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.

“Heir of Novron” by Michael J. Sullivan (Orbit)

The Third Omnibus, the Conclusion and the greatest revelations of Riyria…

The New Empire intends to mark its victory over the Nationalists with a bloody celebration. On the high holiday of Wintertide, the Witch of Melengar will be burned and the Heir of Novron executed. On that same day the Empress faces a forced marriage, with a fatal accident soon follow. The New Empire is confident in the totality of its triumph but there’s just one problem — Royce and Hadrian have finally found the Heir of Novron and they have their own holiday plans.

It’s almost exactly a year since I read Rise of Empire, the second omnibus in Sullivan’s excellent Riyria Revelations series. I don’t really know why I waited so long to finish this series – save perhaps, as a result of general book ADHD and an apparent unconscious hesitance when it comes to finishing any series. Nevertheless, now that I have read this third omnibus edition, I can say that Sullivan has written a great series – one that will forever be on my shelf, and one I have no doubt I will re-read. This is a lot of fun.

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.

Guest Post: “On Gritty vs. Heroic Fantasy” by Michael Sullivan

In this week’s guest post, we’re taking a break from our Influences & Inspirations series with Michael Sullivan, author of the superb The Riyria Revelations. Michael offers his thoughts on today’s fantasy scene, his approach to writing his novels, and the value of optimistic stories and heroes.

December’s Top Picks

For some reason, I can’t come up with many novels coming out in December that I’m especially excited about. Or, apparently, actually aware of… So, in the month of Christmas I’ll take the opportunity to get caught up on some novels I’ve got stored up on my Kindle (Kevin Hearne, NK Jemisin, Chris Wooding, Richard Morgan, Howard Jones – to name but a handful), and also get ahead on some reviews for January and February.

There are, however, still three December novels that I’m excited about reading:

I had also anticipated James Rollins’s The Devil Colony, as it is published in the UK in December, but I’ve already managed to read and review it, thanks to the July US publication.

Here are the details for the three novels I’ve yet to read and review:

“Viscount & the Witch” by Michael Sullivan

A great prequel to the Riyria Revelations

Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone first instalment of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds.

Michael Sullivan offers new readers and long-time fans a short story set in the same world as his Riyria Revelations series (coming soon from Orbit). Showcasing Sullivan’s talents as an author, this is a fantastic introduction to his characters and writing.

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.)

An Interview with Michael J Sullivan

Michael J Sullivan is the author of the successful Riyria Revelations series, which Orbit Books has just picked up to repackage and offer to a wider audience at the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 – much of Michael’s success thus far has been through the support of a couple of small presses and Amazon and the Kindle store (it frequently pops up in recommendations alongside some of my favourite authors, so I’ve bought the first couple as Kindling to try out).

The new Orbit deal, announced on February 22nd, should bring Sullivan’s series to a much broader audience. The novels will be released in three volumes: Theft of Swords (November 2011), Rise of Empire (December 2011), and Heir of Novron (January 2012). The final volume will include the as-yet-unreleased final novel of the series, Percepliquis.

Orbit Senior Editor Devi Pillai said of the series:

“This is the kind of fabulous new adventure fantasy that readers of Terry Brooks and Brent Weeks can fall in love with. Michael really delivers a great story that keeps to the idea of great epic fantasy while taking on fantasy clichés and having fun with the idea of two thieves caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I read the first book – and I was hooked.”

I thought it would be an opportune time to interview Michael, to find out a little bit more about his series, and he was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions for this interview.