Review: Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

Title: Theft of Swords
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Series: The Riyria Revelations #01-02
Genre: High Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: November 23, 2011
Edition: 694 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

   Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles-until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.
   Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires?
   And so begins the first tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

   When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.
Theft of Swords was originally published as: The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.

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My initial plan was to read the World of Elan books in historical chronological order, and I tired reading Nolyn three times, the first book in the "bridge" series between Legends and the Riyria series', but wasn't really in the mood for that yet. So I started with the first book published in the world. 

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and I liked seeing what the world was like thousands of years later and how the history was lost and what they got "wrong". It makes me wonder what parts of our own history got lost or altered over the millennia.

I like Hadrian and Royce more at the start than I did most of the characters in Legends. 

It took a couple of books before I had favorite characters in the other series, but I instantly like the main characters in this book. I like that they're both foils for each other. Royce keeps, or tries to keep, Hadrian more pragmatic about things. And Hadrian tires his damnedest to get Royce to be more compassionate about random strangers.

There are a lot of side characters in this book. Some are more likeable than others. Arista, she is a character than I am unsure about. I don't know how old she' supposed to be, but I'm assuming she's already an adult. But at times she behaves pretty young. That could do to her being a shut in. But she's kind of gullible. If she was younger I think it would bother me less. 

Estra, I like him. He's mysterious enough and knowing one of the bridge books is about him makes me excited to read it when I get to it. Even the some things he thought were true were lost in time from when they happened during his time.

I've already borrowed the second book from the library before even I wrote this review. I had to force myself to not read it yet so I wouldn't details crossed.