Nolyn

The Rise and Fall #1

by Michael J. Sullivan

After more than five hundred years of exile, the heir to the empyre is wary about his sudden reinstatement to active duty on the Goblin War’s front lines. His assignment to rescue an outpost leads to a dead-end canyon deep inside enemy territory, and his suspicion turns to dread when he discovers the stronghold doesn't exist. But whoever went to the trouble of planning his death to look like a casualty of war didn't know he would be assigned to the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron. In the depths of an unforgiving jungle, a legend is about to be born, and the world of Elan will never be the same.

From Michael J. Sullivan, the three-time New York Times, two-time USA Today, and three-time Washington Post bestselling author, a new adventure begins with the first book in The Rise and Fall trilogy. Although this series is set in the same world as the Riyria novels and the Legends of the First Empire books, no prior knowledge of the other works is required to enjoy this tale to its fullest.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adventure, Adult

487 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2021

About the author

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I'm a New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author with 9 Goodreads Choice Award Nominations and 6 Amazon Editor's Picks.

My current released books:

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The copyediting for Out of the Ashes has begun! Recording of the audiobook is scheduled for June 2026.
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Coming to Kickstarter in April 2026

New short stories by: Brandon Sanderson • J.A. Andrews • Bradley P. Beaulieu • Carol Berg • Peter V. Brett • Terry Brooks • Jim Butcher • Delilah S. Dawson • Matt Dinniman • Kate Elliott • Kevin Hearne • Jessica Day George • Lev Grossman • Nancy Kress • Mark Lawrence • Scott Lynch • Jonathan Maberry •Seanan McQuire • Brandon Mull • Peter Orullian • Christopher Paolini • Kat Richardson • Christopher Ruocchio • Anthony Ryan • R.A. Salvatore • Scott Sigler • Shawn Speakman • Michael J. Sullivan • Carrie Vaughn • Brent Weeks • Tad Williams • Janny Wurts
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Indie Author: A documentary for those wo dare to dream is now available for $25.

It features myself, Andy Wier, Will Wight, Travis Baldree, and many more.
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I first opened the door to my imagination with typewriter keys while playing hide and seek and finding a black behemoth when I just ten years old. Serious writing started in my twenties, but after more than a decade trying to publish (and getting nowhere), I quit altogether. I returned to writing in 2004, and published my first novel with a small press in 2008. If you had told me that I'd be a New York Times Bestselling author, have 85+ novels translated into 13 languages, and sold more than 2 million copies, I never would have believed you!

Reviews

[Michael]

I don't rate my own books, so this "review" is used to update readers on the status of a yet-to-be-released title.

07/21/21: The audiobook for Nolyn is "Moving and Shaking" It's #6 on Amazon's Movers and Shaker's list . This means it's rank has climbed significantly over the past 24 hours. I'm glad to see people are pre-ordering!




07/01/21: Today is the last day to sign up for the chance to win one of ten SIGNED hardcovers of Nolyn (releasing August 3 to the rest of the world). 6,854 people are already requesting it and the drawing will end in a little over 13 hours. Enter now!

04/14/21: We are right near the end of the gamma read and while the group has found a lot of good "nits" (comma corrections, missing quotes on dialog, etc), there have been no "story issues" so we are getting really close now! Thirty-two gamma readers are finished, and the rest have a deadline of 04/16 - given that, I think those who pre-ordered the ebook directly from us (either through the Kickstarter or pre-order store) will get the book around April 20th. The book will go on the press shortly after that, and I'm hoping to have copies in hand by mid-June.

03/28/21: And done! I've finished my final read through, and Robin is 1/2 way through hers. The book is in really good shape, and we hope to get ebooks for the Kickstarters out shortly. It will also be going to a number of gamma readers for their final pass on it before going to the printer. It's getting pretty exciting! I can't wait until people can start reading it. For those that missed the Kickstarter, you can pre-order copies from us (including the limited edition version, which won't be sold in bookstores), from this link.

02/18/21: I hope everyone had a happy (and safe) St. Patty's Day. I made my world-famous (okay Sullivan famous), corned beef and cabbage with Guinness cream sauce. It was delicious. I also spent a good part of the day going over the final readthrough of Nolyn. I'm up to chapter 15 so more than halfway through. Once I'm done, the book will go to "layout" and then the gamma readers for one less check. It's scheduled to go on the presses at the end of April, and the recording of the audiobook will start on 03/29/20. If you want to pre-order a signed copy directly from us (including the limited edition hardcover, which won't be in bookstores, you can do so from this link.

02/14/21: The Nolyn Kickstarter project is a huge success. We (a) fully funded in 6.5 minutes (b) crossed the $100K threshold in 3.75 hours, and in just 4 days it surpassed Age of Empyre as my best-funded Kickstarter project ever (currently #7 most-funded fiction Kickstarter of all time). It's a short Kickstarter (only 9 days left) and we are about 7% away from our first stretch goal. Robin and I thank you for making this latest project so successful - now let's see what new heights we an hit!

01/27/21: The Kickstarter project has been approved. If you click the link after 12:00 noon (EST) on 2/09, it will take you to the live page. For now, it will take you to a page where you can sign up for notification (in case you forget). During the first 15 minutes, we'll offer 20% off a number of reward levels including:

• $8 rather than $10 - ebook only
•$28 rather than $35 - ebook AND regular hardcover
•$60 rather than $75 - ebook AND limited edition faux-leather hardcover

A table showing all the reward levels, and what is available in each is provided here:


01/06/21: The copyedits are back from Laura J. and we are almost finished going through them. The plan is to have a revised version of the book go to Linda B in a day or two. Then we should have everything wrapped from the story standpoint by mid-February. The Kickstarter will launch 02/09 at noon EDT. There will be early-bird discounts during the first 15 minutes of the campaign.

10/17/20: I've got the first 13 chapters (out of 26) of beta changes made. And that's where most of the "heavy lifting was" - so I think we are still on schedule for having it wrapped up by the end of the month.

10/08/20: Beta reading feedback is in and I've started making the changes. I'm hoping to have it done by month's end and then it will go off to the copyeditors for their work. Our thanks go out to all the beta readers and their helpful comments.

09/13/20: Beta reading for this book launched earlier this week. We have a nice mix of people in it: people who've not read any of my books before, people who have read my books but never beta read, and of course a lot of our past beta readers are back. The gamma read should begin in March. If you want to be considered for beta or gamma reading in the future, you can sign up here.


06/17/20 Pre-order for the audiobook is now live! Here is a link. Hardcover pre-order coming soon. Ebook pre-order on August 3rd. And yes, there will be a Kickstarter for ebook/hardcover, but I don't know the date yet.

06/10/20 So, Nolyn now has an official release date (08/03/2021) and an official "back of the book blurb" - see the book's description. Hopefully, we'll be starting beta soon.

04/20/20 - I'm officially changing the name of this book to "Nolyn" -- the other two books in this series ended up having a single character as their name so I wanted to make this match that convention.

09/10/18 - And done! I'm really pleased with how it came out. I'm going to let it sit for a few weeks before reading through it one last time then passing it over to Robin for her comments.

04/30/18 - Back in the trenches! As I mentioned in my last update, I had to set this book aside to finish up copy edits on Age of War and make changes to the last three books in the series. Well, I finished all that up (about a week ago), and spent the next week doing spring cleaning and getting the cabin ready for visitors. Had a great time this weekend, but after being away from writing for so long I've been itching to get back to the keyboard and today is the day. First step, re-reading what I've written so far. Just got done looking over the first first two chapters, and surprisingly I didn't have to change a thing--a good thing! Gonna read the rest, then start writing. But I'm glad to be back to this new series.

01/03/18 - Second update! Okay, so I didn't make January...I'm about 50% through the book, but I'm going to have to put it aside for a bit as I have to do edits for the last four books in the Legends of the First Empire series. Copyedits are back on Age of War and I'm getting alpha read feedback for Age of Legends, Age of Death, and Age of Empire. But the good news is it's all outlined so when I do switch back over to this book, I'll be able to transition quickly.

11/21/2017 - My first update! The writing of this book is going amazingly well. Really pleased with how it's all going together. I may be able to get it finished up in January if all goes well. People who are interested in being beta readers can sign up here.

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Nolyn was an engaging military fantasy and murder mystery novel in the world of Elan. But this is not designed for newcomers to the world of Elan.

“An empty house is a lonely place, an oversized coffin with furniture and windows.”

Here I am. Back again in the world of Elan. I’ve read all the available Riyria books so far, and last year, I finished reading all six books in the Legends of the First Empire series. This means Nolyn, the first book in The Rise and Fall trilogy, is the 17th novel in the world of Elan by Michael J. Sullivan I read. I think it is safe to say Sullivan’s works in the world of Elan feel like comfort food to me, especially if we are talking about The Riyria books and Age of War. Although I was slightly disappointed with Age of Death and Age of Empyre, I still gave both of them a 4 stars rating. And I can’t dispute that Nolyn was a highly captivating start to a new trilogy that works as a re-entry into the world of Elan. But as usual, because this is the fourth main series in Elan, let’s answer the question, can you read this without reading the other books first? No. Or you shouldn’t.

“This is the exact reason Brin invented writing. She wrote her book to guard against powerful people changing stories of our past to suit their interests.”

I am not a stranger to voicing this; I more often than not distrust authors who say it is okay for readers to start their journey into the world of their series from installment number (insert what you want) or series number (insert whatever you want again). I am not sure why authors insist on this; I get it. Authors need to sell their books. But don’t you want your readers to get the best experience of reading your books? Reading Nolyn without at least reading Legends of the First Empire first would feel like reading A Time of Dread by John Gwynne without reading The Faithful and the Fallen first. Or Iron Gold without reading the first three books in Red Rising Saga. This is not the same situation as The Riyria books to Legends of the First Empire, and even with those two, I still would highly recommend reading The Riyria books first. My rule of thumb is this, read every book in the same world of a series by publication order, and it never backfires on me.

“Centuries had taught her not to rely on anyone for something she could do herself. Most people were frustratingly incapable, giving up at the first sign of difficulty.”

Here’s the thing. Nolyn is the name of the main character in this book, and he is the son of two pivotal characters in Legends of the First Empire. The same goes for Sephryn as well. This is not like how Legends of the First Empire tells the truth behind the misguided history and religions told in The Riyria books. In a way, Nolyn almost works like a direct sequel after the end of Age of Empyre. Some parts that left me dissatisfied about Age of Empyre was how almost all the main characters did not feel like they got the proper satisfying ending they deserved. Some final scenes were purposefully left out because they are considered unnecessary, even though many readers have voiced their concerns over the lack of closure. So although Nolyn is supposedly a new standalone story in the world of Elan, almost all the main characters in the novel have major relation to the characters in Legends of the First Empire. Some of their backgrounds were established in the Legends of the First Empire, too. And some of the ending scenes I wanted that did not happen in Age of Empyre actually transpired here! It is so difficult to call Nolyn a totally standalone novel, and I am honestly confused why Sullivan deems it that way. I get it. Authors have to sell books. But personally speaking, calling this 17th book in the world of Elan a great starting point for new readers dipping into the world is a big mistake. I bet you this. I haven’t read Farilane yet, but I am willing to bet Sullivan mentioned it’s okay to read Farilane without reading any books in the world of Elan yet, including Nolyn. Good luck trying to know just how important and significant the Book of Brin is, to name one out of MANY things.

“Everyone has to pay, but heroes— I think, they have a higher price than everyone else. And maybe they never erase their debts.”

Of course, technically, you can read this without reading Legends of the First Empire first. But it will be like eating meat or a dish without any seasonings. I saw some readers who have not finished Legends of the First Empire giving this book 2-3 stars, and honestly, I am not surprised by this. If I were in their shoes, I would, too. There was so much important and crucial background information missing. More importantly, without reading Legends of the First Empire first, all the impactful subtleties that hold emotional impact would be lost on readers. And these are the best part of Nolyn! Robin Sullivan said at the end of Age of Empyre, closure scenes were left out because readers knew what would happen already. This is not completely true. We had an idea, but we do not 100% know until we see the scenes unfold. And this is proven here in Nolyn. Let's put it this way. If we follow this logic and then you read Nolyn without reading Legends of the First Empire first, this book spoils pretty much tons of pivotal moments in Legends of the First Empire. Does that mean there is no more need to read the six books in Legends of the First Empire if we read Nolyn first? I have chatted with both Michael and Robin on my YouTube channel, but as a reader and reviewer, this is a notion I disagree with. Because of this logic, the main characters in Legends of the First Empire did not get the satisfying ending scenes they deserved. But grievances aside, fortunately, I finally got some of what I wanted from the ending of Age of Empyre here. Not all the main characters of Legends of the First Empire received the closure yet, but some of the main characters did, and I assume I will get more in Farilane.

“Something I’ve learned about people, both human and Fhrey, is that they hate having long-held beliefs challenged by facts, even about stupid things. Once you get something settled in your head, it becomes comfortable and difficult to dislodge… No one likes to admit they’re wrong, even if they are just agreeing with something someone else told them.”

As you can probably guess, if you’ve read Legends of the First Empire, Nolyn takes place more than 800 years after the end of Age of Empyre, and I am confident readers of Sullivan’s books will have a great time reading this one. There were many Easter Eggs and nods dedicated toward the characters of Legends of the First Empire, and some hints regarding what’s to come in The Riyria books. One out of many examples: the three swords battle skill wielded by Amicus. Some might not care about all the Easter Eggs, but to me, the Easter Eggs are the best parts of Nolyn. Seeing how the true legends and history told in Legends of the First Empire gradually transform into something different than what actually happened was incredible. And unlike Sullivan’s usual writing, Nolyn was a mix of military fantasy and murder mystery; it still retains the accessibly engaging prose and relatable themes such as leadership, parenthood, found family, courage, and death that are often found in his storytelling.

“Never since have I felt as alive or as free. And you can only do that when you’re young, unattached, unfettered, and unencumbered by the truths that come later— the weight that anchors you to the ground. Only the carefree can fly. That was my gift to you, a youth well lived.”

I had a blast reading Nolyn. It was great to find out the fate of some of the main characters in Legends of the First Empire, and the character development given to Nolyn and Sephyn were superbly done. Even though all the revelations behind the murder mystery were incredibly predictable, it did not turn me away from the captivating narrative. One of the main villains from Legends of the First Empire is here to bring chaos, and as a result, the last 150 pages of this book turned into a non-stop action sequence full of twists and turns. I am so looking forward to reading the second book in The Rise and Fall trilogy: Farilane.

“Those years had always been poisoned by the belief that his father had sentenced him to war as punishment for crimes he never committed. A blanket of resentment had smothered the joy out of every achievement, every friendship, every starry night spent on a ledge observing the glory of the world. Fear, misery, death, loss, and regret had scarred him, but he had also known beauty, kindness, love, and wonder. The lows were deep, but the highs dizzying.”

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[TS Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Nolyn was yet another well-crafted and enthralling tale from a masterful storyteller, who never fails to give me what I craved from the world of Elan.

It's quite extraordinary what this book could do for readers who approached Sullivan's works at different entry points. Firstly, for readers like me who read all of Sullivan's works by publication order, i.e The Riyria Revelations, The Riyria Chronicles, and The Legends of the First Empire, there's so much to love and appreciate with plenty of nods to the past, and learning the truths behind the myths and how things came to be by the time our most beloved duo hit the stage. For readers who have only read the First Empire books, Nolyn offers progression on what happened hundreds of years in the future after the finale of the preceding series. Finally, even for one reading Sullivan for the first time, Nolyn would be an enjoyable and engaging read. Primarily, this is due to his excellent characterisation.  At the same time, I also felt that the lore, history and worldbuilding were also deftly established in the narrative for new readers not to feel lost.

Clearly for me, everything that was read after Revelations are considered as prequel stories. Even though First Empire was very far in the past but given these are about characters who became legends, I already have some idea of what would have come to pass. I termed Sullivan a masterful storyteller because he has the ability to keep me thoroughly engaged and captivated by the stories of these characters even though the ultimate outcome was already known. Of course, for these prequels set very long ago, there are additional characters whose names didn't exactly made it into the myths and legends. The truths about who they were and what they did to shape Elan as we know it made for the most enthralling read.   And it is because of my experience with these books that I stand by my opinion that reading Sullivan's works by publication order - Riyria, First Empire and now The Rise and Fall - will offer the most enjoyment that one can get out of these books.  Seriously, the number of times I got excited at the Easter Eggs and being shocked (in a good way) by the truths while reading these prequels were too many to count, and it's incredibly fun.

Pardon my rambling above far as this is one of my favourite worlds to return to because it always felt like coming home. The world that Sullivan created was not particularly unique or original, but in spite of its classic fantasy setting with elves, dwarves and dragons (of a kind), Elan still felt fresh in a way. There's enough worldbuilding to keep its lore and mythos fascinating, but it's not overly intricate nor tries too hard to impress. What this achieves is a whole lot more focus on the stories of the characters, and Sullivan absolutely excels in this aspect.

"Words came and went, and with time many changed their definitions.  The intent behind the words was what mattered.  Sephryn knew that if everyone took offense at everything society was doomed." 

The story in Nolyn took place over eight hundred years after the conclusion of the First Empire series (but still a hefty two thousand years and then some before Riyria). With that more than sufficient time have passed in order to observe the changes wrought by new empire. The two main characters in this book, Nolyn and Sephryn, are the children of the some of legendary people who were responsible for the creation of the empire. Both of them are well-written as persons straddling two worlds, being the only two of their kind in existence in Elan at that time.  At the beginning, Nolyn's and Sephryn's arcs seemed disconnected, at least until the appearance of a certain cretin from the past. It was not difficult to then realise that some devious machinations were at play, and all that culminated with the two subplots coalescing into a grand scheme of seeking vengeance.

"He wasn't the father I wanted, but I think he may have been the father I needed."

The one thing I got out of this book was that I actually liked the side characters more.   I felt that the supporting cast really brought out the best of the main characters' arcs.  Out of the two, I enjoyed Nolyn's story more. There was a much anticipated scene between him and his father - whom I've never been able to love (for quite obvious reasons) nor hate - which made this book great. What transpired after that scene was surprisingly emotional for me. While Sullivan has always been able to make me feel for his characters, I didn't expect it would be this much about this particular one. 

"Nolyn was listening to one melody played on four different instruments, and the concert was a bloody one."

And then there was the introduction of the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary squadron. Through some twist of fate, Nolyn was assigned to this squad in the frontlines of the Goblin War. It seems that the Seventh Sik-Aux have already established a reputation of being the most feared and legendary squad amongst the legionnaires - warriors who trained in the art of fighting called the Tesh.  Oh yes, seasoned readers know exactly what this means, and it's immensely exciting.  Aside from the implications of who these warriors will eventually become in the course of the rise and fall of empire, the interactions between the individuals as well as Nolyn are some of the best moments in the book.

The Rise and Fall appear to be a trilogy of stand-alone stories of significant individuals, that hopefully will eventually provide all the revelations to the pertinent questions that I still have.  There are plenty of delectable Easter Eggs yet to be found and I'm very eager for the hunt to continue.  The next book can't come soon enough.

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[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm wearing out of this universe. As much as I liked the previous series, this one seemed rather unnecessary. It doesn't bring much value to the universe, and, to be honest, it felt like it was written just to milk the story a bit more.

The Riyria Revelations Series was great, my favorite of them all. The Legends of the First Empire Series had a great start, but the sixth and final instalment was dissapointing.

This first volume takes place 800 years after the events in The Legends of the First Empire, and follows Nolyn, Nyphron's and Persephone's heir, and Sephryn, Tekchin's and Moya's daughter.

First half seems written by someone else - very childish, to say the least. The second half picks up eventually with some twists, but ends up with way too many deux ex machina moments. It was nice to meet some old characters, but the new ones are cartoonish and silly.

Still, it's an easy and relaxing read, made me chortle a few times. But I think it's my last Kickstarter backup. Will see if I change my mind by the next volume, in 6 months.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Just so good to be back in Elan and getting a new story with so many nods at the past. Also, I need MOOOAAARRR!!!

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible Daily Deal 12/31/2021 4.95

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Micheal J. Sullivan has created a world I just cannot get enough of.  Nolyn is the first book in the new The Rise and Fall trilogy.  It is actually the 13th full length novel set in the fantastic Fantasy world of Elan with stories spanning millennia.  While this is a new series and supposed to be an entry point, there are tons of Easter eggs for readers for the past set The Legends of the First Empire series as well as future set The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles.  I honestly recommend reading all the books in their order of publication.  But if you can't fit 12 other books into your reading schedule, you could get by just reading the Legends of the First Empire series.  Still Michael J. Sullivan is one of my favorite fantasy authors and he always delivers.  He has an unusual writing style of finishing the first drafts of all of his series before releasing a book so the reader can trust they will not be left hanging with an unfinished book series, *cough* other fantasy authors, you know who you are *cough*

Nolyn is set 600ish years after the events of The Legends of the First Empire.  Nolyn is the son of the Fhrey (Elf) king and his human wife.  He is one of the first hybrid children ever produced and there are very few like him.  He has been pretty much estranged from his king father for the past 500 years; they have a bit of a complicated relationship. But he has just been sent into an unwinnable battle in a war that has been going on fifty years and he is about to meet some people who will change his life forever.

“Something I’ve learned about people, both human and Fhrey, is that they hate having long-held beliefs challenged by facts, even about stupid things. Once you get something settled in your head, it becomes comfortable and difficult to dislodge.”

Luckily, Nolyn was sent out with Seventh Sikaria Auxillary Squadron; they don't seem to die as easily as other soldiers.  Could be the Teshlor training their leader has given them.  With a squadron in tow, Nolyn now has to find out who is trying to get him killed, even if it is probably his own father, and possibly find a way to make amends with the woman he has loved for centuries.

Decisions based on a feeling. Women referred to it as intuition. Men called it gut instinct. His father believed such things to be foolishness, but his mother had referred to it as the Voice of Elan. Suri once told him his feelings were the sounds his soul heard when listening to the world singing the music of truth. Nolyn didn’t know which to believe, but he missed Sephryn, and those eyes reminded him of her.

Sephryn is the daughter of Moya and Tekchin and another elf/human hybrid.  Her son has been stolen by someone and will not be returned until she can figure out a way to steal a horn she has never heard of before.  She will do anything to find her child, even if it means figuring out how to steal something from the Emperor himself.

The story is told with multiple PoVs so the reader can get into the head of all the important players.  Even the villain, who readers of the other series will know, gives great insight into the motivations and the personalities of the characters.  Moya was a favorite character of mine from the prior series, so it was hard to read how she could be with both her daughter and her husband, but it would be hard to grow old while those you loved stayed young looking and perfect.  As a reader of all the books set in this world, I always marvel how history has been corrupted in the future and the real events are so different from the ones I first read.  I also love how MJS takes something that you think you knew from the books set in the future and turns it completely on its heels making you see it so differently.

If you love fantasy I recommend all the books set in this world highly.  The banter between characters, the twists, the betrayals and the workings of the gods of this world really do know how to capture the reader.  He is in my top 5 fantasy authors and absolutely an auto-buy for me.

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nolyn, the son of Nyphron and Persephone and heir to the Empyre has been reassigned after 500 years of exile. Nolyn has been sent to the front lines in war and is certain he's being sent to his death. Fortunately for him he's been assigned to the Seventh Sikaria Auxillary Squadron, an already noteworthy squadron who has a legendary warrior among it's ranks. New legends are beginning in the midst of deception and tragedy.

Nolyn is supposed to be one of three bridge books between Legends of the First Empire and the Riyria Chronicles / Revelations. For those familiar with the mentioned series, there is a lot of familiar occurrences happening. The story revolves largely around the first two half human and half Fhrey people in existence, Nolyn son of Nyphron and Persephone and Sephryn daughter of Tekchin and Moya. The story is largely told from their perspective though there are additional point of view shifts to other characters.

It seems to me that one of the largest themes throughout all the books in this world is history repeats itself, history is forgotten, and history is rediscovered. Nyphron or someone serving him has largely forgotten the contributions of the humans to help him become the Emperor. Humans are second class citizens while the Instarya largely behave like the Miralyth before them. Nyphron has outlawed magic and many have forgotten about its very existence. There are still embers of the past, of a better way, waiting to be rediscovered by all and rekindled.

I enjoyed Nolyn overall, but I largely feel as though I know too much of the world at this point for these books to have the same emotional impact for me. We've seen the beginning in The Legends of the First Empire and the conclusion of events in Riyria Revelations. Seeing the specific events that put things into place is enjoyable, but not quite as rewarding. The events I'd truly love to see more of is Turin/Malcolm/Rex Uberlin vs Trilos. That's the unknown tale in the midst of the familiar and what I'm most curious about at this point. I also realize their battle largely occurs in the shadows and goes unseen. Bringing it to the forefront may not be likely. I want to find out if Trilos is still the thorn in Turin's side in Riyria Revelations or if he's been dealt with before then.

Nolyn is an interesting history lesson and I'm curious to see what happens next.

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am honored to be a beta-reader for this book and Michael hits it out of the park! This will be a spoiler free review. This novel takes place between Michael's First Empire series and his Riyria novels, but do not let that deter any new readers. Anybody can pick up this book with essentially zero background and not be lost, but there are plenty of Easter eggs for long time fans! The story follows several characters, but primarily Nolyn and how he is dealing with the Goblin Wars and the conflicts created from it. Characters are written exceptionally well, as has come to be expected, but this book had more surprises than any other of Sullivan's books I can remember. I couldn't put this book down and neither will you! Long time fans, like myself, will adore this book as well as waiting on pins and needles for the entire trilogy to be finished. Here's to you Michael, job well done!

[Maja]

December 2021: DNF at 20%. Haven't touched this book since June. Zero interest in finishing it.
---
June 2021: Putting this on hold at 20%. Not as severe as a DNF (but it's unlikely I'll pick it up again anytime soon).

I'm not feeling the story and don't care for the characters. And honestly, it's getting a bit many series set within the same world. As fun as it is spotting easter eggs and fun details relating to the other series I don't really need several series spanning over huge period of time.

Why did I bother with this one then, you might ask. Well I had hoped this one would at least scratch a little on the mega itch crave I have for Drumindor. I'm a huge trash for Royce and Hadrian and honestly could never tire on more adventures with them.

I do also have an interest in the third book in this trilogy, Esrahaddon. Which was also a reason to pick this one up even though I had little interest in it, and also don't have that much interest in the second book.

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2021/09/05/...

With Nolyn, we’ve reached yet another point in the Elan saga, the world in which the books of Riyria Revelations, Riyria Chronicles, and The Legends of the First Empire by Michael J. Sullivan take place. This novel kicks off a new series called The Rise and Fall, which is set a several centuries following the events of Age of Empyre, though it can be enjoyed as a standalone tale without any prior knowledge.

This story primarily focuses on two main protagonists, both of whom are the offspring of prominent characters who played a part in the birth of the First Empire. They are Nolyn, the half-human, half-Fhrey son of Nyphron and Persephone, as well as Sephryn, the daughter of Moya and Tekchin. After more than five hundred years of exile, Nolyn, the heir to the empyre, is convinced his father is sending him off to die when he is suddenly reassigned to active duty on the front lines of the Goblin Wars. Fortunately, fate lands him with the legendary Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron, made up of some of the most fearsome and elite warriors who will aid Nolyn in his fight to survive the battles ahead.

Meanwhile in the capital, seemingly a whole other world away, Sephryn is blackmailed into a scheme to steal a priceless artifact from the heart of the palace. Desperate to save her son, she has no choice but to go through with it. Having grown up with the weight of history and her mother’s famous legacy upon her shoulders, Sephryn also feels like she has a lot to live up to. Gathering up her wits and courage, she sets out to pull off an impossible heist with the help of a few quirky friends.

I confess, I never got to finish The Legends of the First Empire series, with Age of War being the farthest I got. However, getting into Nolyn was not a problem. You absolutely do not need any of the prior books as prerequisites to read this one. That said though, I think it benefited me to have some familiarity with the characters, places, and events from The Legends of the Fire Empire, even if just a little, as they helped anchor me to the setting very early on. After all, Nolyn and Sephryn’s storylines don’t have much in common when we first start out, and they remain rather separate until quite later. However, having some knowledge about their parents and their connections to the past made them more interesting to me right off the bat.

Still, there is definitely something that I call a “diluting” effect as we progress through each new series by Sullivan. Like so many others, my first experience with the author was The Riyria Revelations, which bar none remains my favorite work of his to date. When it comes to protagonists in Sullivan’s books, Hadrian and Royce will always be the gold standard in terms of characterization and development. As winsome as some of the characters were in The Legends of the First Empire series, none of them even came close (who knows, that might even be part of why I stalled out and never felt the urge to finish the series), and now that we have The Rise and Fall, I somehow felt even more removed and disconnected from Nolyn and Sephryn.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not like they weren’t written well. Quite the opposite, in fact. Between our two POV characters, we got to see a good mix of thrilling action as well as deep emotion. Nolyn’s arc, which took us to the heart of the fighting in the war against the enemy, brought us most of the former, while Sephryn’s chapters exploring her struggles with difficult decisions and painful memories brought much of the latter (to be fair, her heist plot also featured plenty of excitement). But at the end of the day, how much of it was truly different and memorable? Characterization was good, but probably not beyond what was honestly to be expected. I think they could have been more fleshed out, but given that this novel was written to be a standalone, maybe there just wasn’t enough time.

And yes, this book truly is a standalone, but while it might feel nice for once to get a self-contained epic fantasy story with a satisfying conclusion, this does give Nolyn a bit of that “throwaway” feel. The plot was on the simpler, more straightforward side, and many of the deeper themes it attempted were also glossed over or merely shallowly touched upon. Still, these can be seen as positive aspects depending on what you’re looking for. For one, the novel’s ideal audience might be fantasy fans interested in a lighter read, or even newcomers to the genre looking for accessible entry point. For those curious about Michael J. Sullivan’s work this would also be the perfect place to jump on board, and of course for longtime fans, returning to this world will bring much comfort and maybe even some entertainment spotting all the fun references and other cool easter eggs.

Finally, I was lucky enough to review the audiobook edition of Nolyn, and I just want to give a big kudos to Tim Gerard Reynolds, whose voice has done so much for the books of Michael J. Sullivan. It simply wouldn’t have been the same without his narration, and of course he was awesome as always.

[Wulf Krueger]

I tried really hard to like this but couldn’t. In fact, I’m giving up at 62%... I liked “Legends of the First Empire” and that series’ protagonists. I love Michael’s Hadrian and Royce.

“Nolyn”, though, is a different matter: We’re 800 years after the events of “Legends” and some of the old heroes are still around which is one of the issues: All the human protagonists are, of course, long gone; but the elves are still around. Unreasonable lifespans of several thousand (!) years are poor, unconvincing and annoying storytelling devices.

Yes, that was made clear in “Legends” and I was worried that might create a problem but it never mattered in that series. Now, Nyphron is still around but - before I DNF’ed - he doesn’t appear. He’s talked about but we don’t get to “see” him.

Also, an old nemesis from “Legends” is still around, still conspiring and plotting which is very annoying: Don’t reuse old enemies; they had their time and place and 800 years later, they should simply be gone.

The adult half-elf children of the heroes of old are, of course, still around but what they think, talk about and do ridicules, deconstructs and belittles their parents. It doesn’t help that these children are neither very interesting (Nolyn) nor relatable (Sephryn).

Up to 62% very little of consequence has actually happened: We get lots of info-dumps, much bemoaning, and that’s pretty much it.

I was bored, annoyed, disappointed, and actually avoided reading like the plague in order to not have to deal with this book and not have to write this review.

I’m still going to read Michael’s other books and - just like with all three books in “The Rise and Fall” - have backed them all on Kickstarter and will continue to do so but I’m going to be more lenient with myself about DNF’ing his books…

One sad star out of five.


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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

[Jayadev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank the publisher Grim Oak press and Netgalley for providing me with an Advanced Reading copy of the book. This does not affect my opinions and overall ratings of the book.

Nolyn is the first book in a planned standalone trilogy titled 'Rise and Fall' that tells the story of..... well the rise and fall of the first empire told in three separate instances of the empire's lifespan. We return to the world of Elan about eight hundred years after the events of the previous series (The Legends of the First Empire). The story is told mainly in the perspective of Nolyn Nyphronian and Sephryn, the children of the heroes from the previous series, Nolyn being the son of Emperor Nyphron and Persephone.

The Fhrey have been overcome, the alliance between humans and Nyphron's group of "rebel fhrey" have succeeded in defeating them. A new empire dawns, one that allows both human and Fhrey to coexist equally. Well that was the ideal. In reality, Persephone is dead, the heroes of humanity have faded into myths and legends but Nyphron and his Fhrey remain and they run the empire. Humanity have traded one master for another slightly less ruthless one.

In comes Nolyn the young prince (if you call 800ish years old young) Supposedly hated by his father, Nolyn is constantly sent to defend the outermost fringes of the empire from external threats. On his most recent ordeal, he learns of a plot on his life that might have come all the way up from the emperor himself, his story follows him along with a squad of soldiers who are loyal to him in his quest for the truth. This was easily the strongest part of the book, the author excells at his storytelling when we follow a ragtag cast of characters. They bounce off each other perfectly in their interactions, the quick wit and lighthearted tone made these sections fly away quickly.
The second major POV Sephryn on the other hand was less intriguing and this honestly is where the book looses steam after the explosive start with Nolyn's battle. Sephryn's POV starts just as strong as Nolyn's but then quickly drops off. Her story is one of desperation and follows the ordeals she undertakes to save her loved ones. As said above, the author excells when there is a cast that bounces off each other, but in Sephryn's case it feels like the author tried to convey a more serious tone and was ultimately unsuccessful in pulling it off. The slower pacing of the book at this section is what did it most harm.
The pacing dropping off is probably the biggest factor against this book. Its starts really well (for both POV's) and then slows to a crawl and then finally picking back up for an explosive finale in the last 100 or so pages. This is especially more annoying considering that this is a rather small book (Not a 1000 page doorstopper or potential murder weapon), so technically the section of slower pace accounts to roughly 100 pages and still the drag in pacing made it feel longer than what it actually was (personal opinion) is worrying. That said, the finale was spectacular enough to forgive some of the pacing issues. It conveyed love, loss, pain and a conclusion that left a bittersweet feeling. Here's to hoping the author improves on the pacing issues in his upcoming sequels.

Lastly, although the author has mentioned that this book could be read without reading the prequel or sequel series, I wouldn't recommend it IF you are currently reading through 'Legends of the first Empire' (this was my situation as I was halfway through' Age of War' book three of that series) and this book contains some spoilers for the ending as well as some of the later events of that series.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goddamn I missed this. The world of Elan is comforting to me at this point, and all of these novels are so fun and readable. Even when shits kinda fucked it still feels right. Dont ask me. I dont know, it makes no sense. I just know that I blew through this book way faster than expected and I am eager to get to the next one.

"'She told me that the feelings we sometimes have is Elan telling us what we need to know.'

'You mean like how you get a cold shiver when someone is aiming an arrow at your back?' Myth asked.

'Well, yeah, I guess so, but it can be more complicated than that. It's a way of knowing things with your heart that you couldn't possibly work out with your head. Sometimes you get it wrong, just like you make any other mistake, but that doesn't make it false. Suri taught me to trust that voice even when it's painful.'"

[Dyrk Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was super lucky enough to get a very early draft of this, and I'm so glad I did. I loved everything about this book. With Nolyn, a true master of epic fantasy shines even brighter. Sullivan has an amazing ability to set up a fascinating story in the first chapter and craft a brilliant ensemble of characters - with bizarre and terrifying bad guys - then lead readers on an adventure that keeps them wide-eyed and begging for more with each expertly written page. Sullivan fans rejoice! If you haven't read any of his books, you really should.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

That’s an easy 5 stars! Nolyn is not only one of the best books I’ve read in 2021, but it is also very high on my personal list for best MJS book! I don’t care that I just finished rereading all of his books earlier this year I’m already in the mood to dive back in again 😂😂 Basically I need the next book now and I don’t know how I’ll manage till next year.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

(UPDATED)

This takes place about 800 years after Age of Empyre, and you can start reading here without any prior knowledge of the world, but I do recommend reading Legends of the First Empire first as the characters and events here will be more meaningful.

Our two main characters, Nolyn and Sephryn, were children at the end of Legends. The chapters mostly alternate POVs between the two, occasionally also following side characters. Nolyn and Sephryn are facing quite different adventures, but it all comes together during the last quarter for a pretty exciting climax that rivals a Sandovanche.

The story contains battles and magic and conspiracies—lots of fun stuff. I love Bartholomew; that was clever.



I participated in the beta read for the book before it came out and now just reread it on audio, with Tim Gerard Reynold’s talented narration.

Language: Mild
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Battle violence, magic violence; somewhat graphic/bloody
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: infant kidnapped and almost killed
Other (Triggers): family dysfunction, extortion, struggles for equal rights

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nolyn ★★★★

I’ve read all of Michael Sullivan's books in the Riyria world, starting with The Riyria Revelations, followed by The Riyria Chronicles, and The Legends of the First Empire. Now, I’m diving into Nolyn, the first book in The Rise and Fall series. While I generally agree with Sullivan's view that his series can be enjoyed in any order, I find this particular entry feels more like a direct sequel to The Legends of the First Empire and should ideally be read after finishing that series.

I absolutely love Sullivan's writing. His prose is superb, his humor is spot-on, and I appreciate how he constructs his series as a cohesive whole, ensuring that the plot is strong and all the threads are intricately connected. At the start of Nolyn, Sullivan suggests it can be read as a standalone entry into his world, but I find that unlikely. There are numerous continuations of previous storylines, making it difficult for new readers to grasp many of the references and nuances.

Nolyn is set several centuries after the events of The Legends of the First Empire, and it follows Nolyn, a character introduced in the previous series. The narrative alternates between Nolyn’s and Sephyn’s perspectives, both of which are compellingly written. Sullivan's talent for characterization remains impressive, and this series reminded me of how much I enjoyed the characters from The Legends of the First Empire.

Though Nolyn has a different feel compared to Sullivan's earlier works, the story is still gripping. There’s plenty of action toward the end, and I’m eager to continue with the next book in the series soon.

[Amara]

A bridge story?! I can't wait, just another reason to read everything again.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad to be starting a new series in Sullivan’s world as I always tend to enjoy the work he produces. Although you don’t have to have read the other books by Sullivan to enjoy this, I think you will like it more if you’ve at least tried out the Legends of the First Empire series as this has direct ties to many of the key characters here, and gives some backstory and context for the events which take place in this book.

We’re following Nolyn, the main character who is the son of the current ruler. He is around 800 years old when we pick up the story and although he’s the heir he’s had a fairly harsh life and, being a half Fae and half human he feels alienated from both his peoples at times.
His story is battle heavy and revolves around the succession and the world as it needs to be pushed to change and he may be the one to do so.

Sephryn is the second character we’re following, a daughter of another Fae and human together, and she and Nolyn grew up together knowing they were two of the only people of their kind. They have a kinship and they both want to do better, but Sephryn is actually the one who has been trying to enact changes and stand up for people (especially with humans who get the raw end of the deal) in the current empire.
Her story follows some tragic events which lead to the disappearance of her child and she’s forced to do some things which she never intended but which might shake the empire up enough for a shift in power and focus.

I loved the cameos we get here. As always with Sullivan’s stories I knew some of the outcomes as these books are technically prequels to the Riyria ones I’ve read before, but I was enjoying the reveals of how things came to their current natural orders. I also think the references to other characters from the other series is great and I had a few moments I really loved.

A strong 3.5*s for this book and I hope the sequel will build on this and get stronger (Sullivan’s books often get better as I go through a series).

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Reading a new Michael J. Sullivan book will always feel like coming home to me, and that was no different with Nolyn. It might not be one of my personal favourites in the World of Elan, but it was still just pure epic fantasy fun for me.

Now, let me just start this off by saying that you should not read this as your entry into the World of Elan. Yes, it is technically a standalone, and yes, it totally makes sense on its own, but I think the majority of what makes Nolyn so fun to read (at least for me) is the way it is interwoven and interconnected with the other series set in this world.

I mean, sure, Nolyn has a lot going for it with its military fantasy and murder mystery storylines, but I don't know how much I would have enjoyed this book if I wasn't already so deeply invested in this world, its lore and its inhabitants. Coming fresh off my re-read of Legends of the First Empire, it was just so incredibly intriguing (and infuriating, heartbreaking and frustrating) to see how the events/characters of that series have been twisted, reinterpreted or totally forgotten over the course of the 800-ish years that separate these two series.

But even more than that, I really enjoyed following the children of some of my favourite characters from LotFE, even if they never lived up to the heights of their parents for me. Contrary to what the title of this book might have you believe, this book is actually not just Nolyn's story, but it's Sephryn's as well. And honestly, I way preferred Sephryn over Nolyn, if only because I liked the sinister murder mystery vibes in her life so much more than the hectic military action that consumes Nolyn's days.

For me, the uneven enjoyment of the two main storylines made for a bit of a rocky reading experience, though the incredibly strong last third of the book (when the storylines started to converge) definitely made up for some of my struggles and quibbles earlier on. Sullivan's storytelling just always has so much heart and emotional depth to it, and I love how he always manages to deliver some brutal emotional gutpunches and write some of the most morally complex characters with some of the most complicated interpersonal relationships without ever veering into the grimdark realm.

Even though I expected to love Nolyn more than I did, I still think it is a great addition to the overall World of Elan. And honestly, a 'fine' Sullivan book is still more enjoyable to read than most other traditional epic fantasy books for me, so there's that. Definitely glad I finally got this one off the 'WHY haven't I read this yet?' section of my TBR, and I am excited to see what the next standalone instalment in the Rise and Fall series has to offer!

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

💫 All the happy-place stars that exist 💫

World-building in the past:
In Legends of the First Empire, the prequel series to The Rise and the Fall, there are two worlds – the world of man and Fhrey (elves). Man has long believed the Fhrey to be Gods, but those days are over as man discovers they are simply long-lived and not immortal. War inevitably follows that discovery and men led by a small Fhrey force eventually prove victorious: the Fhrey are henceforth to remain on their side of Elan and Nyphron, a Fhrey warrior, becomes the Emperor of all human lands.

The premise today:
Now, 800 years later, the Fhrey are the dominant minority in a world of man, the Emperor being Fhrey himself. Man are viewed as second class, seemingly destined to be ruled by the biologically superior Fhrey forever.

The protagonists:
This book follows Nolyn, Emperor Nyphron’s son and son of Persephone, a human mother, as well as another “hybrid”: Sephryn, daughter of Moya and Tekchin. (Side note: Nyphron, Moya, and Tekchin are main characters in the prequel series.)

Verdict:
Honestly, this book was amazing. The plot itself already would have been enough for high praise but what really took this into another whole realm of perfection and longings fulfilled, was seeing Nolyn and Sephryn, off-spring of once beloved characters, and how, due to their Fhrey blood, they remembered those and other characters. (Persephone, Suri, Roan, Gifford. It was tough, though, seeing Moya, a hero long dead, and a favorite characters, be resentful and a bad mother.)
Also, seeing other characters that are still alive was both blessing (seeing Tekchin, for example) and curse (in the case of old enemies). These characters made this book feel like homecoming. At times, however, it was also heart-breaking; but I’m here for this kind of heart-break, ‘cause it means I am totally invested.

Reading advice:
Although this could be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading Sullivan’s other series first: Legends of the first Empire at the very least – the Riyria series (both of them) too if you can. You will not regret it! They are all awesome.

Chronological order of series set in the Elan world:

1. Legends of the First Empire (3000 years in the past) [published 2016-2020]
1.1 Age of Myth – 5 stars
1.2 Age of Swords – 4.25 stars
1.3 Age of Swords – 5 stars
1.4 Age of Legend – 4.75 stars
1.5 Age of Death – 5 stars
1.6 Age of Empyre – 5 stars

2. THE RISE AND FALL [published 2021-2023]
2.1 NOLYN – set 850 years after 1. Legends of the First Empire – 5 stars
2.2 Farilane – set 1000 years after 2.1 Nolyn – 5 stars
2.3 Esrahaddon – set 200 years after Farilane and 1,000 years before the Riyria Chronicles – 5 stars

3. The Riyria Chronicles (ten years prior to Revelations) [published 2013-TBD]
3.1 The Crown Tower – 5 stars
3.2 The Rose and the Thorn – 5 stars
3.3 The Death of Dulgath – 4.5 stars
3.4 The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter – 4.5 stars
3.5 Drumindor (yet to be released)

4 Riyria Revelations [published 2008-2011]
4.1 Theft of Swords: The Crown Conspiracy – updated to 4.5 stars
4.2 Theft of Swords: Avempartha – 4.5 stars
4.3 Rise of Empire: Nyphron Rising – 5 stars
4.4 Rise of Empire: The Emerald Storm – 4.5 stars
4.5 Heir of Novron: Wintertide – 5 stars
4.6 Heir of Novron: Percepliquis – 5 stars

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you read this without reading any of the other books?
If you have all of Sullivan’s works, there’s so many allusions to the past - learning truths behind myths, and also offers progression on what happened hundreds of years in the future after the prequel series!
If this is your first Sullivan book, Nolyn would still be understandable and enjoyable.

Sullivan excels at characterisation and quirky characters and the rich lore, history and worldbuilding were also aptly established in the for newbies not to feel thrown in at the deep end.

The story in Nolyn took place over eight hundred years after the conclusion of the First Empire series (but still 2,000+ years before Riyria).

Nolyn and Sephryn are the children of the some of legendary people who were responsible for the creation of the empire.

Nolyn, the heir to the empire, is suspicious about his reassignment to active duty on the front lines of the Goblin War with the funny and loveable Seventh Sik-Aux.
Elsewhere, Sephryn finds her apartment broken into, her nursemaid murdered, and her son kidnapped. She then hears a voice telling her to steal the Horn of Gylindora which is a legendary, powerful artefact.

A reoccurring theme in Sullivan’s book is how myths and stories are created and then manipulated. This affects civilizations and their conceptions for generations. As a few of the characters live longer than mortals, they demonstrate and witness how history is blurred by bias, manipulation, and memory.

"Something l've learned about people, both human and Fhrey, is that they hate having long-held beliefs challenged by facts, even about stupid things. Once you get something settled in your head, it becomes comfortable and difficult to dislodge... No one likes to admit they're wrong, even if they are just agreeing with something someone else told them."

In contrast to Riryia, Nolyn and Sephyryn can sometimes feel hollow making predictable choices with little interaction with each other despite their alluded to deep friendship and their future (if you know).
Sephyryn in particular contains very little character development and is constantly anxious and struggling with her morality.

The best parts are with the Seventh Sik-Aux who have such a fun camaraderie who tease and banter with each other.

All that being said, I enjoyed this more than I remember enjoying the last book of Legends, and I have heard that each book set in this trilogy (interrelated but not necessary to read one after another) gets better.

Sullivan is definitely an author to look out for. He and his wife work as a team to only publishseries when he has finished it. This means that everything goes neatly together and you are always left feeling satisfied.

Bookstagram

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard review to write. I love Michael J. Sullivan as an author, and I love this world that he has created, and I liked parts of this book, but I never felt very attached the characters the way I usually do when I read a MJS book. I thought everything felt a bit rushed and we didn't have the opportunity to dig deeper into the characters and who they were.

The characters that I did feel a connection with were the side characters Amicus and Arvis. I really would have liked more about Amicus and the other Teshlors. I also would have liked more about Arvis as well. Her story really is heartbreaking. In the afterward at the end of the book, Robin tells us to go back and read the first two paragraphs of chapter 10. I did that and it was heart wrenching to read after knowing what I knew at the end of the book.

Overall I was a bit disappointed in this book. What I liked the best about it was the way things ended and the lessons that were learned, albeit some of them a bit too late. The main characters Nolyn and Sephryn were not all that likable to me. It's funny how the children of really great people can sometimes not be all that great, or not live up to what their parents were. I think this book illustrated that really well. I wondered why it took them 800 plus years grow up. To me they felt way too juvenile and naive for their ages. I think some of these realizations that made the ending so good could have happened much sooner in their lives. Both Nolyn and Sephryn have good intentions and I admire that they are fighting for humans to be treated right, but they are still weak characters compared the other leading characters I've read in Sullivan's books.

On another note, I'm not crazy about some of the real world words and phrases that have been incorporated into the story, like protests, and "social justice" and "equal doesn't mean the same" etc.. For me it makes the story feel like it's a thinly veiled commentary on what's happening in the real world, and I would rather forget the real world when I'm reading a book. I did however really like this quote from the book:


"Words came and went, and with time many changed their definitions. The intent behind the words was what mattered. Sephryn knew that if everyone took offense at everything society was doomed."



Even though this book disappointed me a little, I still enjoyed reading it and I still want to read the next two books. I've been looking forward to reading Esrahaddon's story since The Riyria Revelations series and I'm looking forward to that one the most.



Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael J. Sullivans books are very easy to fly through, and they are (almost) always a lot of fun. Nolyn was no exception to that rule.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of a "fey" emperor's son, his love, and conflict. Medieval fantasy.

Not the best of Michael Sullivan, but not bad. Some confusion exists in parts until the author lets us in on the ruse of substitutions. Certain practitioners of the "art" (magic) can mimic the likeness of other people. Demons can actually occupy a once used body. Beware who you are talking to. :)

I will finish this series. 2.5 stars rounded up to three.

[Kyle B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable story, characters and overall plot arc. I’ve been told that it doesn’t matter which book you read first in the world of Elan, but I don’t think this should be the first. My understanding of the world, lore and overall story seems to be lacking for this book. There were many parts I read that I felt were Easter eggs for other books/series that went right over my head. Reading other reviews and hearing how this book calls back to beloved characters in previous books made me feel like I missed out a bit.

I plan to read Riyria Revelations next, if my research is correct… let me know in the comments if you feel otherwise.

[Arundeepak J · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

With some unpredictable twists and an explosive last 150 pages, Nolyn is a solid introduction to the Rise and Fall trilogy

First of all huge thanks to the publisher and author for approving my request in NetGalley and this review is solely my unbiased opinion.

Quick Summary: Set between The Legend of the First Empire series and Riyiria books, 'Nolyn' follows the story of the titular character Nolyn, the heir to the throne who was sent to his death seemingly by his father, the emperor and Sephryn, the councilwoman in the Precepliques whose son was kidnapped and was forced to do a bidding by the 'Voice' in her head.

I've read the Riyiria revelations a while ago and absolutely loved it and read the first 3 books of The Legend of the First Empire series before i called quits on it. Even though i caught most of the reference and cameos from the previous works, I've probably missed out a lot but the point is you can clearly enjoy this book without any previous knowledge about the world of Elan

WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:

The writing, it was on point, no unnecessary pages and easily accessible. I powered through the entire book in just 2 sittings.

The camaraderie between Nolyn and the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary squadron. I'm a sucker for the military brotherhood and found family trope so it naturally worked well for me and it was written really well too. Their brotherhood was one of the strongest point in this book IMO. The subtle humor between the Seventh Sikaria and their trust in Nolyn was really nice to read.

The last 150 pages, man o man it was wild. I saw one twist that was coming but it was immediately followed by plenty of em I didn't see. The battle, betrayal, reveals and intimate moments between the main characters written in the last section of this book was near perfect.

WHAT DIDN'T WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:

Sephyn's POV, I wouldn't say it was bad but it didn't held my attention as Nolyn's chapters did.

And the other thing that bothered me was the first 200 pages, it was just I don't know... I couldn't find anything troubling about it but there was nothing new and exhilarating to turn the pages. but I also gotta point out that the second half of this book more than made up for it.

Simple put, Nolyn is well written first entry in the Rise and Fall trilogy with mostly a standalone feel to it but leaves some thread to explore in the following books.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Review copy supplied by Netgalley, with my thanks to them and to the publisher, Grim Oak Press **

Nolyn is the first in a new series by Riyria author Michael J Sullivan. His Riyria Revelations series is in my top 10 list, but for some reason I just couldn’t get into the Riyria Chronicles, which is a prequel series detailing the origin story of the Riyria duo, Royce and Hadrian. Nevertheless, Nolyn interested me and I wanted to have another try of Sullivan’s work.

The Rise and Fall series, of which Nolyn is the opener, is set one or two thousand years prior to events in the Riyria books, and it’s planned to be three books detailing the rise and fall (I assume) of three key figures in this world’s history. This sounds like the books might be a trio of standalones rather than a traditional trilogy where events follow on from one book to the next.

In Nolyn, we follow the emperor’s son, Nolyn Nyphronian, who starts out in the middle of the jungle on a certain death mission. Along with a small band of survivors, Nolyn sets off on a course of action to find out who wants him dead, and ends up caught up in much more than a single assassination plot.

We also follow Sephryn, who is Nolyn’s lover, or former lover, I’m not entirely sure where they stand at the start of the book. Sephryn is like Nolyn – half-human, half-Fhrey (basically an elf) – and is being forced by a sinister stranger to acquire a mythical item, for reasons unknown to her.

Worldbuilding:

This is a book that should benefit from the work that has been done before. There is history that was crafted for previously released novels, even those set after Nolyn in the timeline. Similarly with the world itself, a lot of the work has already been done before we get to Nolyn.

The notes for Nolyn state that this is a standalone work that requires no prior knowledge of the books set in this world. While this is true, I feel that readers with that prior knowledge will have a richer experience with Nolyn than those who go into it as their first taste of Sullivan’s writing.

There are some nods to the earlier books, in the Legends of the First Empire series, and those who have read the Riyria books may also pick up some references, Easter eggs if you will.

With that said, the world we see in Nolyn is adequate – there’s a bit of travel, and a bit of talk of the lay of the land, but a good portion of the book is spent in Percepliquis, so this is where we get most of our actual building.

We also learn various point of history, but it does at times seem a little unnatural. There are events that seem to be brought up a little too often to point to a fully fleshed out history – although these are important events, it would be nice if there were other examples that are pointed to. As it stands, it almost seems like there are one or two historical events and everything else that has gone before is completely inconsequential.

Characters:

The characters in Nolyn were a bit hit and miss for me. Some felt like they weren’t well enough fleshed out, with little to learn about them beyond what is important to Nolyn or Sephryn’s storylines.

I felt I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters and that some of the decisions made did a disservice to the character work that was attempted. For the majority of the book, we alternate between Nolyn chapters and Sephryn chapters, then, randomly, we’ll switch to a quick POV of another character.

This seemed a little odd when it came up – it was only once or twice, and it was a character we already knew, so it seemed like we should have had the occasional POV chapter from them at an earlier point, rather than just a single chapter mid-book when it was convenient.

Some of the actual character choices also seemed a bit odd considering the scale of their impact. Without going into specifics, to avoid spoilers, we have an almost complete change of direction at one point with very minimal build up or coercion.

When this happened, it almost seemed like the author had a new idea and just went with it from that point on, rather than going back and building it into the earlier parts of the books so it wasn’t such a tangent when it did occur.

The supporting characters didn’t get a vast amount of page time, but we follow a handful of warriors by extension of Nolyn’s storyline, and a smaller handful of citizens alongside Sephryn. Some of these are interesting characters, although some do seem a bit underused.

A key example of this is where the entirety of a character’s importance to the story can be summarised in one single event. Their inclusion in the remainder of the story is inconsequential, they are simply referenced so we are aware of them when they appear for that one single task at a key point in the story.

While this might not necessarily be uncommon in fiction, we do normally tend to find these characters have some time spent on them, some development and history to add a bit of depth. Otherwise, it seems like they have no life, no existence outside of the one part of the story they are actually involved in.

Enjoyment:

Nolyn starts with a battle, or at least, it’s not long until we’re in the midst of one. This would normally lead to a quick pace and suck me in from the outset, but here I just couldn’t seem to get going until I was a good way through the book.

I think part of this was because of the story itself, but a larger part was because I had some specific gripes with the writing. From an early stage when being introduced to Nolyn, he references Sephryn, and although we’ve been given that disclaimer that no prior knowledge of the world / other books is necessary before reading Nolyn, these passages seem like they are a continuation of an existing story that we should be aware of.

It seemed almost like we were missing an introduction to some of the characters and settings before we actually came upon them. With these references to Sephryn, it’s a simple explanation, or a different introduction to her, that would have made things a bit clearer. What we get instead is Nolyn talking about her as if we already knew her, and we’re left playing catchup.

The best example of this though, and one that really stood out to me, is a simple missing introduction of an “extra” in the city of Percepliquis. There are a couple of mentions of a baker, and in one scene we see an interaction with this baker, then at one point he says something followed by the dialog tag “Rodney declared.”

This would be absolutely fine, however this is the first point that we have been given the name Rodney – the baker isn’t introduced by name, so I spent a couple of minutes flicking back a page or two, then using the Kindle’s search function, to see if I had missed something.

I was left needing to make an assumption that Rodney was indeed the baker, as there seemed no other alternative (the other results in the Kindle search did confirm this assumption). In other areas of the book, it was the over use of names that caused the issue.

Most characters followed the standard sort of convention where they are referred to by a common name, and only where the situation dictates (such as introductions), are they given both a first and a last name. For some reason, the soldiers with Nolyn were often given both names where there seemed no need to do this.

Although a bit out of place, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but when one such name is Ramahanaparus Mirk, it interrupts the flow a bit to be tripping over the pronunciation.

Similarly, we have the Belgriclungreians. This is the name, in this world, for Dwarfs, and while we meet a Dwarf who happily uses the term “Dwarf” to refer to himself / his people, we more commonly see the five-syllable alternative, which seems unnecessarily complicated.

I get that the author is using his own creativity to avoid simply using Dwarfs and Elves (instead having Belgriclungreians and Fhrey) but we do at various points of the book use “Dwarfs” and “Elves” anyway, and if renaming them, it would be nice to have a word that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the story each time it surfaces.

There were a few other bits that took me out of the story a bit when I came across them, little names (Bristol, Brighton) or turns of phrase (“a horrible cocktail…all mixer, no alcohol”) that seemed to me a bit out of place in a fantasy setting.

Although mentioning things like these might seem incredibly nitpicky, the number of these little quirks all put together really had a negative impact on my overall enjoyment of Nolyn, detracting from the actual events and characters of the story itself.

The overall story though was OK. There are a few events at the end that seemed a bit too coincidental, as if particular effort was made to ensure all loose ends were tied up. Some felt a bit unnecessary however, giving happy endings for the sake of happy endings but having no actual impact on the story itself.

I came away from Nolyn feeling that I hadn’t really gained anything by reading it. It was an “OK” book, not a poor one, but certainly not a really good one either. I do genuinely feel that I might have fared slightly better reading a more polished version of the book itself though, as opposed to specifically the story and the gripes I mention earlier.

The ARC I read had the text aligned to the left rather than justified, which I found made it oddly difficult to settle down and read for a long period. With this, there were unusual little quirks, like ellipses frequently breaking onto the next line (potentially this was due to using “. . .” instead of an actual ellipsis of “…” – thus allowing them to break over lines).

With the story just being OK, I found that there weren’t really aspects of it that really stood out for me, and coming back a few days later to write my review, the main things that do stick out in my memory are the gripes I had with the book. I may therefore be doing a disservice to the book in my review, but I suppose the way around this would be to have had a story that outweighed those issues for me.

[Flying Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!!!

Another great addition to the World of Elan. I loved how so many of my favorite characters from The Legends of the Empire series were referenced in one way or another. A great story and the next 2 editions are already written to be released in 2022 and 2023.

Please take note: Patrick Rothfuss and George RR Martin. This is how you do it!

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this writer you may have doubts about his place in the realm of fantasy but you are sure of one thing: that you will not be disappointed. This is true of this book which is made of the same materials that the author uses in each of his books. So we have an almost independent story that takes place many years after the end of the previous series, written with a lot of humour and sarcasm, full of familiar characters but with something special, with twists that make the story interesting and leave many questions for the second part. Of course, the problem is that along with the lack of disappointed comes the lack of any surprise, as the author insists on the safe path, away from any risk. Fortunately, however, what he does over and over again he does it in a very nice way that leads to the creation of highly entertaining books and that is why I will continue to follow his work.

Με αυτόν τον συγγραφέα μπορεί να έχεις αμφιβολίες για τη θέση του στο χώρο της φαντασίας αλλά σίγουρα είσαι σίγουρος για ένα πράγμα: ότι δεν θα απογοητευτείς. Αυτό ισχύει με αυτό το βιβλίο που είναι κατασκευασμένο με τα ίδια υλικά που χρησιμοποιεί ο συγγραφέας σε κάθε βιβλίο του. Έτσι έχουμε μία σχεδόν αυτοτελή ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται πολλά χρόνια μετά από το τέλος της προηγούμενης σειράς, γραμμένη με πολύ χιούμορ και σαρκασμό, γεμάτη με οικείους χαρακτήρες που όμως έχουν κάτι το ξεχωριστό, με ανατροπές που κάνουν την ιστορία ενδιαφέρουσα και αφήνουν πολλά ερωτήματα για το δεύτερο μέρος. Φυσικά το πρόβλημα είναι ότι μαζί με την έλλειψη απογοήτευσης έρχεται και η έλλειψη οποιασδήποτε έκπ��ηξης, καθώς ο συγγραφέας επιμένει στην ασφαλή οδό, μακριά από οποιοδήποτε ρίσκο. Ευτυχώς, όμως, αυτό που κάνει ξανά και ξανά το κάνει με έναν πολύ ωραίο τρόπο που οδηγεί στη δημιουργία άκρως διασκεδαστικών βιβλίων και για αυτό θα εξακολουθώ να παρακολουθώ το έργο του.