Theft of Swords

An excellent fantasy story. Although the two main characters bear some resemblance to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, the author assures us that he hasn't read that series. In my opinion, the resemblance of these ‘heroes' is merely superficial. Their personalities are quite different from that earlier series by Fritz Leiber.

Finished the first book, “The crown conspiracy”, and I'm giving it 4 stars.
I can't wait to read Avempartha to see what Hadrian and Royce are going to do.
I really liked Sullivan's writing for its conciseness and efficiency. Nevertheless it's an introductory book with a simple plot, but very good characterisation and worldbuilding. Since the the first book has around 3oo pages, I'd say he's done a great job. I'm sure we are going to discover more in the second book.

3.75 stars for the second book.
I found the second part more focused on characterization than plot, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

This is the first book of Michael J. Sullivan's that I've read, and I loved it! Two stories in one volume, the writing is exciting, and gripping.

Royce and Hadrian are really well written and interesting characters, and I can't wait to see what they get up to next...

Michael J. Sullivan is the master of writing classic fantasy tropes in a way that reminds you why they became classic in the first place. Tired of grimdark and looking for something a little more lighthearted? This book might be for you.

The story takes place in a standard medieval fantasy world, about 1000 years after the collapse of a legendary empire. There is very little magic in the world, with only a few characters capable of practicing the “art.” The standard Tolkien races like elves, dwarves, and goblins are present but they are presented in an original way that feels fresh.

You might have heard the names Royce and Hadrian in fantasy circles before, and for good reason. Royce and Hadrian are Riyria. Royce is the dark and brooding rogue with a troubled past and a tendency to get a little stabby. Hadrian is the lovable people person who just might be the best swordsman there is. Their bromance is incredible and you can't help but fall in love with them.

Royce and Hadrian are framed for the murder of a king. The resulting quest to prove their innocence gradually escalates into something incredible. This book has an intentionally simple plot, reading almost like a fantasy action movie. Don't let “simple” make you underestimate this book, though. It's a ton of fun and will likely have you laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

Oh, this was a fun one! And yes, I realize that it's weird that a book in which lots of people die in gruesome ways just makes me think “fun” is pretty fucked up, but that's this book pretty much. The things that are happening at times are horrible, but they're never explicitly described or gratuitous and the overall tone remains fun.

I loved the main characters, Hadrian (especially Hadrian) and Royce and the only thing I think it lacked was more development for them. I also just want to know more about them and spend way more time with them, but I guess that's what the other books are for!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10790290-theft-of-swords#

Rating this book is not easy as it's actually two novels in one.
The first one is about Hadrian and Royce being framed for a crime they didn't commit, while having to protect the new king. The other is basically the search for a great hero through a competition of kill-the-monster. I preferred the first one, though the second set up many interesting possible future plot lines that I want to see.

I've actually read this one a couple of years ago, even started the second one, but it was annoying, so I put the whole thing down. Now I couldn't just pick it up again without reading the first one all over again, as I... didn't remember that much. Whoops?

You know, I love bromance. A good story of friends going on an adventure, having to put up with each other, that is my jam. On the other hand, I dislike romance and annoying princesses. I guess we all get my problem with book 2.
Hey, I even really like Hadrian and Royce, because they shouldn't like each other, one is almost completely emotionless and more than willing to do some bad shit, while the other is super nice and just an all around friendly dude you can depend on. That's cool, though, I love their little dynamic and the parts that are about them, doing shit are A+. Do all the hero things, do some... stealing and shit. Have fun, have a good time.

Now the problem, which happens more in the second story is that Arista, the princess is a bitch. Don't get me wrong, her brother, the new king Alric is an annoying, spoilt little shithead, but we see that and everyone agree. Arista, though... she has the whining right for being a woman and we are supposed to just say “yeeeeees, you are a poor victim”. Her issue isn't that she has too little, but that there is someone who has a bit more and we can't accept THAT.
This is so ridiculously pronounced when one of the protagonists in the second story is this extremely poor girl, Thrace, who has nothing. The girl has a super sad life and she doesn't bitch 1% as much as Arista does. Even when Princess MeMeMe gets an important position... she bitches about how she has to DO THINGS NOW.

Now let me return to the fact that so much is being set up in this. I am not sure how much is going to come into fruition, as I've read a good 150 pages of book previously and it was the Arista Being Annoying Show.
There are elves, though. I don't love them in general, they are one of the races that have the biggest chance of becoming cheesy as shit. I don't want beautiful people staring into nothing, being super deep and wise. So I hope we won't have that. Still, it's obvious there is plenty of possible depth for them. Don't disappoint me, please.
We are also before a war of different groups trying to get the power and that can be cool as well. We've seen some of that, some workings and one piece of extremely obvious foreshadowing (we are looking for someone with a necklace, while someone is casually mentioned to have one, how weird). I'm not sure how all that will turn out.

We also have characters I hope are not going to get tossed side for bullshit love interests who are boring as fuck. I want Thrace, Myron, Esrahaddon.

I really loved the banter between the two main characters. What a quick fun read, I definitely recommend it!

I'm a glutton for a story about an assassin, but then add in his partner who's a mercenary with a heart of gold and you've got me hooked. Now, paint a slightly askew picture as compared to your bog standard medieval fantasy and you're two for two. Then add in a layer of political intrigue and some heists and I'm all in.

On some levels, this story feels like a buddy cop movie, except instead of cops we have a pair of fixers (men for hire who can steal, kill, implicate, and solve ‘problems'). From the first book on, they're involved in more than what they ever intended, being hired to do a too-easy job for far too much money, which goes bad very quickly. From there, we see them help a kingdom and then a small village.

I think what makes this book so great is the interaction between Royce and Hadrian (our assassin and mercenary, respectively). The roles are pretty standard with the assassin being angst and short-fused, and the mercenary having his own code of honor and wanting to what's right. Yet, it just feels so good to watch them do what they do and in the way that makes sense to their character. I love that Royce thinks of himself first and maybe everyone else later, and that Hadrian is looking to do what's right for others and be honorable, despite his association with a thief and assassin.

I highly recommend this book.

Executive Summary: These stories are a bit trope heavy, and therefore a predictable in places. Despite that I found them to be enjoyable. Like settling into something comfortable and familiar. In the ever increasing abundance of grimdark fantasy, this serves as a nice break.

Audio book: I listened to this in audio after getting a good deal on it through Audible. I was quickly sold on finishing the series in audiobook.

This is the first book I've listened to by Tim Gerald Reynolds. I found him to be an excellent reader. Not only is he clear and easy to understand, he seems to have a variety of voices that greatly increased my enjoyment of the book.


Full Review


Since this is an omnibus, I'm going to opt to review each story individually.


The Crown Conspiracy


The first story is a bit uneven. We meet thieves Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, who work under the name of Riyria. Royce is the prototype rogue while Hadrian the oft underestimated fighter. Mr. Sullivan does give them both a great amount of depth and had me greatly liking them by the end of the book.

During the course of the book, we meet a bumbling monk, an arrogant prince, a mysterious wizard, and a treacherous dwarf. The story is a bit lacking on female characters. The princess Arista is a bit interesting, but the focus isn't really on her. We also get the “prostitute with a heart of gold” who is just a minor character.

I found this story a bit uneven. There were some slow and predictable parts that seemed to just write themselves. However there was also some twists and turns that kept me guessing a little bit.

The pair take a job that leads them on an unexpected journey that turns them from thieves to reluctant heroes. There is a good mix of action that gets a bit dark, but nothing like you see in most grimdark these days. So if you're looking for another gritty “realistic” fantasy series, look elsewhere.

Overall this was a fun story and a good first effort from Mr. Sullivan. I probably liked it more than someone looking for something new and original might. It's the type of story I enjoy, especially taking a break from darker novels.

3.5 Stars.


Avempartha


This was the better of the two stories. There are a few slower parts early on, but once the story really got going, it was hard to stop listening.

We gets some insights into both Royce and Hadrian's past. There is some resolution to lingering story lines from the previous story, as well as a humorous nod to it.

We also get some insights into the mysterious wizard and the treacherous dwarf.

Princess Arista has a larger role in this book, although I find her a bit unlikable. Maybe that's simply due to her being raised a spoiled princess. I do think her heart is mostly in the right place even if she comes off like a spoiled brat in places.

The best addition to the cast was the farmer's daughter Thrace, who is the naive farmer's daughter with an abundance of courage. Again a bit tropey, but very likable and it's nice to have another female character at least.

The conspiracies introduced in the first story are explored further and
we get some more insights on the larger scale.

Riyria has been sought out by Thrace at the prompting of an old acquaintance to help her father obtain a magical sword to defeat an evil beast that is plaguing her small village.

I'm most intrigued by the elves, who have always been my favorite fantasy element, who like many other books are elusive. We still don't meet any full-blooded elves, but we do get to experience some of their architecture. I hope we'll get to see something from them soon, maybe in the form of a strong female elf.

I thought this was a lot less predictable than the first story, and really enjoyed the character development of our two protagonists. There is some nice setup for the next books that has me eager to continue on in the series. Not only that, but Mr. Sullivan does a good job of developing many of his supporting characters as well.

This again isn't a story that will appeal to grimdark fans as it's more of a light fantasy where despite the dangers things work out for the best. Mostly.

4 stars.

While it dragged a little in some places, overall this was a wonderful book. Royce and Hadrian bring back fond memories of characters from past RPGs. That isn't to say that Theft of Swords feels like one of those dreadful “I wrote down what happened in my D&D campaign and called it a novel” things, because that certainly is not the case! It's more that I felt as if I knew these characters, that I was there with them, and I seldom get that from any author.

This series of books went from self-published success to big publisher success and I'd also listened to the author discuss the series on a podcast. It's straight-up faux-medieval light-hearted adventure that is just pure fun to read, especially while on vacation. Volumes 1 through 3 each contain two stories (previously self-published books) about the adventures of Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater. Things get a bit dicey for them when they get framed for killing a king. Good stuff.

It seems cruel to label a book ‘typical fantasy' these days, as that seems to give the impression that it is somehow subpar in the fantasy genre. Fantasy bookshelves are often chock full of stories with dwarves and elves and are often accused of being knock-offs of Tolkein or not being creative enough to come up with their own interesting creatures and worlds. But if it is done well, I think ‘typical' or what I like to label ‘traditional' fantasy can still be well worth reading. Unfortunately you sometimes have to go through some of the lesser well done ones to find a gem among them. Luckily, Theft of Swords is one of the gems.
There are a lot of traditional tropes in the story, but it is so well written with characters I really came to love, and a world that I liked more and more as it was expanded and as more mysteries were embedded in its history, that I would be hard pressed to fault it for using those traditional tropes.
Theft of Swords if fun and exciting, but also has a touching friendship at its centre that holds the whole thing together. I was easily lost in this world and had a great time following the mysteries as they unfolded, although I get the impression that only the surface of what's going on has been scratched and that the next two volumes will expand it even further.
There are times when a story can just paint a picture of the world inside your head and I found myself doing that often with Theft of Swords and yet it is never bogged down with long passages of description that can become tedious as I've found in other books. This story clips along at a breakneck pace that had me up late nights more than once. My only regret is waiting to read the second book in this volume for so long (I took a break in between to do some other reading) - even better than the first in my opinion it deepened the mysteries and the world and I easily found myself getting lost in it and wished I had continued to the end after finishing the first. That certainly won't be the case with the next two volumes.
Best traditional fantasy I've read in some time, very enjoyable and worth picking up if you're looking for a little adventure.

It's somewhat embarrassing to admit that I had ample opportunities to read this book when it was in two parts, independently published - and failed to do so until it was bought up by Orbit and reprinted.

That was a mistake.

Originally published separately, readers can see the divide between the events and repercussions of the first book (Crown Conspiracy) that lead into the second book (Avempartha), and how together they form the chapters of a much larger tapestry. Sullivan sites the story arcs of Babylon 5 as one of his inspirations, and in reading the novel you can see that play out as he gives the reader a simple, straightforward collection of fantasy tropes building up our expectations that this story is going in one direction, only to flip it at the climax and offer a resolution that both fits the story so far, and yet defies what we anticipated.

The curious thing about Sullivan's book is that he uses light strokes to paint a picture. He doesn't labor over info dumping, choosing instead to give us a who's who and a what's what at the start of the book, and a few short dumps initially to fill in the gaps. Nor does he rely on the shock that grittier fantasy authors have brought us lately; this book is very much a homage o the simple, well written adventure story. While its most basic elements are a variation of the quest and heist motifs, there are deeper motivations at play than just greed. The real strength in Sullivan's writing, though, is in his dialog, the repertoire and voice of his characters making them distinct enough to stand out from the backdrop. No, not all of the characters are well rounded personas with depth, but the characters with whom the story revolves live and breathe in the mind's eye even after you set the book down.

Theft of Swords is not high literature, with flowing, flowery passages evoking a deep sense of wonder. What it is is wonderfully entertaining. Case in point, I sat down and read the last 40% of the book in one day because I just couldn't put it down. Highly recommended to fans of epic fantasy, especially if you enjoy the “lighter” side such as a Brandon Sanderson or Daniel Abraham novel, you will enjoy this.

Writing was kinda crappy at first, but it got better as it went. Plot was interesting. Liked it enough to pick up the second one.

Ended up really liking it. The story moves along somewhat predictably (the good guys win?!?), but there are enough really cool ideas in the mix to make it more than worthwhile.

I bought the second book in the series right away, if that tells you anything. I like a well done fantasy book and I think this one more than qualifies.