Heir of Novron: Riyria Revelations, Volume 3

How many of you have read a series and loved everything about it only to get to the last book and be completely disappointed? *raises hand* So many time that has happened to me, especially when I’ve read books back to back and I get to the end an stuff from the last book doesn’t even fit in with stuff from the first book…I mean it does fit if you’ve had a drink or three and look at it while standing on your head while trying to balance a set of plates with you feet. But, not on a normal Tuesday. Well have no fear….this is exactly the opposite of that. First, lets just say that the revelations at the end of book 6 totally fall in line with all the revelations made along the way. How did Michael J. Sullivan accomplish this you might ask? Well I’ll tell you young grasshopper. He didn’t publish any of the books until the entire thing was complete. That’s right! He had the luxury of editing stuff throughout to make it perfect and it was. There were so many great characters and moment throughout the entire series that I don’t think I can pick just one. I loved the bromance: Hadrian and Royce make the perfect bromantic couple ever. They are totally in my top 3 of all time for sure. *** “You can’t kill Myron, Royce,” Hadrian said, rapidly pulling the monk away as if he had found a child playing with a wild bear. “It would be like killing a puppy.” *** Best philosophical monk ever: Myron had some amazing words of wisdom for our heroes in their most desperate hours. *** “A beautiful day might bring disaster, while a day that begins trapped inside an ancient toom, might be the best one of your life. If you don't abandon hope on pleasent days, why do so on those that begin poorly?” *** Strong female characters There isn’t a single girl just waiting for prince charming to come along. They are all strong independant flawed and beautiful. *** Awe begot respect; respect begot confidence; confidence begot courage, and she needed her people to be brave. She needed them to cast aside their doubts even in the face of a terrible growing shadow. She needed them to believe in the wisdom of a young woman even when faced with annihilation. *** There is a god walking among men seeking redemption - we find out who he is and I was a bit surprised….but I shouldn’t have been looking back on everything. And there is just enough romance that my shippy heart was happy - if you know me at all you know I love to find a couple to root for and I found a few in this series. Enough to keep all the girl parts of my satisfied. Finally the Author had me with his dedication *** “This book is entirely dedicated to my wife, Robin Sullivan. Some have asked how it is I write such strong women without resorting to putting swords in their hands. It is because of her. She is Arista. She is Thrace. She is Modina. She is Amilia. And she is my Gwen. This series has been a tribute to her. This is your book, Robin. *** I don’t want to say much more because I loved how this all turned out. There were all the moments I look for in a book I love. -moments to make you laugh -moments that squeeze your heart -moments that you cheer -moments that you dred -and finally that moment when you see it all to the end and feel like you want to jump back to page 1 of book 1 and start all over again. This is one of the most underrated fantasy series I’ve read. If you like any of the things I list above you should read this as soon as possible.

Really a 3.5, but marked up for being one of the rippingest escapist page-turners I've ever read. I don't see much of lasting value in here: it is not a cultural critique, the prose is not especially worthy, and it certainly is not a novel of ideas like Bakker, nor imaginative like Sanderson, nor both like Islington, nor is it a novel of great and original insight into the human condition like Heinlein at his best. It's a generic medieval fantasy of thieves which plays all the tropes straight, and plays them like Leif Ove Andsnes. That being said, Sullivan succeeded in creating such a ripping pace packed with twists - the last 500 pages of this book read like the climax followed by a 20-page denouement - that I'd feel wrong giving it much less. Even though a few twists are predictable (Nilnev = Venlin), the sheer quantity of them is fit to purpose. The first fiction book that's kept me up late since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows back when I was 19 or 20.

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 will start this off by saying that Wintertide, which is book five, left me feeling like the previous books in the series but had an ending that left my jaw dropped. However Percepliquis, which is book six and the finale, WAS A MASTERPIECE! Percepliquis was everything that I wanted from a story and so much more. I can finally appreciate what Michael J. Sullivan was trying to do because of how wonderfully executed that final book was. It collectively utilized the world and the characters so harmoniously that the story just flowed so seamlessly. I adored all the character arcs so much to the point where I was audibly gasping and squealing at some of the turning points and reveals and happy endings. The part that made me cheer and smile the most was one word and that was Mercy, and that is all I will say on that! I was just so pleased with this book and if this is what Michael J. Sullivan can continue to do for me then I am so eager to continue with his catalogues of books.

I hate coming to the end of a fabulous series. It is like saying goodbye to old friends. This has been a very good set of stories. Well crafted , told with art and passion. It had enough twist and turns to keep the reader engaged. I like both the protagonists and the ever changing side kicks. The hook and the escapes was good. Very entertaining. Here is what keeps this from being an outstanding series. The Villain. Through out this whole series we readers needed a heinous Villain. The Author keeps the real Villain hid and substitutes a variety of henchmen. While entertaining it lacks the punch this series needed to put it over. In this genre of storytelling the Villain makes or breaks the story. The Villain must be worthy of his hatred , the vileness that the readers must feel as we move from storyline to storyline. I really wanted to hate Merrick , Saldur , or any of the other dozen henchmen put forth. The Author just couldn’t quite get me there. Then here at the end , the real Villain breaks from the shadows and for a brief period he almost rises to the occasion. Almost. I hope his next efforts will be as well done as these have been. I wish him luck

I started with the Riyria Chronicles. Because it was taking too long for the next one to be published, I started reading the Riyria Revelations. While a good series, it did not truly grab me until the very last book. The author once said that he wrote the series together as a layered story. The series seemed pretty straightforward until the last book where all the plots, even those seemingly random and disconnected, intersected in a masterful web of storytelling. There were twists that the reader could see coming, and then crazy twists that I failed to see, but in retrospect were very well integrated into the book. The characters are what made this series so enjoyable for me. You follow them through their ups and downs, as the kingdoms slowly descend into madness despite their best efforts and small victories. It is a great example of what fantasy can be.

I was exhausted after this book. Emotionally and physically. I read nonstop over the weekend to finish the Riyria Revelations, averaging 4 hours of sleep, forgetting to eat. I wasn’t done though. As soon as I finished the Revelations series, I picked up the Chronicles. Reviews for those will have to be next week. Anyways... What an ending. I called it. My suspicion of who the heir was by the end of Rise of Empire was right. Yay me. I shamefully admit that I skimmed and even skipped certain sections. If anyone has read my other reviews, they’ll know I’m a 100% devoted to Royce’s character. That means I can’t really be bothered with other story lines. It’s a reading habit that I absolutely despise. Luckily, I can count on one hand the number of characters that have done this to me. As I said before, sure there are characters in books that I love... adore, even. But few ensnare me as Royce did. Kvothe is one. Sorna another. None more than Raistlin. But Royce came in only second to Raistlin, who I don’t think can ever be topped, in my humble opinion. You’ll notice that all these are characters who start from the bottom and try to overcome all the hell they’ve been through. I love those characters. They make me feel strong. They give me hope. They make me take a step back and not be so judgmental of others. They remind me not to focus on the bad stuff I’ve been through, cause I didn’t have anything nearly as horrible as them. Sure, they’re fictional, but isn’t there truth in fiction? My biggest beef with the beginning of this book is there wasn’t enough Royce and Hadrian time. I needed them to spend more time together. Even if I wasn’t as addicted to Royce, the other parts were extremely slow. I cried in this book. And I like to cry in a book. I like to be moved. I could cry right now remembering why I cried. That’s powerful stuff. I’ve already read both of the Chronicle books, and I agree with Sullivan that reading them in the order he published is a good idea (Revelations before the Chronicle). I think it keeps things just a bit more mysterious. I, however (in perhaps a year or so), plan to read them in chronological order. And I plan to not skim this time. I know the ending, so I can slow down. Furthermore, I believe Sullivan added tiny tidbits here and there that would be jewels to find, now I know what to look for. I think it’d be fun. Oh, and Mr. Sullivan, if you read this, I’d absolutely love a book that follows Royce throughout his childhood up until he meets Hadrian. And I’d love love love more stories of Hadrian and Royce doing some exciting jobs. Their banter and interaction is great. So to conclude, this series has shot up to my favorite top five and I’m a huge fan of Sullivan.

In Wintertide, we get the conclusion of what I'll call the "local" plot that has been building over the last three books. The Church is preparing to consolidate its power by marrying the puppet Empress to its chosen regent and by executing Arista and Degan Gaunt, the leader of the Nationalists and the heir of Novron. It's up to Royce and Hadrian to stop all of that. In Percepliquis, everything comes together from the previous five books as our heroes literally face the end of the world with the invasion of the immortal elves from the east. Royce, Hadrian, Arista, and Alric must first find the eponymous city of Percepliquis, retrieve the Horn of Glyindora, and return before the elves arrive, or else mankind will be obliterated. This is a quest-type book similar in structure to The Emerald Storm and Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest, but thankfully, there are still plenty of twists and turns even this late in the game. Overall, The Riyria Revelations is a fantastic fantasy series full of memorable characters and a well-developed world.

I have had this book to read for a while. I really have enjoyed all of the previous books in this series. This book did an absolutely wonderful job tying up the series and I really enjoyed it. I actually read book 5, Wintertide, first and then read Book 6, Percepliquis, a bit later. They are reviewed below separately. Book 5: Wintertide The New Empire plans to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a Wintertide celebration. The celebration will include Modina's marriage and the execution of both Arista and Degan Gaunt (the suppose Heir of Novron). A lot major events happen in this book. Basically the Empire is finally starting to stabilize but the actual Heir of Novron is still a mystery. The biggest surprise in this book was Thrace/Modina finally starting to take some action towards the end of the book. With Modina silent most of the story the focus shifts to Lady Amilia, the poor kitchen girl who has been shoved into dangerous politics and forced to take on responsibilities she never imagined having. Amilia is a wonderful character and she carries the story well. She is tough and smart and has learned a lot, but she still makes some mistakes. It was fun to see Hadrian forced into the role of a knight competing in a tournament. He was definitely out of his comfort zone here. We get to learn a lot more about why Hadrian is who he is and that story focuses a lot on Hadrian too. Royce was in the story, but definitely wasn't the focus. Basically the plot between him and Gwen is developed some and you see him shifting away from Riyria and more towards a normal life. The plot is epic in porportions and while many questions are answered, there are still many questions to be answered in the final book Percepilquis. For example; Who is the Heir of Novron really? What is this mysterious horn that is supposed to stop a great darkness? What is this great darkness? This was actually a surprisingly short book considering how long these books normally are. Book 6: Percepliquis The Elves are matching on the Kingdom of men and destroying everything in their wake. The only hope is for Arista, Hadrian, and Royce is to journey to the ancient city of Perceliquis and find the Horn there. The Horn is supposed to be the way to defeat the Elves once and for all. This was a long, long, long book. However I enjoyed every minute of it. The book is split between Arista/Hadrian/Royce journeying to Percepliquis and Modina dealing with the Elven invasion. I absolutely loved Arista and crew's journey and adventure. There were so many wonderful discoveries and monster encounters. It made for a fun read. I love that Myron joined them on the journey, he adds a lot of wisdom and humor to the mix. Royce is still reeling from the events in the Wintertide. As expected he is depressed and a bit hard to deal with. Hadrian is trying to do his job protecting the Heir of Novron but is finding Degan Gaunt to be a hard man to deal with. Arista grows a lot in this book and a lot of the book is about her. She really comes into her own and starts to realize her own power and test her limits. She struggles a bit with the strong willed men in her group, but ends up finding a pretty good balance. Modina is amazing, her transformation to Empress is stunning (and sometimes a bit unbelievable). We rarely see glimpses of the young girl she was. There are a number of twists and turns at the end. A couple of surprises (one of which I saw coming). Things are tied up in a way that is neat and makes the reader feel happy and fulfilled. Overall this whole series has been absolutely wonderful. This series is right up there in my list of favorite fantasy series of all time. This is true fantasy and it is done well. There is adventure, intrigue, humor, and heartache. There are strong female and strong male characters. Everything is well balanced and it was just a joy to read. The books are long but they don't feel long when you are reading them. This whole series is highly, highly recommended to fantasy lovers.

Alas, I cannot rate this as high as its predecessors. I give it a flat 4.0. If you haven't read them, go back to Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire. I have reviewed them as well. If you've wrapped those up and are considering the next step, DIVE IN! Heir of Novron is packed with the same cunning and delightful adventures as the previous two novels. It's a highly entertaining read filled with characters you can't help but love. Despite having elements typical of fantasy (rival nations, epic wars, empires, elves, dwarves, goblins, etc.), these novels aren't ABOUT that. They're about how the adventures of two VERY unlikely companions who both love and loathe one another impact the world, largely by happenstance. Their sticky situations and close calls never get dull, and if you're like me you'll find yourself wanting to meet these guys and observe their antics in the real world. If only! (And thankfully not)! The series is filled with daring, cunning, adventure, twists, and turns, and this third novel is no exception! So why the four stars? Well, there are good chunks of this novel that seem rather bogged down by the religious aspect. I don't generally mind the use of religion in books, but it seemed to keep pounding itself into this one and it got to be a bit much, in my opinion. Despite that, it's a delightful read and I highly recommend it!

How many of you have read a series and loved everything about it only to get to the last book and be completely disappointed? *raises hand* So many time that has happened to me, especially when I’ve read books back to back and I get to the end an stuff from the last book doesn’t even fit in with stuff from the first book…I mean it does fit if you’ve had a drink or three and look at it while standing on your head while trying to balance a set of plates with you feet. But, not on a normal Tuesday. Well have no fear….this is exactly the opposite of that. First, lets just say that the revelations at the end of book 6 totally fall in line with all the revelations made along the way. How did Michael J. Sullivan accomplish this you might ask? Well I’ll tell you young grasshopper. He didn’t publish any of the books until the entire thing was complete. That’s right! He had the luxury of editing stuff throughout to make it perfect and it was. There were so many great characters and moment throughout the entire series that I don’t think I can pick just one. I loved the bromance: Hadrian and Royce make the perfect bromantic couple ever. They are totally in my top 3 of all time for sure. *** “You can’t kill Myron, Royce,” Hadrian said, rapidly pulling the monk away as if he had found a child playing with a wild bear. “It would be like killing a puppy.” *** Best philosophical monk ever: Myron had some amazing words of wisdom for our heroes in their most desperate hours. *** “A beautiful day might bring disaster, while a day that begins trapped inside an ancient toom, might be the best one of your life. If you don't abandon hope on pleasent days, why do so on those that begin poorly?” *** Strong female characters There isn’t a single girl just waiting for prince charming to come along. They are all strong independant flawed and beautiful. *** Awe begot respect; respect begot confidence; confidence begot courage, and she needed her people to be brave. She needed them to cast aside their doubts even in the face of a terrible growing shadow. She needed them to believe in the wisdom of a young woman even when faced with annihilation. *** There is a god walking among men seeking redemption - we find out who he is and I was a bit surprised….but I shouldn’t have been looking back on everything. And there is just enough romance that my shippy heart was happy - if you know me at all you know I love to find a couple to root for and I found a few in this series. Enough to keep all the girl parts of my satisfied. Finally the Author had me with his dedication *** “This book is entirely dedicated to my wife, Robin Sullivan. Some have asked how it is I write such strong women without resorting to putting swords in their hands. It is because of her. She is Arista. She is Thrace. She is Modina. She is Amilia. And she is my Gwen. This series has been a tribute to her. This is your book, Robin. *** I don’t want to say much more because I loved how this all turned out. There were all the moments I look for in a book I love. -moments to make you laugh -moments that squeeze your heart -moments that you cheer -moments that you dred -and finally that moment when you see it all to the end and feel like you want to jump back to page 1 of book 1 and start all over again. This is one of the most underrated fantasy series I’ve read. If you like any of the things I list above you should read this as soon as possible.

Really a 3.5, but marked up for being one of the rippingest escapist page-turners I've ever read. I don't see much of lasting value in here: it is not a cultural critique, the prose is not especially worthy, and it certainly is not a novel of ideas like Bakker, nor imaginative like Sanderson, nor both like Islington, nor is it a novel of great and original insight into the human condition like Heinlein at his best. It's a generic medieval fantasy of thieves which plays all the tropes straight, and plays them like Leif Ove Andsnes. That being said, Sullivan succeeded in creating such a ripping pace packed with twists - the last 500 pages of this book read like the climax followed by a 20-page denouement - that I'd feel wrong giving it much less. Even though a few twists are predictable (Nilnev = Venlin), the sheer quantity of them is fit to purpose. The first fiction book that's kept me up late since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows back when I was 19 or 20.

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 will start this off by saying that Wintertide, which is book five, left me feeling like the previous books in the series but had an ending that left my jaw dropped. However Percepliquis, which is book six and the finale, WAS A MASTERPIECE! Percepliquis was everything that I wanted from a story and so much more. I can finally appreciate what Michael J. Sullivan was trying to do because of how wonderfully executed that final book was. It collectively utilized the world and the characters so harmoniously that the story just flowed so seamlessly. I adored all the character arcs so much to the point where I was audibly gasping and squealing at some of the turning points and reveals and happy endings. The part that made me cheer and smile the most was one word and that was Mercy, and that is all I will say on that! I was just so pleased with this book and if this is what Michael J. Sullivan can continue to do for me then I am so eager to continue with his catalogues of books.

I hate coming to the end of a fabulous series. It is like saying goodbye to old friends. This has been a very good set of stories. Well crafted , told with art and passion. It had enough twist and turns to keep the reader engaged. I like both the protagonists and the ever changing side kicks. The hook and the escapes was good. Very entertaining. Here is what keeps this from being an outstanding series. The Villain. Through out this whole series we readers needed a heinous Villain. The Author keeps the real Villain hid and substitutes a variety of henchmen. While entertaining it lacks the punch this series needed to put it over. In this genre of storytelling the Villain makes or breaks the story. The Villain must be worthy of his hatred , the vileness that the readers must feel as we move from storyline to storyline. I really wanted to hate Merrick , Saldur , or any of the other dozen henchmen put forth. The Author just couldn’t quite get me there. Then here at the end , the real Villain breaks from the shadows and for a brief period he almost rises to the occasion. Almost. I hope his next efforts will be as well done as these have been. I wish him luck

I started with the Riyria Chronicles. Because it was taking too long for the next one to be published, I started reading the Riyria Revelations. While a good series, it did not truly grab me until the very last book. The author once said that he wrote the series together as a layered story. The series seemed pretty straightforward until the last book where all the plots, even those seemingly random and disconnected, intersected in a masterful web of storytelling. There were twists that the reader could see coming, and then crazy twists that I failed to see, but in retrospect were very well integrated into the book. The characters are what made this series so enjoyable for me. You follow them through their ups and downs, as the kingdoms slowly descend into madness despite their best efforts and small victories. It is a great example of what fantasy can be.

I was exhausted after this book. Emotionally and physically. I read nonstop over the weekend to finish the Riyria Revelations, averaging 4 hours of sleep, forgetting to eat. I wasn’t done though. As soon as I finished the Revelations series, I picked up the Chronicles. Reviews for those will have to be next week. Anyways... What an ending. I called it. My suspicion of who the heir was by the end of Rise of Empire was right. Yay me. I shamefully admit that I skimmed and even skipped certain sections. If anyone has read my other reviews, they’ll know I’m a 100% devoted to Royce’s character. That means I can’t really be bothered with other story lines. It’s a reading habit that I absolutely despise. Luckily, I can count on one hand the number of characters that have done this to me. As I said before, sure there are characters in books that I love... adore, even. But few ensnare me as Royce did. Kvothe is one. Sorna another. None more than Raistlin. But Royce came in only second to Raistlin, who I don’t think can ever be topped, in my humble opinion. You’ll notice that all these are characters who start from the bottom and try to overcome all the hell they’ve been through. I love those characters. They make me feel strong. They give me hope. They make me take a step back and not be so judgmental of others. They remind me not to focus on the bad stuff I’ve been through, cause I didn’t have anything nearly as horrible as them. Sure, they’re fictional, but isn’t there truth in fiction? My biggest beef with the beginning of this book is there wasn’t enough Royce and Hadrian time. I needed them to spend more time together. Even if I wasn’t as addicted to Royce, the other parts were extremely slow. I cried in this book. And I like to cry in a book. I like to be moved. I could cry right now remembering why I cried. That’s powerful stuff. I’ve already read both of the Chronicle books, and I agree with Sullivan that reading them in the order he published is a good idea (Revelations before the Chronicle). I think it keeps things just a bit more mysterious. I, however (in perhaps a year or so), plan to read them in chronological order. And I plan to not skim this time. I know the ending, so I can slow down. Furthermore, I believe Sullivan added tiny tidbits here and there that would be jewels to find, now I know what to look for. I think it’d be fun. Oh, and Mr. Sullivan, if you read this, I’d absolutely love a book that follows Royce throughout his childhood up until he meets Hadrian. And I’d love love love more stories of Hadrian and Royce doing some exciting jobs. Their banter and interaction is great. So to conclude, this series has shot up to my favorite top five and I’m a huge fan of Sullivan.

In Wintertide, we get the conclusion of what I'll call the "local" plot that has been building over the last three books. The Church is preparing to consolidate its power by marrying the puppet Empress to its chosen regent and by executing Arista and Degan Gaunt, the leader of the Nationalists and the heir of Novron. It's up to Royce and Hadrian to stop all of that. In Percepliquis, everything comes together from the previous five books as our heroes literally face the end of the world with the invasion of the immortal elves from the east. Royce, Hadrian, Arista, and Alric must first find the eponymous city of Percepliquis, retrieve the Horn of Glyindora, and return before the elves arrive, or else mankind will be obliterated. This is a quest-type book similar in structure to The Emerald Storm and Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest, but thankfully, there are still plenty of twists and turns even this late in the game. Overall, The Riyria Revelations is a fantastic fantasy series full of memorable characters and a well-developed world.

I have had this book to read for a while. I really have enjoyed all of the previous books in this series. This book did an absolutely wonderful job tying up the series and I really enjoyed it. I actually read book 5, Wintertide, first and then read Book 6, Percepliquis, a bit later. They are reviewed below separately. Book 5: Wintertide The New Empire plans to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a Wintertide celebration. The celebration will include Modina's marriage and the execution of both Arista and Degan Gaunt (the suppose Heir of Novron). A lot major events happen in this book. Basically the Empire is finally starting to stabilize but the actual Heir of Novron is still a mystery. The biggest surprise in this book was Thrace/Modina finally starting to take some action towards the end of the book. With Modina silent most of the story the focus shifts to Lady Amilia, the poor kitchen girl who has been shoved into dangerous politics and forced to take on responsibilities she never imagined having. Amilia is a wonderful character and she carries the story well. She is tough and smart and has learned a lot, but she still makes some mistakes. It was fun to see Hadrian forced into the role of a knight competing in a tournament. He was definitely out of his comfort zone here. We get to learn a lot more about why Hadrian is who he is and that story focuses a lot on Hadrian too. Royce was in the story, but definitely wasn't the focus. Basically the plot between him and Gwen is developed some and you see him shifting away from Riyria and more towards a normal life. The plot is epic in porportions and while many questions are answered, there are still many questions to be answered in the final book Percepilquis. For example; Who is the Heir of Novron really? What is this mysterious horn that is supposed to stop a great darkness? What is this great darkness? This was actually a surprisingly short book considering how long these books normally are. Book 6: Percepliquis The Elves are matching on the Kingdom of men and destroying everything in their wake. The only hope is for Arista, Hadrian, and Royce is to journey to the ancient city of Perceliquis and find the Horn there. The Horn is supposed to be the way to defeat the Elves once and for all. This was a long, long, long book. However I enjoyed every minute of it. The book is split between Arista/Hadrian/Royce journeying to Percepliquis and Modina dealing with the Elven invasion. I absolutely loved Arista and crew's journey and adventure. There were so many wonderful discoveries and monster encounters. It made for a fun read. I love that Myron joined them on the journey, he adds a lot of wisdom and humor to the mix. Royce is still reeling from the events in the Wintertide. As expected he is depressed and a bit hard to deal with. Hadrian is trying to do his job protecting the Heir of Novron but is finding Degan Gaunt to be a hard man to deal with. Arista grows a lot in this book and a lot of the book is about her. She really comes into her own and starts to realize her own power and test her limits. She struggles a bit with the strong willed men in her group, but ends up finding a pretty good balance. Modina is amazing, her transformation to Empress is stunning (and sometimes a bit unbelievable). We rarely see glimpses of the young girl she was. There are a number of twists and turns at the end. A couple of surprises (one of which I saw coming). Things are tied up in a way that is neat and makes the reader feel happy and fulfilled. Overall this whole series has been absolutely wonderful. This series is right up there in my list of favorite fantasy series of all time. This is true fantasy and it is done well. There is adventure, intrigue, humor, and heartache. There are strong female and strong male characters. Everything is well balanced and it was just a joy to read. The books are long but they don't feel long when you are reading them. This whole series is highly, highly recommended to fantasy lovers.

Alas, I cannot rate this as high as its predecessors. I give it a flat 4.0. If you haven't read them, go back to Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire. I have reviewed them as well. If you've wrapped those up and are considering the next step, DIVE IN! Heir of Novron is packed with the same cunning and delightful adventures as the previous two novels. It's a highly entertaining read filled with characters you can't help but love. Despite having elements typical of fantasy (rival nations, epic wars, empires, elves, dwarves, goblins, etc.), these novels aren't ABOUT that. They're about how the adventures of two VERY unlikely companions who both love and loathe one another impact the world, largely by happenstance. Their sticky situations and close calls never get dull, and if you're like me you'll find yourself wanting to meet these guys and observe their antics in the real world. If only! (And thankfully not)! The series is filled with daring, cunning, adventure, twists, and turns, and this third novel is no exception! So why the four stars? Well, there are good chunks of this novel that seem rather bogged down by the religious aspect. I don't generally mind the use of religion in books, but it seemed to keep pounding itself into this one and it got to be a bit much, in my opinion. Despite that, it's a delightful read and I highly recommend it!

Absolute perfection. Michael J. Sullivan's "The Riyria Chronicles" is the pinnacle of fantasy ficion. Their was nothing more I could have hoped for with the conclusion of this wonderful adventure. My only regret now is being finished. I will miss the characters from these novels more so than any other I have read in a very long time. I wish to thank Mr. Sullivan for giving Royce, Hadrian, Arista, Thrace/Modina and so many great characters to his readers. I was moved by so many of them. Arista and Hadrian, Amilia and Sir Breckton, Royce and Gwen. Royce and Mercy. Renwick, Mince and the gang. And, the surprise of Nimbus. All beautifully crafted and fleshed out. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures and the struggles and the battles. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion throughout this last book. That is how much I grew to love these characters. When a reader becomes this emotionally invested in the lives of fictional creations, then the author has done a top notch job. This series rivals all fantasy adventures I have read in the past. This, for me, out ranks The Lord of the Ring trilogy. Far outpaces all of T. Brooks Shanara works. And stands alone with The Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis/Hickman as the epitome of this genre.

Second time through these last six (or would that be the first six as written). Just read the three new prequels and had to back through them all. I'm still as impressed as I was the first time, only I wasn't racing through them at break neck speed and enjoyed them even more. The protagonists are fully fleshed out and realistic, characters grow and change and suffer loss and become better for it. I hate what I call 'dragons and fireballs' fantasy, I prefer historic adventure with a bit of the fantastic thrown in. I cannot tolerate smut or books that rely on gore and violence to carry the story, so in my opinion this is just about one of the best fantasy series out there. Clever, well thought out, with characters you fall in love with and an unexpected ending that wraps everything up and leaves you feeling that all is right with the world. Don't be intimidated by the length of the books, they play out as a movie. Enjoy!

"Heir of Novron" is an omnibus that contains book five, "Wintertide", and book six, "Percepliquis", in the "Riyria Revelations" series. Both of these books redeemed the series for me, and I found them a good, satisfying conclusion to the story. These two books focus a lot more on political intrigue and there is a fun archeological type journey in the last book as the story finds it way to the lost city of Percepliquis. I especially enjoyed the author's view of what it means to be a knight, as personified in Sir Breckton when he described the knight's code of conduct in "Wintertide". The author's description includes the admirable qualities and motivations for the classical "knight in shining armor" - all of those things that are rarely seen in normal characters as men are typically corrupted by the real world. I liken this to what I saw in Marine Corps boot camp to what I saw in the actual fleet. The series remains free from sex and profanity, but these last two stories take a bit of a darker tone with some brutal treatment of prisoners and the Empress. Fortunately, the author was not overly graphic in his descriptions, but you can feel the depravity of man and the harsh conditions people endured. I enjoyed the six-book/three-omnibus series. It doesn't rank up there with J.R.R. Tolkien in my mind, but it was a fun, interesting read and I think it ultimately touches on honorable qualities of man, which propels him to succeed against those that would take the route of deception, cruelty, and dishonor. The book contained numerous phrases and sayings that seemed a bit out of place, but overall, I enjoyed the series.

This is the third book in the series. You'll want to read Theft of Swords (contains: The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha) first. Actually, if you want them in time-order, you might want to begin with The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles series), which is a prequel, but I believe it was written after the Riyria Revelations series. I loved all the Riyria books. Heir of Novron was no exception. I read them all in one long string, and I don't want to give away any of the plots. I will only say that they are a rare find. Maybe it's because I usually read YA/teen fiction, but I have a hard time finding good old fashioned sword & sorcery fantasy books like this one. A lot of times they are paranormal or full of angsty characters. In this book, the main characters are two thieves, one is noble-hearted, the other rather black-hearted and cynical. But you can't help liking them both. What made this series great was the underlying plot, which was discovering/protecting the heir of Novron. Lots of fun twists along the way and interesting characters. I don't want to say too much, just that this series is worth getting into! If you love a good quest with magic, swordplay, adventure and a little romance, you'll enjoy this series. (**Also, for younger readers, it's pretty clean. Mild language and sexual references, I believe... although I noticed the sexual references, language and violence were a little more prominent in the Riyria Chronicles series.)

Sullivan is a master writer and you never have to worry about not getting answers. He answers everything by the end! He is funny but also the first author to ever make me cry during a book. If you like fantasy at all or want something more hopeful then Game of Thrones, then these are the books for you! We could all use some hope in times like these.

Finishing this book leaves me at a loss, a loss because I want more of this world and Hadrian and Royce and Arista, Magnus, Thrace/Modina and the rest, a loss because it was so artfully written and plotted. All along we have been wondering and trying to guess who the heir is and you know... Well you have to read the books to really understand it. Each book builds on the last and this is the result, a well crafted pinnacle that makes me sad that there is no more. For fans of sword and sorcery with a good mystery this book ranks with the best. There is love and betrayal, there is finding out that there was so much more to a character than you could imagine, and that you guessed wrong all the time. There is bravery and cowardice and learning that simple gestures can change a heart. Mr. Sullivan created a complex world that was so easy to fall into and fall in love with, along with characters that are so real you feel with them and for them. Bravo, I can't wait to read more from him.

I've tried to take a little bit of reprieve before I wrote this review, to allow my emotions time to settle, but after a full two weeks, and reading another spectacular fantasy series in between, I don't think they're going anywhere. If anything, they're solidifying, especially the feelings of sadness. Not only for the heartache at the loss of some of my favorite characters in this last part of the saga, but because the series came to an end. It reminds me a lot of how I felt at the end of Harry Potter. I cried for two days, but that was after I had invested several years following that particular journey. With Riyria Revelations, I've only recently discovered it, revealing how strong of an impact it made in such a short period of time. I hereby induct Michael J. Sullivan into the Evil Author's Guild - for his love of killing off much beloved characters. This series has a brilliant mix of riotous comedy, wondrous character development, and heart-breaking resolutions. Sullivan did such an excellent job of keeping the strongest elements of this story in a good balance, not allowing one component to overpower the others. As a fellow writer, I understand the difficulty of such a task. While reading Heir of Novron, knowing a conclusion waited on the horizon, Sullivan was able to keep me in the moment, but most all, able to keep my heart and emotions in the moment in order to break them. While Hadrian and Royce has cemented themselves into my heart as strongly as Harry, Ron & Hermione, it's some of the secondary characters that helped solidify my love for this series: Empress Modina (Thrace Wood), Amilia, Albert Winslow, Mince, Elbright, Brand, Kine, Gwen DeLancey, Princess Arista, the Pickerings - all of them, Myron Lananklin, Magnus, Esrahaddon, Wyatt Deminthal, and Sir Breckton Belstrad. Of course, there are all those bad guys too, but these are the characters that pilfered my heart. With so many fantasy series filling it pages with dozens upon dozens of characters, I find many of the main characters get lost in the melee, but Sullivan did a great job keeping Hadrian and Royce front and center. Though I figured out early in the series the identity of the Heir of Novron, I still enjoyed experiencing every step, clue and adventure that brought out the revelation. I love the great mixture of all the elements of fantasy like: new worlds, colorful kingdoms, gods & goddesses, elves, dwarves, wizards, magical beasts, and everyday medieval elements like inns, thieves' guilds and armies (reminding me a lot of the video game Assassin's Creed). There's a surprise at the ending, something I thought about in the first book, but then became so absorbed in the other elements of the story, I totally forgot. When it came about in the end, it really made me smile, and it added such a soft, pleasant touch to the story, especially coming after some really heart-breaking moments. That was I think the formula that made this series great - the balance of soft, hard and hilarious moments. I'm trying to hard not to give away any plot points, it's difficult, because it's those particular points I found so exciting about this series. I guess all that I'm left with is this last sentiment: I love Michael J. Sullivan's imagination. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Till next time, ~T.L. Gray Author of The Blood of Cain

Great finish to the series! This book is the best in the series and contains the most character growth and emotion. The conclusion is so fantastic that you'll want to read it twice over. If you've read the first two, read this one. Sullivan writes a story worthy of five stars not because of its majesty, depth, or character development, or symbolism, but because the story itself is pure entertainment. Sullivan didn't intend to write a book like the Lord of the Rings, and it isn't fair to rate this book in comparison to it (or the standard LOTR upholds).There were some gaps in character development, but this didn't detract from the experience of reading the book as a whole. Anyone who liked this could possibly like the Inheritance series by Paolini, The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, or the Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix. One of the only other books I can think of with a conclusion better than this one is a book based on the Spartan Battle of Thermopylae, "Gates of Fire", by Steven Pressfield. TRUST ME: This book totally compensates for the second one and is worth the buy.

It is so amazing, reading is like magic. You are transported to a different time - you make new friends, and are taken on dazzling adventures. This book and this whole series is crafted by a very talented author. The dynamics of all the characters keeps the pages lit up, the dangers and anticipation and tension keep the pages turning. The romantic relationships are lovingly developed. It is a rare pleasure to read such an incredible series. Our heroes/Thieves and heroines/wizardess come from all walks of life. Their friendships take them on quests beyond imagining. The rulers and different lords and kings, and emperors battle constantly. It takes awhile to figure out all the different dynamics. We root for our heroes and travel along with them as they good-naturedly torment one another. Also as a reader I was constantly surprised at how things turned out, over and over again! I never thought I would enjoy reading fantasy adventure. Boy was I wrong. Very pleasantly wrong...

Its been my experience with the last books of a series are written, not poorly, but not to the level of the first books. This is not the case for Heir of Novron. Such a great, great, great book! Parts had me laughing, parts had me angry and then others had me sad. The book is long, and for good reason. The story is still developing during the first half of the book, leaving you guessing and wondering whats about to happen. The first book was easy to follow, as not a whole lot was actually happening (still a great read!). The second confused me greatly (not a bad thing at all--just had to go back a few times to re-read) as there was a lot happening and a lot of developing taking place, the third book, like the first, was easy to read but brought the whole series together. The ending was so well done that I did not feel cheated. The author took his time writing these and I give him credit for that. He was definitely patient and in no hurry to just crank out the last books or chapters. Michael Sullivan has a fan for life here. I am very interested, and a bit impatient, about what he is going to come out with next. (Go pick up the Viscount and the Witch to see whats next from him!)

Though the first two books of THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS, I still wasn't sure exactly what it was about these books that allowed them to escape the stigma of self-publication and become worldwide bestsellers that were picked up by a traditional publisher. The writing was solid, but not exceptional. The plotting, likewise, was good, but not outlandishly so. Hadrian and Royce had an easy, relaxed camaraderie, but it didn't seem like their dynamic would be enough to explain why these books were so popular. Then I read the final book in the trilogy, and I understood. Sullivan's plotting is at its best in this book, with stunning plot twists and reveals, coming in rapid-fire fashion. Not only do they catch the reader off balance, but they challenge all the characters we've gotten to know over the previous books in ways we haven't seen before. It's the most complex book Sullivan has published to this point, and he does an excellent job of pulling all the threads together at the end. I remember before I read any of his books I saw something in which Sullivan explained that their would be no sequels after HEIR OF NOVRON because he felt as though he'd created the perfect ending and didn't want to spoil it. I think he's probably right. If the ending isn't perfect, it's at least wrapped up tight, and while he certainly could find a way for sequels, I'm content with this ending. It's always nice when a series' final book is also its best.

This was fantastic book and even a better series. I read the author's follow up note and the story is deeper than I realized. You can read this book on the surface, full of bravery, pirates, sorcery and combat. However, this is the story of redemption. Hadrian was always the righteous character as Royce was the practicality over righteousness character. I rooted for them both as the combination of the two made for some good fun. I was a bit surprised that Royce did not embrace his evilness and become some indestructible ruthless character...Thus the redemption of Royce over time. I felt invested in the characters and they were all very believable and it was a fantastic story. It was a bit on the long side but I would recommend this book to any fantasy fans out there. Great Book. Author Follow up: Michael J. Sullivan Wrote: "Thanks for the review Lincoln. I agree that this can be just a fun adventure for those just looking for an enjoyable escapist time. To entertain is what I strive for first and foremost and if people peel back and look a bit deeper they might find some other things, but that's not necessary to enjoy what has been read."

In what may be a first for me, I actually liked the third book in this series the best. The first two books of the Riyria Revelations follow the journeys of characters who, in the end, turned out not to be as important as they first seemed - like any number of TV shows that feature a different "guest" star each week, even though the audience is only tuning in to catch the next little moment in the slow tease being played out among the regular cast. Well, in Heir of Novron, the last installment of the series, we finally get to see our two favorite reprobates take the center stage. By now, anybody reading the series will realize that Royce and Hadrian are nothing like the cut-throat mercenaries they think themselves to be at the beginning. Indeed they are richer, more generous and more courageous than many of the so called "nobles" they have worked so hard at propping up or tearing down. But the great fun is not in seeing this born out ourselves, as readers, but in seeing the revelation play out in the awareness of the two men themselves, when they are forced to confront and accept their own essential goodness. I haven't enjoyed a character arc like this in a long, long time.

This is the last book in a great four part series, though a seasoned fantasy reader will probably have figured out much of the ending by the time this book gets started - I know I had. Even so, that didn't detract from the suspense, the scope, the depth, or my enjoyment of the way Michael unraveled the story and developed his characters. A thoroughly thrilling conclusion to the series. While this story has clearly benefited from re-publishing with an editor and proper publishing house, I'm reminded of something Stephen King said: You can make a good writer great, but you can't make a bad writer good - patently, Michael was already good when he was still self-publishing and getting proper publishing support has just given him wings. I read all five of his books in a couple of weeks and I was only disappointed that there wasn't more. If this is a taste of his future work, then I hope to see much more of Mr Sullivan in the fantasy genre in the coming years. I've added him to my list of author's whose names I watch for in forthcoming titles lists, and so should you.

Consumption Format: Audiobook Age: Middle Mature Gender: Male last time I was informed Demographic: Non-Basement dwelling partial partaker of the sun and sky and the human race whos conscious brain functions require a respite from the crazy course of human events that occur living on the tertiary sphere of humus and disintegrated Rock and the binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear and odorless liquid. Review: Excellent characters, content and depth! Recommend: YES

I guess that obvious plot twists and good foreshadowing are two sides of the same coin. But the plot twists while I saw them coming, I was waiting for them with anticipation which means they were at least very well done. Still there was one excellent twist where I was pleasantly surprised, and made me look back on the whole series with much more enjoyment. This is a very good series, and I did enjoy it very much. Again, this is a relatively family friendly series, Still I wouldn't give it to an 8 year old. But early teen onward should enjoy the series. My major complaint with this series is that he treats the characters (Royce, Hadrian, and any females) as if they were his children. They do stupid things and are never punished for their tantrums. Things always work out and all is forgiven if the character is female. I feel that the author wanted something deeper but pulled his punches and settled for a they all lived happily ever after (comparatively).

I don't usually write reviews for books but I just had to after reading the Riyria Revelations series. Whenever I read a series, I like to break it up and read something in between each book so that I don't get burnt out but the way that Michael J Sullivan has written these books, I couldn't stop. The night that I finished the first two I immediately purchased the second set and devoured those and the same night that I ended those I was planning on reading something different because I want to prolong the series, but I gave in and bought the last set, the Heir of Novron. I finished it in 3 days and was sad to put the book down, knowing that it was at the end. It takes a rare book to actually make me want to restart the series just so that I can stay with the characters that I have grown to love like they were old friends, except for Saldur, man I hated that guy! The ending to the series was, in a word, perfect. I wouldn't have changed a single thing about it or the entire series. Thank you Mr Sullivan for writing such an amazing series. If you continue to write about these characters then I will continue to read about them.

I thought the whole series was wonderful. Enjoyed every minute of it. Sullivan is an outstanding writer and I especially loved the plot (very complex with lots of twists and turns--some might call it misdirection;) but it was fun to wonder if that's what it really was) and his descriptions, just the right amount. They were an important part of his world, but he didn't go on for too long. His male main characters had a lot of chemistry, lots of lightheartedness and good one-liners, even thought they're in very serious situations. He female characters were strong and interesting. There were a couple of times when I cheered out loud for them because they had overcome so much. Great character arcs. I really can't think of a thing I didn't like. Very talented author and storyteller.

What a fantastic ending. As always twists and turns I was not expecting right up to the end. He's not afraid to kill off his darlings but each death has meaning and adds to the plot. Who really is the heir? (view spoiler) Why is an artifact needed? Who is double-crossing this time? Who is really behind it all? This book made me laugh, cry, smile, be surprised, and sigh in relief that all the threads were tied off. I highly recommend both Riyria series. I read the Riyria Chronicles 1st & then the Riyria Revelations (the opposite of publication order but in chronological order).

(This is a review for the trilogy.) This is one of the best trilogies I've ever read. Do yourself a favor and buy all 3 once so that you don't have to wait to read through. The plot is so wonderfully layered and captivating. I absolutely LOVED how Sullivan weaved the plot through the books and how little things in one book came back to be critical points in a later part of the story. The whole thing just felt so thorough and well done. I've read books before where it feels like the story is being thrown together haphazardly. Not at all in this case. Does that silly song actually mean anything? Yes, it does. Does that legend or story matter to the character's present day? Yes, it does. All of these little elements woven throughout the books get wrapped up and explained in the end, and I LOVED that. These books were just a joy to read. Great fantasy books. Truly excellent work. I wish I could give 5+ stars but I'll have to settle with a mere 5.

I loved this entire series, and I mean everything under the Riyira umbrella. I truly hope I get to hear more of Mercedes and Haidrian and Royce and Arista and Myron and Modina and Allie and even Magnus. Special thank you to Robyn, Mr. Sullivan's wife, for pushing for these stories. And a thank you to Mr. Sullivan for writing my new favorite series. I'm off to read Legends of the First Empire.

Wintertide and Percepliquis in this compendium are a fantastic two-part conclusion to one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. Often reading fantasy (which I do a lot) the last book in the series does not live up to the expectations of the first. Ursula K. LeGuin's Wizard of Earthsea, the Wheel of Time Series, and many others set up so much, but end up not delivering in the last book, or do not know how to wrap it up. These two books are both self-contained adventures with fantastic beginnings, middles, and ends, but they also satisfyingly wrap up the story of many people in the series whether its the main protagonists we met in Theft of Swords, or minor side characters including one of my favorite Monsignor Merton who had one scene in a prior book. You will not be disappointed how this series ends.

I see lots of 5 stars reviews, but I only reserve 5 stars for special books that go into my "loved it and want to re-read when I have time pile" and altough I loved this book and highly recommend it, it's not going into my "re-read" pile. This is a good fantasy book/series, the characters are fun and spending time with them is a treat. The action is wonderful, the sword fights are thrilling and the nautical action scenes are among the best I've read, the author really situates the action in a very visual way that increases the emotions for the readers. The ending of a series is crucial and this series does not dissappoint, by the end there is so much stuff happening that you swear the author won't have enough space to tie it all up, but by the end everything is resolved and the epilogue touches on all the players in a really pleasant way that leaves you with a smile. I am looking forward to any new material from this solid new author.

I was saddened by the fact that my short-lived adventures in the world of Elan with Royce and Hadrian had come to an end, but that does not mean that I was disappointed! On the contray, the author weaves a fantastic tale here in Heir of Novron that cleans up all the various plots of the first two omnibuses (or first four books) in a way that is refreshingly satisfying. If you're considering this series I strongly recommend that you pick up the first two compilations (Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire) before reading Heir of Novron. I bought Theft of Swords on a whim and couldn't put it down. I devoured Rise of Empire immediately after and then had to wait two whole weeks before Heir was released. Being able to read it via the Kindle App on my iPhone greatly reduced my productivity at work and I finished it in a matter of days. Overall, a great ending to a great series! I'm definitely glad I found them as it's now in my Top 3 alongside A Song of Ice and Fire and The Black Company.

I have just completed a reading marathon of all 6 books and am now at a loss for something just as good to read. The story line in this series is really enjoyable, but more than that, the writing is polished and flows easily. The detail complained about by others painted complete characters whose actions/reactions are understandable. I found the dialogue entertaining and found myself shaking my head (along with Royce) in some of the scenes. The scenery described allowed me to feel I was walking along with them. I am glad it is all in my imagination - some of the scenarios are just plain scary. Come on Mr Sullivan - what happens to Royce now? Surely that transition isn't plain sailing!! How about the girls? They have to grow up. I am hoping that your next novel (series) won't take as long to produce, but please, please, please keep the quality you have achieved in this series. Also, the editor did a wonderful job. I think I noticed maybe two small typos in the entire series and no grammatical errors - how totally refreshing. PS: I have also read the 'Viscount and the Witch' and the 'Greener Grass' - again I loved them both

I normally don't write reviews. Everything has pretty much been said in all the other reviews but I wanted to show my support for a very underrated author. These three books were fantastic, and the last one did not disappoint. In fact, it was the best one yet - full of surprises. This is a very clever book and just what I was looking for. I became a bit dismayed with reading Game of Thrones as the story seemed to just drag on at a snails pace and it by the end became more of a chore to read than anything else. Conversely, this book was just the opposite. Engaging, full of character development, and kept me entertained the whole time. Royce and Hadrian are two of the best complementary protagonists I've ever read. Finishing this series was bittersweet but I will continue to follow more of this author's great work and thank him for a wonderful journey.

I absolutely loved this series! It was like drinking wine, the more and more you read into the story the better it got. The characters continued to be fleshed out, Arista really started to make her own voice in the novel and became a character that stood on her own 2 feet. Myron also came into his own as a giver of sage advice and was crucial to the plot line. All the double crossing and suprise turns were fun in the last books continued to this one, and don't worry, Mr. Sullivan wraps up all the loose ends nicely. This series reminded me of JRR Tolkein, but I honestly liked these books better than the Lord of the Rings because they have humor in the story and it's easy to sympathize with the main characters, especially what happens to Royce and how he comes through it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! Especially since the series is concluded, so there is no waiting :)

I absolutely LOVED this series. There are many "laugh out loud moments" and moments that make you cry. I am an avid fantasy reader and have read many of the best selling authors of this genre. The Riyria Revelations series is by far the best epic fantasy series I have ever read. Not only is there a great plot but the character development is amazing. Sullivan is masterful in developing all of his characters in a way that you get to know them intimately including all of their flaws and love them more because of it. I really enjoy reading books where not only do you get an excellent tale but also care about the characters involved. I find many authors are good at developing a great story line but not as good at character development, but Sullivan excels in both of these areas. I cannot wait for his next series. Mr. Sullivan, please keep them coming!

If you haven't read this series, you are missing out. It is a very easy read but something that you will immerse yourself into...even if you don't want to. The characters are so well developed that you feel like you actually know them in the end. These books will make you laugh out loud and even cry inside (maybe out). I am now a staunch follower of MJS and have made an effort to tell all my friends and family about these books. I have even purchased several copies to give as gifts so we can get MJS name out.

This review is really about the series as a whole because, quite frankly, I could not imagine loving a series more than I did with the Riyria Chronicles. I devoured all three (6) books in less than a month and as I mentioned in the review of Theft of Swords, it has reawakened a love of fantasy literature that I had long forgotten. Perhaps because the author chose to write the entire series before publishing the first book, the cohesiveness of the story was just amazing. Everything fit together perfectly and in great detail. No story lines were left dangling, no twist or turn seemed out of place, and everything was well thought out and fit perfectly within the overall story. There are tons of little hints and foreshadows throughout the books.... some of which lead to obvious events or revelations about characters, and some still manage to catch you completely off guard. All the elements of an epic tale are here, action, corruption, deception and conspiracy, personal redemption, and shocking revelations. And they are all woven so intricately and precisely that it isn't until the end that you really see the masterpiece as a whole and can admire it's beauty. And it truly is. I have not enjoyed any books as much as these in many years and now that it's over it's actually a bit sad to see the tales of Royce, Hadrian, and all of the rest of the characters that devoured my free time these last few weeks end. But I look forward to more from the author, and perhaps there will be a return to Riyria in the future which would be great to see.

I really enjoyed the first book of Theft of Swords but I found Rise of Empire book to be a bit of a struggle to finish because it was so easy to guess what was going to happen. The book felt tedious to me and it was almost a chore to finish. Heir of Novron started out the same way but re-gained my interest fairly quickly - this book is pretty action-packed and I really enjoyed the revelations, which abounded in it. By the end, I was glad that I'd kept reading. Not my favorite series of ALL time, but this was an excellent book and COMPLETELY worth reading the series for. The author really did a masterful job at keeping me guessing in this one and everything was tied up neatly in the end. Highly recommended. This is a series that I will definitely be able to re-read and enjoy just as much again and again!

I picked up the first of this series, "Theft of Swords," on a whim - I had seen good reviews, the story sounded exciting and fun, and I was looking for a good read. I read through the first one (which is really two books in one volume, as are the following two books) quickly, as I couldn't put it down. I had to eat it up, I had to follow along with Hadrian and Royce, experiencing their adventures as quickly as I could devour the words. The second book was no disappointment. "Rise of Empire" moved the story of the Riyria along quite satisfyingly and gave the characters depth and challenges that made them even more real to me. The storyline including Thrace was both thrilling and heartbreaking, and I loved the way he wrote both her strength and her grief. Which brings me to the third, "Heir of Novron." I wanted to read this book so quickly, yet I was so afraid. The books had been so good up to now that I had to read the rest, but I so very much didn't want the tales to end. Also, there's always the fear that the story will take some unexpected and yet unappealing turn... I was so wrong to have worried! Sullivan did such an amazing job of providing a satisfying, thrilling, emotionally gripping ending! The reader feels like they've journeyed along with Hadrian and Royce, struggling against all their foes and, while I will try not to give anything away, the end result is eminently satisfying. I highly recommend this series to anyone who's fans of fantasy adventure novels, and while the ending is resolute (in the best possible way), there's nothing to say if that Sullivan can't reveal more of Riyria's past!

***WHAT IT'S ABOUT*** This is book 3 of the Riyria Revelations, as such, this review is aimed for those that have read the first two books titled "Theft of Swords" and "Rise of Empire". If you're new and debating to read this series, check out my review of the first book on the product page :) Once again, this book contains two stories in one. The first story is titled "Wintertide", continuing right where the last book left off, this is the culmination of the Imperialists' scheming. A prisoner puppet on the throne, the true heir locked up with the Witch, everything will end come Wintertide. The second and final story of the series is "Percepliquis", the grand finale. All the shadows of past books come to light, and a last desperate effort to save the kingdoms forces a group of ten to search for salvation in the mythical lost city of Percepliquis. ***WHAT I THINK OF IT*** I'm filled with melancholy writing this review knowing that that the series is over. It feels like parting with the best of friends, and I'm so grateful to have been on such an entertaining adventure with them. This is it, the stunning conclusion to the amazing series that's, at least to me, an instant classic epic series. Everything has been building up to this, and Michael Sullivan does not disappoint. This book has everything: adventure, romance, betrayal, redemption, tragedy, dungeon-crawling, lost city, rescue mission, artifacts, monsters, cunning and cleverness, sea battle, magic fights, skirmishes, war, I could go on all day, but the best part is that it's not just fluff. With all six books having been written prior to publishing, this is a fine tuned book that does not suffer from the usual editing problems that's commonplace amongst fantasy books. ***WHY YOU SHOULD GET IT RIGHT NOW!*** There are chivalrous brave acts, the kind that makes your eyes watery. There are moments where your heart aches, but there is still hope. Do yourself a favor and finish the journey started by the first two books, this is the best of the three, and a fine conclusion.

I won't get in to plot. Just read this. For the story, for the world building, for the relationships, for insight. Just read this series. Ignore all the people who tell you not to read a book because it is so called "standard fantasy" and throw out the word Trope. So what? It doesn't matter if it's elves and dwarves or if it's aliens on another planet... if it gives you insight into this world and into yourself then it's worth reading. And this one is worth reading * 1000.

This is the last boxed set in the Riyria Revelations series, and it is a great way to end it. A lot of action, some intrigue, and a few clues to help you figure out the mysteries.

I loved this series! The story line had all the elements of great fantasy. In the "Heir of Novron" the conclusion to the story arc concludes and there are several twits in the story that add to the richness of the story. The story again centers around the thieves Hardrain & Royce. Throughout the series we have learned more and more about these two and in this book we finally get the full story. It is difficult to fully describe all the wonderful features of the story without spoilers so I will just say that the story arc wraps up nicely. All of the sub-plots are addressed nicely and the final conclusion is unpredicable. Again, I would recommend this series to all fans of High fantasy.

Storyline is simple. There's a quest, there's a missing heir & there's prophecy. Add in a cast of characters including an evil wizard, grumpy dwarf, malignant churchmen and pure hearted clerics. Magical system is not well developed. Chemistry between Royce & Hadrian is assumed but not well enunciated in this series. Many gaps in minor but important characters i.e. Gwen, Nimbus, Breckton & Merton among others. Second tier compared to Robin Hobbs, Scott Lynch & Robert Jordan as well as Brandon Sanderson. Several layers below Tolkien, Nesbit, Macdonald & Lewis. Needs more editing as it is hard to imagine medieval folks using words like "okay" etc. for a modern writer, prose is not as rich or lyrical like Lynch & world creation is not even attempted. Worth while reading given dearth of good writers available. Definitely a notch above P. dreyfuss.

...for fans of high fantasy. Not without flaws, but they're mostly of the "new author" variety, such as: too much foreshadowing made the ending a bit too obvious, romances that were either lifeless (Gw & Ro) or that I just couldn't feel invested in (Ha & Ar), etc. Basically, things a long-time reader would notice but don't really detract from the experience. Overall, if you like Tolkien'esque high fantasy, this will be a solid hit with you and is an entertaining read.

This was an enjoyable read. It was far of perfect as the main characters were fairly wooden and had force fields around them for the most part. The author stated that he wrote this series for his 13 year old girl and it showed as punches were pulled throughout. If you want a stress free fantasy ride without realistic danger and scary bad guys this is your series.

I'm never at a loss for words, and I'm certainly not known for my brevity. But... I'm at a loss for words! To put it succinctly, wow! This last novel (actually, pair of novels) from the Riyria Revelations was an absolutely perfect ending to this epic series. What began as a light, humorous, highly enjoyable adventure romp in the first two books became something altogether grander and more wonderful in Wintertide and Percepliquis. It's hard to say anything without giving away spoilers, but I can assure fans that every loose end is tied up in a most satisfying way. In fact, Mr. Sullivan ties up loose ends that you didn't even know were mildly frayed, and more than once I found myself reacting physically and verbally with shock, wonder, and excitement. When the written word evokes such visceral reactions, it's a must read. All your favorite characters from the first two (four) books transform into millennial heroes (I made that term up, but it fits) in this utterly fantastic finish to the series. Heir of Novron, particularly Percepliquis, may have just become my favorite read of the past decade, or so. Bravo, Mr. Sullivan.

If you are interested in the Heir of Novron, then you are most likely already a fan of Sullivan's works and will be very happy with how this series finishes off. No small feat as fantasy fans know that closing off a series like this can be very challenging. The story is rich, the characters continue to evolve in different fashions and there are even a few unexpected surprises tossed in which caught me completely off guard. Sure, Sullivan continues to lean on a few plot devices a bit much and yes, there is even a Tolkein-esque drawn out ending sequence, but overall the Heir of Novron is an excellent and engaging story. I look forward to reading more of his writings.

While I still find the "I am," "there is," "you are," and "there are' s" annoying as all heck, I found the entire series entertaining. The lack of contractions made the dialogue sound unnatural and stiff at times. Naturally, I autocorrected it while I was reading, which made the book a lot easier to digest. The story itself lacked depth, as did some of the characters. Don't get me wrong, I found the story to be very good, and the characters to be very likeable, but it just seemed to me that it could have been better. The story was relatively light compared to most fantasy fiction books I've read. Nonetheless, it was a very entertaining read and I thought that the end was very well put together as well appropriate. The Heir of Novron was certainly the best omnibus out of the three. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the series is how everything carries over. So while the first omnibus, A Theft of Swords, may appear out of place, what with the seemingly random journey to Dalhgren, it all blends together perfectly in the end. If you're looking for a light read, I would recommend this series. If you're looking for a more intense story, look elsewhere.

...because I didn't really like the 2nd book a whole lot. I gave the 1st book 5-stars, but would give the second one 3. In my experience, this downward trend rarely reverses itself as a series continues, so I really considered quitting after #2. I did buy the 3rd book anyway...basically because I'm an addict and needed my next book right away, I was comfortably hooked into the storyline, and I didn't feel like searching for something else to read. Buying the next in a series for these reasons often ends up with me being mad at myself for wasting money. But fortunately that wasn't the case this time...I feel this final book lives up to the promise and quality of the first.

I just finished the final book in the series this morning (Heir of Novron) and while I usually don't write reviews I had to at least come and say I really, really enjoyed this series. I adored Hadrian as my favorite character, and Arista and Royse were tied in second place. For me the series hit all the right notes and tones - it flowed very well and had tons of plot twists and surprises. As I got more immersed and connected to the characters and story I was getting nervous as I got closer to the end that the author would pull a game of thrones and go all super dark and gloomy - which would not have fit the overall theme of the series. However to my delight the ending was superb ... actually I would have to say probably the best ending in a fantasy series I have read to this point (and at 48 I have read a lot of fantasy). I can't spoil it but can say it was sound, well thought out, tons of surprises, and, very important, very full and satisfying. Way to often authors give this quick, almost rushed, ending with no follow-up or closure. The ending to this series was epic while also giving plenty of closure. For me the balance between the light and dark aspects (dying/living, sadness/joy, hope/despair, good/evil) was just about spot on. There was enough drama, pain, and death to add depth and meaning to the story and characters but, like life, had plenty of hope, triumph and joy. The two main characters were excellent and the whole tale was a big adventure. Another plus is that the author could have easily turned it into a big "ultimate evil god divine chosen battle of supernatural powers" but instead it was just an epic fight with very subtle use of magic and any divine interaction was extremely subtle and light handed. I am not a critic or English major so I can't really speak to prose or structure. My main concern when reading anything for entertainment is that it be interesting, enjoyable, and flows well. From my perspective the author achieves this. I was fully immersed in the series and felt the language and writing was easy to read and natural. I am sure there are some flaws somewhere but the only one that stands out even a little is the plot line with the goblins to the south ... it just felt a bit unfinished and underdeveloped - but it was a minor plot line and didn't really bother me. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who wants a fun, well thought out, and easy to read fantasy series with some fun little twists on standard archetypes and plots. Characters are great, story is highly entertaining, and I was always eager to pick the book up again each time I had a chance to do some reading.

I must say this was a fabulous series. I loved the character development as well as the plot twists. I haven't enjoyed an epic fantasy this much for a very very long time. The characters change and develop from the first page of the first book to the last page of the last book. It is exquisite, remarkable, and all around amazing. I just sat on my couch for the last several hours listening to the last part of the audio book. Relishing each new chapter and the wonders that unfolded. I loved this series and plan on listening and reading it again and again. I wont need to worry about cross country road trips anymore, because Hadrian and Royce will be saving the day again.

What a great series. I happened upon it as I was browsing amazon, looking for a new fantasy series to read. The characters are well-developed and nuanced, the story arc, races, creatures and mythology are wonderfully written. It was so interesting and unpredictable that I found it difficult to put down. I actually made myself stop reading for a little while just because I knew this was the end of the story and I didn't want it to end. I loved the way the author wrapped it all up. Everything made sense, and as others have said, some things you could guess might happen but other plot twists were a total surprise. As another reviewer said, I also liked that there were strong male and female characters, and they were written in a very believable way. You felt as if you knew them, and as if you were watching them mature and develop in a very realistic way. Really a pleasurable read. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

Michael Sullivan is incredible and never fails to disappoint. To be able to finish a series like this,...wow. So many times i've read great series only to finish the last book feeling unsatisfied. This friends, is not the case. Check out his other series, Age of Myth, when you finish this one. 5/5 Highly recommend

Below here I state my opinion of the entire series - the Riyria Revelations - rather than just this individual book. The last couple of decades every high fantasy author has been trying so hard to be non-traditional in what they write that the genre has become skewed towards weirdness too much and now something like this brilliant work by Michael J. Sullivan is suddenly very different from what everyone writes these days... So, while some readers may discard it as "too traditional", "typical" or even "cliché", it actually isn't at all, in the light of those trends! Anyway, the Riyria Revelations can only be considered "old-school" (i.e. - a sort of "LoTR" style) in terms of things such as the species of characters used in it - Elves, Dwarves, Men and Goblins. But, as Mr. Sullivan himself rightly says, it doesn't matter what the author calls them - what matters is how they are used by him and whether the whole thing is well written. And this one is brilliantly written, and very well thought out overall! When you read half of the first book, you might mistakenly think the story is a bit naive and simplistic. But then, after that you gradually start learning that certain people and things were not what you thought they were - truths about them get gradually revealed (hence, the title of the entire series). Some new misconceptions and lies (by characters, of course, not by the author - he never lies to you; he just lets you foolishly believe in the misconceptions and lies by characters) are mixed in at times along the way, just to throw you off the scent. And then you get to the really big and shocking revelations in the final book... It's like a combination of high fantasy with detective fiction. And the writing style is always smooth and the whole thing is very easy to read, without being childish. The (very important for me) ratio of "world building and character development / number of words being used for it" is really high. And it's a really good story, with all types of characters, including "grey" ones. But, while none of the protagonists is a Marty Stu or a Mary Sue, they are still written in a way that the reader inevitably sympathizes with them. And that is a welcome and refreshing change from a lot of recent fantasy literature, where too often we have to follow the story through the eyes and twisted thoughts of villains - frankly, at some point that becomes frustrating and hard to read for me. To sum it up - this is one of the best and most well written high fantasy series of all time, in my humble uneducated opinion.

Heir of Novron is the final installment in the Riyria Revelations, following Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire. The one positive thing I can say about coming upon Theft so late in the game, is that I was able to get Rise and finally Heir without having to wait for their publication. This was perfect for me as I was unable to put the books down once I started them. This final installment wraps up the story nicely, without leaving any lose ends. In fact, Mr. Sullivan does a great job of pulling together small details that emerged all the way back in Theft and re-introducing them to round out the story to completeness, so no good deed goes unrewarded or no bad deed unpunished. And having now finished the complete series, I can honestly say that there were a few things that really surprised me. I thought I was clever in figuring a couple things out, but there things that I never saw coming. This third installment continues to be engaging, with good plot twists, great dialogue and character development. My favorite characters have been throughout the series, Royce and Hadrian. I really enjoyed the arc of their friendship throughout the entire series, and can only hope to read more about them in the future. But are some secondary characters that really are fantastic, my favorite being Myron. It was difficult to tell from Theft how much more of Myron we would see in the subsequent installments, but I was thrilled to see he continued to be a key player, making very important contributions in only the way that he could. This satisfying end to a great series was worthy of its predecessors without copping out in any way. It was quite the grand finale. I can only close by saying that not only do I look forward hopefully to more stories in the future about Royce and Hadrian, but I look forward to reading any future works by Mr. Sullivan.

After reading the previous books in the series I was prepared for the last volume. Boy was I wrong. Once I started reading the first chapter, I just couldn't stop. I took this book with me everywhere I went just in case I found a few minutes so I could read a few more pages. I can honestly say I can't ever remember doing that with ANY other book. The I didn't think the story could get any better but it does. This series has it all! Great action, intriguing characters which continue to grow and a ability to make you laugh, cry and leave you mouth open by the last sentence you just read. I only wish there was a way that the story could continue but if Micheal J. Sullivan's future works are even half as good as this series then I will buy them without a moments hesitation. You can't really consider yourself a fantasy fan at all if you haven't read this series!

I was initially drawn in by the cover of the first book in this series, Theft of Swords, when I saw it on a shelf in a bookstore. When I read the back, I was intrigued, and I kept coming back to it. I ended up leaving the store with it, and I am so very glad that I did. I have read the entire Riyria Revelations series now, and I am completely in love with the main characters: Hadrian and Royce. It's not just them, though. Each and every character is so strong and relatable in this series... even the ones that you'd never think that you could relate to. The way that Michael Sullivan builds characters that make the readers care is remarkable. Add amazing characters to a stunning plot (as it unfolds across all three novels), and you have a real winner. Not since George R.R. Martin have I been so pulled into and enthralled by a fantasy novel series. There may not be a great deal of innovation in this series when it comes to brand new political systems or unfamiliar worlds, but it is simply not needed. Sullivan didn't attempt to reinvent the wheel, he perfected the wheel as it stands. I couldn't recommend this book more - both for avid fans of epic fantasy and for newcomers to the genre. Give this series a try, and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

The last book of the series. The interactions between Hadrian and Royce are back, and so are some really interesting characters sadly absent from the previous book. This book will keep you reading just one more page at night - up until around 5 am (guilty). The end of the series is almost perfect with some things which caught me completely by surprise. Conclusion for the whole series: if you like fantasy - read these books now, they are great. Some of the dialog is brilliant and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. My thanks to the author for creating really entertaining books.

WOW!!! A fantastic conclusion to the six-book Riyria Revelations series! The four books leading up to this exciting and extremely satisfying conclusion were great in themselves, but Mr. Sullivan saved the best for last. (Note: This volume combines the final two books, "Wintertide" and "Percepliquis" into one volume.) The book is full of plot twists, action, and heartfelt emotion. The characters are so well defined that they feel like real people, and the reader is completely caught up in their lives. I give this book my highest recommendation for anyone looking for an exciting, refreshing, and emotionally satisfying read.

I've been sitting here, attempting to find the words to describe not just this book, but this series, but have been unable to. There are just no words to describe how well written and enticing this whole series is. The series had me hooked from page 1 of the Crown Tower, where I started, to the final page of The Heir of Novron. Royce and Hadrian have become some of my new favorite characters of all time. The Heir of Novron was the PERFECT ending to the series and one I will return to read again and again. It was full of action, adventure, tragedy, humor and drama that kept me engaged from start to finish, laughing and crying along with the characters. Michael's world and characters are wonderfully written and so well put together. I would, and have, recommend this series a thousand times over and I greatly look forward to any other book that Michael publishes.

I tried this author as I'm always on the lookout for good fantacy (which is really hard to find in my opinion). Taste differs I know, but The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan is still the best fantacy there is, and excepting for the Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, I struggle with the modern style of fantacy. Maybe I'm old fasioned. But this story is a proper read and well built up to a satisfying end. Think many people will find it old fasioned (style of fantacy), but I cannot be the only one to crave this sort of story. For those like me I say, this is money and time well spent. You will grow to care about the characters and you will enjoy the ending. Some may even think this can pass as books for "young adults" and it might, but I did not find it (99% of it) irritatingly obvious like for instance B Sanderson's young adult books like the Reckoners books.

An amazing end to an amazing story. The Royce and Hadrain investment really paid off. Up to the end, they went back and forth with their teasing and career choice. They stayed so true to themselves; when trapped in the tomb I was pleasantly surprised their attitude was of this is another job. The investment in other characters really paid off. This is the first book series in many years I want to re-read as soon as I finished because I want to re-read when people were introduced. Sort of like seeing a mystery unfold and then wanting to go back to see the clues I missed. I said it was an amazing end, I won't give away anything; I loved the end and loved learning who two people really were shocked me. Thanks to the author for leaving no lose ends (Arcadius-WOW!) and having other characters grow up through the 6 books.

Great ending, except I am not ready for the series to end. Surely there can be a way to bring those two thieves back together for another adventure (without killing off Arista ). I know! Artists can be "with child" and Royce needs his friend for an adventure. I don't know. Michael Sullivan is an outstanding author! His books are full of mystery, adventure, and suspense! But beware, the books are hard to put down.

Lots of plot complications that fell flat given the poor execution. Some examples: everytime circumstances get tough Arista does a magic trick that resolves the dilemma. How do we get a lot of the back story? Arista has convenient dreams that spell things out done in the past. Why does Arista have these powers and no one else? I have no idea. Also, everybody is constantly smirking at each other. What I mean is that we hear over and over: "he smirked", "she smirked". This may be more about me than the book though. Its time to stop for me to stop eating the book of equivalent of cheetos when there are some many more flavorful and healthy alternatives

Incredible hidden cities, folklore and rumors, sleeping monsters, Frodo overcoming Sauron, prophecies and powerful magic, wizards, broken hearts, powerful love stories that will make you weep, humble servants becoming kings and princesses and even emperors, hilarity, sacrifice, sweeping historical background that is awe inspiring, battles of beloved knights against favorite heroes, humble princesses, magical swords and gowns, evil religious leaders, humble loving monks, dwarves, elves and tremendous friendships. These three books are as good as any fantasy I have read and certainly right up there at the top.

If you like good fantasy, go buy all 3 of the books of this series immediately. You might as well buy all 3 at once as you will read them. And what a treat that they are already written and the series is complete. Fantastic writing, great adventure and characters you'll actually care about so it doesn't get better than this. I liked it so much I went back and read the 2 prequels immediately after reading the 3 books in the main series back to back. Do read the main series first and the prequels after you finish the original series. Enjpy

I bought all three Orbit books on my Kindle a week ago and finished the last one yesterday. This review is posted on all of them. I read a lot of books (but don't post a lot of reviews), as i read very quickly, and keep a mental list of self-published books i want to watch. I say watch because i am waiting for enough reviews to show up to have the 4-5 stars be believable. I took a lot of chances when i first began reading self-published books. Some were great and even if not, most were fun to read and the product of someone's very hard work. However, some with great sounding story lines and the best reviews were horrendous. A bought a couple so bad i never made it beyond a few chapters. I passed these books up earlier and it was a huge mistake. The next time i took a look to read some more reviews, they were published by Orbit and i thought...oops, maybe i better check this out. So i bought book one and started. I bought both the second & third book immediately after finishing the first. By the time i got to the end of the third book, i was just flat out shocked at how good the books had turned out to be. I read all types of science fiction and fantasy, as well as police procedural and mysteries. Lately my fantasy reading has been mostly of the Urban type or the Glen Cook, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson style gritty fantasy. However, i like all styles as long as the story is well told. I guess this is more traditional fantasy, there is the occasional quest. It starts out light in the first book and gets more complex as things go along until we come down to the final quest and battle to save the world at the end. There were a number of places in the second two books where i began looking back and connecting things that i probably should have caught before. I still cannot believe i didn't anticipate one of the big reveals at the end of the final book. Seems so obvious now. Anyway, i really enjoyed these books and wish i had bought them sooner. I cannot recommend them enough. Author is now on my "preorder without second thought" list. Please write more Mr. Sullivan.

This conclusion to the Riyria Revelations is the best book, so far, in 2012! It has all of the elements that make up world building fantasy. Its heroes are two unlikely characters, one a mercenary, the other a thief, who are elevated to more lofty achievements. The characters are many, strong and unforgettable. They come to life as they deal with seemingly impossible obstacles. We are rewarded with a sparkling climax. This is a true breakthrough by Sullivan. It's no wonder that it received an average of five stars from its Amazon readers. Can't wait for more.

I've flown through this series because I've enjoyed it so much, and this last portion is probably my favorite. A bit heavier than the previous ones, but higher stakes and very satisfying. I thought I had anticipated the twists, but a couple of them still got me! I'm sad now- sad it's over. Some books you just wish would never end, and that's how I feel about this series. I could spend a lot more time watching this world and the characters develop.

First of all, I really enjoyed the story. I liked "most" of the main characters and found some of them to be unique and interesting (Royce being by far my favorite). The story had depth that really came together in this last book. Without divulging too much, I particularly liked finding out about the history / origins of Novron and the empire. I would have liked to see more backstory on the Pickerings as I felt Mauvin was a little underappreciated. I found myself forgetting he was around most of the time. The ending was expected, yet unexpected at the same time. A handful of twists help keep things interesting. There were multiple things I did not like about the books. The dialog was way too modern for my tastes. At multiple points it would take me completely out of the story. The dialog even made me angry at some points due to being extremely cliche. I'm used to more traditional fantasy novels by Martin or Tolkien, but I can't really fault Sullivan for being different. It just wasn't my cup of tea. There were also multiple attempts at humor, but it felt very forced and missed the mark (in my opinion). Still, even with the flaws, I really enjoyed the story. I would have given 3.5 starts for HoN, but round up to 4 because it was a fun, easy read.

This is a review of the entire Revelations series. I had a fun time reading it, but in the end, the plot was very weak. It's difficult to go into detail without saying anything, but suffice it to say that my itch for good fantasy has not been scratched. I was not absorbed in the world, and I had a hard time getting attached to any of the characters. The characters were highly unbelievable. The attempts at inserting love stories were boring at best and often difficult to believe or seemed horribly out of place. Nothing at all was realistic about Modina. Amilia's story was yawn-inducing. Arista felt like a plot device to make things happen when the characters seemed completely screwed. And everyone goes on and on about how Royce had this terrible life, but hardly any info on that is given. It is also stated constantly how scary Royce is, but I never really got that. I've always been a fan of authors showing me what a character is like instead of telling me, and Sullivan did not deliver. You would think with how I'm talking about this book that I'm writing a one or two star review. But it was entertaining enough to give it three. I probably won't revisit this series, and I'm not really interested in reading the three prequel novels about Hadrian and Royce's backgrounds. The bottom line is that this series didn't leave a strong impression on me one way or the other. But the journey was pleasant enough.

From beginning to end, I found myself attached to every character in the whole series. A lot of books that I read usually feel like “fillers” for me but that wasn’t the case for this series. I couldn’t put these books down, and the ending was pretty satisfying. If you enjoy fantasy novels like me then I highly recommend this series!

I like that this series actually is finished before you start book 1. Its great that you don't have to wait on the author to finally get around to figuring out how it should end. Fast paced read, not much useless filler. Some may think its underdeveloped but I liked it for what it was.

Solid fantasy book. The ending was mildly predictable, given this is the third book and you've received plenty of foreshadowing, but the writing was as solid as ever. In the end it's just a good story, that doesn't demand too much of the reader but doesn't over expose.

Let me first say that when I started out I was looking for a book to keep me busy, maybe because lately that's I've found: something to keep me busy and pass the time rather than an adventure. I love this series! Getting no sleep and barely moving from my chair, I've spent maybe six days reading through the whole series. I can't express how infatuated and moved I am. And I crave more of the same. It was a wonderful adventure to say the least. Why couldn't this come out sooner in my life! I just think of myself as a pirate looking for buried treasure. I've been wading through garbage for what seems like forever and I've finally found another gem. And let me tell you, friend, it was worth every bit of insomnia I suffered. So if that didn't convince you to buy it, I don't know what will. Buy it! Buy it! Buy it! Buy It! Do it! You know you want to! It's an AWESOME series!!! More I say! More! Now, if you're wondering what it's about seriously this one time the back of the book doesn't lie, fib, or vaguely tell you the truth. It has its secrets. Oh! It has its secrets, but the back gives a very good summary of what to expect....sort of...mwhahaha. However, there is so much more it than that. I'm glad Mr. Sullivan wrote these. I really am.

A wonderful end to a wonderful trilogy/6 book series. I was leery at first when I read that this series was purposely written so that the first book would be the weakest and least interesting. I honestly should have never doubted. I will get the bad over with. This book was a little slow at first. Slow and tiresome. But it turned out to not last long. Because once the Wintertide games started, it went back to being entertaining, funny, and suspenseful. Though I am glad the first book in this volume was short. Especially because the second book was all the longer for it. As in the previous two reviews, the first book is a medieval games setting and the second is a dungeon crawl with all the heroes and favorite characters of the books. Things I didn't expect to happen, happened. Things I hadn't even thought about happened. Then there its he fact that we get character growth all around. Oh and the best part? This book answered all questions asked during the series, no loose threads, plot holes, or deus ex machina. And my favorite part of all? A long denouement. Seriously I love books that don't just abruptly end after the climax. I always feel cheated. So long story short, if you read the first two, this one is even better. If not, I wholly recommend the Riyiria Reveleations. The books are not repetitive, they are entertaining but have depth, and are just all around fun.

Riyria Revelations had the perfect blend of everything a modern fantasy series needs! Heroes and thieves, humor and darkness, swords and magic, and so much more. I thought I was running out of popular fantasy series to read but this one just became one of my all time favorites. Anyone looking for an amazing fantasy series should not hesitate to read the Riyria Revelations followed by the Riyria Chronicles. You will not be disappointed!

If you like the following, read this series: - interesting characters with futures and back stories - classic fantasy elements in Tolkinesque guise (tweaked for this universe) - good vs evil, battle of right and wrong - sword and sorcery - multiple story arcs, the need to think a bit - LOTS of material, properly epic - gritty romantic medieval setting (kings and princesses in castles surrounded by knights on horses and heroes on quests. No WiFi)

This series of books have been a very fun read. I'm still reading this book and I do not look forward to finishing it. I want the story to continue. The characters are very well developed as are the plots and sub plots. If you are looking for a read with lots of adventure, intrigue, quick changes of fortune, love, pathos and two tough main characters with tons of mystery, then you should enjoy this series. Very well written and leaving you wanting to know what happens next.

One of the things that originally attracted me to the story the plot--the characters weren't saving world. Royce and Hadrian, as characters, offered an entertaining buddy story. The "save-the-world" thing eventually happened as all epics must eventually go there. Mr. Sullivan's world is meticulous and interesting. His characters are real enough and entertaining. The authors style and story are easy to read and digest, and best of all, he never resorts to melodrama.

The concluding book in the (compiled)trilogy. There is lots of action and suspense and a few good humorous parts. Some parts are predictable, but others came as a surprise. It was a satisfying ending, but I'd love a follow up story of what happened later, the interaction between the two peoples. I would not let my middle schooler read this but would let high school aged read this. As with the previous books, there are brothels and lewd behavior/comments from some side characters.

After reading the first two novels in the series the finale delivers the punch you want. The story seems to build and deliver repeatedly. Every time you think the conclusion is looming Mr. Sullivan adds another exciting twist prolonging the finale with wonderful ends being tied up and tidbits leaving you longing for the prequels. (Which I plan to read also) I admit to falling deeply in love with Royce and Hadrian and recommend you pick up this great read for a classic adventure.

The Riyria Revelations was one of those series that I couldn't get enough of. As soon as I started reading them I was sucked in and couldn't stop until I finished all three books. It captured my attention right away because it characterizes Royce and Hadrian so well. They are the perfect duo and they abilities are realistic. It's refreshing that Michael Sullivan didn't create a young heroine to be the main character that can miraculously beat men in a sword fight. All the characters are wondrously unique. The plot is also a huge selling point for me. It's fast-paced and intricately complex. Each layer of the plot adds another element that leaves the reader amazed and each chapter ends with suspense. The foundation of the book and the history of the land is flawless. The only problem I had with the book was the development of the romance between Hadrian and Arista, or rather lack thereof. I know Sullivan is capable of beautiful romances from Royce and Gwen's, but in the Heir of Novron, Hadrian and Arista admit there undying love for each other out of nowhere. It's especially undeveloped on Hadrian's part. In the second book he shows promise of loving Arista with his comment about the rain, but in the third book he takes a step back and barely acknowledges her until near the end. Other than that sudden romance, the book is flawless and so exciting to read. It just may be my favorite book of all time, after the Bible that is.

I'm spiraling into a world of depression now that this series is over. These books were just breath-taking. I hate that it finally had to end. I purchased this book from Amazon on October 7, 2013 for $8.89. Again, this is much more than I would typically pay for a book. But when you find one that just sweeps you off your feet like this series did, WELL, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! The Heir of Novron had me in tears clutching my heart. All the while I was laughing at the banter between Royce and Hadrian. Never was there a dull moment in this book...or series. I honestly couldn't put the book down. The times that I was forced to mingle with reality, all I could do was ponder what was about to happen. Now that it's over, I'm left with wanting to know how everyone is handling the new world. The book ended the series perfectly, but it still leaves you wanting more. I accidentally stumbled upon this series while looking for another book. All I can say is this was the best accident to have ever happened to me. (I'll be praying that there is something that allows us to see how everyone is holding up!)

The Final Curtain of Hadrian and Royce; I knew it would be a bitter-sweet farewell. True to the expectations of the introduction of The Crown Tower; you don’t want to say goodbye to these gents. Interestingly enough, I can think of some ways the author may continue the story; he left a few head-scratchers. The characters end strong, and the ending is satisfactory to the journey you've been taken on- not an easy thing to do with such a thick journey. There are some beautiful moments between characters as you see just how far they've really come and grown, and you realize that it happened so naturally- a perfect example of a well-written story. It maintains an excellent pace of intrigue and detail, though I admit I was a bit impatient near the end and browsed a couple of chapters instead of absorbing the reading. There are some downfalls. There are some areas that I felt the author could have had added suggestive description; scenes went from A to C without the subtle B to lead us there, making it a little less convincing and believable to the characters and the story. The worst complaint of this story is Mangus using the word ghetto. There is such an other-world feeling to this story and it’s taken away with such modern slang. Hard cringe at that one. Not all art can be perfect to every critic, and this is no exception. If art is a reflection of life, then such is to be expected and appreciated all the more for it. This was still a fully enjoyable tale with wonderful characters and a fantastic plot. Lots of twists and turns, and the end gives you something to cheer for.

I loved all 5 books in this series. I would recommend reading them in chronological order rather than published order as I think it made for easier following of the events. (just my opinion). The characters are fun and the relationship between them very real. I really liked how their very different backgrounds and personalities played off of each other. I could not put these books down, and was sad when I reached the end of them. But I was very satisfied with how they ended. I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys alternate world fantasy.

My review taken from [...] I just finished this series the other day. What a story! I was pleasantly surprised by this series as I first read about it on a fantasy writers' forum: [...] - and then saw the hardcover of Theft of Swords at Chapters. Before reading the series, I read the free short story prequel "The Viscount and the Witch" and was hooked on the characters Royce and Hadrian. I bought Theft of Swords almost immediately. This series has everything I look for in a good extended fantasy story: Likable characters that you care about, and a great plot attached to them. With each book, the plot thickens and becomes more complex sucking you into a deeper story while introducing fantastic characters who noticeably grow and change with the story. Few writers can do this well, and I must say that Michael J. Sullivan has created a very fine piece of fantasy literature here. Another point I'd like to make is that another great feature of this series is that the plot is always moving forward. There are many fantasy series I have been reading lately that seem to plod on forever and moving at a snail's pace (hint: A Song of Ice and Fire).... this series is constantly moving forward and never feels bogged down with meaningless side-stories and over-description. I would whole-hardheartedly recommend this series to any fan of fantasy as it is definitely something that is easy to enjoy. i will definitely reread this again in the future, and would blindly recommend anything else to be released by Michael J Sullivan.

I come to the table late, but was treated to the same banquet of intrigue, daring feats of heroism and a friendship that changed a world! I was fortunate to be introduced to Michael Sullivan when I was give his first installment of the "Chronicles of Riyria" which introduced me to Hadrian and Royce 12 years before their adventures in "Riyria Revelations ". I have just finished the "Heir of Novron" which I was unable to put down until I had been released from the spell woven by Sullivan's fantastic characters...if you want to lose a few days submersed in great dialogue and well thought out characters and locations, become a Michael J. Sullivan reader today! You'll never regret it, I swear.

I like how the book went into more detail on how Hadrian and Royce got paired up. I would love to have another book of those early years. There are many surprising twists to the story and a satisfying ending. I just finished reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and this is a nice change. Even though it touched upon having faith and hope, it doesn't go into the long and drawn out contemplations of other heavy fantasy books. It has the humor and the actions. The characters are very likeable. A few disappointments but not really that big of a deal. The quest to find the horn isn't as challenging as I had expected. I didn't feel the chemistry between Arista and Harian. The relationship between Royce and Gwen is more solid. Overall, it is a wonderful finish. I hope Mr. Sullivan will write more books about these characters.

Fantasy trilogies aren't really rare, but ones that blend realistic villains, magical imagination, and characters you care about are rare. The Monk with the perfect memory is my favorite character. I imagine the Dalai Lama to resemble his enlightened spirit, but his devotion to books is surely shared by many fantasy readers. One of the best sermons I've read is his on why you should enjoy life even trapped between a cave in and a huge monster. Helen

Wow! Finally, the mystery is revealed. Some of my assumptions are correct. But my goodness, I have cried a river. So much death. I guess it is inevitable to happen in a war. I am so thankful that the author ended the story on a good note (for some). I am definitely going to be in a reading funk after this. Kudos to the author for a splendid writing and great execution.

Michael J. Sullivan has written a wonderful trilogy. The first book was purchased for $2 and at the regular price, the three books were a great bargain. It is a well written pre-victorian fantasy that is a fast read due to the fast paced events detailed in the plot. A bit of court intrigue without bogging the story down with endless plots. I highly recommend this series if you enjoyed "The Sword of Truth" novels or "The Wheel of Time" novels.

This last book in the Riyria Revelations did not disappoint. It was another great read full of action and humor. I loved the ending. It was full of surprises. So happy to find out there are prequels which I’ve already ordered.

The author of this series deserves all the kudos he has received for the concept and execution of what has to be one of he best epic fantasies to come along in years. I ordered and read all three volumes back to back and finished them over a weekend. I could not put these books down, and when I finished "Heirs of Novron" I was suffering from withdrawal. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next, but I hope Hadrian and Royce at least get a cameo.

Love the characters in this series Royse Hadrian Arista and all of my favorite people back at it again. Love how you really feel the emotions these characters feel. Very well written

I must say that this is one of my favorite fantasy series that has come out recently. The Heir of Novron contains the last two books of the six book series, Ryiria Revelations (Wintertide and Percepliquis). The conclusion of the series is fast paced and contains twists that make it a great read. Great ending to a great series. For those that have not read the series, these are the previous volumes. The first volume is Theft of swords which include the first and second books (The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha). The second volume is called Rise of Empire which include the third and fourth book(Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm). All of which are fun reads.

This book, and this series, is awesome, especially from a newly-published author. Even more than the story (which is exciting, terrifying, and full of surprises) I love the characters in these books. Each one is fleshed out, interesting, and compelling. By the time they begin to suffer really difficult things, you feel like you're really invested in whether or not they succeed. It's an amazing story full of amazing people. You'd be doing yourself a favor to check it out.

Loved the world, loved how everything came together at the end. I think the fact that there were so many strong female characters as well as male characters and no love triangles makes this book tops. The story revolved around the story and not individuals or love. It was a great fantasy ride, I almost believed it. Some to no strong language made it even better!

Great ending to a wonderful series. If Fantasy is your choice when reading, this series and The Riyria Chronicles, have everything you could ask for and more in a Fantasy series. I never put any details of the story in my reviews, the whole point of Fantasy is for the adventure, pick this series up you won't be disappointed.

I really don't know what else to say. Sullivan does a great job of getting to know and love and hate the characters. The story and all it's questions wind up getting answered and you love the entire trip. It has been a while that I picked up a book that I just found hard to put down. I'm looking forward to now starting his prequel series to this wonderful trilogy.

If you enjoyed the other books this one will knock your socks off! So glad I read these books! Will definitely be one of the series I read again.

This whole series was a ton of fun. I had trouble putting it down! It's your classic fantasy adventure, and it had amazing characters and class enough to feature minority characters without stereotyping them, which was wonderfully refreshing. The themes are also uplifting, so I had a smile on my face while reading. I'll be recommending this to friends.

The final book in the Riyria Revelations continues the story of Royce and Hadrian. While I have to say it was a tad predictable it was still nevertheless enjoyable and I liked almost every minute of it. I was genuinely sad to see the end of the book come up as I turned the last page. I am hoping Mr. Sullivan will continue to write more books involving Royce and Hadrian and look forward to reading the 2 prequels that just came out.

I just finished reading the Riyria Revelations and it has become my favorite fantasy series. I've read the Sword of Truth series by Goodkind, the Wheel of Time series by Jordan, and the Mistborn series by Sanderson. Sullivan has surpassed them all to become my favorite, with Mistborn a close second (still waiting on the next Stormlight novel by Sanderson!). With that being said, I absolutely love this series - from the story to the characters to the detailed world the author creates - its almost as if I was there with Royce and Hadrian on their adventures. I look forward to reading many more books by Sullivan!

I love the Riyria Chronicles! I have this in paperback, but just had to get in on my kindle too!

I bought the first book in this series on a whim and I am so happy I did. These books were a lot of fun. Totally enjoyable. The story was well written and well told. I really didn't want it to end. I could continue on and write up a comprehensive overview with analysis - but I'd just do the book an injustice. The best thing I can do and say is: read the books, read them in order and enjoy.

I love epic fantasy novels and this one delivers. More humor than most and not burdened with overly long scenery descriptions or stuffy language or overly complex mythology. I read them in chronological order. A satisfying end to this series/trilogy.

Overall a satisfying end to the series, a bit of a plot twist at the end (wont spoil it), but leaves you wanting more. One of the motivations of a minor character for a particular action (can I be any vaguer)is a bit unsatisfactory, but minor nit with the story. Can't wait for more, and hope to find out more about the elves. Dear Mr. Sullivan please write the sequel that this deserves. Thank you in advance.

A classic adventure, Sullivan has molded these books into a true saga. With some predictable results, including a couple of heavily hinted at reveals, the story unfolds enjoyably. Personally, I'm hooked on it and look forward to reading the prequels. If you liked Weber's Oath of Swords, Eddings' Belgarion / Mallorean series or Jordan's Conan books, you will love this series.

This is a great series. I found it while looking for something that was complete, while waiting for other books to be released. There's just enough magic, just enough death and destruction and just enough "hero saves the day" going on and it wraps it all up without leaving you hanging. Easily one of the best I've read/listened to and I've read hundreds of books.

My heart is still racing after having finished the book. It was an exhilarating ride with Royce and Hadrian. The ending I hadn't expect and ultimately, surprised by the outcome. I'm in love with these characters.

Just as Sullivan began to really develop his characters it all ended. I have watched over the past gazillion pages as his writing style has gone from good to great, even lyrical. I do feel a bit like it became formulaic at the end, but it was what I wanted as a reader anyway, and while the characters became more interesting too many rich details got swept under the rug by the time the series concluded

Reading it now & i can say w/ certainty, i'll be sad when i'll read the last chapter, i luv Hadrian & Royce. If you like medieval stories w/ knights, prince & princesses, sorcery & intrigue, then Riyria will be to your liking. It's not a complicated series, where it gets too confusing w/ too many characters & locations, like some sci-fict books tend to overdo w/, thinkn that somehow that makes a book better, when really it dulls the reader at some point, esp. if each bk is over 600pgs. I thought MJS did a good job, ive NEVER bought any bk over 500pgs b/c they get too plotty, but this series - I LOVED! I wanted more than 3 books, boo. I wud of been happy w/ 5 books, I wanted to know more about Royce & Hadrian's background or even the time when Esrahaddon lived, he died too suddenly. Hopefully, MJS will get more novels out.

On this, the last leg of the journey, I knew not all was as it seemed. I had inklings of who was really who and what was really what, but I just couldn't make it all fit right, until the end when all the pieces finally come together! What a fun journey this series has been- it is definitely going on my "favorites" list. I both laughed and cried with these characters. There are little gems of insight as well, my favorite being, "Sometimes the price of dreams is achieving them". I am a little sad it is over- but completely satisfied as well.

I love these books. I cannot express how much I do. And this one broke my heart for a couple reasons, one being that it had to end. I wanted to spend more time with Royce, Hadrian, and Arista. I don't know how writers do it so you fall in love with characters who do not exist in our world, but you truly love the characters in this book. Thank goodness for the Chronicles which gives us more time with Royce and Hadrian.

Sad as it is for journeys end to come, for the characters have grown and the time we have spent with them has been cherished. It is a truly wonderfully and amazing end to the series, of course many of us want to know more about the fates afterwards

Sullivan has likely given me my favorite two characters in the fantasy genre. Lord of the Rings' Frodo & Sam are great, The Dark Tower's Eddie is amazing, but the interaction between Royce & Hadrian is unlike any other. The only detractors I see are the elitists who think they just "know" better than you do what "good" writing is. Don't listen to them! Enjoy the characters of this series for what they are (and there are many to appreciate besides the main two).

A perfect adventure with twists and turns that you can try to anticipate but never catch all the nuances of. A real treat for a fantastic adventure lover.

I don't know why I have never put a review for this book here. I first read it several years ago and it is so good that I have reread it at least three times. The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J Sullivan was his first published series which began as six self published ebooks. Those became understandably popular enough to attract a publisher who combined the six into 3 hefty books. Heir of Novron is the 3rd and final book in this fast paced exciting trilogy featuring Royce Melborn, professional thief and former assassin and Hadrian Blackwater, ex mercenary and gladiator, known collectively as Riyria meaning two in elvish. What began in the first book, Theft of Swords, as a simple job to steal a sword threw them into a conspiracy that pitted them against the forces working to do away with the rulers of the kingdoms of Elan to create an empire ruled by the heir of Novron. The plot will capture your imagination, the pace will keep you turning pages and speeding through each book, and the characters, professional thieves Royce and Hadrian will steal your heart. So don't be discouraged when you finish this series. Michael J Sullivan tells the beginning of Riyria in the book The Crown Tower, the first in the Riyria Chronicles series followed by The Rose and the Thorn, and The Death of Dulgath and there will soon be a fourth, The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter. The books in the Chronicles series can be read in any order. If you love good, clean, exciting and fun fantasy reading, I highly recommend delving into Riyria's world with Theft of Swords.

Best. Book. Ever. I mean, this whole series is phenomenal. Sullivan is a genius and I am unhealthily obsessed with Hadrian and Royce. I just want to be sandwiched between them forever. Seriously though, read this series, but go buy it from Sullivan's website so he gets money.

I could not put down these books! The characters were real, flawed humans (and other than humans), who nevertheless did amazing and heroic things! The narrated versions of the Chronicles and the Revelations are well worth buying because Tim Gerard Reynolds is amazingly good at breathing life into each and every character. I will probably immerse myself into the world Sullivan created a second time because it was so enjoyable!

Needs a sequel. How do Royce and Mercy get along with the elves? What about Arista and Hadrian?

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan (a compilation of two books, Wintertide and Percepliquis, previously self-published by the author) is a rousing finish to the Riyria Revelations. While standard epic fantasy fare, it is well done and engaging. Sullivan has clearly grown as an author while writing these three (six, really) books, and Heir is certainly the best of the lot. While there are several plot twists, all are adequately foreshadowed for those who pick up the clues. It is hard to argue with Sullivan's themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption. These are played out well throughout the entire work, although those who are cynical may find the final scene to be too saccharine sweet for their taste. A good read, Heir is a very satisfying conclusion to Sullivan's debut series. ****

I finished this book last night and I'm still amazed at how awesome this book was. The last 150ish pages of this book is probably the best of anything I have ever read before. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry and mostly did both at the same time. I cannot wait to for the Riyria Chronicles to arrive next week. Hands down, one of the best series I have ever read and I look forward to reading it many times over! I may have found a new favorite author!

I enjoyed this book and series. It was light and entertaining with characters that are fun and interesting. Some small plot holes along the way and inconsistencies in character development, but you barely notice them. My biggest one is of Thrace and how she evolves as a character. Overall, if you can look past this flaw, I think you will love the book and characters.

Heir of Novron closes out the Riyria series with a bang! All plot threads are resolved (though not necessarily in ways you might expect), all open questions are closed. All this is done without letting up on the action or the intensity. All in all, very tidily done. This whole series has been a very satisfying read, and a very impressive debut by the author. I would love to see the author write a follow up series exploring the world of the elves and dwarves more, perhaps with appearances by our favourite characters?

Five Freaking Stars!!! I started this after my brothers read it and I devoured each book in the trilogy. I fell in love with Hadrian, Arista and Myron. The history, the legacy, the lore and religion, all fantastic! I found myself shouting encouragement and shock and shushing my husband on multiple occasions. This book has everything I love about fantasy novels and I plan on reading all this author has to offer!!! Thank you Michael Sullivan!

Couldn’t put down once started reading all the way till the last word. Loved it! Read in chronological order rather than how it was written and released, and enjoyed it fully.

Made up of the books Wintertide and Percepliquis, this omnibus raises the stakes to the climax, and shakes this world as these characters know it. The action escalates, mysteries are brought to light, and it all wraps up in a satisfying conclusion.

This BOOK is magnificent. The main characters are so very well put together and the minor characters every single one was created with in-depth precision and skill, owning their part perfectly....the monk for example.....that 'scene' where his sister confronted him to beg for forgiveness....that was HILARIOUS!.... wonderful work. Not just hats off.....gloves,mittens and scarf!! Great job Michael. :-) I SEE MOVIE DEAL!

I'm definitely hooked on Micheal J Sullivan. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I'm glad some mysteries were solved. Some I suspected some I didn't

Loved, loved loved every book. The characters are so well developed and the story develop is exceptional. These are my favorite books!!

Part 1: After learning that the New Empire have Degan and is slated for execution, Hadrian and Royce head for the heart of the New Empire in an effort to save the Heir of Novron. However the dynamic duo is seperated when Royce leaves when he learns about the destruction of Medford (where Gwen, his beloved, lives) and Hadrian is captured by Seret Guy. Hadrian strikes a deal with the devil so to speak. In order to save the life of Princess Arista and Degan Gaunt, Hadrian agrees to kill Sir Breckton (the brother of Wesley from the previous book) under the guise of an accident during a jousting tournament. Part 2: During the Rise of Empire, I kept wishing that we would get more elf action. Boy do we here. Soft of. We see a more prominent role of elves when they cross the river and attack. They quickly overpower different countries. Soon enough, Hadrian, Royce, Arista, Elric, Wyatt, and others are sent on a quest to retrieve a horn thingy in order to stop the elves. But the horn is located in Percepliquis, which is basically the lost city of Atlantis. They must find the city, find the horn, and rescue all of men basically. Heir of Novron is a large volume (over 900 pages) but there's so much packed into it: revenge, death, romance, sword fighting, prophecies (soft of), magic, flashbacks, etc. Let me just say there is quite a bit of death in the book, hankies may be required. There are lots of twists and turns in the book and the plots are neatly tied up now. I really do like the twists in here and I thought they were expertly done. There was one regarding Royce that caused me to text my sister and be all "Sullivan... you sly dog, you." (She'd read the series so she would mislead me or be all "I'm not telling!" with certain plot points) I really enjoyed the story and I was sad to see it end. The only thing I wasn't really sold on was the romance between Arista and Hadrian. I think that maybe I had trouble with it because by and large I didn't really like Arista as a character (by and large, I found her to be annoying but I did like her character growth). I know that there is a prequel to the series (which I am looking forward to reading) but I am hoping that sometime in the future we might get a sequel to this series. Though I hope we get to see more of the Hadrian and Royce bromance.

A fantastic read that reminds me of a bit of Lord of the Rings (in a great way) with a creative plot, great character development, and enough adventure to make it hard to put down. Would highly recommend as a fun read for anyone who loved the LOR books, Harry Potter, or another book you can really invest yourself into and feel satisfied once you finally set it down.

Simply perfect... This is my first review as I usually don't write any (obviously), but felt compelled to. The Heir of Novron pulled together a series of major and minor questions that kept popping up in my head while I read the series. I never expected Mr. Sullivan to not only answer all of them, but he did so in a way that I felt satisfied and not cheated. The Riyria Revelations just kept popping up in the suggested reading area and since I had never heard of the books or the author I didn't give it much thought until I essentially ran out of stuff to read. The series just blew me a way, and finding a gem like this was super refreshing; I only wish I had pulled the trigger earlier. Anyways, if you are on the fence about starting this series, don't put it off anymore!

I agree with the review of "Poet and Quant" that the plot is quite ludicrous and the characters are underdeveloped and extreme at the same time. Although the series was entertaining, I was able to predict more and more after each chapter. In these books we've got (minor spoilers ahead): - characters at 100% (Hadrian: the best knight that ever lived, Modina: the best ruler that ever lived, Wyatt: the best sailor that ever lived, Merrick: the biggest brain ever, etc.) - Zero interesting characters - outrageous voyages - absolutely silly protocols of succession - convoluted history - sorcery measured in megatons of destruction - several people do amazing feats with no prior experience In the closing chapters the "feel good" machine got to me so much that I was compelled to write this review. I feel that the series is more suitable to young adults.

This is for Volume 3, Heir of Novron of Riyria Revelations. It contains the final two books of the series, Wintertide and Percepliquis. This is the first series that I was actually sad to see come to an end. Michael Sullivan neatly ties it all up and you get to see the characters find their respective niches in life which I really enjoyed. I'm going to go back and read them again so I can find all the clues Michael left for us! Also there is a short story (too short for me but I enjoyed it nonetheless) titled the Viscount and the Witch that shows Royce and Hadrian just after they started working together. Get it too. Great series! Buy it, you won't be disappointed! Allison

The main characters have enough facets to be interesting but not so odd as to be unrealistic. The main plot/story line is not so obvious that you are bored. Nor is it so obscure that you go huh, where did that come from. I went straight on to the next installment to see where the pair of Riyria was headed in their adventures and as people.

It always feels that when a series come to an end that you are always left with nothing but loose ends that leave you wondering what happened. Go once I can say that I am happily sated with this ending. Plus the knowledge that Royce and Hadrian 's early adventures are now available to read will keep me happily in their world if only for another week

While so many authors in fantasy fiction nowadays do anything they can to stand out by breaking the mold, this series glories in fitting perfectly inside of it. On the surface you have a world of dwarfs, elves, goblins, an ancient but wise wizard, thieves and prostitutes with hearts of gold(Ok one thief), ancient dungeons and perilous quests so on and so forth. But when you get invested into the characters and the setting you forget you have read this multiple times before and realize you are onto something great. Not to mention the single greatest Bromance ever written! If you enjoy fantasy this has just about everything you could want out of a fantasy novel.

I had just finished two other series by major authors and was having trouble finding something new and exciting. This series was wonderful. It was as good or better than so many bestsellers that I have read the last few years. If you enjoy fantasy this is a set you should not miss. I enjoyed it so much it is going to make it onto my hardcopy bookshelf. Enjoy it... I know I will when I reread my hardcopies later next year

Almost done with The Heir of Novron and was pleasantly surprised to see the chronical editions. I was beginning to think I was S.O.L. on more Riyria stories. Keep. Them. Coming!

This trilogy of just amazing! I'm not done with Heir yet but I just had to write a review. The characters are so real that you even care about the insignificant ones. And the mastery of story telling where a small fact in book 1 becomes a plot piece in book 3 is inspiring. This is a series that you need to read.

This book doesn't disappoint, if youre a fan of the series. If you don't know the series you'll want to start at the beginning but this is one of those fun must reads. The character development, the relationships, the world it's set in, the plot, everything about this book makes the series a lot of fun.

Absolutely the best conclusion possible to my favorite series! The character development continues with a much deeper look at both Hadrian and Royce. Also some references to characters of future novels! Cant wait to read it again!

I've been reading fantasy for almost 50 years. Having read some of the finest works of all time, I had given up hope the finding great new Authors. But, as Nimbus said, "Everyone deserves a little happiness."

The whole Riyria Revelations series was great. A lot of fun to read and a throwback to heroic fantasies of times past.

The first book to end a trilogy that left all my questions answered and tied up all loose ends. That is NOT an easy thing to do and most authors seem to be unable to fill in all their gaps. Michael J. Sullivan surpassed my expectations with this final book of Revelations. While I am sad to have the trilogy end, I am so very pleased with how well he ended the series.

Downloaded some sample chapters looking for a new series to read and was pleasantly surprised by this book and all the others in this series. Good characters and well developed story. Start with "Theft of Swords" then read "Rise of Empire" and then "Heir of Novron".

This is an excellent book. The plot is well conceived and the writing is excellent. This is a three book series so it is helpful to start at Theft of Swords, the first book in this series to be a able to fully appreciate all of the plot connections and characters, but it isn't an absolute must if you just want to dive in.

Not many series holds my attention like this story did. I very much enjoyed the set of characters and the storyline.

Well I just finished all 9 books in the series and I have to say thank you Mr. Sullivan. So good so so so good. I enjoyed every second of these books and can’t wait for more. You have a reader for life and i will be recommending this to everyone!

The first novel Theft of Swords was great, but man does Heir of Novron weave more twists and turns than ever!! This book was great Sullivan did a wonderful job of keeping the attention of the reader making me fall in love with all of the characters even more, hanging on to every word! As soon my kindle hit 100% I was at the kindle store purchasing Rise of Empire! The entire series is amazing, as an avid epic/fantasy reader I recommend this series to anyone looking for a great read!

I really enjoyed the entire series of Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles. Michael J. Sullivan is truly an amazing writer. Hadrian and Royce are very refreshing and captivating characters. I couldn't put this book down and as a result, I didn't get much sleep. What to read next?

A thrilling end to the Riyria revelation saga. Enthralling till the end and overall a magnificent series of books. Great read all the way through with the chronicles and the revelations.

Michael Sullivan can tell a great story. I just finished The Riyria Revelations and am sad that it has ended. Sullivan created a great cast of players and support people, I enjoyed reading about each. I would love to see the story continue sometime in the future. Very well done, thank you.

This series was one of the best I’ve read in a long, long time. Smart, funny, real...complicated, but not too complicated. Characters are fantastic, the story is excellent. Anyone into fantasy should read this series.