If you follow me here on Goodreads, you know that I don't rate my books. I do, however, use the review feature to update people on the process of books. So here goes.



Update 07/05/2023 - Age of War is on sale during the month of July at Audible.com. Just $6.99 (less than 1/2 a credit).

Update 11/09/18 - Age of War is my 7th Goodreads Choice Award Nomination! Voting to chose the 10 finalists will end 11/10/18. Here is a complete list of the 20 semi-finalists:



Update 08/23/18 - We made the list! What list you ask? Why the Goodread's Best Fantasy of 2018 (so far list), of course. Here's all the books that are included:



Update 08/20/18 - People are pretty excited for Age of Legend, ,and I'm already getting emails wanting to know (a) when it will be available for pre-ordering and (b) how can they sign up for early notification. Well, the answer to the first question can be found here, and here is a sign-up form for the second.

Update 08/05/18 - One month plus release and things continue to go well, we've sold more than 44,000 books (20% ebooks | 22% hardcovers | 58% audiobooks). It looks a lot of you are listening to the books. So much, in fact, that Age of War hit the New York Times Bestseller list for the month of July for audiobooks. How are you consuming the book?

Update 07/11/18 - One week plus since release and things are going well. The book topped out at a sales rank of 373 - on Amazon - which I'm very pleased with, and the have been very positive 97% of people on Goodreads "d it" and it's running at a solid 4.5 overall ranking. Oh, and it's now available for direct purchase for people who want signed copies.

Update 07/02/18 - Age of War releases tomorrow!! And Age of Myth is on sale right now from Audible (just $5.95) so good timing on that. All three books are hitting the Epic Fantasy Bestseller's list so thank you for your continued support.



Update 05/21/18 - Age of War was picked as one of Goodread's Hottest Books of the Summer!



Here are all five selections:



Update 05/01/18 - Another ARC Giveaway has been posted. Here is the link. These are my last two copies fo the ARC, and I'm not sure if Del Rey is running another Giveaway before release date, so this may be the last one. Good luck on the drawing! Oh, and it ends at the end of the month so winners will get the book about a month before release.

Update 03/29/18 - There is a few days left in a Goodreads Giveaway for ARC (Advanced Reading Copies) of Age of War. It's open only to residents of the US, but there is a parallel Giveaway open to people of all countries for members of my Private Goodread's Group, The Dark Room. If you would to join here is a link.

Update: 02/09/18 - There's some good news and bad news. The printer's proofs for Age of War will be arriving on 2/13/18 just a few more days! That's the good news. The bad news is the book will be delayed a couple of months. The new release date is July 03. Don't blame Del Rey, it's 100% my fault. You see, when Robin and I did my final read through on the copy edits, there were some issues that we felt should be addressed. As such, we were late hitting our copy edit review deadline, and Del Rey had to copyedit the new stuff. All this meant slippage in the release. I could have ignored the issues and hit my release dates, but I opted for quality over speed. I hope you'll be understanding. In the grand scheme of things 75 days is nothing when stacked up against other writers Rothfuss, Martin, and Lynch. But then again, I guess I shouldn't be putting myself in that same company. Still, I hope you'll be patient with us and understanding ofthe choices we made.


Update: 01/08/18 - Home stretch! Robin and I did our final pass through the copyedits of the book. I deemed it "good to go" - Robin pointed out a few minor tweaks - and they really are minor so I'm implementing them today and iI'm guessing it'll be to Del Rey in the morning - then it's off to the presses!

Update: 10/02/17 - And....DONE! Just finished implementing all the beta feedback. They did a terrific job! Going to give it one last read through then send it off to Del Rey's production team for copy editing, layout, and the other production task. I'm thrilled with how it came out.

Update: 09/28/17- Received the compilation of all the beta feedback from Robin today, and I've started to make changes. Great feedback, and while there is a lot of good stuff for me to "tweak" the book won't be changing dramatically from what went to the beta team. At this point, everything is moving on schedule.

Update: 09/08/17 - Received the "marketing copy for the book" from my editor, may still need some further tweaking and refinement but it's much improved from the fairly lame version I released. If you want to see what they came up with, the description has already been updated here on Goodreads.

Update: 07/07/17 - Got the editorial feedback from my editors at Del Rey. One of them, claims it's her favorite book of the series to date and neither of them had any significant changes called out. I only briefly scanned the file, but I think the book is in good shape and won't need much more from me. Robin is going to do another re-read (I already incorporated her content changes), and then it will be on to beta reading!

Update: 04/03/17 - Had a meeting with Del Rey last week in New York and we've set the official release date for this book to be April 2018. Which means I need to have my submitted for acceptance book to my editor in June 2017 - that should be doable. I'm going to finish up writing The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter: Riyria Chronicle #4 first (it has a release date of December 1). Robin has already provided me with feedback issues she wants addressed and they are minor and easy to incorporate. So I see no problem meeting this deadline.

Update: 01/11/17 - Things are moving along nicely on the third book of the series. Marc Simonetti is working on the cover, Robin is compiling a list of changes for me to implement as part of the alpha reading process, an a beta read should be starting in March. If you want to sign up to be part of the beta, here is a link to do so.books-i-ve-written577 s Petrik724 50.8k

4.5/5 stars

Age of War is the best of the series so far. And it is also among Sullivan’s list of best novels.

“If there is one thing I have learned, it is that people will astound you. But the moment they do, or shortly after, you will realize you should not have been surprised. Ultimately, the problem was you, not them.”

Maybe the problem lies in me, indeed, but despite my enjoyment of the previous two books in The Legends of the First Empire, Age of Myth and Age of Swords, I honestly never felt fully in love with the series. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. After I finished Age of War, the third volume and the halfway point of the series, I can undoubtedly say I am immensely invested in the series now. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the second half of The Legends of the First Empire will convince me to put the series on my list of favorite series. For now, I will say this, Age of War astounded me on many levels. It has the potential to become the best of the entire series, and it is one of Sullivan's best works. But thinking about it, it shouldn't have surprised me that I would love Age of War. Sullivan has mentioned Age of War works, in a way, as a concluding installment; it concluded the first half of the series. And if you've read The Riyria Revelations, then you will know just how damn good Sullivan is at writing a concluding volume. Even if that "concluding" volume isn't technically the last volume of the series.

“So often I have heard that war is a noble and necessary thing, the answer to many problems. But I have found that when war becomes a reality, peace becomes the noble and necessary thing because there is no problem greater than war.”

Age of War continues from where Age of Swords left off. And as the title implies, even if you haven’t started reading the series yet, I think you will know instantly that this novel, un the previous two books, will be a novel that revolves heavily around a war. If you take a look at the gorgeous cover art of Age of War, illustrated by Marc Simonetti, you will also realize that the time of the climactic confrontations between the humans and elves teased since Age of Myth is finally here. And it is not an exaggeration to say that I had a blast reading every page of Age of War. It is emotional, filled with many iconic scenes, and it tackles the themes of leadership, love, responsibilities, sacrifices, and war incredibly well. More importantly, as the third volume of a six books series, the overall quality of Age of War exceeded my expectations in every possible way.

Picture: Age of War by Marc Simonetti



“Death is inescapable. Everyone spends their days, buying unrealized dreams. I gambled mine on hope, not for myself, but for all those who would follow.”

I've mentioned many times that Sullivan is one of the best authors at writing believable women with great characterizations in the fantasy genre. He has proven this in The Riyria Revelations, and he has proven this as well in The Legends of the First Empire so far. But even then, I've also mentioned that one of my issues with Age of Swords was how unbalanced the characterizations for the male and female characters were. To put it simply, before Age of War, almost all the men in the series, especially Raithe, were either unable or forgettable. And I'm not saying that in a good way at all. Other than Gifford, Malcolm, and Tesh, I don't think there were any intriguing male characters in the series. Age of War changed this. It handled the balance of developing ALL the main characters magnificently. Persephone, Suri, Arion, Roan, and many more women in the series have received much focus, and I'm pleased with that. But I'm also delighted to see the men in the series transformed into memorable and well-developed characters in Age of War.

“I truly believe that hardship makes better people. Pain—assuming that it does not break us—provides the strength of knowing that such things can be endured and overcome. And I know of no one who suffered more than Gifford.—THE BOOK OF BRIN”

Among many things to do with the characters, I loved reading about Raithe's and Suri’s friendship in Age of War. Gifford was admirable as a character, and Tesh was insanely likable. I disd Persephone's treatment of Raithe in this book, but I still understood her reasons. Everything is fruitful to the narrative. Whether I agree or not with the character's actions, there were so many things Sullivan did right with the characters and the spotlight given to them in Age of War, definitely much better than the ones showcased in the previous two books. Remember, I was one of the readers disappointed with Raithe's development in the series. There was nothing special about him, and he was supposed to be one of the main characters! Here, I loved his character's arc. However, if you ask me who are my favorite characters in the series, I will instantly choose Tesh, Malcolm, Suri, and Gifford. I wish I could tell you the details of the events and their actions in Age of War, all the badass moments, and the hardships they endured, but this is something you have to read and find out for yourself. Instead, I will say this. There were two things I loved most about reading Age of War, and one of them can be surmised as every scene involving Tesh, Malcolm, Suri, and Gifford. The other one? The entirety of the second half of Age of War.

“Most of the time people just lack confidence. Doubt kills any chance they might have. People believe magic is impossible, and so it is because they refuse to try, or if they do try it’s only half-hearted because they know—deep down, they know—they can’t. Sometimes all a person of talent needs is a little encouragement and someone—sometimes anyone—believing in them. Avalanches have been caused by the tossing of a pebble, and miracles have come from wishful thinking that just happened to spill out in words.”

I totally did not expect this. I know Sullivan is awesome at plotting, characterizations, and delivering satisfying storylines. However, if there’s one thing about Age of War that completely took me by surprise, and I’ve read every book in The Riyria Revelations twice and The Riyria Chronicles, it was how well-written the action scenes were. Age of War has amazing war scenes and set pieces. The entire second half of Age of War was an all-out war with relatively brief moments of respite, and even though I consider Sullivan one of my favorite authors, I never thought of him as an action-scene writer. But with the devastations, tactics, momentum building, and the rewarding character's arc incorporated into the war sequence in Age of War, I am happy to say I was wrong. In Age of War, Sullivan once again exhibited why he is one of the masters in writing conclusions. I seriously did not expect Sullivan could pull off something this. Intensity, vivid scenes, fist-pumping and heartbreaking moments were not missing from the big war scenes—with engaging twists and turns—in Age of War. It was impressive and immersive, and it made me excited to read the next three books in the series even more than before.

“The Battle of Grandford is remembered in song and story; a legend of mythic heroes and villains, an allegory of truth and courage; a rallying cry for a people. It is important to know that the Battle of Grandford got its name and reputation months after the fighting ended, bestowed by people who were not there.”

Lastly, this will sound repetitive, but I have to mention once more that my experience of reading this book and series is influenced and enhanced through reading—at least—The Riyria Revelations first. I cannot go into details on this, as it will spoil events from this book and The Riyria Revelations. But there were many Easter Eggs and truths behind some characters' actions that felt more interesting to witness because I've read The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles first. For example, I already had a feeling I knew who Malcolm was after I finished reading Age of Swords, but after Age of War, I am 99% convinced of his real identity. And trust me on this, if you've read The Riyria Revelations first, you will LOVE reading Malcolm's story as well. That's all I can say, and I think I've already said more than enough on this. Bottom line, even though The Legends of the First Empire can be read without any knowledge of the Riyria books, I still would recommend you to read The Riyria Revelations first.

“Getting older, Mawyndulë, is climbing a mountain. The higher you go, the greater the view. From time to time, you look back. At such heights, you can see paths behind you: the trails you took and the ones you foolishly disregarded; the blind alleys you fortunately missed, purely out of chance rather than by some greater wisdom on your part. You also spot others following you, people making the same stupid decisions. From your elevated position, you witness their bad choices, the ones they can’t see because they aren’t standing where you are. You could shout down, attempt to warn them, but they rarely listen. They are too blinded by the indisputable fact that the path you followed got you where you are, to the place they want to be.”

Age of War is easily my favorite installment of the series so far, and I am unsure whether any books in the rest of the series can top it. Age of War tells a compelling story of unly heroes participating in a devastating war. The first half can be surmised as the calm before the storm, but the second half of the volume was embedded with action sequences, sacrifices, and battles against overwhelming odds. But as Brin said, heroes are those who refuse to create or become victims. Not exclusively in this book or series, but I think we, in our world, also live among heroes. I loved Age of War, and I look forward to reading Age of Legends soon. I sincerely hope the second half (or the final book) of the series will be able to top Age of War. But if by the end of the series, Age of War became the peak quality of the series for me, I wouldn't be surprised. It was that good.

"When people are happy, they can become deaf. I don't know why that is, but I've noticed it to be true. Misery helps us hear. We notice more when we're in pain. We see beauty more clearly, hear the sufferings of others more loudly. Since you pulled me back, every sunrise is so much brighter, every breeze a delight. I think people who survive tragedy aren't so much scarred as they are cleansed. The wax comes out of their ears and the clouds leave their eyes. The barriers between them and the world are reduced.”

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Andrew W, Amanda, Annabeth, Casey, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Ellis, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Kristina, Lana, Leigh, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Michael, Miracle, Nanette, Neeraja, Nicholas, Reno, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.favorites192 s TS Chan745 906

Upgraded to full 5-stars on reread. With hindsight, every single character's arc became so much more meaningful.

?---------------------------
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Michael J Sullivan, for this opportunity.

4.5 stars.

Age of War marks a fine conclusion to the first act of the series, revealing the true story behind the legends spoken of in Riyria Revelations which was not all fairy tales, rainbows and butterflies.

Before I start, let us take a moment to admire the stunning cover for Age of War by the one and only, Marc Simonetti. In my opinion, this is the best cover he has produced for any of Sullivan's books to date, and it is most fitting that the book dedication is made in his honour

This book is dedicated to the artist Marc Simonetti. People are told not to judge a book by its cover, but so long as Marc is creating them, judge away.
With the two preceding books setting the foundation of the events leading to the war between the Fhreys and the Rhunes, the Age of War can be viewed as the penultimate climax of the series where the first war ever between the Fhreys and the Rhunes finally broke out. Just from the title alone and natural extension of the story, one can reasonably expect some serious action and battle scenes to occur. And I was not disappointed. Moreover, I can also say that Sullivan has managed to hone his action and battle-writing skills as well.

Regardless, the narrative did not go all-out at a breakneck pace as true to Sullivan's approach to storytelling character development always takes precedence. While the preceding volumes, especially Age of Swords, tend to favour the women (which are some of the best female characters in fantasy), we have pretty much equal opportunity for all main characters to shine in this latest instalment. It includes one notable introduction from the previous book, a young man whose name alone caused a whole lot of flailing (on my part at least) because of its implications. Sullivan also has a penchant for unly heroes, which makes his stories so compelling. Think of Myron and Emilia from Riyria, and in this series, Gifford and Roan.

To a man with so little, hope is a barrel of ale. It alleviates pain for a time, becomes a crutch. But it also ruins what little good a person might otherwise squeeze out of life.
My favourite part of the whole story so far is the getting the real juice behind the legendary tale of Nyphron and Persephone. In this respect, I always believe that it is fascinating to read the Legend series after Riyria even though one does not truly spoil the other. Now, though the revelations are the main draw for me, I wouldn't be half as engaged in the story if I do not care about the characters. Sullivan's biggest strength as far as I am concerned has always been his characterisation, which I will extend to some with dubious personalities and even that whiny brat, Mawyndule.

The worst thing that can happen while reading is to feel nothing. Stories are ultimately about the people in it and if one does not feel anything, whether it is love or hate, towards the characters then their stories are not ly to stay with you. For all that Sullivan is known for his light-hearted fantasy, he can be downright cruel sometimes. The war exacted an immense cost on our beloved characters and no one who survived can be said to be the same again. At the end of this book, it is this transformation which sticks in my mind; surely a sign of a tale well-told.

There is only one romantic arc within the story which hurt the pacing a bit and did not entirely strike a chord with me, even though I appreciated that it is most relatable under the circumstance and some of the scenes are quite cute. I believe, however, that many other readers will ly differ from my opinion.

In short, another great addition to the series. I am so looking forward to knowing where the story is going next and how Sullivan is going to expand the narrative to bring us to the existence of the fabled city in the Riyria series.


You can order this book from: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide)

You can also find this, and my other at Novel Notions.arc-review-copy audiobook physical-owned ...more118 s Anna [Bran. San. Stan]317 191

This book has crushed me. Age of Myth (#1) thoroughly hooked me, Age of Swords (#2) had me in its grasp despite its somewhat slower pace, occasionally leaving me teary-eyed - but this one? It was a wild ride, a heart-wrenching, breath-taking, fast-paced avalanche that left me more than teary-eyed - it had me weeping.

As you can see from my GR moniker, I consider Brandon Sanderson a literary genius and I didn’t think I’d find another fantasy series that I could love as much as I love Stormlight - but this series has very much the potential of becoming another favorite to be reread.

(And for those who were put off by Stormlight's complexity and length - this series is really easy to get into and averages only around 400 pages!)

What started as something using familiar elements - variations of elves (Fhrey), man (Rhunes), dwarves (Dherg) reminiscent of LotR - succeeded in taking these elements and making something entirely magical and new. In this installment, the inevitable war between Fhrey and Rhunes has come and dominates the entire book - hence the title.

As with Sanderson, I mostly came to love/appreciate the characters, the “true magic” in a magical world:
___________________________________

- Suri, the young Rhune Artist (able to call on the forces of nature to wield magic)

- Raithe, God-Killer and Suri’s friend
"It seems stupid to start being smart now."

- Arion, Fhrey artist, dedicated to helping the Rhunes and her charge, Suri

- Persephone, a capable leader (#girlpower) used to sacrifice her own desires for her people
"Passion was a wild, selfish thing that didn't respect boundaries or common sense, but without it life felt pointless."

- Moya, beautiful and fierce and brave, expert archer, in love with Tekchin, a Fhrey warrior

- Roan, the traumatized ex-slave and creative genius

- Gifford, the gifted potter/cripple in love with Roan

- Brin, teenage Keeper of Rhune history, inventor of writing

- Tesh, who hates the Fhrey (for good reason), who I can’t wait to see reach his full potential of an elite warrior

- Malcolm, ex-"slave"/mystery

- And while I didn’t exactly love Nyphron - which is neither intended nor necessary - he is an intriguing character: a Fhrey warrior with his own motives in helping the Rhunes fight the Fhrey.
___________________________________

And it crushed me that not everyone made it out of this Age of War alive - seldom has a book been named more aptly.

Side note: I did not read the Riyria Chronicles first and I’m already planning a reread of Legends of the First Empire once I’ve finished all the books. I’ll reserve judgement on which order is best after a reread of the series.

But first: on to Age of Legend - the first book in the second Legends of the First Empire trilogy.fantasy have-or-will-reread79 s4 comments Esme464 405

Oh.

My.

Heart.

77 s Robin (Bridge Four)1,712 1,548

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

The tears are still in my eyes when I think of this book.  Dang you Michael J. Sullivan, dang you. Age of War encompasses all the emotions one would feel during a war.  Not everyone makes it through battles and some sacrifices are as beautiful as they are heartbreaking.

This is a wonderful continuation to the story. It shows how incredibly invested I am in the characters, that even though I finished this weeks ago, every time I think about it I’m taken back to the emotional moments, good and bad. and feel all the feels all over again.

First, I think the important thing to remember is it is not the end of the Legends of the First Empire series.  There are some very big moments and it is an end to one of the major ARCs for the first battles of the war between the Fey and humans.  But it is not the end of the line for many of the characters that made it to the end.

Suri is by far one of my favorite characters of the series and she has come a long way from the mystic child she was in Age of Myth.  After the sacrifices made in Age of Swords, she is a little bit harder and she has lost some of the innocence she used to carry with her.  But as a character in this series, she is still my favorite. Her journey is a harder one as she will be the one that needs to carry on after friends have been lost to her.
Suri was surrounded by people, yet not a part of them. She was the daisy among the daffodils, the fly in the goat’s milk, the butterfly in the army.
There are a few romantic couplings and none of them have a conventional or easy time of it.  Roan and Gifford is my favorite pairing. They are both broken in some way. Roan is broken on the inside, after years of being a slave and Gifford is broken on the outside, but the most patient and kind man in the story.  I love the friendship and more that is between them even if Roan isn’t sure how to express it at times. I really d how Gifford played into the prophecy from when he was born. It was very well executed.

Persephone and Raithe.  Well if me, you have already read the Riyara series, you know who Persephone is supposed to end up with.  I was really hoping for a twist to the story that showed how the legends got it wrong. These two put me through the ringer and while I won’t say how it worked out, I will say  I’m still emotional weeks later while writing this.
Accept that you’re going to get hurt, that you’re going to die; embrace it, and you’ll find the freedom to live. This was one of the many ridiculous things his father had told him that sounded less stupid every day.
Tesh…I love that kid and it seems he has found another to love as well.  Tesh was the biggest surprise for me in this book. Again I know his legend from the Riyara series but to see how the legends got started was amazing.  I also enjoyed the little crush happening between him and a certain scribe.
“What’s it mean? What Sebek called Tesh?”
“Techylor?” Malcolm said. “It means swift of hand, or just swifthand, I suppose.”
“Great. The kid’s going to be impossible to live with now,” Raithe grumbled.
Malcolm nodded. “Probably, but you ought to consider yourself fortunate. Next to Nyphron, you’ve got the best Shield in Alon Rhist.”
Raithe frowned. “Apparently, I’m second best to Nyphron in a number of things.”
As for Malcolm, Nephron and the others, well their stories are all interesting and complex too. I will say I haven’t decided if any of them are good or bad but the twist surrounding Nyphron was huge to me and I’m still trying to get my mind around the implications of it.  I also am still uncertain about that mischievous Malcom. It was interesting delve into his origins and get some of his story but even after that, I still have no idea if he is on team good or team bad or a team I don’t even know about.  

There are at least three more books coming and I’m eager to learn what more the ravages of a war between the humans and the Fey will bring.4-5-stars chick-i-want-to-hang-out-with cool-creatures ...more67 s Audrey1,141 182

4.25 stars

UPDATED

In this volume, war begins in earnest. The human-elf alliance strikes first, taking a fortress, and the retaliation is brutal and desperate. A lot of characters, flawed and broken people, rise to become heroes.



As another reviewer mentioned, the first half is slowly riding to the top of a roller coaster. You don’t even realize that’s what’s happening until all this action starts happening, culminating in the legendary Battle of Grandford hinted at in other books. Besides battle scenes, there are surprises and mysteries and heartbreak and plenty of character development. There were a few unexpected deaths that were heartbreaking. This series is really two trilogies, so this book concludes the first arc.

Sullivan has a simple yet elegant writing style. It’s not only easy to read but pleasant to read. It serves to give you a good story that’s pure fun to read; escapism at its best.

I got to be one of the “gamma” readers for this book, which involved looking for typos and any serious errors. It was really cool, and I’ve gotten to beta and/or gamma read the succeeding Sullivan books. I even made it onto the acknowledgments page in the back. Ooooo.



Language: Mild
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: war violence, magical violence, creature violence, hand-to-hand fighting; not too graphic
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): Ableism, grief, vengeance/attempted murder2018-books 2023-misc-books autographed ...more56 s Tadiana ?Night Owl?1,880 22.9k

4 stars! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature. (Actually, you should check out this FanLit version of the review because it turned into a back and forth conversation between myself and Marion, another FanLit reviewer. It's worth reading, if I do say so myself!)

All the resentments, cruelties, conspiracies and ambitions that have been simmering since Age of Myth (and even before) boil over and explode in Age of War, the third book in Michael J. Sullivan‘s LEGENDS OF THE FIRST EMPIRE series, a prequel series to both his RIYRIA CHRONICLES and RIYRIA REVELATIONS series. *Some spoilers for the first two books in this series follow* The Rhune (humans), finally unified (more or less) under the leadership of Persephone, and prompted by the designs of a small group of military Fhrey (elves), the Instarya, who have rebelled against their society’s leadership, move to take over the fortress of Alon Rhist, an outpost of the Fhrey in Rhune territory. The Instarya leader, Nyphron, is successful in his plan for a surprisingly bloodless takeover of Alon Rhist, but not everyone in Alon Rhist approves of the change in control.

Lothian, the fane or leader of the Fhrey empire, has finally had enough of these pesky Rhune, not to mention the Instarya renegades, and begins gathering and training his legions to attack and retake Alon Rhist and exterminate the troublesome Rhune. The Fhrey armies move toward what they think will be a quick war and victory; after all, they’ve always had a monopoly on magical power, not to mention the secret of making bronze weapons while humans were still muddling along with stone and ? if they were lucky ? copper. But humans have a vast advantage in numbers over the Fhrey, plus a couple of powerful magical workers of their own.

Moreover, in Age of Swords, humans managed to swipe from the dwarves the secret of making iron weapons, though doing so correctly is still a work in process. Roan, resident Rhune genius inventor, is hard at work trying to figure out the lost secrets of iron-working, including ways to make it even stronger. Age of War doesn’t have quite the insane pace and number of society-transforming inventions that Age of Swords did, but the rapid advance in technology that Roan instigates is still eyebrow-raising, not to mention being the source of a snort-inducing pun.

With this buildup to war and the war itself as the setting, Sullivan delves into the lives of the individuals we’ve been following for the last two books. Nyphron has made a Persephone an offer of marriage to seal their alliance. Persephone sees the advantage of the deal for her people, but knows that Nyphron doesn’t really care about her on a personal level. Knowing that Raithe, a younger Rhune warrior, loves her deeply makes her choice even harder. Suri, the only human versed in the Art of magic, has an even worse choice to make.

Age of War moves the overall story arc of the LEGENDS OF THE FIRST EMPIRE along well. Characters have difficult, even heart-wrenching choices to make. Long-held secrets and plans are revealed. Twists are turned. Monsters menace. And possibly the shallow Mawyndulë gets just slightly smarter? I’m dubious, though, and still wondering why Sullivan chose this maddeningly obtuse youngster to represent the main viewpoint of the Fhrey. I’m not fond of Mawyndulë, especially after three books of his idiocy, but I’ll grant that he does offer a unique and unusual point of view.

After focusing primarily on female characters and viewpoints in the first two books of this series, Mawyndulë being one of the few exceptions, a few additional male point-of-view characters are added. The most significant of these is Tesh, an orphaned teen who is the most driven of all the Rhune in learning the art of sword-fighting. Tesh is so intense that Nyphron and his best fighter, Sebek, begin to be alarmed at what might be motivating his single-minded training. Tesh does take some time off from training to cautiously pursue a relationship with the scribe Brin. But the romance is a small side note to the war-planning and conflicts.

Despite the action, Age of War didn’t engage me quite as much as the prior books in this series did. The pace lags somewhat during the months-long buildup to the war, and Persephone is somewhat hamstrung as a leader by her romantic dilemma, with her heart and brain at odds, and by the difficulties in leading an alliance with elves who uniformly sport a superior attitude. Despite their secrets and quandaries, characters aren’t particularly multi-faceted. Still, Age of War is a solid entry in this epic fantasy series, spinning a complex set of world-shaping events.

I’m invested with these characters now, and anxious to see how they fare in Age of Legend, the next book in the series, slated for publication in July 2019.fantasy55 s Terence1,129 357

The Fane and the Fhrey loyal to him intend to wipe out Nyphron, his , and all of humanity. Nyphron is preparing to use humanity to overthrow the Fane and take over the Fhrey. In order to do that Nyphron needs the keenig Persephone and he proposes marriage to her in order to gain control over humanity through her. Persephone, despite her feelings, seriously considers the proposal to protect her people from the wrath of the Fane. The Age of War is upon them all and sacrifices must be made in order to survive.

Age of War is so so good. This was one of those books that kept me reading late at night and early in the morning. Sleep simply wasn't necessary while I was reading Age of War. I never imagined I could enjoy a prequel book so much and it's making me want to reread Percepliquis because I just know I'm missing all kinds of tie-ins.

If the deaths in Age of Swords were too heavy a weight for anyone to bear then be warned that Age of War may leave people crying. The weight of events picks up significantly as Nyphron reclaims Alon Rhist. He allows those inside the choice to simply do nothing rather than attempting to capture or kill The Galantians. His fellow Instarya agree and war preparations on both sides begin. Persephone is forced to deal with the various Rhunes, their needs, and distrust for one another.

The world building, tie-ins from Riyria Revelations, and the characters really made the book stellar. The world is growing steadily and Michael J. Sullivan does an excellent job bringing his various writings about this world together. The characters are amazing, but in Age of War one stood out to me most. That character is Tesh. The starved Dureyan survivor has taken his chieftain's advice and is learning all he can about the Fhrey in order to exact revenge. Tesh trains seemingly endlessly and his progress is showing. He's become one of the best archers and has gained the name Techylor from the great Sebek for his prowess with a sword.

Age of War is a great story and a necessary book for anyone who enjoys Michael J. Sullivan's writing in the Riyria world.

5 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.5-stars arcs-and-galleys49 s Chris Haught586 237

I was given a beta-version ecopy of this book in exchange for honest, thorough feedback. Note that this is not the final version of the novel and might change significantly before it is published.

But I said with the beta reads of the first two books in this series, it shouldn't change that much. This baby is awesome as it is and will only need small tweaks and edits to put it in the same ballpark as the other books.

Legends of the First Empire fans will not be disappointed. If you loved Age of Myth & Age of Swords, you will slap this one right up there on your favorites shelf beside them.

Be prepared to be amazed and dragged through an emotional experience. Yes, I'm vague, but I promised not to spoil and you really have to read it to feel it, anyway. review-beta-read48 s BradleyAuthor 4 books4,325

Legends of the First Empire, and specifically this book, is a solid epic fantasy fare. The focus is on characters, mostly, with the original two races in headlocks against each other. Pretty standard fare, really. Long-lived elfish versus the ignorant humes, add new technology of war after knocking the scales off the eyes and mix well.

This particular novel combines friendly immortals with the struggling humes and a full ramp-up of the war including stronger magics, stonger weapons, and runic arrows.

In other words, its the big payoff for the previous two novels and the fully established ancient history of the realm. Including the big reveals that bridge both series, of course. And a bridge to more action to come, of course.

So how did I it?

Honestly, it was a solid read with about the same amount of pathos from the others, with bigger consequences, more death, and a fairly strong wrap-up in the same style. I thought it was fine. Not spectacular unless you've never seen epic fantasy before. Not brilliant or groundbreaking or hugely original. (Or much originality at all.) But it is solid and it holds together and it has a pretty good core. I can't complain about what it does at all, only what I wish it would do. And that is my problem, not the book's problem. It's a satisfying and above-average book.

So what's my problem? I just feel something big is missing. The last battle here was pretty cool, maybe even awesome, but the rest seemed to plod along without much flavor. I wish it was a bit spicier. :)

I'm sure others will gush, however. This is what it means to have fanboys and fangirls. :)2018-shelf fantasy45 s Choko1,255 2,632

I love the characters in this story and MJS managed to break my heart second book in a row... I love the world, the people, the magic, but I am trying to trust that Michael is going to take care of my soul not getting to hurt to continue... I read these first three books in the six book series in a month, but I think I need a bit of a mental health break, reading silly and fluffy stuff that will let me gather strength for the next go around. As I thought when I started book one, I don't foresee many happily ever afters - the world is not conducive to those. After all, it is the Age of War!

Pure Fantasy with characters to fall in love with and great set-up. I would have probably gone different ways with some plot resolutions, but it is Michael's story and I trust him to guide me through it the best way possible. I recommend everything by this author, particularly if you are a fan of traditional Fantasy written in a very accessible way. The world is difficult today, and most probably it will get even more so before it turns for the better. A good book filled with positive, lovable characters is a blessing at any time, but it seems even more precious today. I am grateful for having these "friends" in my life, even if MJS is determined to lose some of them on the way. Would not miss it for the world!

Now I wish you Happy Reading and may you always find what you Need in the pages of a good Book
Autor del comentario:
=================================