Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

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Heir of Novron
The Riyria Revelations
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Series as a whole - Through Book #6: MANY SPOILERS ALERT
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Elizabeth
(last edited Dec 20, 2011 08:17AM)
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Chapter 1
(view spoiler)
Chapter 2
It's nice seeing Alric being caring toward Arista. I was touched by (view spoiler) .
(view spoiler)
Chapter 3
About Royce...
(view spoiler)
About Gaunt
(view spoiler)
I have more chapters to discuss - but will wait as I want to hear what some others have to say. I'm starting Chapter 7 The Laughing gnome...and adding in some reading of the "original" so that I can stretch this out.
Fabulous job so far.


(view spoiler)
Elizabeth ~ Let me know when you're done so I can talk freely! LOL There are so many things I'd love to discuss, but I don't want to spoil anything for you!

I'm sure I'm going to frustrate you as I'm actually "trying" to read slowly because I don't want it to end. Currently I'm about to start Chapter 14 "The Cold". How wonderful has this been huh?
To Michael - that was an interesting little insight into Chapter 1 - I'm glad you were able to make it work out this way because it was very satisfying to seee (view spoiler)

(view spoiler)
Chapter 5
Woohoo - Myron! I thought him meeting his sister was done so well and sooooo showed what he's like. I could just squeeze him.
Best line in this chapter....(view spoiler) He's so loveable.
Chapter 6
Woohoo - glad to see the dwarf back...I know he's been a pistol in the past - and it's going to be interesting seeing Royce and him together - nice tension. (view spoiler)
Chapter 7
This is a great chapter showing how much Michael can do with such simple things. On the surface it's just kind of "filler" a night spent before going to Percepliquis but there all kinds of things here....
(view spoiler)

I'm a bit afraid of heights so I'm glad I wasn't one of the party. I like how (view spoiler)
Chapter 9
How cute are Mercy and Allie? I love seeing them play with Mr. Rings - and can so picture the whole scene of them chasing him into the council chamber like a movie playing in my mind...P.S. Hollywood - stop making re-makes of movies and get this series on FILM. I'm looking at some competitor to HBO as it would compete nicely with Game of Thrones and would need multiple hours to do well.
And now....(view spoiler)
Chapter 10
Nice to see Royce starting to come out of his funk. His talk with Myron really seems to have helped. I also like the interactions between him and Magnus - they seem to be "coming to an understanding" and I do like the dwarf...but...more on this in the next chapter.
Chapter 11
I thought the Patriarch was pretty erogant when we met him when the party started. Really I don't know what to make of him. I certainly don't like his dimissive attitude toward Modina. Merton - is indeed a character - reminds me of Myron a bit - I know they are 'different churches' but they both seem like they are "true believers" and not just in the church for power. But the big news...(view spoiler)
Chapter 12
We are treated with a rare glimpse into Royce's head. Michael changes POV often but it seems like he doesn't spend much time with Royce. It was nice to see some of his backstory from his own perspective.
Gaunt is being his usually "tool" self - trying to breed dissention (view spoiler) . But the ABSOULTE BEST part of this chapter was Hadrian punching him in the face!! I've said it before and I will again (view spoiler)
Chapter 13
Okay...I just want to get this off my chest...is there a bad or boring chapter in this book!!!? Gah Michael you make it so hard to try and savor. What I loved about this chapter. Arista bringing Myron tea...Yeah sounds boring huh? But it demonstrates what Sullivan does with nuance. We learn that Arista is not so "princessy" and doesn't ming waiting on others - she is now totally "de-privledged" and is a "real person" and Myron...as always is very accepting - i.e. doesn't mind that she used magic to make it.
Of course the most exciting aspect of this chapter was (view spoiler)
Yolric is really intersting to me. There is obvously a lot going on witht he interactions between Yolric and Esrahaddon - I can't quite put it all together...I feel like Richard Dryfess in Close Encounters of the Third Kind ... "This means something this is important. Michael is playing chess 12 moves ahead of me. I know he'll win but I just love watching him play.

Reading your thoughts is so much fun. I am eagerly waiting until you're done to really start talking, though! ;-) Enjoy!



Having Lenare kill Guy was something that took a long time to get to happen. In the original version the "pop" made by guy's blood test alerts a Gilarabryn which swoops down and kills ev..."
HAHAHA dude, I just watched Princess Bride over the weekend and that bit about Indigo Montoya was hilarious man. I'm still trying to catch up to all the talk on boards between things at work :-)

I think the only female character I didn't like was Amelia because she didn't develop as strongly as the other two. Granted she wasn't a major character, but her helplessness and being so unreasonable made her a point of annoyance for me. She reminded of Arista when she started only she never grew up.
I love the Esra of their time. I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks simply because they were too damn serious. I loved Esra's jokes and the only glimpse of him we see in the final book leaves no room for his humor. That's why I'm looking forward to Fall of Percepliquis because it will primarily deal with Esra and I'm hoping bring back his humor.
I hate Gaunt. Michael made a perfect character that you just love to hate and I'm sad that he lived through all that and so many good people died. I hope he lived to learn and change, but only Michael knows for sure :-)
I can understand his selfishness and cynicism, as they are similar to Royce, but he's a plain old coward man. Where every member of the party is willing to throw their lives away for each other, Gaunt tries to find any way possible to stay alive. Yeah I wish he had died painfully, oh well :-(


I'm glad you liked it - I love Princess Bride andthat scene was a really fun one to write.

Wow - you have no idea how much this is music to my ears. I've taken a pretty brutal beating over the last few weeks from a particarly scathing review about how I portray women. In particular....
"Sullivan's female characters, all two of the ones with major speaking parts, are infantilized and sexualized in the same breath. From the perspective of a woman who reads fantasy, this is disappointing. It is, in fact, more than a little disturbing."
I've always felt that Arista and Thrace/Modina and Gwen for that matter are strong women and I'm proud of how I have represented the gender. Many people mention Hadrian and Royce, as well they should but in my mind this series has been an ensemble cast of four...it just took a few books to get all the players properly introudced.

I can see and understand that. for me Amelia was interesting because she was always caught between her desire to help Modina and fear of failure which would certainly mean the end of her life. I think the part of her that I enjoyed the most was hers and Breckton's relationship. A friend of mine, actually two friends, are to this day upset with me because Breckton "deserved better" but I'll respectfully disagree I think they make a very cute couple and I'm sorry they didn't have much screen time in the last book - but it was already pretty packed as it was.

Yeah I can see that. For myself, I particularly liked writing scenes where Esra and Royce went toe to toe. The events in the final book of course did not lend itself to levity so yeah some of the "fun" went out of him there...he was pretty much "all business." The interesting thing about "thinking" of any prequels is that in many ways the characters would be much different. For instance an "early Royce" would be pretty untamed and rutheless and people may not appreciate him as such. Likewise, Esrahaddon in Crown - Emerald Storm is pretty arrogant and self-assured, but in his own time, surrounded by others that are so much more powerful than himself...suck as Yolrick...I'm not sure yet exactly what his personality would be. Still noodling it all through.

Well at one time Gaunt was supposed to be a nice guy. In fact he was slated to marry Modina. I think it was actually Royce whispering in my ear that made me change his personality into the jerk that he ultimately was written as. I just kept coming back to his whole notion of Hadrian having to serve someone that was so undeserving and thought there was an irony there that Royce would really love reveling in. It was VERY late in the writing process...Even after I had "finished" when Robin pointed out to me that I didn't tie up his story. Just as Wesley in Prince Bride thought Indigo would make a great Dred Pirate Roberts it occurred to me that Gaunt would make a great Earl of Ballentyne. It seemed so how very fiting. Also along that line...and it is rarely mentioned...but I enjoyed that Archie - a "tool" in his own right grew into a much better person and I'm glad he died an honorable death trying to save Modina...some of my funest times with him was having his voice his outrage that Ethelred would marry Modina just to advance his position - with no thought of love...Sometimes denile isn't just a river in Egypt.
As for Gaunt changing...nah he doesn't have the moral fiber to be anything more than what he is/was. There is a lot of redemption in Riyria but it starts with having to "want" to be better than you are. I think Gaunt is just a bit too self absorbed to see himself as anything other than 'perfect' just the way he is.

Granted, Amilia isn't as 'strong', but I don't think it's fair to say that she's 'infantilized and sexualised'. She lacks confidence, and is caught between protecting Thrace, whom she clearly cares for, and avoiding the wrath of Saldur -- a pretty pressured position for someone that started out as a maid, and is unsure how to deal with her new station and the challenges that it presents. I was silently cheering for her when she told Saldur that she wouldn't make Modina denounce Breckton and Hadrian - her character has grown too, but perhaps more subtly. (I also loved the fact that she ended up with Sir Breckton - him with his knightly humility, and her honesty and lack of confidence / pretentiousness... A good match, I thought).
Ultimately, it would be unrealistic if every single woman in the book was a paragon of towering strength. Not only because we're in a feudal/medieval style society, but also because life's just not like that. Male or female, everyone has different limits and strengths.

Now that you mention prequels, I would love to see some of Royce and Hadrian's early adventures or maybe Royce and Hadrian separately like Royce's time in Manzant and Hadrian's time with the Ghazel.

Well in the reviewer's defense...and I can't believe I'm defending her because she said some really negative things about my books such as....
"Theft of Swords is the kind of book that is so bad that it infects other perfectly innocent books with its badness. It is a screaming black hole of the very worst influences of Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, mixed with naïve stereotypes, Dept. of Redundancy Dept. levels of word repetition, and prose that doesn't have much further to go before it plumbs the uttermost depths where the Eye of Argon dwells, down in the turgid, purple caverns of the deep. I finished it out of sheer disbelief at its badness, and my advice as a result is Don't follow my example."
But I digress...getting back to the point...she made the statement after reading only Theft of Swords (so the first two books) and becuase I build the characters in layers she does not know about their evolution. Still even looking at them in those two books I don't see where the "infantilized and sexualized" impression arrises from.
Even in those two books....Arista is responsible for saving the kingdom by having R&H kidnap her brother and she stays behind...even while putting her own self in danger...to try and findout who the real killers were.
And Thrace...well she kills the Gilarabryn that has bested many well armored knights...plus she shows incredible courage in the tower as she digs through the mound of body parts looking for anything to fight the monster with.

I agree on all points Rachel - and as I mentioned in my previous post...the reviewer hadn't yet met Amelia so she wasn't referring to her in the comment.

Oh don't get me wrong...he wasn't "honorable by any stretch of the word...there is no doubt that he didn't love Modina for what she was... but for her beauty alone - which is a pretty shallow perspective. But in the end he really didn't care about power...as his obsession about her was more powerful then his quest for power. Not a "good guy" per se but he did end up saving Modina and when he challenged Guy it was by considering Modina's safety above his own so yeah...he should get just a bit of a nod for not beeing a 100% jackass by the time he finally checked out.
Now that you mention prequels, I would love to see some of Royce and Hadrian's early adventures or maybe Royce and Hadrian separately like Royce's time in Manzant and Hadrian's time with the Ghazel.
i>

1. Nyphron’s story
2. The story of the destruction of Percepliquis (as well as the Empire prior to that)
3. Esrahaddon’s story
4. Royce’s life before Hadrian, including time spent in Manzant
5. Hadrian’s life before Royce
6. Riyria before The Crown Conspiracy
7. Royce as king of elves
8. Hadrian and Arista rebuilding the Teshlor Guild and the Cenzarium
I don't ask for much ...
;-)



SPOILERS!!! (as I don't know how to do that neat "view spoilers" thing!
I've been avoiding these threads till I was finished! Michael, you are in my top 5 all time. I mean, wow. Just very well done all around. How on earth did publishers turn you down? I digress.
'Royce muttered and coughed, "My friend is going to kill you." hahahahaha...I started laughing so hard when I read that.
Myron, I love him more than words can say. He is what we all should be. Enjoy the little things. Don't heed the trivial. Live each moment like it's your last.
I guess Nimbus 20 pages before the end...though I guess at that point it was no longer so surprising. But i was still proud of myself. :)
I hit Royce, though that was a guess without conviction, but made the most sense. Though I had it backwards as far as the ancestry.
Never would have guess about Mercy in a million years for some reason. That one completely through me. Still trying to be vague for some people even though I know it says spoilers.
Tell me, was I right in my guess that Esra's spell honed in on the pendants? Or did he trick the others on that one?
Novron's ancestry was a surprise I must say. Very well done.
I can't believe it but...I liked Magnus by the end. Shows how you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. He was only giving back what he had received all his life. Made me respect Arista all the more.
Ok, I have to run!!! Talk more soon!

@Genna...those are far enough into the future that I would at least entertain them as possibilities but as I've said in the past I wouldn't want to "milk the series. If I came up with ideas which held interest then I may do something along those lines - at this time I'm just trying to determine whether the six books that are now "have legs" or not ;-)

Thanks Bryan...top 5 is high praise indeed. Heck I got more than 200 rejection letters. I guess the sales will determine if they or Orbit were "right".
Bryan said...
'Royce muttered and coughed, "My friend is going to kill you." hahahahaha...I started laughing so hard when I read that.
That whole scene was a joy to write. I'm glad you enjoyed it as well.
Bryan said...Myron, I love him more than words can say. He is what we all should be. Enjoy the little things. Don't heed the trivial. Live each moment like it's your last.
Yeah Myron is pretty much "untouchable" as he wants for nothing. No one can harm him as he is perfectly content. He is "different" than in the original Crown but remarkably the same as well.
Bryan said...
I guess Nimbus 20 pages before the end...though I guess at that point it was no longer so surprising. But i was still proud of myself. :)
That's just about where I wanted people to figure it out. In general I want everyone to figure out all the various things just before I pull the curtain apart. Good for you!
Bryan said...I hit Royce, though that was a guess without conviction, but made the most sense. Though I had it backwards as far as the ancestry.
Never would have guess about Mercy in a million years for some reason. That one completely through me. Still trying to be vague for some people even though I know it says spoilers.
Yeah I highly recommend people who haven't read the last book to stay out of these two spoiler threads.
Bryan said...Tell me, was I right in my guess that Esra's spell honed in on the pendants? Or did he trick the others on that one?
Esra's spells did indeed show who was wearing the pendents. He knew who the real heir was but felt that the best way to keep that secret safe was to implicate the current wearer.
Bryan said...Novron's ancestry was a surprise I must say. Very well done.
Thanks I would like to write a book about Novron's story but as I can't guarantee what order people will read them in - it might spoil Percepliquis if they read it first.
Bryan said...I can't believe it but...I liked Magnus by the end. Shows how you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. He was only giving back what he had received all his life. Made me respect Arista all the more.
Yeah...I too...obviously like Magnus. He, like Royce, has been shaped by events that have occurred to him.
Bryan said... Ok, I have to run!!! Talk more soon!
Thanks for dropping by - it's great fun hearing from people now that the whole story is out there.

The depth of character and insight into those characters was very well done, yet you also kept things simplistic in the sense you didn't get bogged down in unnecessary details for detail's sake.
...and Gwen, how could you not LOVE that woman. I mean, she KNEW!!! Yet she still did what was best for Royce. :)
Another thing I never saw coming was Arcadius and Gwen. Still keeping it vague. Royce's response to this when he was talking to Hadrian...my heart went out to him. To have the thought that others think so horribly of you, it's a horrible feeling.
I think you are right btw, would be tough if you wrote a book about Novron if they read them out of order.
Any idea when you are announcing your next project? Cause I am all on board! I will do my best to make sure sales go well, if they walk into the fantasy section at work I'll be recommending your work!
I agree with you on Myron btw, he is different, but only in that he is less experienced, more innocent to me. He "seems" innocent later too but he merely dealt with his experiences in a way that didn't scar him like most people, he moved past the hardships and stayed true to who he was. Only now he had more wisdom to go along with his book smarts.
Sorry for the long responses, I don't get on here often so try to do more when I can.
I'm glad you got published with publisher number 201!

Reading your thoughts is so much fun. I am eagerly waiting until you're done to really start talking, though! ;-) Enjoy!"
I'm DONE!! And yes I really enjoyed. Part of me wants to go back and keep the "chapter by chapter" updating thing going - but I'm not sure if I could do it right now that I know all that I know.

Hmmm...I think I love the men of the book more than the women Hadrian - swoon...Royce...sigh I feel so bad for all the hardships he has been through - I hope he'll be happy now....Myron...YOU ROCK!
Isaac wrote:
I think the only female character I didn't like was Amelia because she didn't develop as strongly as the other two. Granted she wasn't a major character, but her helplessness and being so unreasonable made her a point of annoyance for me. She reminded of Arista when she started only she never grew up.
I liked Amelia - Althought at one point I was afraid she was getting just a little "too comfortable" as a noble...I think there was some jelousy going on when Arista showed up...some of it was trying to protect Modina, but another part of it (I think) was that she had been "everything" to Modina and now Thrace was focusing on helping Arista.
Isaac wrote: I love the Esra of their time. I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks simply because they were too damn serious. I loved Esra's jokes and the only glimpse of him we see in the final book leaves no room for his humor. That's why I'm looking forward to Fall of Percepliquis because it will primarily deal with Esra and I'm hoping bring back his humor.
I liked the flashbacks - they were a great way to let us know what happened "back then" - I do want the "full story" with Jerish and Yolric and Nevrick. As for "quick witted" one of my favorite scenes is in Avempartha when the two of them are at the well togehter.
Isaac wrote:
I hate Gaunt. Michael made a perfect character that you just love to hate and I'm sad that he lived through all that and so many good people died. I hope he lived to learn and change, but only Michael knows for sure :-)
I don't hate him - I just think he's a fool and despicable. I'm so glad he wasn't the heir - but in my heart of hearts I didn't think Michael would "go that way."




1. Royce and Hadrian's first meeting - when Arcadius brings them together.
2. Esrahaddon, Jerish, Yolric
3. I'd like to see a story of Royce in the Diamond with Merrick and Jade, then his time in Manzant with Nimbus.
4. A story far into the future with Allie leading men and Mercy leading elves. Probably with some external conflict such as the gobblins and them having to join forces against them or something like that. Hadrian and Arisat would be dead...but there would be Teshlor and Cenzars that were taught by them that would still be alive. I think it has to be far enough ahead in time that Royce is dead as well.
5. I'd love even a short story or two with Myron!!

I agree completely - on all fronts!
Oooh, yes, Royce with the Diamond. That'd be great to read that story! I like the idea of the future crisis, too. And, of course, you can never have too much Myron. He's awesome!