Lori
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
The Riyria Revelations and Chronicles have been recommended to me. Since I'm new to these works, should I read one before the other?
Michael J. Sullivan
There are actually many "places to start" Let me go through them with you.
Theft of Swords - is book #1 and #2 of the Riyria Revelations this was the first book I published and it's where many people start. It starts out with a "simple tale" about two rogues who are framed for the murder of a king and by the time the series ends stakes have ramped up and gone "epic" such that their deeds may very well change the course of history.
The Crown Tower - is book #1 of the Riyria Chronicles which is a "prequel" series to the Riyria Revelations. These four books were written because people missed Royce and Hadrian so much after they finished the Riyria Revelations that I provided some more stories with the pair. At the start of Theft of Swords (mentioned above), the pair had already been together for 10 years so the first two books of this series explain how the pair met and how they started their thieves-for-hire enterprise. For people who like reading chronologically - this would be a better place to start than Theft of Swords. But personally, I prefer reading the Riyria tales in order of publication: Theft of Swords | Rise of Empire | Heir of Novron | The Crown Tower | The Rose and the Thorn | The Death of Dulgath | The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter)
If you want to try out my writing style to see if it's to your liking, then The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter is a good place to start. Yes, it's technically the 4th book in the Riyria Chronicles, but books #3 and #4 of that series are written as standalone tales similar to a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie such that you can read that book without prior knowledge from the others.
So, as you can see there are plenty of options. The good news is I've heard from people who have read them in several different orders and the response I hear back most often is, "The way I did it was the RIGHT way" even though the people saying that started with different books! In other words, all of the "starting points" seem to work to one degree or another. So start at the book that seems to match your reading preference best after reading the descriptions above.
I do hope you'll enjoy them no matter where you begin - and please let me know which route you decided on.
Theft of Swords - is book #1 and #2 of the Riyria Revelations this was the first book I published and it's where many people start. It starts out with a "simple tale" about two rogues who are framed for the murder of a king and by the time the series ends stakes have ramped up and gone "epic" such that their deeds may very well change the course of history.
The Crown Tower - is book #1 of the Riyria Chronicles which is a "prequel" series to the Riyria Revelations. These four books were written because people missed Royce and Hadrian so much after they finished the Riyria Revelations that I provided some more stories with the pair. At the start of Theft of Swords (mentioned above), the pair had already been together for 10 years so the first two books of this series explain how the pair met and how they started their thieves-for-hire enterprise. For people who like reading chronologically - this would be a better place to start than Theft of Swords. But personally, I prefer reading the Riyria tales in order of publication: Theft of Swords | Rise of Empire | Heir of Novron | The Crown Tower | The Rose and the Thorn | The Death of Dulgath | The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter)
If you want to try out my writing style to see if it's to your liking, then The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter is a good place to start. Yes, it's technically the 4th book in the Riyria Chronicles, but books #3 and #4 of that series are written as standalone tales similar to a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie such that you can read that book without prior knowledge from the others.
So, as you can see there are plenty of options. The good news is I've heard from people who have read them in several different orders and the response I hear back most often is, "The way I did it was the RIGHT way" even though the people saying that started with different books! In other words, all of the "starting points" seem to work to one degree or another. So start at the book that seems to match your reading preference best after reading the descriptions above.
I do hope you'll enjoy them no matter where you begin - and please let me know which route you decided on.
More Answered Questions
Dellie
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hi Michael! I recently finished Riyria Revelations and Riyria chronicles on recommendation from my mom, who also loves your books! They hooked me from beginning to end, and kept me entertained for many nights during quarantine! I was just wondering if you had any advice on how to come up with fantasy based names for places, characters and/or groups of people? Thank you and I hope you and your family are doing well!
Teri
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
My husband & I had a lengthy discussion about the alignments of Hadrian & Royce (he's a long-time DnD'er & I'm a newbie.) After a lot of bickering, we concluded that Hadrian is essentially Lawful Good at heart, but is bent towards Chaotic Good through Royce's influence. Husband insists Royce is always Neutral Evil, but I feel he eventually becomes more Chaotic Good because of Gwen and Hadrian's influence. Thoughts?
Britt Griffin
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hi Michael! I was wondering what are your thoughts on the idea of a Riyria animated series? Animation has developed so much as a form of storytelling since shows like Avatar the Last Airbender, Steven Universe, Castlevania, etc. Even though I can totally see Riyria play out as a live-action series, it would be so fun to see in animation! Have you ever considered pitching it for an animated adaptation as well?
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