Rise of Empire, Vol. 2 Author: Visit Amazon's Michael J. Sullivan Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0316187704 | Format: PDF
Rise of Empire, Vol. 2 Description
Review
"Every time I finish a book in this series it makes me want the next one instantly...Michael Sullivan shows that he isn't just a one book wonder, or that his other novels were random hits. His Riyria Revelations series is taking shape very nicely, and it'll be amazing to watch where he takes the other novels after this because with each novel there is a new surprise or approach to his writing." -- Fantasy Book Critic
"A delightful, entertaining and page-turning read that reminds us just how enjoyable, and how good - the Riyria Revelations series is. A must-buy for all fantasy lovers." -- The Founding Fields
"Readers of fast paced adventure stories will enjoy the Riyria Revelations and readers of high fantasy will enjoy the direction the series overall takes. These books however have been some of my favorites from this year and I'd recommend them to any genre fan, sans specifics." -- Reading Realms
"As much as I enjoyed "Theft of Swords," "Rise of Empire" is even better, bringing new dimensions to the story." -- The Royal Library"Four novels/two omnibii into The Riyria Revelations and I'm gaining an understanding of why Mr. Sullivan acquired such a devoted fanbase over the past few years when these were small press books - he crafts a story that appeals to many of the hallmarks that make Epic Fantasy popular." - sffworld
From the Author
In many ways, the
The Riyria Revelations is the story of two rogues who become unlikely heroes as they find themselves in the midst of the political shifts in the world in which they live. For myself, who knows the arc of the entire series, I've always considered the series to have four main protagonists: two men and two women.
The women in Riyria take a little longer to get to center stage, but the reader is rewarded with living through the events that shape them into what they will become...strong characters who stand toe-to-toe with their male counterparts. Much of their transformation comes in
Rise of Empire and it was very rewarding to see the butterflies that emerge from the cocoons of this book in the final installment,
Heir of Novron.
That's not to say that Royce and Hadrian don't have their own trials and tribulations. The middle books are an interesting time in the friendship of Riyria. Hadrian's growing frustration with his profession has left him melancholy and desirous of a new vocation. As independent as Royce likes to portray himself, losing Hadrian will be his only tether to a civilized life, and he is haunted by his old rival Merrick Marius and ties to a past he would like to forget.
Middle books are tricky things...the wonder of the world (as shown in the first books) has worn off, and the exciting conclusion is far in the distance. How then, to make a middle book gripping and entertaining? For me, it was using the middle books to expand beyond Royce and Hadrian and give the readers a peek into the broader implications of the events and how the world of Elan is evolving. Also, I held back key details about our duos past, exposing their histories a bit at a time, so much of this book explores the roots of both of these fascinating men.
I do hope you will enjoy this next installment in the series. As I mentioned in my Author's note from the first book, my intention was to escalate the tension, and deepen the mysteries with each book so by the end of this story you should be deeply invested in where the books are going. I promise you a conclusion that will tie all the threads together and answer all the questions that Rise of Empire starts to expose. Buckle up...it's going to be a wild ride!
Michael.
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- Series: Riyria Revelations (Book 2)
- Paperback: 816 pages
- Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (December 14, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316187704
- ISBN-13: 978-0316187701
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Rise of Empire is amazing .
While the first two books (found in Theft of Swords) were fantastic books, they felt much more like stand alones that happened to contain the same group of characters. Now in books 3 and 4 of the series, Sullivan turns this fantastic series into a continuous series.
Readers finally learn more about the heir, we are introduced to new characters that play huge new roles (such as Modina, Amilia, Merrick and Wyatt). And older characters get to play bigger and more important storylines (especially Arista and Saulder).
That said my favorite new aspect of the books is the introduction to Royce and Hadrian's pasts. Readers will get to visit the towns these two each grew up from, discover the source of Hadrian's amazing fighting skills, and even see who put Royce in prison. Each of the two characters are much more flushed out, and we really get to see what makes each of them tick. They are tested in ways we never saw in the previous two books and I have to say they will be tested further in the last installments.
Of course I also loved Arista's growth and discovery. Arista goes from becoming a smart yet pampered princess to something altogether more. She becomes a real character that readers will sympathize with. Fans of the series will root for as she defies the odds and feel sorrow for as the people in her life die around her. Through Arista readers are also finally introduced to magic. As her powers grow, so does her importance in the story, and lets just say she's darn important by the end of book 4.
Of course while that's all well and good, other things to keep in mind are that this book is chalk full of great action scenes, as Hadrian and Royce battle everything from mythical monsters, to religious soldiers, to goblins.
Michael Sullivan's Rise of Empire is a compelling story. It resumes after about a year has passed from its prequel's finish, Theft of Swords. Business has been good for the Riyria; the assassins are now professionally employed by the new King Alric. However, foreboding is a constant taste in the air. The new empire is absorbing the entire land, threatening to assimilate Alric's tiny kingdom Melengar. His sister Arista is failing as ambassador to form any alliances willing to withstand the young empress. Yet the vivacious and sacrificial Thrace from the previous adventure who slew the monster and became empress is recognizable to no one. Catatonic with grief and abuse, she is a pawn of the archbishop who uses her name to further his own insatiable desire for power. On the smaller scale, Hadrian is dissatisfied with life, feeling like he should be doing something worthwhile. Royce knows Hadrian's true destiny yet, for ambivalent feelings, cannot bring himself to share it with his friend. Princess Arista is herself feeling like a failure at life, and when her brother decides to replace her as ambassador with a man, she steals away from the castle, enlists the Riyria for one last job, and sets out on a harrowing adventure to find help for her kingdom.
The book is an absolutely thrilling read. The complexity of the plot is mind-blowing, a mixture of castle intrigue and court politics, barbarian threats, relationship secrets, self-interests, and manipulated PR. The characters are a kaleidoscope of vibrant personalities; the quirky friendship between Royce and Hadrian especially is entertaining and endearing and gives the reader time to catch a breath after all the heart-stopping adventure.
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