The Crown Conspiracy
In The Crown Conspiracy, Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in the murder of the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.
Whether you are looking for a single novel, or a multi-book saga, The Crown Conspiracy is the place to begin. It is a heroic fantasy adventure written for a general audience and conceived as a single epic tale. This series is told through six self-contained episodes, each complete in its own right. Across the entire chronicle, mysteries build, characters deepen, and plots thicken, but none of the books end in a disappointing cliffhanger or require you to read a previous book to fully enjoy the one you are on.
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Michael J. Sullivan
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael J. Sullivan has lived in Vermont, North Carolina, and Virginia. He worked as a commercial artist and illustrator, founding his own advertising agency in 1996, which he closed in 2005 to pursue writing full-time. The Crown Conspiracy is his first published work. Michael currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife and three children.
The Riyria Revelations
The Riyria Revelations consists of six books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series The Riyria Universe
Related series The Riyria Revelations (omnibus editions)
Reviews and Comments
One of the best fantasy books I've read for a while. The tale is a little mixed; it starts very well, it's slow in pace, but you get the sense that it has considerable merit and, as you read, that proves true. There's a good climax at the end of the book. The mix of characters is its main strength, two opposing characters deliberately brought together to forge them both into better people. If they don't kill each other first, then this might just work. There's only a smattering of fantasy creatures in this first instalment, but there is a greater sense of more to come and the tale is sufficiently different to wet your appetite. I enjoyed this tale and will want to read more of Sullivan's works.