Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations, Vol. 2) [Paperback]

Michael Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Note: Avempartha has been replaced by Theft of Swords a two-book Omnibus edition that contains both The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.                 

THE SECRET IS IN THE TOWER. THE PROBLEM IS THE BEAST. THE ANSWER IS TWO THIEVES. When a destitute young woman hires Royce and Hadrian to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are once more drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. Once more, what begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm -- but this time the outcome could change the future of Elan.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Avempartha is the second of a six book series entitled the Riyria Revelations. This saga is neither a string of sequels nor a lengthy work unnaturally divided. Instead, the Riyria Revelations was conceived as a single epic tale told through six individual episodes. While a book may hint at building mysteries or thickening plots, these threads are not essential to reach a satisfying conclusion to the current episode--which has its own beginning, middle, and end.

Eschewing the recent trends in fantasy toward the lengthy, gritty, and dark, the Riyria Revelations brings the genre back to its roots. Avoiding unnecessarily complicated language and world building for its own sake; this series is a distillation of the best elements of traditional fantasy--great characters, a complex plot, humor, and drama all in appropriate measures.

While written for an adult audience the Riyria Revelations lacks sex, graphic violence, and profanity making it appropriate for readers 13 and older.

BOOKS IN THE SERIES
The Crown Conspiracy
Avempartha
Nyphron Rising
The Emerald Storm
Wintertide
Percpeliquis

OMNIBUS EDITIONS (From Orbit Books)
Theft of Swords (Nov 2011)
Rise of Empire (Dec 2011)
Heir of Novron (Jan 2012)

REVIEWS
"Mr. Sullivan continues to impress. In Royce and Hadrian he has created some of the best characters the genre has seen in some time, and in Avempartha he shows that he knows what to do with them." -- Speculative Fiction Junkie

"I was quite eager to see if the book would live up to the expectations raised by Mr. Sullivan's marvelous debut. I am happy to report that not only did "Avempartha" meet
expectations, but it took the series to another level, ensuring that the future installments will be must-reads." -- Fantasy Book Critic

"Avempartha is another strong entry that exceeds its predecessor in both depth and scope. The Riyria Revelations is shaping up to be one of the most original and entertaining fantasy series I've seen in years" -- King of the Nerds Fantasy Reviews

"In short, Avempartha is highly, highly recommended and a novel that raises Michael Sullivan's The Riyria Revelations to "major league" status." -- Fantasy Book Critic

"All in all, Avempartha is not only a great book in its own right, delivering on Michael's promise to give us stand-alones within a bigger story-arc, but it is also a better book than The Crown Conspiracy, showcasing Michael's crowing talents as an author who is sure to become a Name in the industry. Well worth a read!" -- Dave Brendon's Fantasy & Sci-fi Weblog

"...both novels offer a delightful reading, captivating adventures and a very interesting author. I am certain that I will hear more of Michael J. Sullivan in the future." -- Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mr. Sullivan continues to impress. In Royce and Hadrian he has created some of the best characters the genre has seen in some time, and in Avempartha he shows that he knows what to do with them." --Speculative Fiction Junkie

"I was quite eager to see if the book would live up to the expectations raised by Mr. Sullivan's marvelous debut. I am happy to report that not only did Avempartha meet expectations, but it took the series to another level, ensuring that the future installments will be must-reads." --Fantasy Book Critic

"Avempartha is another strong entry that exceeds its predecessor in both depth and scope. The Riyria Revelations is shaping up to be one of the most original and entertaining fantasy series I've seen in years" --King of the Nerds Fantasy Reviews

From the Author

In October 2010 I sold my Riyria Revelations series of books to Orbit (fantasy imprint of big-six Hachette Book Group). As such, the original versions are now officially "out of print" and available only by third-party vendors who are selling what are now essentially "collector editions".  Orbit took the six-book series and re-released them as three, two-book omnibus versions (published from Nov 2011 to Jan 2012).  The fact that the series is published in two different formats is often confusing, so here's how the books break down.

Original self-published editions (now out of print)

• The Crown Conspiracy (originally published by AMI, and later by Ridan)
• Avempartha
• Nyphron Rising
• The Emerald Storm
• Wintertide
• Percepliquis*

The new incarnation of the series from Orbit 

• Theft of Swords contains The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha
• Rise of Empire contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm
• Heir of Novron contains Wintertide & Percepliquis

Due to overwhelming demand for more Royce and Hadrian stories, a new series, The Riyria Chronicles, has been created that tells the duo's early adventures including their first assignment and the forming of Riyria. This new series will also be released by Orbit following their "a book per month" schedule.

The Riyria Chronicles

• The Crown Tower - August 1, 2013
• The Rose and the Thorn - September 5, 2013

* Percepliquis is technically the only book of the original series that is not "out of print." For those who originally read Wintertide this edition allows for the stand-alone version so that they can complete their series. The content is identical to the Percepliquis which is found as the second book in the Heir of Novron release.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Ridan Publishing; First edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979621119
• ISBN-13: 978-0979621116
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After finding a manual typewriter in the basement of a friend's house, Michael inserted a blank piece of paper and typed: It was a dark and stormy night and a shot rang out. He was just eight years old at the time. But the desire to fill the blank page and see what doors the typewriter keys would unlock wouldn't let him go. For ten years Michael developed his craft by studying authors such as Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck...just to name a few. During that time he wrote twelve novels, and after finding no traction in publishing, he quit and vowed never to write creatively again.

Michael discovered that never is a very long time, and he ended his hiatus from writing after a decade. The itch returned when he decided to create a series of books for his then thirteen-year-old daughter, who was struggling in school due to dyslexia.

Michael is one of the few authors who have successfully published through all three routes: small press, self, and big six. He has been named to io9's Most Successful Self-Published Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors list as well as making #6 on EMG's 25 Self Published Authors to Watch. As of January 2013, he has sold more than 250,000 books, been translated to 14 languages, and has had books appear on more than 65 "best of" or "most anticipated" lists including:

* 2013 Audie Award Finalist for Theft of Swords
* Fantasy Book Review's top 6 (non-hyped) Anticipated Reads of 2013
* Fantasy Faction's Top 10 Anticipated Reads of 2013
* goodreads Choice Award Nominees for Fantasy in 2010 and 2012
* Audible's 2012 5-star The Best of Everything List
* Library Journal's 2011 Best Books for Fantasy/Sci-Fi
* Barnes & Noble Blog's Best Fantasy Releases of 2011
* Fantasy Book Critic's #1 Indie Fantasy for 2010

Today, Michael continues to fill blank pages and has several projects under development: Antithesis (modern fantasy) and The First Empire Series (traditional fantasy).

THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS (Omnibus Editions)
* Theft of Swords: contains The Crown Tower & Avempartha
* Rise of Empire: contains Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm
* Heir of Novron: contains Wintertide & Percepliquis

THE RIYRIA CHRONICLES
* The Crown Tower: coming Aug 6, 2013
* The Rose and the Thorn: coming Sep 17, 2013

STANDALONE NOVELS
* Hollow World: coming Jan 20, 2014
* Antithesis: release date to be determined
* Burden to the Earth: release date to b determined

ORIGINAL BOOKS OF THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS (out of print)
* The Crown Conspiracy
* Avempartha
* Nyphron Rising
* The Emerald Storm
* Wintertide
* Percepliquis

SHORT STORIES
* The Viscount and the Witch (Riyria Chronicles #1.5)
* Greener Grass (time-travel science fiction)

ANTHOLOGIES
* Triumph Over Tragedy (Traditions)
* The End - Visions of Apocalypse (Burning Alexandria)
* The Fantasy Faction Anthology (Autumn Mists) Mar 2013
* Unfettered (The Jester) May 2013

AWARDS & ACCOLADES
The Crown Tower (coming Aug 2013)
* 2013 Fantasy Book Review's Six (non-hyped) Most Anticipated Books
* 2013 Fantasy Faction's Top 10 Most Anticipated Books
* 2013 Ranting Dragon's 50 Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels to Look Forward
* 2013 BestFantasyBooks.com's Most Anticipated Fantasy Reads
* 2013 Angels of Retribution's Most Anticipated Releases
* 2013 A Fantasy Reader's Eager Meter Nominee
* 2013 Draumr Kopa Fantasy Book Blog Waiting on Wednesday

The Riyria Revelations
* 2013 Rule The Waves Top 10 Tuesdays
* 2012 Confessions of an Avid Reader Top 12 (#2)
* 2009 Dark Wolf Fantasy Reviews Top 10 Books

Heir of Novon / Wintertide & Percepliquis
* 2012 SFWorld's Top 10 Favorite Books (Percepliquis)
* 2012 goodreads Choice Award Nominee (Percepliquis)
* 2012 Audible's August Customer Favorites (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Bookworm Blues Top 10 (#4) (Percepliquis)
* 2012 Founding Field's Best Books (Percepliquis)
* 2012 Angels of Retribution's Best of the Best Part 1 (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Patrick's Book Awards (#10) (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Bane of King's Best Novels of First Half of 2012 (Percepliquis)
* 2012 GoddessCarlie Top 5: #2 (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 MathiasCavanaugh Top 10 Books (#4) (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Angels of Retribution's Reading Award for February ( Percepliquis)
* 2012 Fantasy Book Critic's Top 5 Anticipated Releases for Q1 (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Civilian Reader's 6 Most Anticipated Reads for January (Heir of Novron)
* 2012 Staffer's Review's Books I Most Want to Read in Early 2012 (Heir of Novron)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic #1 Indie Fantasy (Wintertide)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top 25 Novels (Wintertide)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic: Cindy's Anticipated Reads List (Wintertide)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top Independent Novels (Wintertide)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top 5 Novels of Second Half of 2010 (Wintertide)

Rise of Empire / Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm
* 2012 Mathias Cavanaugh Top 10 Books (#3) (Rise of Empire)
* 2012 Timothy C. Ward Top 10 Reads (#8) (Rise of Empire)
* 2012 Patrick's Book Awards (#9) (Rise of Empire)
* 2011 Civilian Reader's 6 Most Anticipated Reads for Dec (Rise of Empire)
* 2010 goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic #1 Indie Fantasy (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top 25 Novels for (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic: Cindy's Anticipated Reads List (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top Independent Novels (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top 12 Novels as of First Quarter (The Emerald Storm)
* 2010 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (Nyphron Rising)

Theft of Swords / The Crown Conspiracy Avempartha
* 2013 Audie Award Finalist (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 Audible's 5-star The Best of Everything (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 Audible's Best of 2012 Editor's Picks (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 Audible's 5-star Sci-fi & Fantasy (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 WordTipping Top 3 Favorite Reads (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 Angels of Retribution's Best of the Best Part 2 (Theft of Swords - audio)
* 2012 MathiasCavanaugh Top 10 Books (#7) (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 BattleHymns Books of the Year: Honorable Mention (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 AudioBookaneers Favorite Listens, Runner up (Theft of Swords)
* 2012 Patrick's Book Awards (#10) (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Library Journal's Best Books for Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Civilian Reader's 5 Most Anticipated Reads for Nov (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Black Gate Noteworthy Fantasy Debuts (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Library Journal's Fantasy/Sci-Fi Debut For September (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Dribble of Ink's Favorite Novels (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Drying Ink's Best Epic Fantasy (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Graeme's Fantasy Book Review Favourite (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Only the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy's Top 10 (#2) (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Best Fantasy Releases by Barnes and Noble Blog (Theft of Swords)
* 2011 Lost Entwive's Top Ten Underrated Books (The Crown Conspiracy)
* 2010 Iceberg Ink Award Best Read (Avempartha)
* 2010 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (Avempartha)
* 2010 Only the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Top 10 Read (The Crown Conspiracy)
* 2010 Bookworm Blues Overall Best Reads of 2010 (Avempartha)
* 2009 Winner of Book Spot Central's Fantasy Tournament of Books (Avempartha)
* 2009 Speculative Fiction Junkie's Top 5 Close Contender(The Crown Conspiracy)
* 2009 National Indie Book Award Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)
* 2008 ReaderViews Annual Literary Award Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)
* 2007 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)

CONTACT INFORMATION
Riyria Blog: www.riyria.com
Hollow World Blog: www.hollowworldnovel.wordpress.com
First Empire Series Blog: www.firstempireseries.com
Twitter: @author_sullivan
Facebook: www.facebook.com/riyria & www.facebook.com/michael.james.sullivan

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#32 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

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#15 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#32 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

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#67 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#81 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Follow-up May 1, 2009

By Robert "Dimndbangr" Hicks VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Avempartha is the second book in The Riyria Revelations. The third being Nyphron Rising due out in October 2009 with the fourth book-The Emerald Storm, fifth book-Wintertide, and sixth and final book-Percepliquis having a tentative schedule of every six months afterward. The entire series has been completely written and is going through the editing and publishing phases so as not to keep the reader waiting for a long period of time for each subsequent book. Each book can be read by themselves as a self contained novel with the sprinklings of a larger plot that develops as the books continue.

Avempartha takes place about a year later from the first book, The Crown Conspiracy. The main characters Royce and Hadrian return to the scene along with Arista, Esrahaddon, Bishop Saulder and a quick cameo from Aldric. There are some new characters as well such as Thrace, Throme, Mauvin and Fannen Pickering, and Bernice. The main plot line begins with a monster that is terrorizing a small town and Royce and Hadrian are hired to seek a sword in Avempartha that can destroy the monster and save the people. There are also sub plots of Arista's new roll to play for Melengar, the relationship of a daughter and father, Esrahaddon's continued quest, the larger plot involving the church and its ambitions and other plots I will refrain from for spoiler reasons.

The characters in this book are much more fleshed out than the first and I was able to connect with them much better this time. The character development was nicely done and believable. There was an excellent balance of the characters moving the plot as well as the plot twists influencing character decisions. The flow was nice and smooth even though there were a couple of spots where missing punctuation and misspelled words broke it up a bit. It was a somewhat distracting but did not take away from the overall enjoyment.

Some Criticisms

1. This is a very minor criticism but like I said above, the spots where there was missing punctuation and misspelled words were slightly disruptive.

2. Another thing and this also is very minor, but I do see some fantasy fans having a dislike with the use of modern words such as noon, afternoon, and matrix. I personally don't mind, but I have read other reviews of other books that have mentioned these and words similar.

Some Positives

1. The characters are absolutely wonderful. Each has their own voice and they are easy to connect with. The protagonists are well worth cheering for and the villains are easily jeered at. Their development is perfectly done. A reader can tell that Mr. Sullivan puts a lot of time and care into his characters but is not so attached to them that he can not kill them off if it fits the story. There are even some surprises with certain characters that die and I was not expecting it.

2. Mr. Sullivan also has a knack for providing enough details to get his vision across without bogging the story down. There are enough details left out so that the reader can use their imagination to fill in the rest and make the story a part of their own.

3. The world building is well done. There is a distinct history to the world which meshes nicely with the current events that unfold throughout the book. A lot of care and planning went in to build a believable world that I look forward to revisiting time and time again.

4. The pacing was awesome. Mr. Sullivan knows how to keep the reader wanting more. He knows just where to stop to keep the suspense building and gives a very satisfying conclusion. At the same time I found myself completely drawn into everything that was happening.

Overall, this was an excellent novel. I believe that there is something for every fantasy fan here. The story is not written with a certain age group in mind but the entire general audience. The writing is on a level that a younger crowd can enjoy it but does not insult the intelligence of a more mature audience. This book has something for everyone and does not disappoint. The reader also does not have to read the previous book to get the full effect of this story. I would describe it like watching a series on television. You can watch the show and enjoy the episode with out having to see previous episodes, but there is also a larger plot involved that you may want to start from the beginning to see how that develops as the series continues. I would highly recommend this book to all fantasy readers.

-dimndbangr

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A series that actually excites me again. May 20, 2009

By B. Osinski

Format:Paperback

Avempartha epitomizes everything I love about fantasy. Heroes that are respectable but amusing. A richly detailed world experiencing its own version of the Dark Ages. Enough magic and fantastical creatures to interest me without smothering the story or making everything too easy. And much more. What really impresses me is that all this is expressed without the flowery (and often boring) language of a 1000 page book.

While the story stands on its own, you can begin to see a bigger picture that unites the books and gives it an epic feeling. Many questions are answered, both from this book and the Crown Conspiracy, but there are enough left that I anxiously await the next book six months from now.

This series (and this book especially) stands out in a large library of fantasy books. I am actually excited about a series for the first time in what seems like way too long. I have recommended this to my father who has been reading fantasy even longer than I have and while he has only completed part of the first book, he tells me he is "loving it".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Fun Read!!! March 27, 2009

By James S. MacLachlan

Format:Paperback

It was a really good, fun read. It was a quick one. I can't wait to sit down with the first book.

Yes, I read the 2d book first & still enjoyed it. That's surprising. The second book stands just fine alone, makes me want to read the first & the one that comes after it, though. It wrapped up at a good point, in a logical manner, yet I know there's a lot more story to be told. This book does reference the first many times & Michael hands out just enough information so that I don't feel I'm in the dark, but if I had read the first, I wouldn't feel like I was re-reading a lot either. He spaces it out & let's me know what I need to know, as I need to know it. Very well done.

It's a medieval setting in a fantasy world. The powerful church is at odds with the nobility in a realistic fashion. The peasants are being squashed by both to some extent, but their importance as a group is recognized, too. Our heroes are specially gifted in logical ways, but not overpoweringly strong, which I liked. The story was just complex enough to provide a lot of tension without being overly complex. There were enough characters, fleshed out well enough, but not too many. Names were pronounceable!!! That's something I really appreciate these days.

Animals were described pretty well. At least no bowman was sticking his bow into the horse's girth, as Jordan did. They weren't ridden as if they were cars, either.

It was just a well balanced, fun read. OK, I said it before, but it is worth repeating. This isn't a novel that is heavy on philosophy, but an entertaining read to relax with. Practically perfect!