Justin hight asked Michael J. Sullivan:

Hi, Michael, why are there two books listed as the first book in the Riyria Revelations series? Where should I start? Also what other books or series would you compare the series to in style?

Michael J. Sullivan Hey Justin, I know it can be really confusing. Here's the deal.

The Riyria Revelations was originally published through a small press and self-published and so the original books are in six novels: The Crown Conspiracy, Avempartha, Nyphron Rising, The Emerald Storm, Wintertide and Percepliquis. In 2010, Orbit (the fantasy imprint of big-five publisher Hachette Book Group) purchased the series and they re-released the six-books as three, 2-book omnibus editions. They break down like this:

* Theft of Swords: The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha
* Rise of Empire: Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm
* Heir of Novron: Wintertide & Percepliquis

The original books are long out of print, and not many copies of them existed in the first place. So unless you found a really old copy, you won't be able to buy them in their original six-book series so Theft of Swords is where you should be starting.

To make matters even more complicated. After writing Revelations so many people were saddened that the pair were gone, that I relented and wrote some more Riyria tales (The Riyria Chronicles). Because I really enjoyed how the Revelations series ended, I didn't want to "tack on" to it. The pair had been together for 12 years before the events of The Crown Conspiracy so I decided to explore the "other end" of their relationship. So I went back in time and wrote the "origin" story of the pair - how they met, their first job together. Those books are: The Crown Tower, The Rose and the Thorn, and The Death of Dulgath.

For some people, they prefer to read their stories chronologically, and for them The Crown Tower would be the place to start. For me, personally, I think Theft of Swords is just a tad bit better to start. Why? Well three reasons.

1. It's a better "deal" as you get two books for the price of one when starting with Theft of Swords.

2. It's how I intended to introduce readers to the world and the characters. Because I wrote all six of those books before publishing the first one, I was able to start simply and add complexity and background information across the whole tale rather than front-loading it. I think that makes for a really interesting story as there are sub-plots to each book, but also threads that span the entire series.

3. For those who have read Revelations I have little "winks and nods" in the Chronicles. These aren't important to the plot just a little remark here or there that would be recognizable by those "in the know."

All that said, I've had other people read chronologically and they swear that IT is the BEST way to experience the book. So I guess it's really a matter of personal preference. When writing the Chronicles one of my goals was to make it so people could go "either way" - and it looks like I hit that mark.

There. I told you it was complicated. I hope this shed some light rather than making it more complicated.

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