I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a sweeping tale of discovery in a mythical time. The characters, story, and Bronze Age setting make this a highly entertaining second installment. Can book three please come out soon?

My Review:
About a year ago, I was fortunate enough to be approved for the ARC of Age of Myth, by Michael J. Sullivan. I loved the characters, and epic storytelling. My only frustration was that the story ended and I would need to wait a year to read the next installment!

I finally was able to receive the ARC of the next book in the series, Age of Swords, and it was worth the wait! Everything that I loved about the first book is amplified in the next. Plus, the characters journey on an epic adventure worthy of The Lord of the Rings, trilogy.

What I Liked:
Characters:

In a book where all the characters are preparing for war, you might be surprised that the focus of the story is on the many outstanding female characters. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Persephone is the widow of the Rhune chieftain, Reglan, who is the obvious choice to succeed him. Even in this patriarchal society, everyone can see Persephone is a strong leader (and was probably advising Reglan). She is fiercely devoted to her clan, and will do whatever it takes to make sure they survive, even leading her people into a war with the Frhey.

Arion is one of the Fhrey, an elf-like race of people that were thought (until recently) to be gods. She is powerful in the "Art", which means she can manipulate the elements to do magic. She is the natural enemy of the Rhune (primitive people), but has switched sides and is helping the Rhune to find a way to fight the Fhrey. I enjoyed how she mentored Suri and became almost a big sister to her. I think she embodied the spirit of sisterhood that some women are luck enough to tap for comfort and support.

Stunningly beautiful, Moya has been written off as nothing more than a whore. But she longs to be useful and trains for combat so she can be Persephone's "Shield" (bodyguard). I loved her spirit and determination. She knows what others think of her. And, while she is hurt, she pushes past everyone's perceptions of her to forge her own identity.

Roan is also a damaged soul. The ex-slave has been through horrible abuse and can't stand to be even casually touched. She is the group's tinkerer and comes to invent many useful devices for her people. Reading about her bursts of inspiration was a delight.

Teen-aged Suri is the group's mystic and seems to possess Arion's talent for The Art. She had the toughest journey in the novel, going from carefree child to an adult who must assume responsibility far too soon.

Setting:

Although this is a fantasy novel, it seems to be set in the Bronze Age. I loved this because of all the amazing technical innovations that the characters made throughout the book. I also enjoyed the mix of historical fiction and fantasy. It almost seems possible that in a time of world-changing discoveries (that must have seemed to be magic) there would be elves, demons, and gods.

Story:

I love storytelling which focuses on characters finding out who they are meant to be. Discovering these talents is not always joyous. It means sacrificing some desires to make room for the work of becoming your true self.

In the book, several of the characters must travel to a faraway land in order to find what they need to defeat the Fhrey. Everyone thinks they are fools to do it. And those who go are tested beyond almost all reason. But they emerge with wisdom, and are transformed. I can't say more without revealing spoilers, but this is a Bronze Age road trip to end all road trip

In Age of Myth the story revolved around Raithe the god killer but in Age of Swords the men, although still present, take a bit of a back seat. But I'm sure they will be back more fully in future books. It's Persephone's turn to shine here, along with most of the women in the book. I love that Persephone is the one that sets out to solve the problem of how to win a war against the Fhrey. This time around we meet the Dherg when Persephone, Moya, Brin, Roan, and Arian travel to their homeland, and they find out the Dherg are a tricky bunch; pretty despicable actually. That was the point where I felt like the book got really good. There were so many brilliant ideas and solutions in this book that Persephone, Roan, Brin, and Moya come up with. Once again Michael J. Sullivan does a lovely job of portraying the women in the story. They are always so believable as well. Except for the bit of magic that is used they are not doing superhuman things. They are doing things that any real woman could do, and that makes them so very relatable.

There were several passages in this book that I loved, some of which I found quite amusing. One of my favorite chapters in the book was the one that included the exchanges between Padera and Gifford when he is on the mend from the attack on him. Not only did these make me chuckle, but they are also a good example of how the characters really jump off the page in this book. I love the way they are described. I also love that the many supporting characters still very much contribute to the story. There are a lot of them, but most of them were given a good amount of attention. I love these characters so much! My heart is really aching for a choice one of the characters had to make, and for one of the losses.

Not only do we revisit the Rhune and discover the Dherg in this book, but we also get chapters from the Fhrey as well, namely Mawyndule. I have to say that I did not love him, but I'm hoping that he is starting to mature after what took place among the Fhrey. I'm very curious to find out what he will end up doing. Other things that I'm very impatient to find out about are, how things end up between Persephone and Raithe and this whole thing with Nyphron that's thrown in there, and how things will end up with the healing that Suri is trying to do at the end of the book.

This book has adventure, heartache, self discovery, and loss. All things that make a story great and I can't wait to read Age of War!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy of this book.

Book two in The Legends of the First Empire fantasy series continues right where book one left off (Age of Myth) and begins with a deadly attack engineered by the Fhrey to get revenge for the killing of Gryndal, the First Minister to Fane Lothian, the ruler of the Fhrey.

Reminiscent of the great works of fantasy, the story is peopled with dwarfs, elves, giants, mages and warring clans of humans. But what sets Michael Sullivan's story apart are the brave, intelligent female characters. "Although men were strong like rocks, any stone could crack. Women were more like water. They nurtured life and could shape the hardest granite through unrelenting determination. They were the ones who carried on, who picked up the pieces whether the battle had been won or lost."

Persephone, the chieftain of the Dahl Rhen, uses her intelligence to find solutions to her people's problems instead of using brute force. She calls for all the Rhune people to come together and choose a keenig to lead them. She knows all the clans will need to band together but they will also need swords to fight the Fhrey, so she heads off with a group of women to approach the Dhergs (dwarfs) for help. She doesn't take an army--she takes the best minds she knows of. And these courageous women solve problems, have the ability to learn, think, plan, and adjust. They stand strong in the face of menace and make tough decisions. Bravo, Michael Sullivan! I hope we will see many more such strong female characters.

I shouldn't neglect to mention the men. Two of my favorites were the dwarfs, Flood and Frost, twin brothers who were always bickering. They reminded me so much of the Smothers Brothers, lol. And of course, handsome Raithe, the God Killer, who has fallen in love with Persephone. And Gifford, the potter, who supports Roan in anything she attempts to do. There are plenty of villains too, both real and conjured by magic. Buckle up for a great fantasy adventure!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an arc of this exciting new book in the series. I hope to be so fortunate with the remaining books as they are published.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Michael J. Sullivan’s books because even after reading so many, I’m still so entertained and enthusiastic about them. His characters are lovable (or at least likable) and the plots are always top-notch.

Age of Swords literally goes from 0 to 100 in about 5 pages. It was one of the most incredible intros that I’ve ever read because I was NOT EXPECTING IT AT ALL. I mean really, tornadoes pretty much never happen in fantasy books, and MJS made it into this great moment that set the mood for the entire book. Not kidding, this entire event sequence kicks the story into high gear and far outstrips the pace of the previous book. Persephone is now the chief of Dahl Rhen and she sets about to call for a meeting of the clans to elect a keenig, which is basically a king, so they may make war upon the Fhrey. Throw in some dwarves, a pile of Tolkein-esque action and monsters, a few heartbreaking moments, and you’ve got one heck of a story coming your way. Go ahead and set aside whatever tasks you thought you were going to do because you’ll want to binge read Age of Swords.

The characters develop significantly throughout the course of events and I grew to like them even more, though not so much as I loved Royce and Hadrian. These characters just don’t have the same witty banter and camaraderie as those two, but this is set in a very different age. Persephone continues to kick butt mostly by having common sense and a level head. I think she makes a fine leader, especially since she surrounds herself with bright and clever people that totally support her. Brin and Suri both become older, wiser, and more world weary. Suri in particular becomes quite the spectacular butterfly, though she is such a different person at the end. Raithe is somewhat frustrating and Mawyndule has actually gained some sympathy from me because his sheltered and soft lifestyle left him stupidly naïve.

Overall, Age of Swords has left much more of an impact on me that Age of Myth did. It’s got so much more going on and I wasn’t bored for a second! The ridiculous pace at which things were invented/discovered (writing, the wheel, the bow and arrow etc.) made me laugh just a little because it was like society was on fast-forward. The Lord of the Rings influence was very strong for a portion of the book which was simultaneously amusing and overbearing. I’ll tentatively say that I rather liked it, but the whole Gandalf v. Balrog parallel was crazy obvious (I’m making the assumption it was intentional). However, I am REALLY looking forward to the release of Age of War because I can only think this series will continue to gain in awesomeness.

"I have always worshiped heroes in stories. I had no idea I was surrounded by them."

Age of Swords dives right back into the story introduced in Age of Myth, picking up with immediate action--and destruction. All of our favorite characters from Age of Myth are still here, but this time around we get to know more about some of our other characters as we delve more deeply into the lives of our characters.

Persephone is one of the best women I have ever read about, in fantasy or otherwise. She believes in helping the people that depend on her, even when it means making hard decisions. And she's willing to make those decisions. This is really the story of Persephone finding her place among her people. And it's a beautiful story.

As I mentioned, we delve more into some of the characters that stayed on the periphery of the previous installment. Roan, Moya, Brin, and Gifford all have expanded roles to play in the changing world. And they are all beautiful characters. Roan is probably my favorite. She's had a hard life, she doesn't know how to accept affection or friendship, but she's trying. And she's brilliant. Moya is beautiful, but she's also capable. Her development was pretty great. Brin is young, but there is so much in her that is yet to be seen. Only time will tell what becomes of her. And Gifford, there are hints of what he is and will be to the world, and he's already so much to so many. I can't wait to see him shine even more.

While this is action packed, as I said it was, it's more of a world building and character exploration novel. There is a lot expanded on, things developed that will be touched more in later installments, but the main war has yet to be waged. But what we learn of the world is quite spectacular. And there is so much promise.

"Once you're a butterfly it's impossible to go back to being a caterpillar, even if you want to."

Along with Persephone, we really get to see Suri grow throughout this new installment. And she remains one of my favorites. I always get excited when she shows up; she just makes me happy. She has to make some heartbreaking decisions that will change her life, maybe change history, and I'm still not completely thrilled by that. Her relationship with Arion is an interesting one. Occasionally I found it a little strange, since we didn't get to see all of the buildup, but it was believable. There are still questions there that need to be answered. I'm not sure how they can be good, but I am hoping for the best. I trust Michael to give me a satisfying answer, even if it's a sad one.

Raithe isn't in the story quite as much as I would like. It was understandable why he wasn't, I just really like his character and missed having him around. I really want to know what's going to happen with him. There was a new character introduced with ties to him that I wonder about as well. What will become of them? I guess we have to wait and see. There were a few moments with Raithe and Malcom together that I really enjoyed. I like the bromance like relationship they have, but I'm not sure that I should. There's something... not quite right here. I just am unsure what it is at this point.

We don't leave the Fhrey behind in this one. Mawyndule has returned to his father, desiring revenge for what happened in Age of Myth. I never know what to think about this young Fhrey. At times I like him and at others I hate him. He's being used by a lot of different people who are trying to further their own agendas. Now we just have to wait and see what becomes of those.

The world is expanded beyond the borders of the land of the clans and the elves, as Persephone and some of her companions venture into the land of the dwarves. A lot happens here. I also really liked the three main dwarves that are introduced. There's some mystery surrounding them and I'm very intrigued.

This book is full of promises. I trust that those promises will be satisfactorily handled in the coming books and I can't wait to read them. Is it 2018 yet?

Note: This releases today, so go and buy a copy!

So, I might be a little biased and did give the book a solid five because I love the author but for those who want actual experience from the book I would rate a four solely because there a few minor things that would become an issue for some. But for me personally it was so close to a five that I just went with a solid five. I love the emotional connection Sullivan creates when he writes a book with strong characters and a beautiful plot line. He is fast becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors. He really raised the bar with the characters in this sequel and even managed to make me cry a few good times. Which for me is a plus in a good book. I need that connection with my books or characters. I also liked how some of the characters mentioned in the first book came to life in the second. That gives us the opportunity to understand all background information that before was just information but now has transformed to real life in Sullivan's creation. I especially like the strong female characters he creates and how their life trails are all well within reason for that character. It really is exceptional how he creates such vivid imagery. I believe this book is well worth the read and would suggest reading the first book before hand.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Author Michael J. Sullivan continues his six-book, 3000-years prior to Riyria, fantasy epic with Age of Swords, a tale of humans attempting to unite their clans and overthrow the god-like Fhrey race. Our main characters must overcome in-fighting, inferior technology, and a bunch of pesky dwarves before they can even think about crossing paths with the Fhrey.

This book starts with a bang, quiets down and then steadily builds to a satisfying conclusion. In typical Michael J. Sullivan fashion, there are plenty of common fantasy tropes at play here, but he utilizes them in a way that is fresh, inviting, and fun. There is something to be said about reading fantasy that gives off a positive vibe, during a time when grimdark is all the rage.

Sullivan greatly expands his character pool, while giving everyone enough to do to justify their presence. Each person is easy to root for and there’s a bevy of awesome female characters that steal the show. No worthy adversary ever emerges, and the plot outcomes are fairly predictable, but this is still another enjoyable adventure with a stellar cast.

★✩A solid 4 ‘call me Fhreyhyndia’ stars✩★

I loved Age of Myth. It was on my top 5 fantasy reads of 2016 (I read over 150 fantasy books so that is an accomplishment.). This is a really good story and I enjoyed most of it, even the parts that broke my heart a little or a lot, but I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book of the series. That isn’t to say it wasn’t still a fantastic follow up to Age of Myth. It would have been really difficult to top that book for me.

ஓ Every life is a journey filled with crossroads. And then there are the bridges, those truly frightening choices that span what always was, from what will forever be. Finding the courage, or stupidity, to cross such bridges changes everything. ஓ

Heroes can come from unexpected places and Age of Swords was full of them. The best part for me is that most end up being women. I love the MJS has a cast full of strong female characters that all heroic in their own ways:

ஐ - Persephone always trying to everything possible to save her people no matter the cost to herself.

ஐ - Moya proving to everyone that she is braver in the face of danger than any man. I love her so much. She is fearless and pushes the boundaries of everything. She flirts with the Elves, fights with tradition and proves that just because you are beautiful and could have any man you don’t necessarily need one to save you.

ஐ - Brin who loses so much in this book but in the face of it all looks for how she can best keep the history of a people alive for eternity. She will walk into any danger to be able to chronicle these moments for the future.

ஐ -Roan who is brilliant but broken. I think I might love her the most just because she needs it more than any other character in the book. She survived beatings and slavery and thrived into becoming a mechanical genius. I ship her and Gifford so hard and they better get a little happiness eventually since each completely deserves it.

ஐ - Then there is Suri…well she sacrificed more than I wanted her to and showed us what the cost was to change from a caterpillar into a butterfly.

"There’s always a cost. And I can’t imagine those pretty wings come cheap. Nothing has so far.”

Age of Myth was an introduction into this world and Age of Swords shows how the Rhunic people are evolving, Once they were roaming families that later settled and became clans. Now they need to become even more if they are going to go to war with the Fhrey and that means that all of them must come together as a people if they are going to stand a chance.

I always love the story arcs with the women and even Raithe’s arc was really good. This time the Fane’s young son Mawyndulë had a PoV which was the readers inside as to what was happening within the Fhrey. That was the hardest PoV to read as he is really more like a petulant child. He is incredibly young for an Elf and has been sheltered most of his life so his sense of entitlement and superiority were a bit too much at times that I just ended up being angry at him. Still the machinations in the heart of the Fhrey lands are great and maybe even a little more twisted than I originally thought. These were really the only parts of the book that read slow for me.

I did like getting to visit the Dwarven lands and meeting a few decent dwarves. The Dherg were not quite what I was expecting but I think Nyphron was closer than I thought he’d be.

“The Dherg are notoriously untrustworthy. Deceit is their first language and selfishness their creed, so they expect the same from others. They launched a war with my people because they thought we concealed a fruit that granted eternal life. When we told them no such fruit existed, they thought we were lying because it’s what they would have done. They’ll do anything to get what they want. Personally, I’d never broker a deal with them, but this is a good gamble.

The world and the cultures become even richer with every chapter in this series. I like that things are laid out for us slowly so that even those who read MJS’s other series have new peoples and places introduced all the time.

For those of you who have read The RIyera books I think that there are lots of little Easter eggs (view spoiler) in here for you as well. For me I think learning that what they believe 3000 years from now has been much skewed from the events that actually took place. I really like how well MJS is playing with this idea. The only author who I think did it just as well or better is Brandon Sanderson when he took the Mistborn world of books 1-3 and then skipped ahead 300+ years with Mistborn 4-6 and you could see how history was remembered.

Nyphron, well I’m not quite sure what I think of that guy. I definitely get his motivations and since I’ve read the other series I know a little of the lore behind him. I honestly can’t wait to learn the truth behind the story that became Nyphron and Persephone. Especially since I’m shipping her with someone that isn’t Nyphron.

This is currently one of my favorite fantasy series and even though Age of Myth was a bit stronger for me I like the direction of the story and LOVED the twists at the end. I was actually pretty surprised in those last chapters and so into everything that was happening and then it was over….and now we wait.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey publishing for the ARC

Another fine book from Michael J. Sullivan!

My review is based on an Advance Reader's Copy I received through NetGalley.

Age of Swords continues the story begun in Age of Myth.

The story takes place in the same world as the Riyria series, but a few thousand years earlier. It's not necessary to have read the Riryia books before reading Age of Myth and Age of Swords, but if you have, it adds to the experience.

You get to see the "real story" of people that will become myths, legends, and venerated as messiahs in the time of Riyria series. Having this background of how the people and events you're reading about will be viewed in the far future just adds to the fun.

I'm not going to give you a recap of the story since the publisher has already done that. I will tell you why this is a very solid four star book for me:

It succeeds in what it attempts. It is entertaining, funny, suspenseful fantasy fiction. It's a good example of the reason I read, and the book is *very* readable. I never felt any middle book blues, it's a tight story with good pacing.

And Mr Sullivan doesn't tell, he shows. He lets you form the events and people in your mind from their actions and their words, not by long exposition that "so and so is like this because of blah blah blah." He gives his readers credit to be able to form their own views, not be spoon-fed what they should be seeing.

If you enjoyed Riyria you'll enjoy this. If you enjoy epic fantasy with action and a touch of humor, you'll enjoy this.

This book unfortunately didn't grab me as much as his previous books have.

While I thoroughly enjoy his books because they give me a break from some of the heavier fantasy I have been reading, I didn't find as much of an escape this time. While the female characters kicking ass was awesome, the males whining quickly got old.

I usually find these books fun, but, while it had its moments, I feel like some of the other books by this author were done better.

Welcome to the fastest evolution ever. From the discovery of pockets and wheels to writing (that’s not even half of it but I lost track eventually), these few weeks changed the course of history.

Sometimes you see a painting that is too polished, too perfect, to the point that it loses its essence. Have you ever read a book that felt this way? I know I’ve never had read such book before Age of Swords. It was too refined and I think that’s because Sullivan had already written the whole series. It felt flat. However, if I had to describe the book in one word, I’d simply say it’s boring. I haven’t read the Ryria series so I’m pretty sure this affected my reading experience a bit although Michael mentioned that it shouldn’t in the first book.


I have so many problems with this book to the extent that it’s hard to determine where to start from. I read Age of Myth last year. Even though the book kept me interested enough to finish it in a short time –something this book terribly failed at- many things kept my expectations at bay for the next book. The world wasn’t original, I’ve seen it all. Aside from a minor twist or two (mainly at the end and it wasn’t even handled in AoS until the last chapter “inserting another twist”) it was predictable and fun, but not impressive though. None of the characters were memorable, the whole book wasn’t. It just fell under the shelf of meh. Entertaining but lacking.


Age of Swords picks up right after the last events of Age of Myth. After Raithe killed that strong Fhrey, whose name I’ve forgotten because it’s long and complicated, they sent giants to kill them all in Rhen. After almost massacring everyone, they were defeated. However, the dahl wasn’t safe anymore and mostly damaged. They were forced to go to another Clan to try to gather all the Rhunes leaders to start a war.


I need to say this: please authors, using complicated names DOESN'T make your book more of a fantasy. It turns the readers’ attention away because they have no idea how to pronounce them, especially if ä, ë, or any other letter from outside the English language that most readers don't how to pronounce it, is used. I mean sure, foreign names are coolI but sometimes, I just read the first few letters and skip the whole name. The Dherg's words are the worst... One would expect with all these long names, Michael would’ve chosen another name for Fhrey. I mean come on, it’s too close to fey. So original.


Back to AoS, it took me ages to finish it. I was bored 99% of the time. I considered dropping it a lot but forced myself to finish it. Was it worth? Not really. However, this is an arc and I needed to review it. Plus, with all the 5 stars ratings, I thought there might be something more at the end. A mind-blowing twist or an important revelation but no, nothing. This book was so predictable. It offered no surprises at all. It’s also too long. 350 pages only, would’ve been much better. We had so little action. MJS said that he needed to develop his characters in this book. I think that’s the job of the first book but whatever. Trying to develop his characters turned into a very long description and recycled thinking about the world and their destinies. Anyway, my favorite books are always more character driven than anything else. Thus, I don’t mind slow books, not at all. However, this wasn’t just slow, it was painfully boring and tedious. Nothing was happening most of the time. Too many inner monologues and contemplations. I just skipped paragraphs to reach the dialogues which weren’t anything special. They were mostly awkward especially when it came to Raithe’s chapters. Not even the last chapters were exciting.


I was watching a video yesterday about what makes good villains. One word can summarize everything: nuance. It made me pay more attention to Mawyndulë’s, whom I’ll call from now on Mawy, actions. Saying I hated this brat is an understatement. He’s plain stupid and the twist that happened towards the end was so obvious and long foreseen that I wasn’t sure if we can call it a twist. He’s arrogant, shallow, and easily manipulated. Okay… so we have these people in real life. The video also mentioned that the little things that the villain cares about that are unrelated to his evilness makes us appreciate him. So when I saw Mawy contemplating the leaves and trying to be philosophical, I was delighted. Until I read that he felt better about himself, specifically wiser and more profound than most people because “he alone appreciated the value of a leaf drifting on a stream”. This ruined his character for me forever. His chapters were too long and too many. Useless and dull, I still tried to see why MJS wrote them. I know they serve the story but they could be summarized in few paragraphs (and I can do it in few words). Point is he’s a bad antagonist.


I couldn’t find a thing to like about Raithe. Oh, we’re Dureyans and we suck. Oh, I can’t do anything so stop talking to me. Oh, Persephone marry me. Oh, I'm so weak. Oh, I’m so depressed and the world is hard. Oh, wait. He’s a Dureyan. The world is hard. PLEASE STOP THE MELODRAMA. He was like a teenage girl nagging for God’s sake. Also, he was the typical character in most fantasy books who refused to embrace his role but will come around eventually.


First thing I mentioned in my review was the new inventions. I had no idea the Rhunes were so primitive in Age of Swords. If they live within the same world of a 2 advanced species, do you want me to believe that they didn’t learn anything from them? Not even fuckin bottoms? Or fuckin WHEELS? They traded all the time!!! But it’s fine. This didn’t annoy me as much as the whole new stuff were invented by the same person. WHITING FEW WEEKS ONLY. Roan invented x and y but never before someone invented these very primitive stuff. Not that only, she was able to do it all at once. Then Brin created writing within few days. SERIOUSLY? And of course, because she was super smart, she was able to decipher foreign symbols/writing in an hour or even less. THIS IS BEYOND SURREAL. Even specialized people from the 21st century wouldn’t be able to do it so fast.


What surprised me the most is people who have never seen a bow use words like “sorta” and “kinda” and sentences like “where are you off to”. This speech indicates a very developed civilization. I’m sure they’ll stay the same in the final copy because they were also present in age of myth and while I didn’t know that they were so behind, I didn’t like this style of high fantasy. Especially when used by a tough Durayen warrior. It makes things even worse.


All of this will make you wonder, why 2 stars and not 1? You see, with all the bad boring stuff, I applaud MJS for making decent female characters and giving them such importance and a big role in making history. Many male authors, even females, fail at creating likable women, especially in high fantasy. Even though I didn’t fall in love with them and that’s mainly the book’s fault (aka boredom and slow pacing) and not their character, Moya and Suri were my favorites. So yeah, that was the only redeeming quality in this book. I might drop my rating later, though. Who knows?


Briefly said, this book bored me to tears. It was dull and too long. The characters weren’t memorable and sometimes annoying but I appreciate the strong female characters. I don’t know if I’ll continue with this series. MJS said in the author’s note (that was way too long in which the author congratulated himself that his books reached GR nominees, didn’t even win lol. This is always a bad sign) that this book is his favorite in this series. If that’s the case, I have no idea if I still want to continue with The Legends of the First Empire. Since everybody says that the Ryria Revelations is better, I’m going to give this author another chance. Hopefully, I’ll read the first book later this year but AoS wasn’t encouraging at all.

In Age of Myth, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan launched readers on an epic journey of magic and adventure, heroism and betrayal, love and loss. Now the thrilling saga continues as the human uprising is threatened by powerful enemies from without—and bitter rivalries within.

Raithe, the God Killer, may have started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey, but long-standing enmities dividing the Rhune make it all but impossible to unite against a common foe. And even if the clans can join forces, how will they defeat an enemy whose magical prowess makes the Fhrey indistinguishable from gods?

The answer lies across the sea in a faraway land populated by a reclusive and dour race who feels nothing but disdain for both Fhrey and mankind. With time running out, Persephone leads the gifted young seer Suri, the Fhrey sorceress Arion, and a small band of misfits in a desperate search for aid—a quest that will take them into the darkest depths of Elan. There, an ancient adversary waits—an enemy as surprising as it is deadly.



* * * * *



First of all, I must disclose that Mr. Sullivan is one of my favorite fantasy authors and I will forever be in love with Royce. I was a bit concerned about reading another series set in the same world with no Royce but I shouldn't have worried.


My new heroes are instead the strong women who see what need to be done and go do it while all the men are beating their chests about just who is going to be in charge during this war. Persephone, Roan, Brin and Suri head off to the land of Dherg to see if they can find something that will at least give the Rhunes a fighting chance in the upcoming war.


Incredible writing with characters that are memorable and a plot that flows like silk, what more could you ask for? I highly recommend this book (and this series) to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy.


*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

The pages will fly by in this new adventure from Sullivan. While I missed the surprising turns of its predecessor, <I>Age of Swords</I> is easy and enjoyable reading that will leave you wanting more.

Ugh, why do I have to wait another year for book three? It's just not fair!!!! I need it NOWWW!!!! After reading the first book, Age of Myth, I knew this was going to be a series I'd become enthralled with. And this second book certainly doesn't disappoint! I'm a huge emotional mess right now, and my poor heart might have just melted right out of my body. BUT IT WAS SO GOOD!!!

If you've read anything else by Sullivan, you know that his plots are hugely character-driven, which I am a big fan of. And this one is no different. Each character was so strong and powerful in their own way. I loved that we got a few different perspectives and so could really get to know so many fascinating characters. And Suri. Good lord, that girl. I adore her so much. Everyone needs a Suri in their life. And a Minna. Definitely a Minna.

The only reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is because I had a few little issues with the plot. And it took me a bit longer to get into the book than I was expected. But the rest of it made up for any problems I had, so I still absolutely loved this book.

Needless to say, I'd 100% recommend this book. If you love fantasy, you would be doing yourself a huge favor by picking this series up. You'll be missing out if you don't!

Going into these books, the first thing to know is that they’re written like what they are–an epic fantasy novel series meant to be long, winding, entrancing stories. Age of Swords reminiscent of it’s predecessor, in which it took a good quarter of the novel for the story to pick up pace. At first, I was kinda disappointed in this. I had previously adored all of Sullivan’s novels, and I didn’t want this to be the first one that I disliked. In comparison to Age of Myth, though, AoS is so much more. It’s a literal EPIC story, similar to Tolkien’s epic, but with less racism, more badass woman, and a unique magic system.

I do have to admit, that there were things I didn’t enjoy, but they were mainly because of the world around them. This is a fairly female dominated book, but most of the men are very sexist towards them. I loved reading about this group of women, Persephone, Moya, Brin, Roan, Suri, and Arion, prove everyone wrong, though, and overcome the challenges. Not only that, but Persephone is a widow and a mother, Roan is a survivor of abuse, and mostly everyone considered Moya to be useless. Sullivan, despite his privilege as a white man, wrote these diverse and outstanding women, focusing the story on them rather than the men around them. That’s how you bring in diversity while still having privilege.

Speaking of diversity, I loved how inclusive this book was. Not only was Roan an abuse survivor, but Arion was mentioned to have had a wife in the first book. There were people of color scattered throughout the story, as well. There was also a disabled character, with a warped spine. He often went though verbal attacks because of how he looked, often being called a cr*pple. But Gifford, the disabled character, gets so much character development from the first book, and has the potential to be an amazing protagonist of the next book.

See, the thing with Sullivan writing these problematic things is that he challenges them. There’s also extreme racism between the races, as well as inter-species classism that’s discussed in-depth in multiple chapters. Sullivan is able to include these discussions without ever being overbearing in the subject, having them just nuanced enough that they’re seen as negatives within, and not apart of the actual weave of the story.

The plot of AoS was also so badass. I can’t even think of other words to describe it. The moment they got to the dwarf city, I couldn’t stop reading. The whole legend and quest they learn and go through were just amazing. I don’t want to give much away, but just power through the beginning. It might be a little slow, but it’s so worth it.

Final Rating: ★★★★★
Overall?

It was slow. But epic. And diverse. And amazing. I just. I cannot recommend Sullivan’s novels enough, okay? His first novels, The Riyria Revelations, features two friends, and lots more badass women, like a kickass royal brat and a WOC sex worker.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. How can I not? I’m so glad I stumbled upon these books, and I cannot wait for Age of War. I just know that one will kill me worse than this one!

Rating : 7/10

ARC provided by the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Note 1: The quotes in this review are taken from the ARC edition and may change in the published edition.

Note 2: I’m definitely on the unpopular opinion side here. So if you don’t agree with me, you can drop a comment and we can discuss it :)

Note 3: I just realized that the title is PERFECT ! It couldn’t have been more appropriate :’)


“Losing leaves a bitter taste that lingers long after the sweetness of victory has been forgotten.”



Damn, this is a very hard book to review for me!

Mostly because Michael J Sullivan is one of my favorite authors. I love his writing! I love his characters, his humor and the way he tells his stories. Unfortunately, that is also precisely why this book didn’t work as much as I hoped, for me. I found his storytelling in AoS different from what I’m used to. It’s more forced and somehow, deliberate, with little room for unexpected turns of events. Michael knew exactly where his story was going (the 6 books are written already, with different editing stages), so he dropped a lot of the necessary cornerstones for his characters and the bigger picture’s further development. To the point where this book felt like a huge introduction ! If this was the first book of the series, it would have been understandable but this is the second installment and I was bored during half of the book 😥



AoS is rather character-driven. The plot doesn’t move much (most of the interesting actions for me took place in the last 15% of the book) and you can see most of them coming from far away. Often because of the excerpts from the book of Brin, at the beginning of each chapter.

I have nothing against character-driven stories, believe me ! One of my favorite series of all time is the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson and It’s certainly not fast-paced. But it is full of twists and revelations and amazing battle sequences. I didn’t get much of neither in AoS. Don’t get me wrong, there were beautiful, touching and heart-wrenching moments but they were scarce imo. MJS explained in his Author’s Note how all his characters were very important for the future turns of events (there were a few hints throughout the narrative too), and that it was necessary to give each of them enough space to grow into their full potential. Retrospectively, he was successful. What seemed like idle conversations and very long introspection parts, were justified at the end of the book. However, those parts often felt unnecessary, lengthy or boring to read.



Another element that slowed the pace and wasn’t very realistic, was the contrast between how primitive and backward humans were in this series and how ONE particularly gifted character invented devices on a daily basis, to suit every situation (the axe and the pottery table in AoM were only the beginning). So Michael kinda packed millennia of humanity’s early technological progress in a few days. It was unsettling and despite the edge these inventions gave to our characters, there were too much of them to be believable.

“I think we’ve just witnessed the world shift, and I doubt it’ll ever be the same again.”



Please don’t let these points talk you out of trying this book (and the series). They are a matter of personal preference and there is a lot to love in the story Michael is telling in The Legends of the First Empire :

1. Michael has a gift for writing amazing female characters! Ordinary women and girls who refuse to sit idly and settle for the modest roles men assigned to them. They are both strong and fragile and most of them are touching in different ways. And most importantly, all of them are determined to write a piece of History! My favorites are definitely Suri and Moya! Both were hilarious, endearing, loyal and brave in their own way ❤ Male characters on the other hand didn’t shine much in AoS ! XD Seriously, I wanted to strangle them in more than a dozen occasions!



2. The expansion of the world building! The story extended far beyond Dahl Rhen and Erivan’s capital to new villages and « foreign » lands. One place in particular had a distinct Fellowship of the Ring feel to it and I kept expecting a Balrog to emerge from the depths of the city and attack the party!



3. The references to the Riyria series were priceless!! OMG, it was extremely fun and rewarding to make connections to “future” events and legendary characters, creatures and places!



4. The Art is finally explained! After 8 books in the world of Elan, I’m glad Michael provided details about its requirements and it’s connection to the elements, to nature and to Life itself. And damn, it’s pretty complex ! XD There are a lot of (definitely necessary) details and subtleties, so be prepared ! 😉



5. Michael’s prose has a simple beauty! It’s very accessible and suited for every reader. His writing is generous, funny, touching, punctuated by beautiful metaphors, hilarious dialogues sometimes and touching and heroic moments. You can always be certain to find unbreakable friendships, loyalty and sacrifices, and a lot of beautiful characters who’ll eventually blossom out into unexpected heroes in your read!

"There are many lies spoken during a war, even more before one. That is how they start. "



Conclusion
I was so sad I enjoyed this book much less than I anticipated. Despite a very exciting beginning, the story was extremely simple (once again) and I definitely expected more. So, it took me a while to write these few thoughts because while I was bored during a major part of the book, there was a tremendous characters’ growth and many pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall in place. And I’m definitely intrigued to see where this story is going!!

Age of Swords is the second book in the Legends of the First Empire series. Although I loved the first book, Age of Myth, I had a hard time getting into this one in the beginning. There were a few names that are hard to pronounce; I don't mind names that are unusual, but these names were very distracting.

This story is actually two stories, one about Persephone and the Runes and the other about Mawyndule and the Fhrey. I enjoyed the story about Persephone and appreciate the strong female characters. I did not enjoy the story about Mawyndule very much and I don't think the 2 stories were tied together very well, if fact, they weren't tied together at all.

On the whole, though, I liked the story and am looking forward to the next book.

My thanks go out to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A brilliant continuation of the Legends of the First Empire series. The setting moves south, the cast widens, and the intrigue rises as the factions move closer towards fallout. Sullivan continues to improve upon his previous works with confidence. Many more characters were given ample time for development and dialogue, and the story benefits from having a richer cast.

One of my favorite aspects of this book in particular is that special attention is paid to the timeline of the setting. This story takes place during the early civilization of humans, and we get to experience what is was like to invent and discover various watershed ideas and engineering marvels that we take for granted today. Each incremental invention or cultural development has far-reaching consequences, and it is a bold and rewarding writing decision that lets the reader experience these "eureka!" moments firsthand.

Sullivan's characters are often painted in bold strokes of Good and Bad, without much morally grey area in between. It's easy to grow fond of many of these "simple folk" who are being molded into heroes out of desperation and necessity. It's also quite easy to despise some of the antagonists in the story, though it's fun to spend time inside the brain of one Fhrey prince in particular. There are difficult decisions that some of our heroes must make, but it's very clear to see what side of the coin each character is on, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on your taste.

The author states that this volume of the series is his personal favorite out of the six, and although I've only read the first two, I can understand Sullivan's viewpoint -- there's a lot going on in this saga, and nearly all of it is compelling. Sullivan is clearly having fun navigating through the cultural explosion of the humans, the layered politicking of the Fhrey, and the long-awaited introduction to the dwarven empire. Perhaps the expansiveness of this story has sacrificed some characterization hinted at during The Age of Myth, but there's four more volumes to be released, and I'm confident that those issues will be addressed.

Even if you've never spent any time in Elan, you can dive right into the Legends of the First Empire. Lucky for you, you'll have nine Riyria books to lose yourself in while waiting for the next Legends volume to release!

First of all, I liked the book. It didn't go in the direction that I was expecting, with a big chunk devoted to a side quest, but Michael Sullivan as always does tell a fluid and engaging tale. The style, if you're not familiar, is more irreverent than the usual fantasy stories, a little contemporary with a dash of Pratchett like wit.

I like the characters and this is a story that is easy to be drawn along with.

My only gripe, and why it's 4 and not five stars, is the constant inventing of stuff in a short space of time, more of the irreverence! It did get a little distracting, but take nothing away from the book, definitely one I would recommend