Vol. 2 (Riyria Revelations), Rise of Empire

Enjoyed this one too. More insight into the main characters and lifting some of the minor characters up a notch too. I was somewhat disappointed to lose some of my "minor" support characters but the build up in the ending has me ready to read the last book.

And I'm a big fan of George RR Martin's world,but, I'm glad Michael doesn't share the graphic adult situations that we find in George's books. I'm an adult and I can read that into the book if I so desire.

I look forward to the future that Michael creates for us.

Riyria Revelations: Story of Sidekicks?
I have not finished reading the second book yet. Half way through. But I'm beginning to see a theme here especially after reading Age Of Myth.
I have looked for the hero who is on the hero's quest in the story and from what I've read so far these seem to be my opinions of the heros:
Like, Persephone the heroine in Age of Myth on her hero's quest with her "god-killer" sidekick, Arista the heroine of Riyria Revelations is on her hero's quest to save her kingdom and humanity. She grows throughout the the story I've read so far, especially with the help of her trusty sidekicks Royce and Hadrian, the inconsistent (and at times incompetent) thieves who think disguises are used as and when you like.

In this series the sidekicks get a bit more fleshed out and have a bigger role to play than in other stories. Also, the author seems to throw characters into the plot at will such as Amelia and Theron. Kills off some characters thought to be major actors ala GoT. The way I read it it's not so much about 2 heroes. It's more about a heroine and maybe later a second heroine who stand head and shoulders above the two male sidekicks (who happen to be the hands and feet of the heroines doing some of the work) having accomplished much more in the first two books. And will probably go on to save humanity in the last. Since according to the author they only emerge from the cocoons in the last book.

One of the things I did not appreciate much is the use of colloquialisms such as "yeah", "stiffed", "sending them off like a mother sends her kids to school" (what school? In the story's universe only the nobles get educated and it seems they have personal tutors.)

The writer tries to tell the story in so many perspectives that at one point I had to re-read a couple of pages to figure out who's perspective the story is being written from and exactly who is this "he", "she", "they" the author is referring to. The story seems to go all over the place in narration. And at time I felt like skipping entire chapters or quickly reading through them (such as the chapters devoted to Modina, her state of mind and Amelia) as they seemed to be going nowhere and not adding anything more to the story.

My impression of the story so far is that of an ugly love child of Starwars and Game of Thrones. Having Riyria as part of the title and waxing lyrical about two rouges as part of the author's review is in my opinion is like calling "The Lord Of the Rings", "The Story of Meriadoc and Peregrin". Although the author is nowhere in the same league as J.R.R Tolkien, or for that matter J.K. Rowling.

I gave it 2 stars because some plot points are interesting.

Fast moving and interesting. I will not give any spoilers but I somehow knew from the 1st book of the series who the protector and heir really was. Maybe that is from years of reading this type of genre. Still I read on because the I found the series fun. I really would read everything Michael Sullivan writes.

I ran across this series when I was getting ready to travel to Europe and needed a paperback book in case my electronic reader battery charge didn't last. The first book -- Theft of Swords -- got me hooked and I wanted more of the adventures of Hadrian and Royce. Excellent writing and fun story!

Good continuation of the series, but somehow loses the writing style from the first book.
Too much charaters introspection versus describing their characters roles by their actions.
It improved in the next book, anyhow.

I'm seriously in love with this series! Action and adventure! Characters you love and villains you despise! Oh, and they're all out so you can read them all without worrying about when the next installment is released. That being said, I'll read whatever Mr. Sullivan publishes!

Thank you for the great adventure! I loved every book including Rise of Empire. This series was fast paced, action packed, had humor, and filled with emotions that gave me goose bumps at times! I loved every word of these books and I've now put this series at the top of my favorites list! Rise of Empire was a lovely end to the series that yes ...left me begging for more! Again thank you for the great adventure Mr. Sullivan..well done! I recommend this series to anyone wanting a great read!

Sword and sorcery tales are all too common and seem all cut from the same cloth. I was surprised by a breath of fresh air in Michael J. Sullivan's "Theft of Swords". Characters that were fresh and witty and for a change I DIDN'T know what was coming next. When I picked up the sequel (well, downloaded it) "Rise of Empire", I was worried I'd be dissapointed but once again the story was fresh with twists and turns and the main characters all return and I was hooked again.
I'm rushing through the story knowing there's a third installment in the series but for the first time in awhile I'm dreading a series conclusion and the ending to fun page turning adventure.
Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations)

The greatest difficulty in reviewing this book is that it is actually two distinct books. Overall I found myself extremely pleased with the first book, however the second suffered from several glaring flaws.

First the positives: Royce and Hadrian continue to be a wonderfully entertaining duo to read about, the world and it's history are becoming well fleshed out, multiple points hint at mysteries to be resolved later in the story which builds tension well, and leaves you trying to guess what surprises await (reminding me of Brandon Sanderson's novels in this regard). However some negatives in the second book tarnish an otherwise positive experience:

1) Arista's phenomenally poor judgement becomes a tedious theme that the story repeatedly relies on to generate conflict. It almost has become comical that by this point in the story Arista has developed enormous personal power, but manages to get herself assaulted/captured/knocked-out in almost every chapter she appears in through her own phenomenally bad judgement. That she's the only female character with any agency in the story makes her profound lack of intelligence and basic planning all the more difficult to tolerate.

2) Violence. Reading the author's own description of this series, he seems to voice a desire to write a more classic fantasy novel, avoiding the excessive grimdark violence that has become a hallmark of modern fantasy. Yet in these books he seems to forget about that plan entirely. You will witness an innocent woman being flogged to death while our heroes watch, widespread cannibalism, dozens of slaves being burned alive, and minorities being loaded into cattle cars...er I mean cages to be racially purified. Of course I realize that the medieval setting was generally a hellscape for peasants and minorities, but I thought the plan was for a lighter classic fantasy tone here.

3) One adversary will murder dozens of innocent civilians, attempt to murder our protagonists on multiple occasions, and promise to have everyone executed for treason when they return from their journey. Nobody will do anything about this. They will yell harsh sounding words at him until he yields and then does the exact same thing the next chapter. This is despite one of our heroes being an assassin and the other an unstoppable warrior (just kill him you idiots!).

4) On the TV Tropes website they refer to a concept called a Gambit Roulette as "a convoluted plan that relies on events completely within the realm of chance yet comes off without a hitch." This perfectly sums up the second book's plot to me. I don't want to spoil events, but I found myself extremely frustrated that reliance on a plan where hundreds of things could have easily gone wrong going off without a hitch is displayed as cunning genius.

And yet despite all my complaints I've immediately bought the final chapter of this series. Maybe a strong finish could win me back to loving this trilogy outright.

The development of the story is entertaining and the characters are developing within their personalities, not remaining static. It keeps my interest up; I am interested in seeing how the resolutions to the various sub-plots will unfold as well as the main story line.

The author keeps the reader guessing from the moment the story begins. If you think you have figured things out, try again. Have pity on the character that fantasizes about a serene, care-free future. This is a must-read!

I. A. Wilhite, Ph.D.

Too often sequels slump, drag, or otherwise fall short of its predecessor - the very book that got you interested in the first place. The Riyria Revelations does NOT suffer from that error. If anything, this second installment really helps propel the story forward, with Mr. Sullivan going even more in-depth with the plot and characters. But like Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire is written so adeptly, that it is neither tiresome nor confusing. The pace and focus are well balanced between the increasing settings and characters.

The really great thing about this story is not only is the integrity of the main two characters, Royce and Hadrian, maintained, but characters that were more minor characters in Theft really come into their own in Rise. And there are some great characters - some you will love and some you will loathe. I think that is one of the great testaments to Mr. Sullivan's writing, that you really become invested in his characters.

I checked out Theft of Swords at my local library, but I bought Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron, along with Theft before I even finished it. I knew this series was going to be a keeper, and I can honestly say I am not disappointed. I would highly recommend these books.

Another great book in the Riyria series by Michael J. Sullivan. I enjoyed it even more than I did the first book. The only criticism is that the villains can be a little cheesy and talk too much. But the writing is great and it is a hard book to put down!

It normally takes me months to read a series like this, but this one I consumed in days, the longest period was the waiting for the third book to arrive. I've loaned the books to friends and they too find the read enjoyable and readable.

As with it's predecessor, the characters drive us through this story at a relentless pace. It's a hard book to put down, and a hard world to leave behind. Luckily, I don't have to leave it for long, as Heir of Novron awaits...

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. This entry finds Riyria visiting a lot more locations than they had in the previous book (Theft of Swords). Where Theft centered around thievery and "dragon-slaying", Empire is a much more swashbuckling and high adventure themed book. Here the characters really get going and start their arcs toward where they will end.

The short of it: highly recommended if you like good, old-fashioned adventure. The story is fun, the characters relatable, and the plot moves fast enough to keep you hooked, making it a hard one to put down.

There's a lot more magic (which I love). And the Magic system is ambiguous enough that it doesn't surprise you when Arista (the main magic user) is able to do incredible things (see the chapter titled: Making it Rain). And you can see some of the magic effects coming, which doesn't spoil anything, just makes it fun to anticipate and wait for it to happen.

The action is really something too. The individual fight scenes, battles, and the scenes at sea on board the Emerald Storm are elevated way beyond anything in the first book. One fight that stands out is the one near the end involving a team of goblins VS. a team of humans in a gladiator style arena. It combines magic and physical action very well.

The writing style is the same easy-to-read, modern language, witty dialogue from the previous book. Not a whole lot of Medieval "Thee's" and "Thou's" to slow down the pace, just some good writing that is easily accessible.

My only complaints: A bit too much "Sailor Lingo." It was nice to hear how a ship works, but it was a little much to take in all at once. This led to a few POV violations in the book (if you care about things like that...I don't mind it much): when seeing it from Hadrian's POV, he probably wouldn't have used all the sailor lingo that the seasoned seamen were using (he might have just said the thingy that keeps the boat going). The end of Nyphron Rising ended on kind of a random cliffhanger. It might have had more of an impact if you had read the books when they first came out and had to wait for the next one, but since you could dive right into The Emerald Storm it felt like it lacked a bit of gravity.

All in all, it's a really well done second part of a trilogy. It has enough action to avoid being the boring middle book, the plot REALLY moves, and it ends on a note that makes you want to pick up the third book.

This a continuing story of the crown tower. Its an excellent story just don't buy the viscount and the witch nor preciplicus as they are novella found within the other books of the series. Dont pay twice

I loved the first book, Theift of Swords, but this one was amazing. I did not see all the twists and turnes coming in this book. Can't wait to read the last one, Heir of Novron. The Riyria books are my second favorite set of books, now :)

Yeah, you might start this series with the feeling that you have read this somewhere before, but give it time. Its not the plot twists or the action that got me, although they are present. Its the characters. Particularly Blackwater. Not since I laid good King Jorge to rest have I missed a character so much.

It normally takes me months to read a series like this, but this one I consumed in days, the longest period was the waiting for the third book to arrive. I've loaned the books to friends and they too find the read enjoyable and readable.

As with it's predecessor, the characters drive us through this story at a relentless pace. It's a hard book to put down, and a hard world to leave behind. Luckily, I don't have to leave it for long, as Heir of Novron awaits...

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. This entry finds Riyria visiting a lot more locations than they had in the previous book (Theft of Swords). Where Theft centered around thievery and "dragon-slaying", Empire is a much more swashbuckling and high adventure themed book. Here the characters really get going and start their arcs toward where they will end.

The short of it: highly recommended if you like good, old-fashioned adventure. The story is fun, the characters relatable, and the plot moves fast enough to keep you hooked, making it a hard one to put down.

There's a lot more magic (which I love). And the Magic system is ambiguous enough that it doesn't surprise you when Arista (the main magic user) is able to do incredible things (see the chapter titled: Making it Rain). And you can see some of the magic effects coming, which doesn't spoil anything, just makes it fun to anticipate and wait for it to happen.

The action is really something too. The individual fight scenes, battles, and the scenes at sea on board the Emerald Storm are elevated way beyond anything in the first book. One fight that stands out is the one near the end involving a team of goblins VS. a team of humans in a gladiator style arena. It combines magic and physical action very well.

The writing style is the same easy-to-read, modern language, witty dialogue from the previous book. Not a whole lot of Medieval "Thee's" and "Thou's" to slow down the pace, just some good writing that is easily accessible.

My only complaints: A bit too much "Sailor Lingo." It was nice to hear how a ship works, but it was a little much to take in all at once. This led to a few POV violations in the book (if you care about things like that...I don't mind it much): when seeing it from Hadrian's POV, he probably wouldn't have used all the sailor lingo that the seasoned seamen were using (he might have just said the thingy that keeps the boat going). The end of Nyphron Rising ended on kind of a random cliffhanger. It might have had more of an impact if you had read the books when they first came out and had to wait for the next one, but since you could dive right into The Emerald Storm it felt like it lacked a bit of gravity.

All in all, it's a really well done second part of a trilogy. It has enough action to avoid being the boring middle book, the plot REALLY moves, and it ends on a note that makes you want to pick up the third book.

This a continuing story of the crown tower. Its an excellent story just don't buy the viscount and the witch nor preciplicus as they are novella found within the other books of the series. Dont pay twice

I loved the first book, Theift of Swords, but this one was amazing. I did not see all the twists and turnes coming in this book. Can't wait to read the last one, Heir of Novron. The Riyria books are my second favorite set of books, now :)

Yeah, you might start this series with the feeling that you have read this somewhere before, but give it time. Its not the plot twists or the action that got me, although they are present. Its the characters. Particularly Blackwater. Not since I laid good King Jorge to rest have I missed a character so much.

Four stars. Michael J. Sullivan really writes a good story. It takes off right from the start and doesn't slow down. Hadrian and Royce are very likable characters, and you just kind of fall into the world he has created for them.