Michael J. Sullivan: Riyria

The Crown Tower

Blurb:

Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.

The first book in Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Chronicles series of prequels to his Riyria Revelations, The Crown Tower brings together the two protagonists, uniting Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose, in a less-than-friendly pairing on a quest to steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most prized possessions. Yet it isn’t gold or jewels that their employer is after, and if he can only keep them from killing each other, they might just get him his prize. And if they can breach the walls of the Crown Tower, their names will be legend.

[Prompt 40: Book between 250 and 500 pages in length — the paperback edition clocks in at 432 pages.]

The Viscount and the Witch

Blurb:

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 early installment of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds.

[Note: Available online for free at https://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/92384/1/the-viscount-and-the-witch-riyria-chronicles-short-1 ]

[Prompt 60: Book set in, or written by an author born in, North America — Michael J. Sullivan was born in Detroit, MI.]

Theft of Swords

Blurb:

Theft of Swords is the first book in the Riyria Revelations. Instead of a string of sequels this six-book fantasy series was conceived as a single epic tale divided into individual episodes. All were written before the first was released so that plot elements are intertwined, yet each book has its only story and conclusion. Theft of Swords comprises the series’s first two installments, originally publishes as The Crown Conspiracy (in October 2008) and Avempartha (in April 2009).

THE CROWN CONSPIRACY

They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.

There is no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time — or so it seems. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living as agents for hire under the name Riyria, carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles … until they find themselves running for their lives after having become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Instantly sentenced to death and trapped in a conspiracy bigger than they can imagine, they are saved by an unlikely woman who tells them that they have only one way out — to unravel an ancient mystery before it’s too late. And so begins a tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend, and a quest that will change the lives of Riyria, the course of a kingdom, and the foundation of an empire.

AVEMPARTHA

The secret is in the tower. The problem is the beast. The answer is two thieves.

When a destitute young woman hires Royce and Hadrian to help save her remote village from a monster’s nocturnal attacks, they are once more drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the terrifying killer. Once more, what begins with a simple commission for the theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — and this time the outcome could change the future of the world known as Elan.

[Prompt 28: Book set on a lake, in a forest, or at a summer camp — because a large part of the action is set in the woodlands between Medford and Lake Windermere, as well as in the village of Dahlgren and its surrounding forests; and part of the action is also set in and near Winds Abbey on Lake Windermere. — This replaces Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of Myth, which has instead been assigned to prompt 74: Fantasy that has a setting that is NOT based upon a European medieval period.]

Rise of Empire

Blurb:

Rise of Empire finds Royce and Hadrian on a quest to enlist the southern Nationalists to aid the ever-weakening kingdom of Melengar. Royce suspects an ancient wizard is manipulating them all, but to find the truth he’ll have to decipher Hadrian’s past — a past that Hadrian would very much like to forget.

This second volume of the Riyria Revelations contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm, originally published individually in October 2009 and April 2010 as books 3 and 4 of the series.

NYPHRON RISING

A puppet is crowned. The true heir remains hidden. A rogue’s secret could change everything.

War has come to Melengar. To save her kingdom, Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian for a dangerous mission. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce’s suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own game. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian’s past — and what he discovers may end their friendship and break Riyria in two.

THE EMERALD STORM

A message is intercepted. A sinister plan launched. Two thieves stand in the way.

Ex-mercenary Hadrian Blackwater sets course on a high seas adventure to find the lost Heir of Novron. His only hope lies in confronting the ruthless and cunning Merrick Marius, Royce Melborn’s most lethal former associate. Fearing his friend is not up to the challenge, Royce joins his old partner for one last mission. Their journey finds them adrift amid treachery and betrayals, forcing Hadrian to face a past he hoped never to see again.

[Prompt 18: Book that involves a road trip or other travel — because virtually all of this book’s second part, The Emerald Storm, is an extended journey across the sea and into the wilds of Calis; and during part 1, Nyphron Rising, the war unleashed by the foundation of the Nyphron Empire causes Riyria and their associates to move about quite a bit as well. — This replaces Edith Wharton’s False Dawn, which has instead been assigned to prompt 15: Book set in a place you have visited on summer vacation.]

Heir of Novron

Blurb:

Heir of Novron is the final book in the Riyria Revelations series, comprising the two installments originally published as Wintertide (in October 2010) and Percepliquis (in January 2012).

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 puppet empress will be forced into a marriage of the Empire’s design, and Degan Gaunt and the Witch of Melengar will be publically executed. Then the empress will suffer a fatal accident, leaving the realm in the hands of the new emperor, and everything will be perfect.

There is only one problem for which the Empire’s masterminds have not accounted — Royce and Hadrian are confident that they have finally found the Heir of Novron, and their desire to wreak havoc on the New Empire’s carefully crafted scheme has never been greater.

Ultimately, it all comes down to this: the Elves have crossed the Nidwalden River. Two thieves will decide the future.

[Prompt 11: Fantasy novel that involves a quest — because as the title of this book’s second part (Persepliquis) indicates, virtually all of part 2 of this book is taken up by the search for the lost capital of the Novronian Empire and for one particular item believed to be found there, which will be crucial in shaping the future of Avryn and, indeed, of Elan as a whole. — This replaces Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of Death, which has instead been assigned to prompt 25: Based on a fairy tale or mythology.]