The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan

 Series Overview

The Riyria Revelations consist of six books, which were originally self-published, and later picked up by one of my favorite publishing houses, Orbit. Once they were traditionally published, they were put together into three longer novels. The series follows Hadrian and Royce, a swordsman and a thief, who together, make up Riyria. They are renowned everywhere for being able to complete any mission that people are willing to pay them for. Their background is slowly revealed throughout the series.

The main focus of these books is the mission to uncover and crown the heir of Novron. The world that Sullivan created is very rich and has a complicated history, in which the heir is supposed to unite the land.

This was the first priority fantasy series I wanted to read this year, and I am so glad that I finally decided to read these books! Sullivan does something very interesting in writing series. He completes everything prior to publishing, which is pretty amazing because readers will know the story has already been completed prior to picking up his books. Books 2 and 3 became my first two five star reads of the year as well, so I hope I don't get too much of a book hangover. 

Theft of Swords (2011)

This was a super fun fantasy that immediately sucked me in. I do tend to enjoy the classic trope of characters having to get themselves out of trouble, so I figured I'd enjoy this. Hadrian and Royce were a great duo to read about, and I thought the unveiling of background information was really well done. 

These first two books felt a lot smaller in scale when comparing them to the rest of the series. They don't journey as far, yet the books still manage to feel epic. The Crown Conspiracy follows Hadrian and Royce as they help unravel a plot to kill the royal family. It serves as the backstory to everything else that happens, and sets up relationships and motivations very well. 

Avempartha is where it really starts to pick up pace and action. We meet Thrace, who becomes a centralized character. Hadrian and Royce find themselves in a small village that is experiencing nightly attacks by an unseen being. I thought this one was better than the previous, with improved pacing and action sequences. It developed both the main two and the side characters more as well. 

This also helps develop the lore of the heir of Novron. With only one way to defeat the creature that is killing the village, the apparent heir is revealed. If I were to have read these two separately, I most likely would have rated them 3 stars and 5 stars, but together, Theft of Swords was a solid 4 star book. 

Rise of Empire (2011)

I didn't think it was possible for a 2nd book to be better than the 1st. I LOVED this story! Even though it is a chonker of a book, the pacing made it seem like it wasn't. We get to see Royce and Hadrian's backstory, which just makes their characters all the more compelling. I also loved the introduction of the various new POV's. At first I was wondering who Modina was, but that storyline was fantastically done.

I really love how Sullivan can take such a complex plot and make everything fit together in a way that doesn't feel complicated. I was truly immersed the entire time I was ready this, and when I did have to put it down, I found myself excited to continue. 

While it was easy to see where the story was going due to there being a few predictable parts, it didn't make me enjoy the book any less. This is most likely due to the fact that the characters were all fully fleshed out with little reveals throughout the book. Nyphron Rising follows yet another conspiracy to crown a false heir to levy control. The Emerald Storm expands the world of Elan greatly and introduces goblin-like creatures and even more lore. 

Not only was this installment utterly engrossing, but it made me even more excited to finish the series. Side characters were also explored more and I really came to appreciate Sullivan's worldbuilding and character growth, which are both expertly done here. This was my first five star read of the year as well!

Heir of Novron (2012)

This was one of the best endings to a series that I remember reading. It is the definition of "stuck the landing". This truly was an epic in all meanings of the word. I loved how Sullivan wrapped up Hadrian and Royce's stories. The big reveal left me saying to myself "how did I not see this coming?". A lot of the times, for books this large, I find myself skimming bits and having to reread, or growing a bit bored and wanting to get to better parts. This, however, had none of those issues. Every bit felt necessary and I devoured every word.

I loved the journey of reading about the Riyria duo and definitely plan on reading the Riyria Chronicles next. One thing I believe that Sullivan excels at is writing emotion. When the characters are sad you genuinely feel that, their struggles are convincing, and in those pivotal moments, we still see them reacting realistically.

I also have thoroughly enjoyed how he writes women. While the story as a whole does have a very classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy feel to it, it doesn't have the same pitfalls that many classics do. The women, alongside the men, are also very well fleshed out and have their own strengths.

This last installment wrapped everything up so perfectly! I will forever recommend this trilogy as an accessible, epic fantasy. Even though it is an incredibly dense series, it isn't written in a way that would turn people away. Both those new to fantasy and longtime readers of the genre would be able to love this series. 

Final Thoughts

It will most likely be going into my top five completed fantasy series of all time this year. I like to redo my lists at the end of every year, and unless I read some more top tier fantasy (which I hope I do), I don't see this landing anywhere else. I will continue with the World of Elan as well, and can't wait to continue on with his writing. His writing style just really clicks with me.