Review: Avempartha

Avempartha

by Michael J. Sullivan

Format: Paperback, 331 pages
Publisher: Ridan
Cover Design: Michael J. Sullivan
Release Date: March 22, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0979621116



When a destitute young woman hires two thieves to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. What begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — that could change the future of Elan.

Avempartha is the second book in the Riyria Revelations and picks up about two years after The Crown Conspiracy left off. Royce and Hadrian are off to the eastern wilderness to help the village of Dhalgren to fight off attacks by a mysterious monster. They quickly run into the wizard Esrahaddon, who they set free in the first novel, who claims that the weapon necessary to kill the beast is locked in an elven tower. Of course, the wizard has his own reasons for wanting to get inside. Meanwhile, the Church of Novron is maneuvering to plant a new heir on the imperial throne and thus hoping to gain control of Elan. They plan to accomplish this by having the “heir” kill the same monster attacking Dhalgren. As can be expected with many conflicting agendas, nothing goes according to plan.

The second book in this new epic fantasy series is a bit of an improvement over the first. The plot is, if anything, a little tighter, focusing on the confrontation with the magical beast. There is more background on the main characters of Royce and Hadrian as well as on the Church and the history of Elan. The Crown Conspiracy had a couple places where there was some info dumping close together in the narrative, and Avempartha has this as well, however it is only a minor concern and is otherwise well handled. As in the first novel, the second is essentially self-contained, though it does set up the plot for the next book.

Avempartha is a worthy sequel to The Crown Conspiracy. In fact, I’d say it probably surpasses it. I definitely recommend this new series and I look forward to the third book, Nyphron Rising.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Crown Conspiracy

The Crown Conspiracy
by Michael J. Sullivan


Format: Paperback, 296 pages
Publisher: Aspirations Media
Cover Design: Michael J. Sullivan
Release Date: October 1, 2008
ISBN-10: 0-980003437
ISBN-13: 978-0980003437


“There is no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time...Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out…and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.”

Thus states the book’s synopsis on the author’s webpage and it explains the plot pretty well. The Crown Conspiracy is the first book in the six-part Riyria Revelations. Each book is supposed to be part of a larger tale, yet can also be read individually as stand-alone novels. Also, according to the author’s site, all the books in the series are already written so future installments should be coming quite soon. Indeed, the second story, Avempartha, was released last month and if the pattern continues, the third should be out in another five months.

As the reader can tell from the book’s synopsis, The Crown Conspiracy has a little bit of everything. It has elves, murder, wizards, intrigue, war, adventure, and hope. You might think there is too much for one book. And while it’s true that the book comes in just shy of three hundred pages, the plot takes off fairly quickly. Truthfully, the tale is quite concise without much meandering or world building except what is needed for the story. In many ways, the novel takes all the conventional tropes of a traditional fantasy story, takes what it needs, and throws out the rest. What is left is a quick and entertaining read.

One of my complaints with the novel is that the story seemed a little too simplistic. Drama and tension were resolved a little quickly, and some of the character inteactions were a little too easy. My other complaint is that it seems the world isn’t big enough for the story and the people in it. What I mean by that is that while the map at the front shows a fairly good-sized continent with plenty of space, the land as described in the story seems smaller than it should be. For instance, early in the book the main characters cover a fair distance in only one day, a distance that is over half the entire size of a kingdom. Luckily, both of these issues are handled somewhat better towards the end of the novel.

The Crown Conspiracy has a few, small flaws, but on the whole it is also a fast-paced and entertaining story. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Recommended.

Rating: 7.5/10