What began as a challenge to entertain his daughter has taken Michael J. Sullivan on an unusual but productive publishing career, through self-publish...moreWhat began as a challenge to entertain his daughter has taken Michael J. Sullivan on an unusual but productive publishing career, through self-publishing and promotion on to publication with Orbit books. The Riyria Revelations at first seems a familiar fantasy series, with predictable tropes, but it’s how Sullivan uses them, and its strong, unique and interesting characters, that make this series one well worth reading. Theft of Swords collects the first two volumes of the six-book series in a nice, weighty quality paperback.
In The Crown Conspiracy our main characters are nothing but low-life thieves: Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, although they’re very good at their jobs. The story begins with the introduction of these intrepid characters and their next heist to steal a particular item within the impenetrable confines of the king’s castle. But as soon as they have their hands on the item, the trap is sprung, and they find themselves part of an elaborate plot. At their feet lies the lifeless body of the king.
From here, the story kicks into high-gear, taking the reader on a wild ride. In this world it is important to know who your friends are and who are your enemies; it is also important to keep your enemies closest. As the story unfolds, we learn that while they may be common thieves, they are very smart people. They also realize that the idea of being a good person is starting to rub off on them, as they no longer do anything for a fast buck.
By the end of the book, everything seems to have sorted itself out. Royce and Hadrian are now doing very well for themselves, as well as being close friends of the king. But clearly all is not as it should, since this is the first book in the series.
In Avempartha, our intrepid duo returns in the second installment of The Riyria Revelations to solve another mystery and fight another day. Before Royce and Hadrian barely have time to settle after the fun had in The Crown Conspiracy, they find themselves pulled into a new problem: a young woman needs their help as her village is being attacked by an unknown nocturnal creature.
The town of Dahlgren is an idyllic place, except now it is visited each night by an ancient monster looking to terrorize and kill everyone. Royce and Hadrian know they can’t take on this beast by themselves, at least not without some impressive magic, and call on the help of their old friend and brilliant wizard, Esrahaddon. Hadrian does his best to protect the town and its people, fortifying it, and having everyone hide out in the fortress each night. Meanwhile Royce and Esrahaddon journey to the ancient elven tower known as Avempartha. There they hope to confront the beast and kill it. But everything doesn’t go according to plan, as it never does, and Hadrian learns some very important things about himself.
Sullivan ramps up the action and story, as we learn more about the characters we’ve come to like, as well about the incredible world he has created. At the same time more details are revealed about the growing overall story, leaving readers waiting in earnest for the next installment.
This edition also features Sullivan’s original maps and a helpful character and important persons/gods list in the front. In the back is a detailed glossary, an in-depth interview with the author, and a teaser for the next volume, Rise of Empire, consisting of the third and fourth volumes of the series, due out in December.
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 th...moreIn 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 people have little hope and respect for their recent, young king. Princess Arista has been running around playing diplomat and trying to secure allies for Melengar, with nothing to show for it. Meanwhile the enemy Nyphron Empire continues to grow in strength and numbers. Arista has one more trick up her sleeve, and with the help of her good friends, Royce and Hadrian, goes on this last journey far south in a last effort to secure an ally, but also to unravel a mystery of Hadrian’s past. Surprising results are revealed about our unknown thief that ties into the whole story of the Riyria Revelations. The wizard Esrahaddon continues to be up to no good, while we learn more of the enigmatic man known as Degan Gaunt.
Sullivan does a great job with Nyphron Rising, after setting necessary groundwork and story and setting with the first two books, he opens it up on an epic scale, traveling his invented world, and educating readers on how future events are going to affect everyone across Elan, and why the forgotten history is important. Royce and Hadrian continue to be the entertaining and interesting characters that they are, while Arista opens up her emotional side.
In The Emerald Storm, Michael J. Sullivan does what every fantasy author should do with an epic series and an interesting and complex map: he takes his characters to new and interesting place. The Emerald Storm is in a fact and mighty sea vessel that travels across the seas to new lands and places, where new and interesting people are met and the overall story of the Riyria Revelations is furthered along.
With the events of Nyphron Rising now at a close, the elusive duo, Royce and Hadrian aren’t sure what do to next. Royce has plans to retire and relax, settle down with his lady love and enjoy the rest of his days, while Hadrian has dark shadows of his past and heritage to confront and accept, while deciding he is on a mission to find the lost heir of Novron. It takes Royce all of three seconds and little convincing to decide that Hadrian won’t last long without him, and together the two set out, following the clues that lead them to the mighty trading vessel, the Emerald Storm. They know nothing of seamanship and what to do aboard such a large vessel, but knowing one of the crewmen, they’re able to get added to the crew and begin the journey through the mysterious and interesting lands of Elan. Naturally, there is lots of adventure on the high seas, not to mention some strange guests on the Emerald Storm, as well as the enigmatic cargo. Meanwhile an important subplot is furthered along with the princess, who is bored with her station, looking to make her life more interesting, and gets some answers.
The Emerald Storm does everything a fourth book in a series does, furthering along some important story, learning more about some familiar characters, as well as introducing some new ones, and not to mention the addition of new lands and new peoples and cultures. Fans of the series will enjoy the thrills of The Emerald Storm, with the fun Royce and Hadrian get up, looking forward to the final installment, Heir of Novron, due out in January 2012.
Michael Dempsey’s debut novel, Necropolis, is a great genre-crossing example of both fantasy and science fiction that will find an interested reader j...moreMichael Dempsey’s debut novel, Necropolis, is a great genre-crossing example of both fantasy and science fiction that will find an interested reader just about anywhere, whether it’s the urban fantasy setting of a former cop looking to solve the ultimate crime; a play on the concept of the hugely popular subject of the “undead”; or the interesting future of 2054 which seems a place no one would want to live.
Necropolis opens with an enchanting scene between Paul Donner and his beautiful wife that is ripped asunder and savagely ended by their untimely deaths. And then Paul is brought back to life fifty years later and becomes known as a “reborn”; the strange thing is from now on he will start to grow younger and younger. This is due to a strange retroviral attack on New York; beneath the blister the dead don’t always stay dead, though this isn’t true for everyone, only some come back to life. Elvis Presley is back, performing away, as well as all of the Beatles except John Lennon. And Paul Donner comes back with white hair and the horrible knowledge that he is a reborn, hated and ridiculed by society; he’s not even allowed to be a cop anymore. But Paul only cares about one thing: even though it’s fifty years later, he is planning to find out who killed him and his wife and get his revenge.
Necropolis seems a little frivolous with the use of tropes from this type of science fiction, with the down and out cop in a world he doesn’t understand, while the women the reader meets at first are all prostitutes or worse. The story of Paul’s death of course has links and ties to the origin of this strange retroviral attack that changed the world for the people of New York. The uniqueness of the story is with these reborns and their strange origin keeps the reader hooked as the plot grows and thickens until the unpredictable end.
Robert Charles Wilson’s sequel to the Hugo Award winning Spin, Axis, does what not a lot of sequels do: it continues readers on this most unique story...moreRobert Charles Wilson’s sequel to the Hugo Award winning Spin, Axis, does what not a lot of sequels do: it continues readers on this most unique story, but with a whole new world and cast of characters that helps to give everything a new pristine look, as if one were reading a individual, stand-alone novel, and not a sequel.
The god-like beings known as the Hypotheticals are doing what they do best: messing with the ways of the cosmos. In Axis, the reader travels through the giant arch gate located in the Indian Ocean and into the new and different world known as Equatoria, which was apparently created for humanity by these Hypotheticals. Lise Adams travels to Equatoria in search of her missing father. She hires Turk Findley, who has a less than clean rap sheet, to fly her to her father’s last known destination. Lise’s father was obsessed with the Hypotheticals, so now she hopes to not only find out what happened to him, but perhaps get some answers to these mysterious beings.
Then there is Isaac, a genetically engineered child who is to serve as a conduit between humanity and the Hypotheticals, and now he is coming of age and his true fruition will come to pass. Lise and Turk meet up with Isaac and they continue their journey deeper into Equatoria in search of answers. And it seems as if the Hypotheticals are making things happen, as underground something mighty is awoken and the earth begins to tremble.
While it’s not required that one read Spin before you tackle Axis, it certainly helps to provide a foundation for the reader, nevertheless Wilson does a good job of answering the questions and covering a little of what happened in the previous book; one of the characters even shows up as a surprise. Axis also does what Spin did very well: provide a good story with some great characters. Readers will be hooked with the captivating duo in Lise and Turk, as their unusual pasts are explored while the book progresses; and then there is the unique Isaac. Readers will be not be able to put down this worthy sequel leading up to an important climax that gets resolved in the final book of the trilogy, Vortex.
Award-winning author Allen Steele brings his Coyote Trilogy to a close with Coyote Frontier. While this is not the end of the Coyote saga for Steele ...moreAward-winning author Allen Steele brings his Coyote Trilogy to a close with Coyote Frontier. While this is not the end of the Coyote saga for Steele or his readers by any means, it nevertheless represents a closure to the in-depth development of the world of Coyote through its colonists, and the opening of a new chapter in this series.
As Coyote seems to be settling down somewhat with a stable form of government any would-be Social Collectivists from Earth having been sent packing, it seems like the colonists and now natives (who have been born there) of Coyote are getting by, only there aren’t many natural resources to offer, as people struggle to maintain what is essentially a medieval level of society. The only real solution to this is to seek some help from Earth through trade and diplomacy to important some of these necessary resources for the improvement of society for the Coyote colonists.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, things are pretty much going to hell, as humanity is doing its best to destroy the planet, but science has been pushed forward with the development of faster than light (FTL) travel and what are known as “star bridges” that allow spaceships to travel vast distances of space in an incredibly short time. A star bridge is soon built near Coyote, with another located in our solar system, and a diplomatic group from Coyote is sent to Earth to possibly create some trade agreements with various nations of Earth. But humans will be humans, and many greedily seek the land and possibility of Coyote, looking to harvest it for personal gain. Fortunately, the leader of this diplomatic group, the all too familiar Carlos Montero from the previous books, thinks he knows when to draw the line; only he’s not too sure about one Morgan Goldstein, who is one of the richest men on Earth, looking to improve the lives of everyone on Coyote, but also make a hefty profit.
Steele does what he did best with his previous two Coyote books, hooking the reader in with some incredible stories of Coyote and what its colonists are trying to do. Now he brings the question of the cost of land and the effects these colonists are starting to have on the ecosystems and native species of the planet, as well as using up what little resources it has. These are warning bells that any reader is already very familiar with, with what we’re doing with our own planet, which simply provide for some riveting reading, along with a high point of a finish and a big surprise that sets up for some very interesting future books in this ongoing saga.
Nerd do Well isn’t your ordinary book. It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in another mystery that’s very good friends with an enigma. Simon...moreNerd do Well isn’t your ordinary book. It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in another mystery that’s very good friends with an enigma. Simon Pegg’s biography is a maze (also amazing) of moving tales of youth and growing up in Britain; entertaining hijinks and comedy jokes; and philosophizing on the merits of Stars Wars and the failure of the prequels. And then there is the other story, the fictional heroic epic of the rich, magnificent genius and renowned action hero who is Simon Pegg; who has saved the world many times over, loved by all women and known throughout the world for his sexual prowess; Pegg takes readers on a journey of action and adventure along with his robot butler/sidekick.
When Pegg is not telling of his abilities as a superhero, he is reliving his childhood, growing up in Gloucester, and discussing his pivotal moments when he discovered acting, comedy, movies that changed his life – Stars Wars features prevalently throughout the book, of course – as well as his meeting and involvement with so many famous people who he grew up idolizing and learning from, like George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero, Quentin Tarrantino, and many more. Pegg doesn’t spend much time in his recent movies and projects, as fans already know this aspect about him already. He includes plenty of references to British TV and celebrities, so any previous knowledge of these subjects certainly helps, but is by no means required.
In Nerd do Well, Simon Pegg has created a new sort of genre that is a combination of heartfelt life story and entertaining work of fiction, but unlike other authors who have attempted this before, Pegg keeps the two separate; nevertheless readers get a great two for one deal here. Nerd do Well is a book that you’ll want to read and reread; to speak allowed to your family and friends; to yell from the rooftops to the masses; in short, Nerd do Well is a book you won’t soon forget.
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