Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations box set Book 1)

4.5 Stars!If you dig high fantasy, this beginning to the trilogy is FABULOUS.Three major storylines that converge at the end and leave us aching for the next book are well developed and laid out.I enjoyed the heck out of the characters in the novel (omnibus) and can’t wait to see what they do next.

My husband asked me to read this one. He's a huge fantasy reader and I'm still kind of intimidated by them, so I accepted the challenge.Plot:This has two books in it so there are two plots. They are connected, though. I ended up enjoying the second plot a little more though they were both fun and interesting. I didn't really know what to expect with the plot and while I felt a little overwhelmed with all of the details at first, I feel like I kept up fairly well.I was actually surprised at how easy yet complex the plot was. There are also subplots, though nothing too overwhelming. The plots connect well and make sense. I also like that there is more to the story than you think when you are first introduced to it.Overall I enjoyed the plot and found it to be a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be.Setting:The world takes some getting used to, but once I did, I found it easy to enjoy. While I do have trouble remembering all of the different names of the lands and kingdoms, I found the world itself to be interesting. I especially liked Princess Arista's tower, the tower Esrahaddon was imprisoned in, and Dalhgren.Characters:There are a lot of characters and I worried at keeping them all apart, but for the most part that ended up being easier than I imagined it would be.The main characters, Hadrian and Royce, make a good team. I enjoyed Hadrian's humor, nonchalant attitude toward danger, and good heart (the desire to do good deeds) but I also liked Royce's comebacks, his softer side, and his sullenness.Myron the monk is by far my favorite character so far. He is sweet, naive, and just so clueless, but in a childlike way. I find his ability to recall entire books and memories to be fascinating as well. He hasn't always had it easy, either, and I can't wait to see where his journey goes.I also really liked Esrahaddon the wizard though I was very glad when he began to talk in modern words because the language he was using when he was introduced was almost unbearable. I also enjoyed his humor and stubbornness. I liked him better in the second book because he isn't around for too long in the first.Princess Arista and Thrace are also great female characters. Each possesses their own strengths and weaknesses. This is a world in which men are preferred to women so it was nice to see some female characters who were able to fight their way past that. I especially admired Arista's courage and passion, as well as her desire to have more freedom when her servants and bodyguard were stifling her. I also loved Thrace's devotion toward her father, even when he didn't deserve it.I didn't care for Thrace's father, Theorn, at first. He was a complete ass to his daughter, who had traveled a long distance and risked her safety as well as used her own money to save his life. I ended up liking him later on, once he realized what a great daughter he had left, and was a little sad at his faith.While he isn't exactly a "good" character, I enjoy Magnus the dwarf and his wit.I also enjoy Count Pickerling's sons. Prince/King Alric was okay, too, but didn't make as much of an impression on me as some of the other characters.The evil characters were well fleshed out and while I didn't really care for any of them, I liked that they were complex and not always totally "bad."I am also intrigued by Gwen, and hope she will have a more prominent role later on.Relationships:As previously mentioned, Hadrian and Royce make a great team. I like how they interact with one another and in a way, counter-balance one another.There aren't really any romantic relationships that are explored, other than a hint of Royce having a long term one with Gwen, but it's kind of refreshing to not have romance in the spotlight.I also loved Thrace's relationship with her father once he finally opened her eyes and saw her.And while I didn't particularly like this relationship, I found Princess Arista's relationship with "Sauly" to be interesting.I'm intrigued by the relationship between Princess Arista and her bodyguard. They have an interesting history and I am curious to see if anything happens between them later on. I feel like there is something there, but I could also be imaging things.Writing/Voice:The writing and voice was much better than I expected it to be. The book, for the most part, was easy to read and understand. I had no problems getting into the characters or understanding their motives and personalities. There were times where I felt like the detail and explanations of the world went over my head, but for the most part I understood what was going on and the history as well.Ending:The ending of the last book seems to be going in an interesting direction. I probably won't be able to read the next two books anytime soon, but I am definitely going to be finishing the series.Overall, I really enjoyed this and I'm glad my husband asked me to read it. The history of how it got published is also pretty interesting.

I have been reading for pleasure since the early 1980s and I have not been paid or given any incentive for this review. I have confirmed purchase of each of these books on Amazon for my Kindle Paperwhite and I am writing this review for all of the Riyria novels and will post this for each. Please see the authors’ notes for reading order of this series but this review is based on reading in chronological order:The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles)The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles)The Death of Dulgath (The Riyria Chronicles)Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations)Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations)Heir of Novron (Riyria Revelations)Author Michael J. Sullivan has a gift. After 20 years I have a new favorite series and Michael J. Sullivan has another dedicated reader and fan. This series, and the writing style, takes me back to the old school days of Robert E. Howard in way… Each book stands on its own. It is a very clear story/adventure that starts and concludes in a single volume so it can be read one at a time or binged all at once. The thing that differentiates it is that the series, in its entirety, is also a single epic adventure that starts in The Crown Tower and concludes in Heir of Novron. So taken individually each book is excellent and as a complete epic it more than satisfies. Like others have stated as well I was sad to read the end of it simply knowing that this particular tale was ending while at the same time that ending had enough adventure, emotion, humanity, and twists and turns that I was also happy to read the final pages. As an example the end of Glen Cook’s The Black Company ended poetically and perfectly so too does the story of Riyria.What I took away from this series was a story following the two main characters, Hadrian and Royce, and was about humanity, morality, pain and loss, redemption, family and brotherhood. The two main protagonists and nearly opposite sides of the same coin but that coin is an old tarnished, beaten, and used coin with its faces faded from the wear of life in a medieval fantasy world. There is no typical heroes journey, no larger than life heroics, no immortality of characters that often plagues the genre. These are characters who are nuanced and believable, so much so that some have complained it is not realistic that the two protagonists would be together at all. To any who thought that I say just read on… there is no mystical fate forcing them together or any overused fantasy tropes, there is just strong character design and development, written by an author with a gift for bringing his imagination to the printed page.The author starts the seeds of the story in the first book and nothing is wasted or filler. Small scenes in one book, with characters you may or may not think to ever see again, but can have an impact further down the road. This is like real life. If you help someone on the street or donating to charity, you may just be doing something that will change the world someday. You will meet an excellent cast of secondary and supporting characters who may come and go in the story but while they are there they are real characters and create real moments in time. Whether you see the impact or the characters again I will not say anything to spoil the story but as far as the characters development and the story itself Michael J. Sullivan did not waste your time with stand-in or generic stereotypical filler roles.The individual stories each touched upon different adventures… breaking into an impregnable tower, a high seas adventure, a dungeon crawl, etc, giving each book its own unique feel and never a retread. This works well with the overall storyline for the entire series as well and in the end the payoff is well worth your time and money spent.In regards to reading order, the author suggests publishing order, and I can understand why, but I hate prequels. I do not like knowing where the end is before I read something, so I read in chronological order and I am glad that I did. Seeing the beginning gave me, personally, a better feel for where the characters came from to where they were when the final volume concluded. I am sure these books can be enjoyed either order so use your personal preference when choosing. I cannot rate these books in any kind of order of enjoyment because overall I have come to look at it as one volume or one story. There were no weak books or weak stories to my taste so I will not try to critique it down to arbitrary ratings based on personal preferences… you cannot judge the arts technically… only how they impact you and your enjoyment.Give this series a try if you are looking for something a little different from the glut of current fantasy out there today.

I didn't realise until I was well into this that it was two books in an omnibus edition. I read the first, The Crown Conspiracy, so this is only a review of that one. I was looking for some fantasy or science-fictional heist books and this was on someone's ten-best-heist books list. Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater are thieves, successful enough that they haven't been caught yet. Royce is the lock-picker and Hadrian the brilliant swordsman from a good family (and we only get hints of what brought him to thieving for a living). They are careful to plan out every heist carefully, but they get into a spot of bother when they fall for a sob story and unwisely take on a job to steal a sword from the king's chapel. It's a set up. What they find in the chapel is the body of the king and they are framed for the murder. It's looking bleak when the king's daughter makes them an offer. She'll let them out of the dungeon if they will steal something else for her. She wants them to steal the prince, the new heir to the throne. Their kidnap job turns into a rescue and they face a plot to take over the throne. It's a straightforward read with a simple plot and a cast of engaging characters. (Yes I will read the second one, but not right now.)

Alright, but nothing special. The story felt half-baked and rushed. The characters are bland and the plot is a bit simple, with far too convenient and neat endings. I didn't feel any connection to Hadrian or Royce or know anything about them. Were they supposed to be funny? The writing was clunky, veering from paragraph long information dumps that the characters already know, to not telling us enough to keep us connected.But worst of all is the amount of cliches. For some reason the book is promoted as subverting tropes, but this isn't true at all. There is a host of the usual cliches you've read in so many other fantasy novels. Secret heir, rescuing the princess (twice), evil schemes for world domination, poor damsels in distress, dwarves who work with stone and elves who live long lives in the forest, basically the same medieval Europe world-building in all other fantasy.The depiction of women is particularly lazy, they basically don't do anything in the story except look pretty (in fact their only characteristic is their beauty) and get rescued by men. I was sick of Thrace constantly doing nothing except crying for her Daddy and the completely unnecessary rape scene (that is immediately forgotten because it served no purpose) was stupid. What was the point of Arista, especially in the second book? She sat around, acted like an idiot and then got rescued. Rescuing the princess is a lazy cliche, even worse when it's done twice.

I was looking forward to this book having read the myths and legends series first, but it's no where near as good. The story is fine. The writing style is good, easy, fun to read. I really like the two main characters. However I was left really disappointed by the representation of the female characters. Weak, poorly thought out, and not representative of any women I know. Arista is the single most annoying character I've come across. It's a shame as she could have been a lot more and still had the same story/outcome. I really struggled to continue reading her parts at times and while I understand wanting to keep to familiar fantasy tropes, some of them really can be updated and add to the story.

This was an absolute joy to read. Theft of Swords contains books one (The Crown Conspiracy) and two (Avempartha) of a six book series (The Riyria Revelations) and in addition there's a prequel trilogy (The Riyria Chronicles) but the author recommends that you read the six book series first.The main protagonists are Royce and Hadrain; an expert thief and warrior respectively and they are a dynamic duo for hire operating independently from local Guilds and are known for being the best at what they do. And it's during one of these jobs that everything goes wrong and the full story kicks into gear.They deal with Knights, Princesses, Kings, Dwarfs, Monks, Wizards, Towers along the way and end up in more crazy adventures as the story progresses.There's nothing ground breaking here - deliberately so - Michael J Sullivan has created a series using traditional fantasy tropes and he makes no apologies for it. None are needed because he has created an amazing world that I cannot wait to jump back into. The world building, characters and story arc are all excellent but I have to single out the prose and dialogue for stellar praise. The back and forth between the characters is a joy; funny, realistic and organic. The prose is unfussy and clean; helping to push the story along well. The pacing is perfect.Another triumph is the fact that the author has created a story arc that (so far) will stretch for two entire series but at the same time each novel is a story that has a beginning, middle and end; that is such a great skill and gives the reader the enjoyment of a resolution and conclusion each time whilst also teasing us with what is to come. There will be a sentence or throw away comment that is important later; I love that. Who are the good guys and who can be trusted and how will it all link together....? I don't know but I can't wait to find out.10/10

OK, now I like Michael Sullivan's Riyria series but reading Rise of Empire and Theft of Swords is made rather frustrating by the fact that the characters frequently allow themselves to fall into completely ridiculous situations. Hadrian and especially Royce are the legendary street-smart thieves oozing deadly experience yet end up clapped in chains more often that an S&M brothel prostitute. I kept thinking "Oh come on, surely he's not going to walk into there...oh he is..um..ok". Its really annoying.An example would be Hadrian walking into the nationalist camp and ordering Parker around and then suddenly finding himself in chains, again. I mean, wasn't he told the nationalists would blame Arista for the disapperance of Gaunt? Yes, he was but for some reason was utterly surprised when this happened. Its a bit ridiculous. I think Hadrian and Royce end up in prison/chains several times each novel, which isn't really all that cred worthy for two legendary thieves.