Great continuation of the first book. Tons of fun!

This book picks up after a year or so after the end of first book where Church has found a lost leader and started to form an Empire.

Our combo of elvish assassin and burly fighter find themselves working for the king of Melengar as spies that book start to focus a lot more on the politics and intrigue. I enjoyed this portion of the book that author does not let the narrative get dull with endless chatter. Some of the characters are cunning yet funny.

Scope of the story is larger, and yet book almost manage to move as fast as the previous book (though there were few moments which I thought were kind of a drag).

Author provides a lot more depth to the characters of Royce and Hadrian. Back stories of Royce and Hadrian is been flushed out which is masterfully integral to the over all story.

There are twists in this book which caught me by surprised. Arista's development as person and as an practitioner of the 'art' continues, and it is a fun ride.

Sense of humor between two thieves is still fresh and fun.

Narrator did a great job, and book is really a fun listen. This audio series is turning into one of my favorite. This book has setup nicely for the last in series for which I cant wait!

I highly recommend this book and series.

50 people found this helpful

Barefoot rabbit

Discussion after Discussion
The Barefoot Rabbit, tells it as it is. I have a reputation for giving negative reviews, but not when it comes to Michael J. Sullivan. I have read several of his books and this would be the first negative review, but this book bored me to tears. I gave it over five hours, which is two hours longer than I give unknown authors, but it just never captured my attention.

Reynolds is an upper tier narrator, no problems there.

40 people found this helpful

Disappointing

I really enjoyed the first Riyria book, as simple as it was, particularly for a few of its interesting characters, promising set-up, and what felt like competent writing. This sequel promised more of this--but suffered from a complete lack of focus (or editing). The first part's plot dragged (prepare for discussion after discussion) so that very little occurs until nearly midway, but I was willing to just listen (on 1.5x) and wait, believing that the pace would pick up and everything would come together more elegantly in the second.

Instead, the second part of the book sounded as if it had been cut and pasted out of some ridiculous 50's maritime jungle island adventure book. A it was just that--ridiculous. As soon as they got of the ship, I don't know how many times I rolled my eyes or wondered when something was actually going to happen. Predictable and/or flat plot 'twists' galore are dragged out for no reason other than to take up another full book so that three can be sold instead of one or two. It seems like Sullivan wasn't sure where he was going with the story and just wrote in a lot of filler for fun. (Hmm...I've gotten my fun with the dragon-fighting adventure, ticked off the generic sea adventure gun battle part...now let's put Royce and Hadrian on a jungle trek with typical challenges and lots of shifty 'savages'! Wouldn't that be fun?) No.

The characters are really the only compelling aspect of this rather flat book. If not for my affection for a few of them (namely Hadrian and Arista), I would have zero motivation to find out what happens in the third installment. I'm still not sure I care enough to find out after this disappointingly typical middle book.

29 people found this helpful

Solid Middle Books of the Series

Although Volume 2 of the Ryria Revelations contains two books, Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm, I still felt how I usually feel after reading the middle book of a good trilogy - unsatisfied with how things are left off and ready for more.

Royce and Hadrian continue their adventures and do some digging into their pasts, while Arista sets off on her own and faces some serious challenges. Each of the characters is flushed out some and the bigger picture continues to come into focus. For me, The Emerald Storm was a bit of a tangent and did not advance the main storyline as much as I would have hoped, but any story involving Royce and Hadrian is entertaining so I'm not complaining.

Tim Gerard Reynolds does his normal excellent job bringing the characters to life and at this point I could not imagine anyone else voicing them. So if you enjoyed Volume 1 there is no reason to hesitate on picking this one up, just keep in mind that the story doesn't end here and you will have to pick up Volume 3 as well.

26 people found this helpful

Super!!

What did you love best about Rise of Empire?

This is my favorite new series. It has great characters the story is fast moving and has the depth that I look for. Truly a great read. I have recommended it to all my family and friends.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Royce was my favorite character because his dry humor reminded me of my father.

Which character – as performed by Tim Gerard Reynolds – was your favorite?

He is a great performer. I think he really gets a great feel for the characters before he even starts his work. I don't believe that I could honestly choose.

23 people found this helpful

Would make a great tv show!

If anyone could transition this to tv without mucking around with it to make everybody in love with everybody else, or whatever idiot changes they always seem to make when adapting somebody else's work, this series would make for fabulous television.

Royce and Hadrian, the main characters, have that 'odd couple' relationship that makes for fun banter and frequent bickering. There is plenty of straight-forward action with sword fights, battles, daring escapes, rescues, robberies, etc. There are also lots of secrets and lies, betrayals and conspiracies. I hate it whenever I have to stop listening, because I'm wondering what's going to happen next.

22 people found this helpful

The second book delivers

I was pleasantly surprised that this book (books 3 and 4) did not suffer from the sophomore curse. This was on par with the first novel and I enjoyed it every bit as much. There are loads of different characters but the main focus is still on the main characters Royce and Hadrian. I love these characters and I can't wait for the next book.

20 people found this helpful

This is becoming one of my favorite series

There are a few series that, after finishing a volume, leave me with an almost obsessive urge to get the next volume and continue the story. The Dark Tower books by Stephen King and The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan are two examples (I actually had "Michael Jordan" written... glad I caught that). After finishing the second volume of Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations I am left with this same feeling. I want the next book...right now! I think I will just have to go buy the print version - if the local book store has it - because this story is really, really good. Definitely do not buy it if you haven't read the first volume though. In that case, go get "Theft of Swords" and hope that by the time you get to the end of "Rise of Empire" audible has released the next book in the series.

14 people found this helpful

Gritty, fun, realistic fantasy, just great fiction

Sometimes I pass up books just because they are fantasy. It's not that I don't enjoy the genre, I do. This second book in the trilogy, like the first, stands on its on as just a fantastic story for any lover of fiction. It's no wonder its one of the best rated books on audible.

Sullivan weaves magic, trolls, elves into the tale so subtly that it seems more natural than supernatural. The characters are so well developed, their conversation so modern that I had no problem believing in the validity of the tale.

There are obvious parallels between the fantasy empire's totalitarian rule and that of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. In this case, elves and dwarfs are considered "the problem" by the ruling class. And like the European jews in the early 20th century, all the ills of the world are blamed on them. There are even extermination camps.

Then there is the power of the Church. However, though there are cathedrals, bishops, monks and priests, there is no semblance of Christianity that i could find. There is a sense of it's goodness and how it is used to manipulate and gain power by a few evil men.

The two Ryiria Muskateers are once again back with all their cavalier charm. They bring humor and inject life into every scene.

I have to cut this short, but let me say I enjoyed this book as much as any mystery/thriller
I've ever read. The narration is great.

5 Stars all the way.

12 people found this helpful

Volume Two of the Riyria Revelations

This volume contains "Nyphron Rising" and "The Emerald Storm." With these books, the story really begins to develop toward the ultimate climax (which I'm hoping will be released on Audible sometime soon). Volume one fleshes out the players and leads us to the goal of the various players. Volume two is more plot driven than character development. But that's not to say that the characters don't develop, they do. But it's more of a lateral movement rather than a growth toward betterment. The end of "The Emerald Storm" leaves you hanging! If you don't like cliffhangers, hold off on this series until all three volumes have been released (or see if you can find it in print). Still, I'm rather enjoying this series. No dreadful mid-series lull that is so often found in fantasy series.

11 people found this helpful