Book Review: Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS...THE ELVES HAVE CROSSED THE NIDWALDEN. TWO THIEVES WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE.

NOTE: This review is totally spoiler-free. So fear not readers if you've not yet read the other volumes in the series, this review won't spoil anything.

 

I talk, and write a lot. I have always been known as the person in my family who rarely shuts up. So you can imagine what it takes to make me speechless.

This morning when I read the final page of PERCEPLIQUIS (6th and last novel of the Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan I was speechless. I’ve actually taken most of the afternoon to let the tale I read to sink in, but I also didn’t want to let too much time pass before I wrote up my review, and so here we are.

As I went into reading this novel I had some trepidation, as is the norm for the final book in a series, about reading it. Would it live up to the books that had come before it? Would it meet my expectations? Would it all be worth it?

I am very happy to report that PERCEPLIQUIS was even better than my expectations. It is an absolute triumph in every sense of the word. All the groundwork that Michael had laid down in the previous volumes, some of which was decidedly subtle, comes to full fruition here. And again, as I have discovered is the norm with Michael’s work, there is not a stone out of place within the narrative. Every sentence has a purpose. He has not lost the lovingly detailed, yet simple, easy prose that so defined the first book, and though the story grew and became part of a much, much larger world, this is still a very character-driven novel. In fact, PERCEPLIQUIS may in fact be the MOST intimate of all six books.

This book really does have it all. If you were wondering on what sorts of levels it delivers...there are twists, turns, revelations, sweeping action, emotions, history, heroics, and certainly devious villainy.

I found myself immediately drawn back into the story and the world of Elan. The very first thing you will notice about this book is how visceral and realistic a lot of the chapters are. They jump off the page at you and grab you by the collar pulling you along. There are sections that are about as harrowing as it gets. A few moments actually had me with sweaty palms as the tension and danger mounted. The pace flies along as fast as the fastest of the series has ever done. What is even more interesting about that is PERCEPLIQUIS is actually enormous! Clocking in at a whopping 550-ish pages, it is certainly the largest of the six books and funnily enough not a page here is wasted. Where some other fantasy novels can suffer from a bit of bloat, once again Sullivan sidesteps that pitfall and shows me that every word belongs on the page, and of course before I knew it I’d been reading for hours and had devoured half the book!

The characters we have grown to love in this series are all evenly spread out in the narrative, and judiciously handled throughout to be honest. It really was like visiting with old friends. I also wanted to note that the assembly of most of these characters together really felt like The Avengers to me. We have had books that have concentrated on each of these people in really individual and direct ways, where we have delved into their personalities and seen a lot of what makes them tick. Well here Michael gets to break out the action figures and display them together. So all these people who all have very distinct and excellent personalities are assembled into a moving organism of awesome. I mean watching Mauvin interact with Hadrian, or Magnus interacting with Degan Gaunt, or even simply Alric and Arista together again was a total treat. Everyone gets to come out and play, but moreover everyone gets to be part of the larger tapestry in some way. That said, it should be noted that there is growth on display here as well, no one stagnates and everyone continues to get deeper and develop more layers as the novel progresses. Myron is one example of growth in the series that’s kind of unparalleled. He begins his story in THE CROWN CONSPIRACY as a very meek, survivor monk who loves learning and books but is fairly unworldly otherwise. By the time we get to PERCEPLIQUIS he has grown, but not in the way you might think. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by his (and others) character growth, even in the final novel of the series.

Emotions. Okay, I am not a suck by any stretch. I’m the type of guy who holds tears back in a gruff manly way, gritting my teeth and forcing myself not to cry while the tears well up and make me glossy-eyed. Well, I am not afraid to admit that Michael pulls no punches in the book and I had *ahem* manly tears at least two times, sobbed uncontrollably once, and even one moment where I found tears springing out on my cheeks and I had no idea they were coming on beforehand. If you recall my comments about Myron and the Tree in THE CROWN CONSPIRACY and how beautiful a moment I thought that was...well Michael has outdone himself and there is a moment in PERCEPLIQUIS that is probably the loveliest thing he’s put on paper so far. It is without a doubt a master storyteller moment, and one that utterly gutted me to my core emotionally. It’s not often, like I said above, to make me speechless but this book did it. I simply closed the book and sat there for a few minutes just letting it all sink in.

This book achieves something most series set out to do, but some never reach. It uses what has come before as the blocks with which to finish the story, but it also finishes it as strongly as possible. PERCEPLIQUIS is an absolutely breathtaking triumph of a book. It will make you cheer, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you happy. Michael J. Sullivan’s work is a gift to the fantasy genre. PERCEPLIQUIS proves that to me in spades, as it is a clever, thought-provoking, wonderfully classical novel. It lifts you up and allows you to deftly drift along above it watching the narrative unfold below you, but it also dips you down into the thick of things for long intervals during which you’ll be hard pressed to find anything more intimate or heartfelt. Sullivan has done it here; he’s created a series that will be looked upon as a classic that will stand proudly on reader’s shelves for ages to come next to contemporaries like J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, and Jim Butcher. It will certainly do so on my shelf.

When I started the series I was super excited about it, but the fact that is has brought me here to this place where I feel like I now have a gaping hole in my chest where the series was, I didn’t expect that. I have only felt this way twice before (once with the final HARRY POTTER and once with the final Steven Erikson MALAZAN novel) and both times I found it hard to accept that the story was done. Thankfully, I will happily re-read this story down the line. It is one that I am positive I will get even more out of on re-reads, and it will be nice to visit again with old friends.

They sometimes say that a series has ended on a high note, and I think that phrase would definitely apply here. But of course with Riyria Michael has ended it on a high note that is sounded from a golden horn on a crisp, winter’s day. Its music carries across forests and villages, passing by curls of woodsmoke, tall intricate elvish towers, huge majestic mountains and coursing crystal waters.

In every sense of the word, fantasy.

So I’ve reached the end of the series and I’m really quite sad now that there is no more to look forward to. I hope that Michael continues to write for years to come as I truly believe he is a master of his craft, and an author that should be treasured.

Thanks Michael.

Note: This book will be published VIA Orbit within the final omnibus THE HEIR OF NOVRON on January 31st, 2012 in the US, CAN and the 26th in the UK

Short Story Review: The Viscount And The Witch (Ryria) - Michael J. Sullivan

 

Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone first installment of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds. Join Royce and Hadrian in this short story (5,400 words) about one of their earliest adventures.

In the short fiction piece titled THE VISCOUNT AND THE WITCH, Ryria Revelations author Michael J. Sullivan, has crafted what I would term as a nice little fictional anecdote.

Laid out as an incident early on in the career of our favrouite thieving team, and long before they even were referred to as Ryria, this little tale is short, but nicely to the point. As to not give anything away I won’t post any story points, but I will say that if you enjoyed the Ryria book, then this will be right up your alley. In fact, even if you haven’t read the Ryria books you can read this as it takes place years before, and the Ebook actually comes with a sample from the first part of the Orbit THEFT OF SWORDS omnibus to read as well. Not bad at all. If I had any complaints, it would be that it felt a tad too short. Like just as things got going, it was over. I get what Michael was doing with it, but I can't help but be a fanboy and wish I'd gotten more Ryria.

That said, for a tale as short as this it is really nice to see the personalities of both Hadrian and Royce front and center, as is their great banter.  I loved this story and it took all of about ten minutes to devour so it was quick and simple and really whet’s my appetite for the final book in the series. Can’t wait! An enjoyable romp with your favourite thieves.

Author Spotlight: Michael J. Sullivan (Riyria Revelations)

 Since starting to blog last year in late September Chris and I have come across many and varied people in all aspects of the industry. I don’t know if it was something we were expecting, but it was certainly welcome. We sometimes hear from publishers, authors, and of course other bloggers. As far as the publishers/authors, I doubt anyone in the past year has made a larger impact on me personally than Michael J. Sullivan (author of the Riyria Revelations) and his wife Robin Sullivan who served as his publisher (VIA their imprint RIDAN) and also as his publicist (a job she excels at).

When I first read THE CROWN CONSPIRACY, a book I knew next to nothing about it (a few scattered bits of praise), so it’s probably fair to say I was very surprised and impressed. That’s probably too light a phrase, since I gushed about how much I enjoyed the book in my subsequent review. I mention this because I felt so strongly about my enjoyment of the book that I wrote an email to Michael basically thanking him for such a wonderful story that swept me away as if I was a kid all over again. Well, he was kind enough to write me back, graciously thanked me for my email and for my review. I honestly felt like a teeny, tiny fish emailing a giant and he was not only kind, but also made me feel like I had contributed, and that makes me endlessly happy. Well of course I immediately ordered the other four books that were out (the 6^th book, PERCEPLIQUIS, was not yet out) and devoured them pretty much one after the other. I’m not afraid to say that I covet my copies of the RIDAN-published RIYRIA REVELATIONS and they sit on my shelf next to other books that are magical to me. In fact THE CROWN CONSPIRACY won my “2010 Best Read Award” if that tells you anything.

After championing Sullivan on the forums I frequent, reading and reviewing the other four books, (Reviews: AVEMPARTHA, NYPHRON RISING, THE EMERALD STORM, and WINTERTIDE), and settling in to await the 6^th book, a funny thing happened. Sullivan’s series got picked up by a major publisher. Orbit decided to republish the existing books (and the 6th as-yet-unpublished book) in 3 two-volume omnibuses with new cover art. This was huge news to me. An author I really enjoyed and thought deserved high recognition was actually getting recognized in a big way!

So this post is to let everyone know that the new omnibuses are on their way from Orbit and you can actually pre-order them now. The dates are as follows:

THEFT OF SWORDS (THE CROWN CONSPIRACY, AVEMPARTHA) – November 23^rd 2011 in the USA and Canada, November 3^rd 2011 in the UK (Available for pre-order in Canada, USA, UK)

RISE OF EMPIRE (NYPHRON RISING, THE EMERALD STORM) – December 14^th 2011 in the USA and Canada, December 1^st 2011 in the UK (Available for pre-order in  Canada, USA, UK)

HEIR OF NOVRON (WINTERTIDE, PERCEPLIQUIS) – January 31^st 2012 in the USA and Canada, January 26^th 2011 in the UK (Available for pre-order in Canada, USA, UK)

All of our readers who haven’t heard of the author, and even those who have would be doing themselves a huge favour if they got out there and picked up these books. It’s an absolutely fantastic series and each consecutive volume has made me an even bigger fan. Sullivan, at heart, is a master storyteller. That is the best praise I can give. His series makes me want to sit by a crackling fire in the wee hours, warm cup of hot chocolate in hand, carefully and completely devouring his tales. If someone who grew up with HARRY POTTER wanted something to read that is as magical, I’d point them right at RIYRIA in a heartbeat.

 When I first bought the books I ordered the first two from Amazon (and then the third, fourth and fifth from the RIDAN site) since when I searched for them at the Canadian Chapters/Indigo site they weren’t physically available in Canada. Therefore, it’s really quite nice to go to Chapters/Indigo now and see the Orbit versions pop up for pre-order in my search.

Lastly, I ought to point out that Michael has also written a short story in the Riyria world called THE VISCOUNT & THE WITCH (taking place 11 years before the first book) which is available as an eBook from Amazon (USA & Canada, and UK), it is available now and is getting some pretty solid reviews.

If you want to keep up to date on the series and future projects you can check out Michael’s Official Riyria site, Robin’s blog and you can LIKE their Facebook page here as well.

News: Michael J. Sullivan's Ryria Revelations series picked up by Orbit!

Oh man. If anyone deserves to have had his series picked up it is Michael J. Sullivan. One of the kindest, down-to-earth and talented writers in the fantasy genre, who was still kinda indie. That didn't stop the buzz from jumping his sales in the last few months. The fantasy world has been onto (VIA blogs and GoodReads and Amazon reviews) his series for a little while now and I am no stranger to being a gigantic fan. I tell everyone I know to read it. It's about time a big publisher took notice and saw what a talent this guy is.


Anyways, I am so pleased that Michael has been picked up by a big publisher as it will only widen his readership and perhaps get more people to read a story that I am privileged to have been able to read. He was even gracious enough to autograph my copies of both THE EMERALD STORM and WINTERTIDE.  Reviews for all five of the books that have been released are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE respectively.

Congrats Michael. You deserve it wholeheartedly sir!

"Orbit is pleased to announce that it has acquired the six-book Riyria Revelations series by author Michael J. Sullivan, in a six-figure deal with agent Teri Tobias of the Teri Tobias Agency LLC. Orbit will be publishing the six titles as three two-book omnibuses in consecutive months in Fall/Winter 2011-2012. The first volume, Theft of Swords, will be published in November 2011; the second volume, Rise of Empire, in December 2011, and the final volume, Heir of Novron, in January 2012.

Senior Editor Devi Pillai says: “This is the kind of fabulous new adventure fantasy that readers of Terry Brooks and Brent Weeks can fall in love with. Michael really delivers a great story that keeps to the idea of great epic fantasy while taking on fantasy clichés and having fun with the idea of two thieves caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I read the first book – and I was hooked.”

Michael J. Sullivan says: “"I couldn't be happier to have The Riyria Revelations released by Orbit. Of all the fantasy imprints, they have shown an unsurpassed eye for quality and I'm both excited and humbled to be included in a select group of authors as talented as Brent Weeks, Gail Carriger, and so many others."

The first book in the saga, The Crown Conspiracy, was self-published through Ridan Publishing, a company started by Sullivan’s wife. He’s been a Kindle bestseller in historical fantasy ever since.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael J. Sullivan has lived in Vermont, North Carolina, and Virginia. He worked as a commercial artist and illustrator, founding his own advertising agency in 1996, which he closed in 2005 to pursue writing full-time. He currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife and three children."

Book Review: Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan

A FORCED WEDDING. A DOUBLE EXECUTION. TWO THIEVES HAVE OTHER PLANS.

The New Empire intends to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a day that will never be forgotten. On the high holiday of Wintertide the empress will be married. Degan Gaunt and the Witch of Melengar will be publically executed. Then the empress will suffer a fatal accident leaving the empire in the hands of the new emperor. It will be a perfect day. There is only one problem-Royce and Hadrian have finally found the lost heir.

Talk about setting up the finale.

Michael J. Sullivan’s 5th book in the Ryria Revelations series doesn’t only set up the finale, but does so with an unforgettable third act that contained ALL the best things about this series in one section.


WINTERTIDE is for lack of a better word, incredible. It is an achievement that not only can Sullivan be very proud of, but one that could easily satisfy the toughest of critics. Not that he really needs to do so with the series being quite well-received at this point, not to mention and having done so with five books on the table which is impressive.

My job as a reviewer is to attempt to tell you about this book, without spoiling anything. I am pretending some folk who read my review will not have even read the first one yet (though you should, it is staggeringly awesome and fun!), and that’s a tough request seeing as we are five books in here and I have to avoid big story spoilers. I will do my best.


WINTERTIDE picks up fairly soon after book 4 THE EMERALD STORM. Aquesta is starting to fill with holiday revellers, and the schemers in the palace are preparing to marry puppet Empress Modina off, and execute the two biggest thorns in their side (Princess Arista of Melangar and rebel leader Degan Gaunt). Hadrian Blackwater, guardian of the heir of Novron is doing his level best to do the right thing and free the imprisoned, whilst his partner is fleeing north back to the charred remnants of sacked Melangar in the hopes that his one true love Gwen is safe and escaped to the Winds Abbey. Neither is initially aware of Arista having been captured and imprisoned by Saldur and Luis Guy.

That’s where we start, but it is FAR from where we end up. What a rollercoaster!! Hadrian’s journey takes him in a very interesting direction with an ultimatum that will either compromise his own valor and honour, or cost him the life of someone dear to him. Royce starts to experience good tidings from some of the good things he’s done in his more recent past and it kind of astounds him. Arista is doing her best to not give Modina up to Saldur as her help in infiltrating the palace, but the evil bishop is becoming such a dirty, filthy creature in his threats that it tests her as well.

Myron. Oh Myron. You can be on the page for like a half a chapter and you own it. Seriously Michael. Arista is probably my second fave, Royce and Hadrian are incredible, Saldur is deliciously evil incarnate, Alric and Mauvin are heroic...but Myron sir... is your masterpiece. From the minute he showed up in the first book to whenever you described him throughout the books he was not in I smiled from ear to ear. Now we get to see him again, and the newly constructed Winds Abbey, and the best goddamned new tree ever! Man that was nice to see. I actually cracked open the first book again and read that passage about the Squirrel tree again. Late in WINTERTIDE, Myron shows up again (falling off a horse) and once again the pen that sketches him out is deft and pulls at every heart string I have. Sorry, I know I go on an on, but Myron to me, represents the innocence in the world of Elan, and that’s always refreshing to read and experience in a world that has become decidedly war-torn and divided. It’s almost as if Sullivan is aware of how dark a lot of the paths have to be at this point in the story and Myron shows up to say “Hey, it’s not all bad I promise you, and we are going to make it better.”

There is a love story buried in these last few books that has been a lovely slow burn. We get snippets of it here and there and you can see it budding into something more but I don’t need to tell you how great it is to see an author spend the time (ie. More than one book) developing it into something that rings true of a worldly love that he can be proud of creating.

Modina finally comes into her own and shows those who think they keep her in chains how wrong they might just be. There is a revelation about just what she did with some of her time that I kind of slapped my head and went “Oh man! I can’t believe I didn’t realize that!”, and then her actions 3 chapters from the end are kind of series changing and I loved it.

Then we have the final 3 chapters. Oh. My. Gods.

I can’t even START to tell you how amazing the last three chapters of this book are. I can’t tell you cause I’d spoil stuff. Sufficed to say they knocked me right on my ass. My mouth was on the floor for like an hour, and I haven’t actually stopped thinking of the ramifications to certain characters and places. Let’s just say that as far as endings go, this is probably the best Sullivan has done yet in the series. Bar none. The revelations are fast and furious but it is the events of those last pages that will haunt you into the wee hours thinking about them, not to mention where they will take us...

...in APRIL! Dammit! Now I have to wait till the spring release of PERCEPLIQIUS to find out how it all ends! I haven’t been this excited about the concluding volume in a book series since probably Jim butcher’s final Codex Alera book FIRST LORD’S FURY.

Oh, and Michael, I actually pumped my fist in the air when Alric and Mauvin showed up. Not kidding. Haha!

This book is an absolute TRIUMPH. A true classic worthy of anyone bookshelf and hopefully years from now I’ll sit down and read them to my kids. I think I need to thank you for that sir. It is a seasoned storyteller who is able to weave such incredible tale that ties up a bunch of older plot threads and set us up for the final book with not just a cliffhanger, but the mother of all cliffhangers AND a promise for something really special in the future for the whole world and all the characters we know so well now.

I can’t recommend another series this year that has affected me like this one. It is worth every penny I spent on the first three books, late night online looking for new fantasy to read. I haven’t looked back since.

Book Review: Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan

 A puppet is crowned. 

The true heir remains hidden. 

A rogue's secret could change everything.
 

War has come to Melengar. To save her realm, Princess Arista must reach the leader of the Nationalists and convince him to join forces. She turns to two trusted mercenaries to provide escort, but finds the team on the verge of dissolution.

Hadrian is tired of his lecherous profession and longs for a just cause. Royce knows a secret which could provide his partner a life’s purpose greater than anything his friend could imagine…but is it true? Or is an ancient wizard using them as pawns in his own struggle for power? To unravel the truth Royce convinces Hadrian to join him for one last mission—what they discover could change the future for all of Elan.

And he does it again!

Michael J. Sullivan’s third Ryria Revelations book NYPHRON RISING (AKA Let’s kick the awesomeness into high gear) is another cracker from the author.

I’m sure if someone told Sullivan that in only a few years time his “little indie series that could” would start to top reviewers lists for their favourite books of each year he might have thought otherwise, as the guy is not only pretty humble, but one of the nicest authors I have ever been in touch with. That said, this series is REALLY beginning to soar and with five books already released and the sixth and final volume set to drop early in 2011, this author will have released a fantasy series that will not only sit on my shelf next to faves like the Harry Potter books, and The Dresden Files, but will be pulled out and re-read whenever I feel like setting off on the adventure again.

Book three begins not long after AVEMPARTHA (book 2, see my review here). Master thieves and Royal Protectors Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, have been enjoying a little time off from what they do best (long enough that Hadrian begins to question his role in the pair and thinking perhaps it’s time to hang up his three swords), Royce wants him to stay for one last job at least, there is a puppet on the Imperial Nyphron throne in the form of a mute and destroyed Thrace who can’t even be convinced to eat. There is an Imperial army massing on Melangar’s southern borders and King Alric has plans to unite with rebel nationalist leader Degan Gaunt, though he forbids his sister princess Arista to go as Ambassador, she has other plans, which may include a couple of thieves.

This one, as I said above is a full-on worldbuilder. If you can imagine the first book was prologue, the second the opening salvo, this third is the beginning of the war proper. The villains get more villanous (and add to their ranks) as Bishop Saldur and Luis Guy plot their machinations. The heroes also get more numerous (Princess Arista’s professor of her Art of magic from Sheridan Arcadius enters the fray) and start to assemble a few outer arms that will be needed for the final fight.

This book belongs to three plot arms and all three are equally riveting! The shades of Hadrian’s past and what the medallion around his neck means that were teased at the end of the last book come to some fruition here. The network of people that Royce used to work for, called Black Diamond, become more than the glimpsed menace they were in the previous book and the more they are fleshed out, the more gray each member gets. The third plot arm is that of Modina (AKA Thrace, puppet Empress) and her lady in waiting, an upraised scullery maid by the name of Amilia. Amilia & Modina’s plotline was the one that could have been the most tedious in any other book, but here Sullivan is once again a deft hand. This is actually one of the most refreshingly simple and endearing threads of the book. Amilia is perfect in her role and as she tries to help Modina and get her to come out of the shell she has built around herself, you can really FEEL that. Sullivan’s skill with emotions is impressive to say the least. That also brings us to Hadrian’s plotline about his past, which mostly concerns his relationship with his father and his reasons for leaving to join the military at age 17. His feelings throughout those pages is palpable and true. It’s funny, after three books I feel I can say, “Yep, that’s how Hadrian would react to that, and that’s how Royce would handle that”. Thus proving to me that Sulivan didn’t create these characters on a whim. They have depth, and emotions and he doesn’t sacrifice those for any tricks.

One of my favourite things in this book is how Sullivan shrewdly has Royce and Hadrian put princess Arista through a similar set of situations that they did with her brother Alric. Riding a less-than-evenly tempered horse till she’s saddle sore and weary, having her sleep under the stars with leaves for a pillow, eating what’s available, and consorting with lower-statured people, these are the types of things that I am convinced the two thieves do on purpose. She is a good princess and a fair judge of people, but she isn’t yet a ruler. She hasn’t yet reached greatness, but with these two I am sure she will. This bit of the plot is subtle and simple, and it was a nice little side story, that helps us really get into Arista’s character.

The author also manages to put in a coded, historical mystery that drives the latter half of the book and is as mind-blowing in its execution as any thriller that is on the shelves today. It is at once mystifying, and rocketship-paced, all the while maintaining the heart that is at the center of these characters and their storied pasts. He even manages to open up new mysteries within the ones he solves. I was a bit wowed to say the least.

NYPHRON RISING is a meatier addition to the series, but one that does not disappoint at all. In fact, Sullivan ramps up all his long-arc plot threads, gives us more small wavering glimpses at the future, and tells us another rip-roaring yarn worthy of even the best fireside storyteller. A Triumph!

FYI: The final line is once again a cliffhanger that will leave you absolutely breathless with anticipation for the next book. Thankfully, I have a signed copy of the 4th one (THE EMERALD STORM) ready to go!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you haven’t been reading Michael J. Sullivan’s Ryria Revelations series, you are missing out. Go grab them today here and set out on a voyage of adventure and intrigue.

In The Pipe: Scott's To-Read List November

The order of this list may change, but for the time being, this will be the order for the next while. This means you can expect reviews to come for each volume.

THE PATH OF DAGGERS by Robert Jordan

I continue my Wheel Of Time First-Reads category with the 8^th volume. I am coincidentally currently reading the 7^th book A CROWN OF SWORDS, and the review/thoughts for that should hopefully be up before the week is out. The plan is to get through the next 4 Jordan written volumes, so that I can throw the two Brandon Sanderson co-penned books THE GATHERING STORM and TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT upon my Christmas wishlist. That’s the plan right now at any rate. We’ll see.

THE GHOST BRIGADES by John Scalzi

I plowed through Scalzi’s debut OLD MAN’S WAR in about a day and a half. It was one of the most fun and interesting sci-fi books I’ve read. My sci-fi shelf is small compared to my fantasy shelf. Chris is the sci-fi buff, and I’m the fantasy buff. But I still like to step into the space opera waters now and again. The second volume in the OLD MAN’S WAR series sounds to be another ripping adventure.

 

NYPHRON RISING and THE EMERALD STORM by Michael J. Sullivan

The 3^rd and 4^th volume in this fantastic new series by new author Sullivan are awaiting me on my shelf and I want to read them together so that I can hold out on the 5^th book WINTERTIDE (which I also have) until Christmas, cause that seems like the optimum time to read a book about…well Wintertide. Sufficed to say I love this series and I look forward to the next few books.  The plan is to have the 5^th one done before years end so that I can petition Michael and his publisher to hook me up with an ARC of the final 6^th book PERCEPLIQUIS. We shall see.

SIDE JOBS by Jim Butcher

I’m a self-confessed, unabashed Dresden-ite. The forces, which are holding me at bay from reading this short fiction anthology of Dresden stories (most of which I’ve not read) are great. I want to read this like you wouldn’t believe and get my Dresden-crack fix. But I am putting it off so that I don’t have to wait as long between reading it and the next full Dresden book GHOST STORY bowing next April. Can’t wait!

WINTER’S HEART by Robert Jordan

See the first entry, but this will also belong in my Wheel Of Time First-Reads category of reviews/thoughts in my mission to get caught up with all the other WOT fans. More Nynaeve and Mat can’t be a bad thing. Man I have grown attached to these characters!

That’s it for now. This list will likely see me into mid-November at which point I’ll take stock and see where I am at and what else will be on the schedule for December.

Book Review: Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan

When a destitute young woman hires two thieves to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breach the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. What begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm--that could change the future of Elan.

...and number two went even faster than number one.

So, after sitting down and penning my review of the first amazing book in Michael J. Sullivan’s “Riyria Revelations” series, THE CROWN CONSPIRACY, last night I sat down with the second book AVEMPARTHA and read about 40 pages non-stop. Sadly, I didn’t get into a super late night/early morning reading session this time, but this is only due to my girlfriend having returned home from the trip she was on and wanting me to get some actual sleep....and I caved. Haha!

At any rate, I woke up with one solitary purpose in mind, one which I am sure you can guess at. So, aside from stepping out for lunch with a good friend, I set about devouring this second book in the series. I simply had no idea that I would read the bloody thing all afternoon and evening until I finished it. I did. So here we are...probably a little later than it was last night and I am writing another review. Happily so in fact!

I purposely have tried to avoid spoilers in this review as I want anyone to go into it fresh so I won’t talk about a lot of the plot, sufficed to say it is another cracker and I was reading it like I stole it and someone was coming to take it away and I was time constrained.

This book, if it is at all possible, is even better than the first. Why? You might ask me. Well, I have a few reasons for making such a bold statement. Firstly, let’s equate the difference between the first book and this one. I want to use a horse analogy here, so bear with me. The first and second books are both riding the same horse, just with different saddles. This second volume, the characters (for the most part) have already been established, so now the author can get down to the brass tacks of a little more worldbuilding. We get much more of politics and religion within the world of Elan, not to mention more about the history of the world and even more about certain characters back stories, and ALL of it is interesting and readable. What is decidedly nice though is that even though I know there is quite a lot of information being shared, it’s not everything. Reading this book was like having a fireside conversation with one of its enigmatic characters, Esrahaddon, as he certainly gives you the truth but he doesn’t give you all of it, not yet anyways. Always leave them wanting more is one of the sayings about great storytellers, and Sullivan accomplishes this like a pro.

Princess Arista, who had a smallish part in the first book, becomes a major player in this one and I was certainly glad for it as she is a very strong, level-headed character and a lot of fun to read about. Here’s something interesting I noticed...Arista has traits in common with her brother. It is easy for an author to make characters be siblings, but it is quite another thing to make them seem as if they are siblings by how they are written as characters. Sullivan achieves this and impresses me, yet again, with his deft hand. This brings me to another thing I really enjoyed in this volume, and that is the bringing to the forefront another couple of characters who were small players in the first book, the eldest Pickering Brothers Mauvin and Fanen. These two brothers are so great, both brave to the point of being seemingly fearless and true staunch defenders of the true crown and power in the land, but mostly like our two leads, they are heroes. Fanen is a little more headstrong and wilful, but this is simply because of his familial standing as second born.  Not to be outdone the new characters (mostly the villagers of Dhalgren and Thrace Wood) are just as intriguing and well-written. Thrace herself is indeed everything she needs to be from the get-go. She is both nervous and timid, and yet driven by need and then later on even goes through a transformation and the way she is introduced just makes that transition even more satisfying to read. There is actually a moment with Thrace that is so hauntingly beautiful that it was one of those moments where you think to yourself "Boy, am I ever immersed in this world and these lives" and it's kind of humbling to read something that touches your so.

It also nice to see the villains of the piece have to contend with dissension in their ranks, and plots that may not succeed. As it is tough to see your protagonists heading towards evil plots, it is nice to know that their storyweaver is indeed looking out for them.  Sullivan has these dealt with in unexpected and sometimes even abrupt ways and that was decidedly refreshing to read. So again we have tropes of old school fantasy being used with a few tweaks and turns on the head making for incredible readable pages.

Our two leads, Medford-based thieves Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn, are once again the stars though. They continue to shine with their easy back and forth, their skills in various areas of sneaking, stealing and fighting, and most of all their humanity. These guys are infinitely likable and I challenge anyone not to read about their adventures and not want more.  There is more here about both of their back stories and both have some very interesting things going on there, but of course we don’t know it all....yet.

The author brings forward some great grey areas in this book too. Characters that we once assumed as entirely bad may not have been, and ones we thought as completely good may not have been either. It’s really nice actually and was a surprise in some cases. I still don’t know all of what is going on in this world (which is SO much fun!) and while Sullivan answers a few threads from his multi-book arcs, he opened a bunch more and literally left me salivating for more. 

There are many great moments within these pages. One early on concerning a sign outside a playhouse actually make me chuckle out loud. Another happens when Arista is travelling with the Bishop and her annoying matronly servant Bernice and there is some discussion about cookies. Man, the humour is always so subtle and SUCH a pleasure to read, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sullivan has a gift. Of course his masterstroke in AVEMPARTHA is the final line which is so perfectly executed at the end of a random conversation that I had to read it twice, jaw hitting the floor with a lovely thunk.

Michael J. Sullivan once again proves to me why I spend hours reading his book and doing not much else on my days off before I start my new job is worth it. AVEMPARTHA is a not only a worthy successor to the first book in the series, it actually improves upon it (a feat I wasn’t sure was possible seeing how much I enjoyed the first one). Now I realize that the first one was like the overture. The orchestra was warming up and now we have sat down and started this story in earnest and I can see threads of the greater plot starting to creak forward and I am again astounded. Beyond that, the author is able to maintain the episodic nature of these stories even here where he is worldbuilding. I found that every time he was worldbuilding, it was done WHILE his characters were pushing the pace forward for the episode itself. The ending itself very nearly explodes off the page. The action is wonderful, the tension is palpable and the prose is once again tight, gorgeous and clean with no unused or un-needed space. 

AVEMPARTHA is a  more-than-worthy follow-up and an opening to a wider world of Elan, one in which I hope to spend many more hours enjoying. All I can do now is be is thankful that I stumbled across this man’s incredible writing and hope that my reviews will lead you all to read the works.  It should also be noted that he is the artist responsible for the gorgeous cover art as well, and I would easily have these pieces in my house on a wall. 

At any rate, I thankfully have the 3^rd book NYPHRON RISING on my desk next to me ready to start (and one more day off....a dangerous combo...haha!) and I ordered signed copies of the 4^th and 5^th books directly from the author Via RIDAN’s website as more of the profits will hopefully go to him and I wholeheartedly support that as I am grateful even to be able to read them.

Oh, and there is a moment early on in the first few pages of this book where the word "Riyria" is explained...and that moment is so pitch-perfect that I got shivers down my arms.

What the hell are you still standing there for? Get out there. Buy these books!

Book Review: The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan

 There's no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time...Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out...and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

Well, that was unexpected.

I sometimes hear tell of a book (or books) that are by an author I’ve never heard of, by a publisher I’ve never heard of and I research it. In this case, I saw a review of a book called THE CROWN CONSPIRACY by a guy named Michael J. Sullivan, and the praise seemed to be rather unanimous. I decided to do a little digging, and after finding the authors website I discovered that this wasn’t just a one off, but a series of six books (five of which have been released so far), so I read the synopsis of the first book and felt mighty intrigued. I decided I wanted to read this first book, but lo and behold it has been published by an indie publisher, and Chapters/Indigo (Canada’s main bookseller) in their infinite poorly managed catalogue of books did not have it. Nor could I find any bookseller in Toronto who did have it. So I ended up (inevitably it would seem) on Amazon.ca that same night and clicked the first book into my Cart. Now, we all know Amazon does its whole, suck-you-in with free super-saver shipping thing for orders over a certain amount of mulah...long story short, in what was likely a decision brought on by having a dwindling To-Read pile and the warmth of a few glasses of a 10 year scotch I ordered the first THREE books in the series, THE CROWN CONSPIRACY, AVEMPARTHA, and NYPHRON RISING....and MAN am I ever glad I did that!

This book was astonishing in its simple hook to get you into the story (see synopsis above), but the execution is so near flawless that I am in a bit of awe here. For a story that is about two thieves dealing with being falsely accused of killing their king and the aftermath of that, there is SO much else going on here and most of it is so clever that you would be hard-pressed to find chinks in the armour, so to speak. I started this book last night sitting down intent on reading maybe ten pages or so to see if it started out well, and before I knew it I had easily devoured 130 pages..and the only reason I had to stop reading was due to the fact that unbeknownst to me, the witching hour had arrived and passed and it was suddenly 3AM!

Needless to say that I set out today with one thing in mind. To finish this wonderful story! So I did just that, and it actually trumps my favourite new series this year up to this point (which had been Suzanne Collins brilliant HUNGER GAMES trilogy), by its skilful storytelling. The writing is easy and flows with a voice that is decidedly deft. This guy knows how to pen a story, no question. In a lot of other fantasy series today there is so much focus on world building that the story itself can get a little bogged down and though it’s not horrible to have that sort of novel out there, it is refreshing to have a book that returns to the roots of the genre, while holding on to a few of the things that make current fantasy books so good. Sullivan cleverly straddles the line between complex thread-built, long arcing plot (which is certainly there, but it is only smoke and whispers....a line here, an idea there...at this point)  and a whimsical story with interesting characters that picks you up and whisks you away on a fantastic story that will have you cheering for more. 

The story itself feels like what it would be like if you plunked Danny and Rusty from Ocean’s 11 down into a fantasy setting and had them trying to sort their way out of a jam while trying to outsmart the villains in a way that you never see coming. Even better, is that the charm of these characters makes them even more likable. That’s not to say the supporting cast aren’t equally impressive, as I think Alric’s personal transition is amazing, Arista is significantly interesting, Esrahaddon is probably one of the most enigmatic characters I have come across in a long while bar none. The showstopper though, the standout (other than the two leads) is certainly the young monk Myron. His reaction to the outside world he’s never seen was both funny and endearing at the same time, and there are moments where his emotions literally leapt off the page at me, one instance early on with a tree and an old friend was very nearly tear-jerking. Therein lies the skill Sullivan possesses. Being able to convey that sort of connection to a character mere pages after having met him is impressive to say the least.  Only a smattering of other authors that I read have this skill. Jim Butcher has it, as do Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss and the earlier mentioned Suzanne Collins. It is something that is missing from a lot of authors writing these days and so it is extra sensational when I come across it. 

The pacing is pitch-perfect. There is not a page unused or wasted in the whole book. In a less skilled author’s hands, this could have been a far longer and more tedious read, but again Sullivan leaves me in awe as there isn’t a sentence I’d say isn’t required. The man creates the world with a simple prose that brings to mind things like woodsmoke from a stone chimney, rain spattering a windowpane, snow gently falling outside while a candle burns silently away in a shop window, or a lazy river meandering its way through the lush countryside. 

So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I am endlessly thankful that I ordered the first three books in the series as I don’t think my brain wants me to read anything else right now other than the second book AVEMPARTHA. 

THE CROWN CONSPIRACY is an astounding debut by a masterful storyteller, the likes of which will keep you reading till the wee hours of the morning long after the candle has burned down to a nub. Of that I can honestly attest (if I read by candlelight....which I sometimes think would add to the ambiance....but I digress).

This book being published by an independent publisher called RIDAN PUBLISHING is harder to come by in Canada (not sure about the States) but you can order it from the authors website directly, or like I did, from Amazon. It is MORE than worth your effort to get a hold of, as it DEFINITELY lingers in the top five books I have read all year, sharing company with Brandon Sanderson, Suzanne Collins and Jim Butcher. 

Full marks!