Edit 11/13/2012:

I'm finally getting back to do a proper review!

I have to say, this installment is far more epic than the first book of the series, and therefore also a little heavier. Although I really enjoyed the light feel of The Crown Conspiracy, I am glad that it's broadening into something deeper. This series is really taking me by surprise and fast becoming a favorite.

Although the epic-ness does make it heavier, I still really don't feel that this series is too depressing, at least so far More...

Since I read and reviewed Nyphron Rising elsewhere, I'm reviewing only The Emerald Storm here, even though this volume includes both books. I'm giving this story three stars only because Michael is such a great storyteller--and a good guy, too.

Some people like stories that go nowhere. Stories that wander through the countryside or, even better, explore all the corners of the map at the front (or back) of the book. These readers don't particularly care whether anything actually happens in the boo More...

Sword fights, intrigue, armies, pirates, cannibals, love, loss, determination, courage, loyalty, a dog, an elf, unrequited love, sacrifice, and of course hottie swordsmen!!!

Make this into a movie already!!! ;) I can't say enough good about this series! I hope the last book doesn't ruin the awesomeness! A Sci-fi history for those of us who don't have any desire to speak elven! ;)

Rise of Empire, the follow-up to Theft of Swords, left me with mixed reactions. On one hand, the Riyria books are both fun romps and quick reads--a nice way to while away a few hours with a story that isn't too intellectually demanding or convoluted. On the other hand, some of the plot twists, cliff-hangers, and events didn't work for me.

Sullivan's first strength is his characters. Not only does he manage to portray a PTSD sufferer clearly enough that it's obvious her mind is cracked up, he crea More...

Rise of Empire is the second omnibus in The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan, this installment contains the third and fourth books in the series: Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm.

The above blurb describes what Nyphron Rising is about. After events in Avempartha (second book) The Empire has been stablished, slowly they are taking over other kingdoms, just very few are left, one of those is Melengar. The new and young king Alric is not faring well, his decisions are question an More...

I re-read this as part of the Fantasy Book Club Series's read of the entire series. Part way through it, the last book Percepliquis came out so I jut had to read that - WHAT A GREAT ENDING!! And then I came back to finish this up.


Nyphron Rising
This book introduces some great new characters: Amelia, Nimbus, Arcadius, Emery, and a whole host of people from Royce and Hadrian's past. This is a great book for "character building" as we see a huge transition in Arista as she begins to come into own wi More...

Amazing....! I liked the plot, the characters(I LOVE Royce!!!), though I wished there was Myron, I liked the setting and I can keep the list going!:)

This book just kept me guessing what would happen next and I want more of it. Once again just AMAZING!!!

Wonder what more twist the third volume will present. So, will be grabbing the third volume right after writing this review(seriously can't wait). ;)

There are times when we embark on reading a multi-volume series, loving the first book, and finding the rest fall short of expectations. Such is not the case here. After reading the first volume, Theft of Swords, I couldn't wait to start the second, Rise of Empire. I wanted to get back to reading about Royce and Hadrian, two "honorable" theives. I wasn't disappointed. The story continues about kings and empires, religion and power, war, intrigue, politics, a quest, the not so noble nobility and, More...

Again with the handsome boys on the front cover. Can someone tell me who they are in real life or where I could find someone like them?! I'm almost 80% positive that once I read the book, I'll be in love.

Ah.. the missing middle book. I thought I had it somewhere. Now... I need to go and get these books. I need to read Mr. Ex-Assassin in the flesh. You know why books are always better than the movies? Because there is so much description in the books about the characters and the scenes, that it a More...

Absolutely Brilliant!!

Royce and Hadrian continue to entertain and enthrall throughout the story!
Princess Arista's character develops more and you can't help but like her!
Add in a few new characters, some which are easily liked, and others which are instantly despicable!

I thoroughly enjoyed this, though don't want to say too much in case I give anything away!! :D
However, I will say that:

The characters in this series are great! Their interaction is both serious as well as comical!
The world buildi More...

Great read .... Love the characters .... can't wait for the next installment

It's tough sometimes, reading the second novel of an author. You now know them and what to expect. But you're never sure if it would live up to the first book which hooked you so well. Rest assured that Sullivan continues his magic in this novel with the same amount of action and intrigue as before!

The story picks up a few months after the second but don't expect a recap. There are some references to events in the first book but otherwise, Sullivan expects you to keep up! Anyway, Hadrian is feel More...

*Contains Spoilers*
Nyphron Rising
When the book started, it was interesting to meet Amelia and see what’s been going on with Thrace, but, as with the first two books, I find the subplots less interesting than whatever is happening with Royce and Hadrian. It was a bummer to see Hadrian in midlife crisis mode; both of them can’t be morose. Royce ropes Hadrian in for one last job; to escort Arista to the on a diplomatic mission.

I liked the road trip setup, and Arista’s misery is kind of entertainin More...

Picking up a year after the previous book in the "Riyria Revelations" series, the book continues the adventures of Royce and Hadrian, but there is a much greater focus on two female characters than there was in the previous books - Princess Arista of Melengar, and Modina, previously called Thrace, who was introduced in the second half of the previous book in the series, Theft of Swords. Given the change in focus, the chapters rotate POV, mostly switching between Hadrian, Modina, and Arista, and More...

Mr. Sullivan has outdone himself this time. While I was admittedly unprepared for how intense the first two books were, I felt like I knew what to expect with this one. I was wrong.

I went in expecting the book to be another quick paced romp like the first two. Not much depth, but a good, fun read none-the-less. It was the exact opposite of that. The book became increasing deep while becoming dark at the same time. It's no longer a book for children, that's to be said. The characters all develop

More...

I gave this book 4 stars but mainly on the strength of the first half and the overall story.

This contains Nyphron Rising and Emerald Storm, books 3 and 4 in the series.

NR sees Thrace now installed as the Empress of the Empire but practically a zombie. She's been abused and ignored as the men running the fledgling Empire as they continue to see their plans for Imperial domination continue.

All the mains from the first 2 books are back and all have good scenes, dialog and growth. Worthwhile new cha More...

A fast-paced, exciting adventure of treachery and betrayal that is brilliant sword and sorcery!

This epic ‘sword and sorcery’ trilogy tells a tale of magic, myth and legend set within an imaginative world where heroes are born and bravery is sought. Michael J Sullivan is a fantastic writer whose originality within this popular genre is commendable, as noticed within book 1: the theft of swords. This is a trilogy with intrigue, a dash of romance, humor amidst intense drama and thrilling action. I More...

Ever since I read Harry Potter, no book has been able to draw me in and make me fall in love. To be fair, I REALLY liked Harry Potter. I read the Order of the Phoenix in one night actually. This is the first series that I have found to be anywhere near that exciting. Let me mention a few things about it that may make it more clear:

- The reading level is not very high. It is NOT written like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings where the authors will spend 30 pages on intimately describing the co More...

My review of Rise of Empire (Book Two in the Riyria Revelations) will be unorthodox because I'm confident anyone who has read Theft of Swords (Book One) would be sure to continue reading the series. So, this review is more for people who have not read the earlier pieces of this series, and then at the end I'll go into specifics on Rise of Empire.

My introduction to Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations trilogy came through his free short story, "The Viscount and the Witch." Speaking with Micha More...

In the series, this is now like reading book 2 of a trilogy, though Sullivan initially wrote the entire work as six books. Very Tolkeinesque in presentation now because each duo of books now makes one book in release.

Thus these are transition books. In this case the story actually moves the very large plot forward. There are a few things though that we have to wonder at. Our minor nemesis in book one who pulled a few strings and oversaw some plot devices finds himself in a position to vault hims More...

I've read the entire series and have enjoyed all three books. Rise of Empire continues with the adventures of Royce and Hadrian; however, the setting brings them to a new land with new threats. I would love to share what I enjoyed specifically about the stories but to avoid giving away the plots and spoiling it for those who haven't read the books, all I can say is that the books are full of different characters but concentrates on the adventures of the two main characters, Royce and Hadrian. If More...

***WHAT IS IT ABOUT***
This is book 2 of the Riyria Revelations, as such, this review is aimed for those that have read the first book titled "Theft of Swords". If you're new and debating to read the first book, check out my review of the first book.

Once again, this book contains two stories in one. The first story is titled "Nyphron Rising", and it begins shortly after the events of the first book. The story revolves around the church's growing power, as the king of Melengar once again puts his More...

The second book in a trilogy The Riyria Revelations, “Rise of the Empire,” continues where “Theft of Swords” ended, following the fortunes (and misfortunes) of mercenaries Hadrian and Royce as they pursue many quests for the young king of Melengar to secure his throne against the “empire” and the puppet “Empress” Modina, the commoner Thrace and friend of the king’s sister Princess Arista. If that sounds complex, it is. The impossible twists and turns of this book, the many (and I do mean many) s More...

In Theft of Swords, Michael J. Sullivan introduced us to the unusual duo in Royce and Hadrian, giving readers some ideas of what fun and adventures they like to get up to in the first two volumes of The Riyria Revelations. In this second collected installment, Rise of Empire, readers learn more about the world and the changes that are happening here, and where our two heroes are headed next.

In Nyphron Rising, things take a turn for the worse as war comes sweeping through to Melengar and its peop More...

I guess I marked these down because they are bridging books. You know, the middle bits where the exciting and fresh beginning is over and now it's all about misdirection within the overall arc, false clues about the true Heir of Novron and as many double-crosses as the plot will hold without falling down under their weight.

An enjoyable romp - but to be honest, much as I enjoyed the interaction between Royce and Hadrian, their banter was so often just plain false. It was calculated to draw a reac More...

Since I really enjoyed Theft of Swords and my habit is to keep reading something until it ceases to be entertaining, I picked up Rise of Empire.

As before, the story focuses on Royce and Hadrian, two former thieves, currently working for the king of Melengar. Unfortunately for them the newly formed Empire that the Nyphon Church is running in all but name would like to annex Melengar. Neither of them are especially pleased with this on general principle and both of them have personal issues with More...

Rise of Empire continues almost directly where its predecessor led off and never really takes its foot off the gas. As I progress through the series, I'm continually impressed with the scope of things and just how detailed everything is - there is even a glossary, which I used on multiple occasions. Michael J. Sullivan has created a big, expansive world filled with different races and people. He's taken the classic fantasy races of elves, goblins, and dwarfs, but put his own interesting spin on More...

I think I am going to sort of split this review up into two parts, to review each half of the book.

Part 1

Compared to Theft of Swords (ToS), I felt that the first half of this book suffered from some pacing issues. ToS felt like something was constantly going from the first page right up to the final page of the book.

During ToS, the slower moments of the book an element to them that did not harm the pacing of the actual story. For example, during the first half of the book, despite there being mo More...

I’m absolutely blown away. Part of me feels like I’m betraying some of my favorite epics with the new guys on the block, but I find myself so impressed and infatuated, I can’t help but get lost in my admiration. Sullivan is quickly climbing *the list* of my all-time favorite authors, because he’s created such wonderfully exciting characters inside a beautifully constructed adventure. I call it an adventure because there’s a huge difference between reading a story and being pulled into an adventu More...

Like the first "book" in the series (remember that current editions are combinations of what were previously two books), I found that I liked the characters of Royce and Hadrian much more than the other protagonists. I really enjoyed, however, hating the Templar. I want to compare the different ways Sullivan handled villains in the book. For the most part, the Templar was experienced through the perspective of either Hadrian or Royce. The Imperial (archbishop, earl, regents, etc.) sometimes had More...