Guest Post: “History & Riyria” by Michael J. Sullivan

Long-time readers of Civilian Reader will know that I’m a big fan of Michael Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations series (re-issued by Orbit Books in 2011-12). To celebrate the release of a prequel duology – The Crown Tower and The Rose and the Thorn – the author has penned this piece on the historical influences on his series, and the decisions he made on how to approach and incorporate these influences into his fantasy world and narrative.

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HISTORY & RIYRIA

A good deal of invented-world fantasy is based on history. While much of this may be due to writers imitating other authors who came before them, there is a very practical reason for this: familiarity. When creating a world you’d rather not do it from scratch. Even the best chefs have used frozen pie crusts or stock broth. It just saves so much time and effort and allows you to focus on the more important aspects – the story.

In fantasy you could rework everything. You could do away with leaders or councils and run anarchy. People might not need to eat or drink, but instead soak up sunlight to survive. Of course you might not have a sun either. Instead you might have geysers that emit vapors that must be absorbed. People in the new world might not believe in trade, everyone could subsist entirely on what they alone find or make, hence no economy. There might be no day and night cycle, no seasons, no linear time at all as we know it. There might be no sexes, or there might be five different ones and reproduction could require the coupling of at least three different participants. Anyone of these would be a lot for an author to explain through all of its inevitable ramifications, but all of them and all the others one would need to invent to establish a completely alien world entirely disassociated from our own would both consume massive investment of words and likely bore even the most patient reader to tears.

News: More Riyria on the Horizon from Michael J. Sullivan (Orbit)

Readers should know by now that I’m quite the fan of Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations series, which was published by Orbit Books last year (after a successful self-publishing run). Orbit collected the six novels into three omnibus editions – Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron – of which I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two.

Orbit US Artwork

They are fantasy novels that, I think, tap into some of the classic elements of what made early fantasy so popular, but with a more-modern twist and sensibility. They don’t take themselves too seriously, while also not shying away from serious topics or ‘adult’ content. There was some internet squabbling over the novels, as one reviewer produced what many thought was a hatchet job, while others thought was an exemplary polemic about perceived weaknesses of the novels. Regardless, I rather enjoyed these (except for the long sea voyage, but that’s more a personal aversion to ship-based fiction than anything wrong the author did).

I’m not sure what’s kept me from diving right into the third book, but I expect I will do so pretty soon (I’m feeling in the mood for that sort of fantasy novel at the moment).

Anyway, this brings me on to what was unveiled today, while I was at work (and therefore unable to blog about). From Orbit’s website:

“We are excited to announce the next book by Michael Sullivan, THE CROWN TOWER! Orbit will be publishing worldwide in August 2013! It is the first book in the Riyria Chronicles and it will be a two book series, with the second novel, THE ROSE AND THORN, following soon after.”

This makes me both excited but also a little wary. Prequels are always tricky, but given that the Riyria Revelations are filled with mentions of early adventures and exploits, I think two novels to give Royce and Hadrian a little more backstory could be a good thing.

Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.

Hadrian, a warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin, Royce, with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most prized possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels that the old wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might do it.

For more on the announcement, I’d recommend heading over to Sullivan’s website, where he talks about the duology and his thoughts on returning to Hadrian and Royce’s past.

“Rise of Empire” by Michael Sullivan (Orbit)

Fortune favours the thief, in the second Riyria Revelations omnibus

The birth of the Nyphron Empire has brought war to Melengar. To save her kingdom, Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian to perform a dangerous mission behind the enemy’s lines. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce’s suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own shadowy struggle for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian’s past. What he discovers leads the thieves to the ends of the world on a journey amid treachery and betrayals, forcing Hadrian to face a past he hoped never to see again.

The adventures of Hadrian and Royce continue, and Sullivan ups the ante across the board. The Empire is flexing its muscles more, and have sent out an agent to spread dissent and discord in areas of resistance. In Rise of Empire, which contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm, this series just gets better and better. It met my high expectations and, despite the shift in tone, maintains Sullivan’s position as one of my favourite new authors. This is definitely a must-read series.

US vs. UK Artwork: Michael Sullivan’s RIYRIA REVELATIONS (Orbit)

Over on the author’s website, you can now see the UK artwork of Michael Sullivan’s upcoming Riyria Revelations omnibus editions. They are based on the artwork that makes up the US editions, but with a much closer feel to them. If I’m honest, I’m not entirely sure which ones I prefer – both are pretty good, but I think I may be leaning more towards the US artwork, this time around. What do you think? (Images side-by-side after the break.)