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Age of Myth: Book One of The Legends of the First Empire Paperback – January 31, 2017

by Michael J. Sullivan (Author)

4.5 7,803 ratings

Book 1 of 6: Legends of the First Empire

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

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One of fantasy’s finest next-generation storytellers continues to break new ground.

Michael J. Sullivan’s trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership and comparisons to fantasy masters Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Now Age of Myth inaugurates an original five-book series.

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

Magic, fantasy, and mythology collide in Michael J. Sullivan’s Legends of the First Empire series:
AGE OF MYTH • AGE OF SWORDS • AGE OF WAR

Book 1 of 6

Legends of the First Empire
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464 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Del Rey
Publication date

January 31, 2017
Dimensions

4.2 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches
ISBN-10

1101965355
ISBN-13

978-1101965351
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Michael J. Sullivan

“Hair-raising escapes, flashy sword fights, and faithful friendship complete the formula for good old-fashioned escapist fun.”—Publishers Weekly, on Theft of Swords

“Filled with adventure and clever dialog and featuring a pair of not-quite-heroes whose loyalties to each other provide them with their greatest strength, this epic fantasy showcases the arrival of a master storyteller.”—Library Journal, on Theft of Swords

“With less gore and a smaller cast of characters than George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire but equally satisfying, Sullivan’s epic fantasy will be gaining fans at exponential rates.”—Library Journal, on The Rose and the Thorn

About the Author

Michael J. Sullivan opened the first door to his imagination with typewriter keys found in a friend’s basement when he was just ten years old. Today he uses computer keys, writing classic fantasy with unlikely heroes, including the bestselling Riyria novels and his latest epic Legends of the First Empire.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Of Gods and Men

In the days of darkness before the war, men were called Rhunes. We lived in Rhuneland or Rhulyn as it was once known. We had little to eat and much to fear. What we feared most were the gods across the Bern River where we were not allowed. Most people believe our conflict with the the Fhrey started at the Battle of Grandford, but it actually began on a day in early spring when two men crossed the river.

—The Book of Brin

Raithe’s first impulse was to pray. Curse, cry, scream, pray—people did such things in their last minutes of life. But praying struck Raithe as absurd given that his problem was the angry god twenty feet away. Gods weren’t known for their tolerance, and this one appeared on the verge of striking them both dead. Neither Raithe nor his father had noticed the god approach. The waters of the nearby converging rivers made enough noise to mask an army’s passage. Raithe would have preferred an army.

Dressed in shimmering clothes, the god sat on a horse and was accompanied by two servants on foot. They were men, but dressed in the same remarkable clothing. All three silent, watching.

“Hey?” Raithe called to his father.

Herkimer knelt beside a deer, opening its stomach with his knife. Earlier, Raithe had landed a spear in the stag’s side, and he and his father had spent most of the morning chasing it. Herkimer had stripped off his wool leigh mor as well as his shirt because opening a deer’s belly was a bloody business. “What?” He looked up.

Raithe jerked his head toward the god, and his father’s sight tracked to the three figures. The old man’s eyes widened, and the color left his face.

I knew this was a bad idea, Raithe thought.

His father had seemed so confident, so sure that crossing the forbidden river would solve their problems. But he’d mentioned his certainty enough times to make Raithe wonder. Now the old man looked as if he’d forgotten how to breathe. Herkimer wiped his knife on the deer’s side before slipping it into his belt and getting up.

“Ah . . .” Raithe’s father began. Herkimer looked at the half-gutted deer, then back at the god. “It’s . . . okay.”

This was the total sum of his father’s wisdom, his grand defense for their high crime of trespassing on divine land. Raithe wasn’t sure if slaughtering one of the deities’ deer was also an offense but assumed it didn’t help their situation. And although Herkimer said it was okay, his face told a different story. Raithe’s stomach sank. He had no idea what he’d expected his father to say, but something more than that.

Not surprisingly, the god wasn’t appeased, and the three continued to stare in growing irritation.

They were on a tiny point of open meadowland where the Bern and Urum rivers met. A pine forest, thick and rich, grew a short distance up the slope behind them. Down at the point where the rivers converged lay a stony beach. Beneath a snow-gray blanket of sky, the river’s roar was the only sound. Just minutes earlier Raithe had seen the tiny field as a paradise. That was then.

Raithe took a slow breath and reminded himself that he didn’t have experience with gods or their expressions. He’d never observed a god up close, never seen beech-leaf-shaped ears, eyes blue as the sky, or hair that spilled like molten gold. Such smooth skin and white teeth were beyond reason. This was a being born not of the earth but of air and light. His robes billowed in the breeze and shimmered in the sun, proclaiming an otherworldly glory. The harsh, judgmental glare was exactly the expression Raithe expected from an immortal being.

The horse was an even bigger surprise. Raithe’s father had told him about such animals, but until then Raithe hadn’t believed. His old man had a habit of embellishing the truth, and for more than twenty years Raithe had heard the tales. After a few drinks, his father would tell everyone how he’d killed five men with a single swing or fought the North Wind to a standstill. The older Herkimer got, the larger the stories grew. But this four-hooved tall tale was looking back at Raithe with large glossy eyes, and when the horse shook its head, he wondered if the mounts of gods understood speech.

“No, really, it’s okay,” Raithe’s father told them again, maybe thinking they hadn’t heard his previous genius. “I’m allowed here.” He took a step forward and pointed to the medal hanging from a strip of hide amid the dirt and pine needles stuck to the sweat on his chest. Half naked, sunbaked, and covered in blood up to his elbows, his father appeared the embodiment of a mad barbarian. Raithe wouldn’t have believed him, either.

“See this?” his father went on. The burnished metal clutched by thick ruddy fingers reflected the midday sun. “I fought for your people against the Gula-Rhunes in the High Spear Valley. I did well. A Fhrey commander gave me this. Said I earned a reward.”

“Dureyan clan,” the taller servant told the god, his tone somewhere between disappointment and disgust. He wore a rich-looking silver torc around his neck—both servants did. The jewelry must be a mark of their station.

The gangly man lacked a beard but sported a long nose, sharp cheeks, and small clever eyes. He reminded Raithe of a weasel or a fox, and he wasn’t fond of either. Raithe was also repulsed by how the man stood: stooped, eyes low, hands clasped. Abused dogs exhibited more self-esteem.

What kind of men travel with a god?

“That’s right. I’m Herkimer, son of Hiemdal, and this is my son Raithe.”

“You’ve broken the law,” the servant stated. The nasal tone even sounded the way a weasel might talk.

“No, no. It’s not like that. Not at all.”

The lines on his father’s face deepened, and his lips stretched tighter. He stopped walking forward but held the medal out like a talisman, his eyes hopeful. “This proves what I’m saying, that I earned a reward. See, I sort of figured we”—he gestured toward Raithe—“my son and I could live on this little point.” He waved at the meadow. “We don’t need much. Hardly anything, really. You see, on our side of the river, back in Dureya, the dirt’s no good. We can’t grow anything, and there’s nothing to hunt.”

The pleading in his father’s voice was something Raithe hadn’t heard before and didn’t like.

“You’re not allowed here.” This time it was the other servant, the balding one. Like the tall weasel-faced fellow, he lacked a proper beard, as if growing one were a thing that needed to be taught. The lack of hair exposed in fine detail a decidedly sour expression.

“But you don’t understand. I fought for your people. I bled for your people. I lost three sons fighting for your kind. And I was promised a reward.” Herkimer held out the medal again, but the god didn’t look at it. He stared past them, focusing on some distant, irrelevant point.

Herkimer let go of the medal. “If this spot is a problem, we’ll move. My son actually liked another place west of here. We’d be farther away from you. Would that be better?”

Although the god still didn’t look at them, he appeared even more annoyed. Finally he spoke. “You will obey.”

An average voice. Raithe was disappointed. He had expected thunder.

The god then addressed his servants in the divine language. Raithe’s father had taught him some of their tongue. He wasn’t fluent but knew enough to understand the god didn’t want them to have weapons on this side of the river. A moment later the tall servant relayed the message in Rhunic. “Only Fhrey are permitted to possess weapons west of the Bern. Cast yours into the river.”

Herkimer glanced at their gear piled near a stump and in a resigned voice told Raithe, “Get your spear and do as they say.”

“And the sword off your back,” the tall servant said.

Herkimer looked shocked and glanced over his shoulder as if he’d forgotten the weapon was there. Then he faced the god and spoke directly to him in the Fhrey language. “This is my family blade. I cannot throw it away.”

The god sneered, showing teeth.

“It’s a sword,” the servant insisted.

Herkimer hesitated only a moment. “Okay, okay, fine. We’ll go back across the river, right now. C’mon, Raithe.”

The god made an unhappy sound.

“After you give up the sword,” the servant said.

Herkimer glared. “This copper has been in my family for generations.”

“It’s a weapon. Toss it down.”

Herkimer looked at his son, a sidelong glance.

Although he might not have been a good father—wasn’t as far as Raithe was concerned—Herkimer had instilled one thing in all his sons: pride. Self-respect came from the ability to defend oneself. Such things gave a man dignity. In all of Dureya, in their entire clan, his father was the only man to wield a sword—a metal blade. Wrought from beaten copper, its marred, dull sheen was the color of a summer sunset, and legend held that the short-bladed heirloom had been mined and fashioned by a genuine Dherg smith. In comparison with the god’s sword, whose hilt was intricately etched and encrusted with gems, the copper blade was pathetic. Still, Herkimer’s weapon defined him; enemy clans knew him as Coppersword—a feared and respected title. His father could never give up that blade.

The roar of the river was cut by the cry of a hawk soaring above. Birds were known to be the embodiment of omens, and Raithe didn’t take the soaring wail as a positive sign. In its eerie echo, his father faced the god. “I can’t give you this sword.”

Raithe couldn’t help but smile. Herkimer, son of Hiemdal, of Clan Dureya wouldn’t bend so far, not even for a god.

The smaller servant took the horse’s lead as the god dismounted.

Raithe watched—impossible not to. The way the god moved was mesmerizing, so graceful, fluid, and poised. Despite the impressive movement, the god wasn’t physically imposing. He wasn’t tall, broad, or muscled. Raithe and his father had built strong shoulders and arms by wielding spear and shield throughout their lives. The god, on the other hand, appeared delicate, as if he had lived bedridden and spoon-fed. If the Fhrey were a man, Raithe wouldn’t have been afraid. Given the disparity between them in weight and height, he’d avoid a fight, even if challenged. To engage in such an unfair match would be cruel, and he wasn’t cruel. His brothers had received Raithe’s share of that particular trait.

“You don’t understand.” Herkimer tried once more to explain. “This sword has been handed down from father to son—”

The god rushed forward and punched Raithe’s father in the stomach, doubling him over. Then the Fhrey stole the copper sword, a dull scrape sounding as the weapon came free of its sheath. While Herkimer was catching his breath, the god examined the weapon with revulsion. Shaking his head, the god turned his back on Herkimer to show the tall servant the pitiable blade. Instead of joining the god’s ridicule of the weapon, the servant cringed. Raithe saw the future through the weasel man’s expression, for he was the first to notice Herkimer’s reaction.

Raithe’s father drew the skinning knife from his belt and lunged.

This time the god didn’t disappoint. With astounding speed, he whirled and drove the copper blade into Raithe’s father’s chest. Herkimer’s forward momentum did the work of running the sword deep. The fight ended the moment it began. His father gasped and fell, the sword still in his chest.

Raithe didn’t think. If he had paused even for an instant, he might have reconsidered, but there was more of his father in him than he wanted to believe. The sword being the only weapon within reach, he pulled the copper from his father’s body. With all his might, Raithe swung at the god’s neck. He fully expected the blade to cut clean through, but the copper sliced only air as the divine being dodged. The god drew his own weapon as Raithe swung again. The two swords met. A dull ping sounded, and the weight in Raithe’s hands vanished along with most of the blade. When he finished his swing, only the hilt of his family’s heritage remained; the rest flew through the air and landed in a tuft of young pines.

The god stared at him with a disgusted smirk, then spoke in the divine language. “Not worth dying for, was it?”

Then the god raised his blade once more as Raithe shuffled backward.

Too slow! Too slow!

His retreat was futile. Raithe was dead. Years of combat training told him so. In that instant before understanding became reality, he had the chance to regret his entire life.

I’ve done nothing, he thought as his muscles tightened for the expected burst of pain.

It never came.

Raithe had lost track of the servants—so had the god. Neither of the combatants expected, nor saw, the tall weasel-faced man slam his master in the back of the head with a river rock the size and shape of a round loaf of bread. Raithe realized what had happened only after the god collapsed, revealing the servant and his stone.

“Run,” the rock bearer said. “With any luck, his head will hurt too much for him to chase us when he wakes.”

“What have you done!” the other servant shouted, his eyes wide as he backed up, pulling the god’s horse away.

“Calm down,” the one holding the rock told the other servant.

Raithe looked at his father, lying on his back. Herkimer’s eyes were still open, as if watching clouds. Raithe had cursed his father many times over the years. The man neglected his family, pitted his sons against one another, and had been away when Raithe’s mother and sister died. In some ways—many ways—Raithe hated his father, but at that moment what he saw was a man who had taught his sons lessons to fight and not give in. Herkimer had done the best with what he had, and what he had was a life trapped on barren soil because the gods made capricious demands. Raithe’s father never stole, cheated, or held his tongue when something needed to be said. He was a hard man, a cold man, but one who had the courage to stand up for himself and what was right. What Raithe saw on the ground at his feet was the last of his dead family.

He felt the broken sword in his hands.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey (January 31, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101965355
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1101965351
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #270,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,984 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- #6,770 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #8,897 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

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Michael J. Sullivan

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Michael J. Sullivan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author, and no one is more surprised by those facts than he. When just a boy, Michael found a typewriter in the basement of a friend's house, inserted a blank piece of paper, and typed, "It was a dark and stormy night." He was just ten years old and mimicking the only writer he knew at the time: Snoopy. That spark ignited a flame, and Michael's desire to fill blank pages became a life-long obsession. As an adult, Michael spent more than ten years developing his craft by studying authors such as Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck. During that time, he wrote thirteen novels but found no interest from the publishing industry. Since insanity is repeating the same action while expecting a different result, he made the rational choice and quit, vowing never to write creatively again.

Never turned out to be too long for Michael, and after a decade, he returned to the keyboard in his forties, but with one condition: He wouldn't seek publication. Instead, he wrote a series of books that had been building in his head during his hiatus. His first reading love was fantasy, and he hoped to foster a similar reaction in his then thirteen-year-old daughter who struggled due to dyslexia. After reading the third book of this series, his wife insisted that the novels had to "get out there." When Michael refused to jump back onto the query-go-round, Robin took over the publication tasks, and she has run the business side of his writing ever since.

Currently, Michael has released eighteen novels (and written twenty): The Riyria Revelations (6 books in 3 two-book omnibus editions from Orbit), The Riyria Chronicles (2 books from Orbit and 2 indie-published), Legends of the First Empire (3 books from Del Rey and 3 indie-published), Rise and Fall (Nolyn (2021, Farilane (coming 2022), Esrhadon (coming 2023) and a standalone science fiction thriller called Hollow World (from Tachyon Publications).

The next Riyria novel, Drumindor, has been green-lighted, but no publication date has been released.

Michael is one of the few authors who has successfully published through all three routes: small press, self, and big five. Some key accomplishments of his career include:

* New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author

* 9 Goodreads Choice Award Nominations

* Named to io9's Most Successful Self-Published Sci-Fi and Fantasy authors

* Sold more than 2 Million English copies

* Been translated into 15 foreign language

* Spent more than 6 years on Amazon's Bestselling Fantasy Author's list

* His books have been named to more than 250 best-of or most-anticipated lists including those compiled by Library Journal, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Goodreads.com, and Audible.com

Contact Info:

* email: michael @ michaelsullivan-author.com

* Twitter: @ author_sullivan

* Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2063919.Michael_J_Sullivan

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.james.sullivan

Sign up for Michael's Newsletter at: http://bit.ly/36P5GUs

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Robin Snyder

Look Out Arya Stark...Suri is here.

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

╰⊰✿Why Should You Give A Book By Michael J Sullivan A Try??? ✿⊱╮

You might be saying There are a million good and even great fantasy series out there so what makes this one worthwhile Robin?

Well I’ll tell you potential MJS converts a few of the things I love about MJS’s writing in general and this book specifically.

① - Even though this is book one of his series the entire series is already written. *gasp*

You’re shocked right…..I was too. But this is awesome for a few reasons. You know going in that there is a plan and everything is going to make sense in the long run. You know that there will be little tidbits to catch in book one that will come full circle in book 5/6. And you KNOW that you will make it to the end of the series. You will not be waiting on the author to get his crap together and finish out the last book(s) *cough*Patrick Rothfuss *cough*George RR Martin *cough* because they are done and will be published in a timely manner. For me that is HUGE. Even as much as I love Branson Sanderson (who is a writing machine) his Stormlight Archives series is going to be 10 books long AND he is writing other series in between. If something happens to him I’m totally screwed.

② - He is great! He does it all….Fantastic Characters, Foreshadowing, Worldbuilding, Lore, Storytelling, Plot Lines, Humor, Dialogue, Emotions, Buildup, Depth and Delivery. His world and characters are rich and deep and even when you think you know the story….you don’t.

③ - There is something for everyone. Sword fighting, mystery, danger, magical battles, plots and sub plots, a smidgen of romance and a story that draws you in and makes you feel like you are there.

④ - You don’t have to be completely versed in fantasy to get into the story. I’ve found that fantasy kind of has a learning curve. One does not simply walk into Mordor and you don’t just start with the Wheel of Time, Mazalan or The Stormlight Archives. They are huge and daunting fantasies and more for someone well versed in that genre. I would say that Michael J Sullivan’s books are really for the Beginner and Intermediate level fantasy readers. There is so much going on that the story is enjoyable but you don’t have 100 pages of just traveling to read through to get to nowhere close to where you are going and the cast of characters is a manageable number. Don’t let that fool you Pro Fantasy readers there is a lot in there for you too.

⑤ - SURI!!! For this books specifically but really MJS has characters that stay with you. Royce and Hadrian from Riyria will have one of my favorite bromances of all time. Suri I can already tell will be a favorite character for me from any book. But if you don’t read this book you will never meet her and know all the awesome she holds.

ஓ The Premise: ஓ

Perception is everything. Raithe grew up believing in Gods until the day he killed one that is.

***“I want to know how long we have before he rises. If I cut off his head, will he stay down longer?”
The servant rolled his eyes. “He’s not getting up! You killed him.”
“My Tetlin ass! That’s a god. Gods don’t die. They’re immortal.”
“Really not so much,” the servant said, and to Raithe’s shock he kicked the god’s body,***

The Fhrey are one of the five races and have built themselves to be the greatest of all. So much so that many of the humans think they are gods. Raithe had no idea he could kill one until it happened and set into motion what became the beginning of a war between humankind and the Fhrey that’s history will span the ages.

ஓ What Was Awesome: ஓ

Since this is the start of a series it is an introduction into new characters and new beginnings. That is always really exciting for me when I pick up a new book and immediately know that it has characters I will carry away with me forever.

Take Suri for example

***Suri had a wolf named Minna. They were the best of friends and roamed the forest together. She had tattoos, was always filthy, afraid of nothing, and could do magic. From the first time I met her, I wanted to be Suri… I still do.***

She is wild, innocent and charming. She talks to trees, has a wolf for a sister and grew up in the forest. She is also a mystic and has come to tell the clan that everyone is going to die. I loved every moment she was on page and most of the time she had my giggling at her perception of everyone eles.

Persephone was not at all what I expected. Since I’ve read the Riyria Revelations and hear the lore about her I was expecting something different. But that is the point isnt’ it. Three Thousand years is a long time for history to write and rewrite itself and who is to say what is true and what isn’t. I can already tell she is going to be one of those strong women that MJS is great at writing and I can’t wait to see how her story really played out. Something tells me it will be epic to be sure and I think Suri gives us a little hint of that here.

***“Do you see the butterfly?” Suri grinned with enthusiasm.
“Yes, I see it, but—”
“So stunning and delicate; it’s marvelous. No one can see a butterfly and not stop to admire it. I’d love to be one. To go to sleep and wake up a season later with such beautiful wings and the ability to flutter about. That’s the most wonderful sort of magic, don’t you think? To change, to grow, to fly. But…” She paused. “I wonder what the cost would be.” The smile diminished once more. “There’s always a cost when it comes to magic. I suspect there is a great price to go from lowly caterpillar to glorious butterfly.”***

And let’s not forget our reluctant hero and god killer Raithe The last thing he wanted to be was a hero. He had simple dreams and wonderful aspirations for a peaceful life. But I think after you kill a god no matter how much you try peace is the last thing you will find in your life. Especially when it seems all the gods are looking for you.

While I really like Raithe as a reluctant hero both Suri and Persephone really stole the show character wise. Raithe does get a few great moments most of them involving his new friend Malcolm who seems to get him into a lot of trouble, in the funniest ways possible though.

The Galantians Or Fhrey/Elvish warriors.

Enter Nyphron a warrior god. Like Persephone he ended up being different than I expected. I’m not sure what to think of him other than I can’t wait to learn more. The same goes for all the Fhrey. Some are warriors, some have magic and some are growers of food. They are as diverse and complex as any culture and there seem to be some mysteries and plots afoot surrounding the new Fane. I am intrigued by the main players in the Fhrey cast and can’t wait to see how their story unfolds as well.

There are also a lot of other great characters that have so much potential. We don’t get a lot of time with them but I’m already shipping a certain couple because they could be totally adorable together and I totally love the women in Persephone’s life. Roan the former slave and brilliant inventor, Moya a beauty with a sharp tongue and Brin who it appears will eventually have a book filled with great information since each chapter starts with a quote from the BOOK OF BRIN my favorite being

***It was like waiting for the sunrise and a chicken to hatch— if the sun marked the end of the world and the chicken was an all-devouring demon.
—THE BOOK OF BRIN***

Plus many, many more I wish I had time to list them all. I haven’t even talked about Arion (who might be someone we actually saw in The Riyria Chronicles) a Fhrey with the gift, the mysterious door or Trilos who I have no idea what his game is or how many pieces he is controlling in it.

ஓ Overall ஓ

This is such a great introductory story. We got to know all the main players. Some better than others and there were quite a few surprises and reveals throughout the story. I have a great beginning understanding of the cultures and the driving force behind the war to come…because a war is brewing but it doesn’t all start in a day.

I was left wanting more. More time with Suri and Persephone, more information on the mysterious door and what might be behind it along with who and the heck Trilos is. I wanted much more Nyphron and the Galantians along with Malcolm and Raithe.

I can’t wait to see what is in store for us in the next book.

Audio Note Tim Gerard Reynolds nailed it and performed the story fantastically as always.

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A. Cleary

The execution is excellent; the scope leaves me wanting more (mild spoiler)

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2020

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I read and give up on a lot of fantasy before finishing the book for a variety of pet peeves, and I can say that this book avoided those. I was happy with the prose, the avoidance of tropes without overcompensating with a bunch of PC/wokeisms, some truly compelling characters, and pacing that varied back and forth nicely from action/conflict to reflection/character-building. I read this book quickly and am already into the second, and that's not a trivial task for an author.

Where I found the book "wanting" was that, well, I wanted more, not more text, but more scope. The world is just not particularly big or populated, e.g. it is said at one point that there are 20,000 Frey and 1M humans, and those are both tiny numbers. The longest trip described in the book was about a week long, and that took the character pretty much across the entire map. What is described is reasonably interesting and well-detailed, but there just isn't that much of it. It leaves me feeling incomplete, like I don't care that much about this world because there is so little to it. It's possible I suppose that there's more world out there and we'll get exposed to it in later books, but at this point that isn't even hinted at.

I said that the book avoided tropes, but there's an obvious exception, and while it's a bit of a spoiler, it was pretty obvious early in the book: while the various fantasy races use different terms for themselves and each other, in description it is fairly clear that we are dealing with elves, dwarves, and humans. It's a bit clever to hide that at first, but I do think those tropes are worn out by now even if there is a bit of a twist here and there.

There was one other thing the author did that some people may like but I didn't really: the societies depicted are primitive technologically, to the point that things such as the wheel and writing do not exist. Personally, I found this kind of tedious, even though it gives the author some room to play around with technological advancement.

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Walter Jacobson

incredible foundation

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024

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The foundation in book one has created an incredible story that is full of adventure and excitement. You never know who’s going to live or die, and there are many interesting characters each with their own personalities. It’s a slightly different take on fiction stories I’ve read before. I would categorize this with JRR Token, Tad Williams, and Patrick Rothfuss

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Amazon Customer

Wonderful book!

Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2023

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Wonderful book and series.

FLUSSKY

La escala de valores de los personajes menos favorecidos por la fortuna.

Reviewed in Mexico on May 30, 2019

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The Age of myth.
Es unlibro con una fantasía increíble; muy entretenido, muy variado. Lo único que no me gustó fueron los larguísimos trozos dedicados a seguir el pensamiento de algún personaje. Arion es el ejemplo típico. Me gusta que varios actos heroicos o de valor son llevados a cabo por personajes femeninos.

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Sylvia

Bonne Fantasy classique

Reviewed in France on August 14, 2018

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Michael Sullivan écrit de la Fantasy traditionnelle, avec des elfes, des nains, des géants. C'est toujours assez surprenant à l'époque de la Fantasy moderne plus sophistiquée, mais il sait rendre ses personnages très attachants. Du coup, on se laisse convaincre.
L'histoire se passe 3000 ans avant Riyria. Ceux qui ont lu les aventures de Royce et Hadrian vont retrouver pleins de noms devenus légendaires, comme Avempartha ou Nyphron. C'est une lecture très agréable, légère et distrayante.

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Ludo

Ottimo libro

Reviewed in Italy on November 2, 2017

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Conosco l'autore per i suoi libri e sono andata a colpo sicuro.
Se cercate un buon fantasy, divertente, con personaggi memorabili e ottimi dialoghi, questo è il libro giusto. Inizia bene e finisce anche meglio, con un colpo di scena che ti fa desiderare leggere il seguito.

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Mina

The epic start of a high-fantasy series

Reviewed in Germany on April 8, 2017

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This is the story of the beginnings of the so-called “First Empire” and it's the story of four very interesting and vastly different people whose lives at one point converge and shake the order of the known world. The world, which I thoroughly enjoyed, comprises peoples like the Rhune, aka humans, who live in an early Bronze Age way and who think of the other prominent people there, the Fhrey, as gods.
The Fhrey are best described as Elves, although there are various factions and are ruled by the magic-wielding faction. They think the humans animals and their attitude shows. Since the humans are vastly overpowered by the Fhrey, it is unthinkable that one could kill one of the “gods”. Yet it happens: Raithe, a young man accompanying his father on some ill-fated endeavor, kills one of the Fhrey. OK with a little help, but who cares?! His is one of the POVs and when killing the Fhrey, he unintentionally gains a traveling companion – and their talks are so full of dry humor, I couldn't get enough of these two.

Then there is Persephone, the former leader of a human village, who got “dethroned” by the death of her husband. The problem is that the new chieftain and his wife aren't the sharpest tools in the shelf and when the village is threatened by a row of incidents, their total lack of brains brings danger to the whole community. So Persephone struggles to lead her people from the shadow, to stir them in the right direction within her limited new role.
She his helped by Suri, a roughly fourteen year old seer. Suri and her white wolf Minna come to the village to warn Persephone and the community that a great threat is coming, a danger that will bring devastation and death. Of course, the new chieftain won't have any of it, but Persephone listens to Suri and together they do what's in their might to prevent the predicted apocalypse.

Last not least there is Arion, one of the Fhrey's ruling class, a powerful sorceress, whose view of the world and its alleged natural order, is thoroughly shattered while the plot develops. There are more people whose POV we see, but these four are the most prominent. It's a feat if there are so many POV and the author makes me love each of them. But this is what Mr. Sullivan actually achieved here. The characters are well-rounded and neither just hero or villain [even the villains are more led astray or just miscalculating, not just “downright evil”]. And the so-called heroes struggle with their cowardice, their fear, their doubts. They aren't natural born heroes, but grow with their tasks. And that it great to watch. Added to that is the wonderfully devised world with just the right amount of description to help me imagine it, yet doesn't dump mounts of info on me. I read that this is the precursor of M. Sullivan's “Riyria Revelations”, taking place some 3000 years before. I haven't read the other books yet, but I'm going to remedy that now.

The book is part of a series and both the events at the end, hints about people not being what they seem or having agendas and some mysterious overall plan going on, indicate that there is epic stuff to come. But thankfully there is some satisfying closure for the moment, so I didn't feel cheated, if you know what I mean. The chapter at hand is closed in a way that totally suited me. Cool high-fantasy.

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