Riyria Revelations

The Riyria Revelations series is three high fantasy novels written by Michael J. Sullivan and published by Orbit Books in 2011 and 2012. The series consists of three original titles, Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron. The books were previously self-published^[1] as a six-volume series selling 90,000 copies^[2]

Order of Books

There are two related series The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles which can be read in chronological order or order of publication. The author has recommended reading in publication order.

Order of Publication

1. Theft of Swords (contains The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha)
2. Rise of Empire (contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm)
3. Heir of Novron (contains Wintertide and Percepliquis)
4. The Crown Tower
5. The Rose and the Thorn

Chronological Order

1. The Crown Tower
2. The Rose and the Thorn
3. Theft of Swords (contains The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha)
4. Rise of Empire (contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm)
5. Heir of Novron (contains Wintertide and Percepliquis)

Characters

Hadrian - Hadrian Blackwater is an ex-soldier/mercenary in search of a purpose in life. He is an excellent swordsman and follows the ancient but antiquated code of the knights. He is said to be a tall and well built and very observant. He is trusting, optimistic and virtuous to a fault. He was brought up in a small village and he has a natural ability to inspire trust and loyalty in people.

Royce - Royce Melborn is a thief who has grown on the streets of a violent city. He is very agile, quick on his feet, has sharp senses and is an excellent climber. Due to his tenuous childhood, he suspects everyone around him to be evil unless proved otherwise. Hadrian and Royce are opposite personalities who have come together to form an unlikely partnership called Riyria (Elvish for "two").

Arista - Princess of Melengar. She possesses the ability to perform magic. While in the earlier books she is pompous and spoiled, interactions with other characters change her into a kind and worldly person.

Thrace/Modina - A simple farm girl who enlists the help of Hadrian and Royce to slay a beast which terrorizes her village. Spoiler: Through many plot twists she ends up as the Empress of the Imperial kingdom and head of the church. Her name is changed to Modina after she becomes the empress.

Esrahaddon - Wizard of the old empire who was imprisoned in an unassailable prison by the church for a thousand years. He teaches Arista magic and also guides Hadrian and Royce in a greater quest.

Gwen is a former prostitute and owner of the Medford house. She has the ability to see the future and is in love with Royce.

Alric is the king of Melengar and Arista's brother.

Magnus is a dwarf with an inborn ability to build or break into impregnable towers or dungeons. He is also an excellent builder and stone mason.

Myron is the third son of a noble and a monk. He has an eidetic memory and is able to recite entire books and passages from the old library. When his father and brothers are killed in wars, he inherits the title but forgoes it to remain a monk.

Geography

The series primarily takes place in a secondary world known as Elan. Which consists of the following regions: Westerlins (unexplored), Apeladorn (domninated by men) and Erivan (the elvenlands).

Nations of Apeladorn

• Avryn: Central wealthy kingdoms
• Trent: Northern mountainous kingdoms
• Calis: Southeastern tropical region ruled by warlords
• Delgos: Southern republic

Kingdoms of Avryn

• Ghent: Ecclesiastical holding of the Nyphron Church
• Melengar: Small but old and respected kingdom
• Warric: Most powerful of the kingdoms of Avryn
• Dunmore: Youngest and least sophisticated kingdom
• Alburn: Forested kingdom
• Rhenydd: Poor kingdom
• Maranon: Producer of food. Once part of Delgos, which was lost when Delgos became a republic
• Galeannon: Lawless kingdom of barren hills, the site of several great battles

Gods

• Erebus: Father of the gods
• Ferrol: Eldest son, god of elves
• Drome: Second son, god of dwarves
• Maribor: Third son, god of men
• Muriel: Only daughter, goddess of nature
• Uberlin: Son of Muriel and Erebus, god of darkness

Political Parties

• Imperialists: Those wishing to unite mankind under a single leader who is the direct descendant of the demigod Novron
• Nationalists: Those wishing to be ruled by a leader chosen by the people
• Royalists: Those wishing to continue rule by individual, independent monarchs

Prequel

Sullivan has written a series of novels entitled The Riyria Chronicles that will take place before the events in Riyria Revelations, following the early adventures of the two main protagonists. The first novel, The Crown Tower, was release August 6, 2013, while the second book in the series, The Rose and Thorn, came out September 17, 2013.^[3]

Reception

Critical reception for the series has been positive,^[4] with the Library Journal giving Theft of Swords praise and making it one of their 2011 "Best Books for Fantasy/Sci-Fi".^[5][6] SFFWorld also extended praise for the series, writing that Rise of Empire was "very appealing" while stating that the book did have some plot holes.^[7] In contrast, a negative review from Strange Horizons described the book as almost 'the absolute worst book I've ever read'.^[8]

References