chronicles)
Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations)
Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations)
Heir of Novron (Riyria Revelations)

Author Michael J. Sullivan has a gift. After 20 years I have a new favorite series and Michael J. Sullivan has another dedicated reader and fan. This series, and the writing style, takes me back to the old school days of Robert E. Howard in way… Each book stands on its own. It is a very clear story/adventure that starts and concludes in a single volume so it can be read one at a time or binged all at once. The thing that differentiates it is that the series, in its entirety, is also a single epic adventure that starts in The Crown Tower and concludes in Heir of Novron. So taken individually each book is excellent and as a complete epic it more than satisfies. Like others have stated as well I was sad to read the end of it simply knowing that this particular tale was ending while at the same time that ending had enough adventure, emotion, humanity, and twists and turns that I was also happy to read the final pages. As an example the end of Glen Cook’s The Black Company ended poetically and perfectly so too does the story of Riyria.

What I took away from this series was a story following the two main characters, Hadrian and Royce, and was about humanity, morality, pain and loss, redemption, family and brotherhood. The two main protagonists and nearly opposite sides of the same coin but that coin is an old tarnished, beaten, and used coin with its faces faded from the wear of life in a medieval fantasy world. There is no typical heroes journey, no larger than life heroics, no immortality of characters that often plagues the genre. These are characters who are nuanced and believable, so much so that some have complained it is not realistic that the two protagonists would be together at all. To any who thought that I say just read on… there is no mystical fate forcing them together or any overused fantasy tropes, there is just strong character design and development, written by an author with a gift for bringing his imagination to the printed page.

The author starts the seeds of the story in the first book and nothing is wasted or filler. Small scenes in one book, with characters you may or may not think to ever see again, but can have an impact further down the road. This is like real life. If you help someone on the street or donating to charity, you may just be doing something that will change the world someday. You will meet an excellent cast of secondary and supporting characters who may come and go in the story but while they are there they are real characters and create real moments in time. Whether you see the impact or the characters again I will not say anything to spoil the story but as far as the characters development and the story itself Michael J. Sullivan did not waste your time with stand-in or generic stereotypical filler roles.

The individual stories each touched upon different adventures… breaking into an impregnable tower, a high seas adventure, a dungeon crawl, etc, giving each book its own unique feel and never a retread. This works well with the overall storyline for the entire series as well and in the end the payoff is well worth your time and money spent.

In regards to reading order, the author suggests publishing order, and I can understand why, but I hate prequels. I do not like knowing where the end is before I read something, so I read in chronological order and I am glad that I did. Seeing the beginning gave me, personally, a better feel for where the characters came from to where they were when the final volume concluded. I am sure these books can be enjoyed either order so use your personal preference when choosing. I cannot rate these books in any kind of order of enjoyment because overall I have come to look at it as one volume or one story. There were no weak books or weak stories to my taste so I will not try to critique it down to arbitrary ratings based on personal preferences… you cannot judge the arts technically… only how they impact you and your enjoyment.

Give this series a try if you are looking for something a little different from the glut of current fantasy out there today.


Tags : Rise of Empire, Vol. 2 (Riyria Revelations) [Michael J. Sullivan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div><b>A puppet is crowned. The true heir remains hidden. A rogue's secret could could change everything.</b></div><div>War has come to Melengar and once more Royce and Hadrian are hired to make a desperate gamble and form an alliance with the Nationalists who are fighting the Imperialists in the south. But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth,Michael J. Sullivan,Rise of Empire, Vol. 2 (Riyria Revelations),Orbit,0316187704,Fantasy - Epic,Fantasy - Historical,Alliances,Fantasy fiction,Fantasy fiction.,Imperialism,FICTION Action & Adventure,FICTION Fantasy Epic,FICTION Fantasy Historical,Fantasy,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction-Fantasy,FictionFantasy - Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Monograph Series, any,SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,United States

Rise of Empire Vol 2 Riyria Revelations Michael J Sullivan 9780316187701 Books Reviews

It's hard to separate each book out for reviewing. I read both series within 2 weeks. I couldn't stop reading to write reviews.

Strong characters, men and women. Michael makes them sweat, he puts them in seeming impossible ethical/moral positions, he forces them to stretch all their muscles and grow. The world-building is fascinating, the way he plays with magic and religion, different races, prejudice, it's not simply good and evil. There is violence, there is romance, there is darkness, heroes, new villains, double-crosses, who do you trust? Every time I think I know what's going on & who the bad guy is Michael throws a twist in - it's not the obvious suspect or it's not done for an evil reason. Twists and turns, twists and turns.

Ok, so eloquence is not my forte.
**** “There are no honorable causes. There is no good or evil. Evil is only what we call those who oppose us.” ****

Michael J Sullivan (MJS) Do you like adventures?

Me Yes….I do like a tale with a good adventure or quest in it.

(MJS) Do you like a broken hero who doesn’t really want to be the hero?

Me Of course that is one of my favorite tropes…the not so good, good guy.

(MJS) What about betrayals, double-crosses, plots and pirates?

Me The more the better I say as long as there is revenge in the long term for the good guys.

(MJS) And three dimensional Female characters that aren’t just looking for someone to love them. How do you feel about those?

Me Hmmm….well yes I do like them. But there is some kissing right? I mean I don’t need a lot but I love to have something to ship and a smidgen of romance to go with all the betraying, double-crossing and pirates.

(MJS) Okay, yes there are a few kisses in this. But this is in no way a kissing book.

Me Alright this seems like it might be something I like. What about the villain, is he/she any good?

(MJS) I think you mean villain(s) plural and each is fantastic in their own way and each has his/her own motivations.

Me This is sounding better all the time. Okay I must read this because I did love the Bromance between Royce and Hadrian in the first book. This sounds even better.

…….2 days later.

Me Michael it was so much better. I loved what you did there with Royce and Hadrian. Sure this was more of a political book in the first half but I enjoyed the new dynamic of their team after Hadrian finds out about his secret destiny.

Also you have some great bad guys. It was hard for me to pick just one to hate since there are quite a few to pick from. Everything from just a general thugs, to a religious fanatic bent on power, to a man out for revenge against the one he thinks wronged him years ago. Well done on that front. I’m going to say that I was partial to Merick though since he seems the most dangerous of the lot.

*** “You think you’re a very clever fellow, don’t you?” Saldur challenged.
“No, Your Grace,” Merrick replied. “Clever is the man who makes a fortune selling dried-up cows, explaining how it saves the farmers the trouble of getting up every morning to milk them. I’m not clever—I’m a genius.” ***

That you are Mr. Merrick….I knew he was clever and playing a dangerous game and he still fooled me all the way.

You didn’t go light on Thrace though did you.

(MJS) You didn’t think she’d be safe after the events of the last book did you?

Me Well, no not exactly. But I definitely didn’t think it would start to go that bad for her either. I do love all the stuff you did to and with her character though. Just when I though I knew what was going on in her head….you proved that I didn’t know anything.

(MJS) Did you find the ship you were looking for?

Me YES!!!! And then you know what happened. But there was just enough kissing in this to keep that girly part of my head and heart happy.

But do you want to know one of my favorite parts was????

(MJS) Of Course….was it when the two men boiled from the inside out?

Me Oh…you do know me well and I very much enjoyed when they got what was coming to them but no it was much later. I totally loved the arena type battle that Hadrian, Royce and a few others went through. It reminded me of my time playing World Of Warcraft PvP (player vs player) arena battles. So great.

(MJS) I see you have a bloodthirsty side to go with the ‘girly parts’ of you.

Me I enjoyed this so much….there was action, intrigue, kissing, battles and a plethora of great dialogue. Plus it seems that Merrick knows a Royce that was much different than the man he is today. I wonder what he is going to do to Merrick when they finally meet up again….I think it might get a little bloody.

(MJS) No spoilers from me.

Me Fine…I must go. I have to read the next book because this one was so bloody good. You pleasantly surprised me with the complexity of your story Mr. Sullivan. Thanks for the talk.
I have been reading for pleasure since the early 1980s and I have not been paid or given any incentive for this review. I have confirmed purchase of each of these books on for my Paperwhite and I am writing this review for all of the Riyria novels and will post this for each. Please see the authors’ notes for reading order of this series but this review is based on reading in chronological order

The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles)
The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles)
The Death of Dulgath (The Riyria Chronicles)
Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations)
Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations)
Heir of Novron (Riyria Revelations)

Author Michael J. Sullivan has a gift. After 20 years I have a new favorite series and Michael J. Sullivan has another dedicated reader and fan. This series, and the writing style, takes me back to the old school days of Robert E. Howard in way… Each book stands on its own. It is a very clear story/adventure that starts and concludes in a single volume so it can be read one at a time or binged all at once. The thing that differentiates it is that the series, in its entirety, is also a single epic adventure that starts in The Crown Tower and concludes in Heir of Novron. So taken individually each book is excellent and as a complete epic it more than satisfies. Like others have stated as well I was sad to read the end of it simply knowing that this particular tale was ending while at the same time that ending had enough adventure, emotion, humanity, and twists and turns that I was also happy to read the final pages. As an example the end of Glen Cook’s The Black Company ended poetically and perfectly so too does the story of Riyria.

What I took away from this series was a story following the two main characters, Hadrian and Royce, and was about humanity, morality, pain and loss, redemption, family and brotherhood. The two main protagonists and nearly opposite sides of the same coin but that coin is an old tarnished, beaten, and used coin with its faces faded from the wear of life in a medieval fantasy world. There is no typical heroes journey, no larger than life heroics, no immortality of characters that often plagues the genre. These are characters who are nuanced and believable, so much so that some have complained it is not realistic that the two protagonists would be together at all. To any who thought that I say just read on… there is no mystical fate forcing them together or any overused fantasy tropes, there is just strong character design and development, written by an author with a gift for bringing his imagination to the printed page.

The author starts the seeds of the story in the first book and nothing is wasted or filler. Small scenes in one book, with characters you may or may not think to ever see again, but can have an impact further down the road. This is like real life. If you help someone on the street or donating to charity, you may just be doing something that will change the world someday. You will meet an excellent cast of secondary and supporting characters who may come and go in the story but while they are there they are real characters and create real moments in time. Whether you see the impact or the characters again I will not say anything to spoil the story but as far as the characters development and the story itself Michael J. Sullivan did not waste your time with stand-in or generic stereotypical filler roles.

The individual stories each touched upon different adventures… breaking into an impregnable tower, a high seas adventure, a dungeon crawl, etc, giving each book its own unique feel and never a retread. This works well with the overall storyline for the entire series as well and in the end the payoff is well worth your time and money spent.

In regards to reading order, the author suggests publishing order, and I can understand why, but I hate prequels. I do not like knowing where the end is before I read something, so I read in chronological order and I am glad that I did. Seeing the beginning gave me, personally, a better feel for where the characters came from to where they were when the final volume concluded. I am sure these books can be enjoyed either order so use your personal preference when choosing. I cannot rate these books in any kind of order of enjoyment because overall I have come to look at it as one volume or one story. There were no weak books or weak stories to my taste so I will not try to critique it down to arbitrary ratings based on personal preferences… you cannot judge the arts technically… only how they impact you and your enjoyment.

Give this series a try if you are looking for something a little different from the glut of current fantasy out there today.