Percepliquis [Paperback]

Michael J. Sullivan (Author), Robin Sullivan (Editor), Devi Pil (Editor), Michael Sullivan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: January 16, 2012

It all comes down to this...The elves have crossed the Nidwalden and Novron's Heir must finally act.
"I saw a great journey. Ten upon the road, she who wears the light will lead the way. The road goes deep into the earth, and into despair. The voices of the dead guide your steps...Cold grips the world, death comes to all, and a choice is before you." -- Fan Irlanu, Tenkin Seer of Oudorro Village

Percepliquis is the final installment of the epic fantasy, The Riyria Revelations. In this saga that began with The Crown Conspiracy, two thieves caught in the wrong place at the right time were launched on a series of ever escalating adventures that have all lead to this moment. Three thousand years have passed and the time for Novron's heir to act has arrived. 

*** NOMINEE in goodreads 2012 Reader Choice Awards for Fantasy ***

NOTE: Percepliquis is the final installment of the epic fantasy, The Riyria Revelations and is offered as a standalone (print and ebook) for those that started with the self-published books to finish their collections. If you already have Heir of Novron, there is no reason to purchase this book as it is already included as the second book of that Omnibus.

BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS (Omnibus Editions)

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

BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA CHRONICLES

• The Crown Tower (coming Aug 2013)
• The Rose and the Thorn (coming Sep 2013)

BOOKS OF THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS (Original 6-book format)

• The Crown Conspiracy (October 2008) - out of print
• Avempartha (April 2009) - out of print
• Nyphron Rising (October 2009) - out of print
• The Emerald Storm (April 2010) - out of print
• Wintertide (October 2010) - out of print
• Percepliquis (January 2012) 

IMPORTANT NOTE! 
This edition of Percepliquis is being released for readers of the original Ridan editions of The Crown Conspiracy. It does not include book 5, Wintertide. If you're reading the omnibus editions from Orbit, you should purchase Heir of Novron (which includes both Wintertide and Percepliquis). 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Ryria Revelations a very entertaining and well executed traditional fantasy series that started light and improved markedly with every volume." -- Fantasy Book Critic

"I am very happy to report that PERCEPLIQUIS was even better than my expectations. It is an absolute triumph in every sense of the word." -- Iceberg Ink

"Percepliquis has everything. It's filled with drama, an epic quest, and adventure, plot twists and, perhaps most importantly, it's incredibly emotionally compelling." -- Bookworm Blues

I can t suggest these books enough. They are light-hearted yet deep. They are fast pace and involving. They remind me of old-school adventure fantasy and political spy thrillers. These are the quintessential fun summer-time reads that I find so enjoyable when the heat index rises and the days grow longer lending themselves to lots of reading by the pool. It s a heady mix, and I sincerely hope you give yourself a few hours to give them a try. --Jaime Chambers, Ruled By Books

The Riyria Revelations is a much needed return to fantasy s grassroots. For fans who miss the straightforward adventurous tales the stories that got a lot of us 35+ year-olds hooked on fantasy to begin with The Crown Conspiracy brings back that excitement. --Greg Hersom, Fantasy Literature

Sullivan succeeds with simplicity in his originally self-published epic fantasy debut. Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn are a pair of thieves and mercenaries. They aren't mentioned in any prophecies or the lost heirs to anything; they're just criminals who happen to have hearts of gold. Going by the inexplicably pretentious shared name of "Riyria," they steal incriminating letters from a blackmailer, kidnap a young king to save his life, and protect a village menaced by a terrible monster. Along the way, they meet a clever princess, an unlucky monk, a 1,000-year-old wizard with no hands, and a naïve but heroic farm girl. There's even the beginning of a series story arc as the powerful Church of Nyphron secretly schemes to control the world. Hair-raising escapes, flashy sword fights, and faithful friendship complete the formula for good old-fashioned escapist fun. --Publisher's Weekly

From the Author

In October 2010, I released Wintertide, the  fifth book of my Riyria Revelations. At the time I had been selling modestly well for a self-published author (1,000 books a month spread across 4 titles), and with the release of the fifth book, I saw a significant spike in sales.  Thinking I had taken the series as far as I could, I thought the only way to achieve any "real success" was to attract the attention of a larger publisher.  To be honest, I thought it would have taken six to eighteen months and by then Percepliquis, (the sixth and final book) would have already been released).  Imagine my surprise when multiple publishers expressed an interest in just a few weeks and a pre-emptive bid was made by Orbit (fantasy imprint of big-six publisher Hachette Book Group).

Orbit had many convincing arguments for re-releasing the series as a trilogy (with two books in each omnibus edition).  But this would be a problem for existing fans of the series.  First, they would have to wait an additional 9 months for Percepliquis, but they would also have to re-buy the fifth book due the new bundle.  There was not much that could be done about the delay, but fortunately Orbit was willing to do the extra work to release the book in its original format, so existing fans of the series could complete their collections.  A decision I was very pleased with, and proved to me that Orbit was the right choice for the series.

Unfortunately this had led to a bit of confusion. The only bad reviews I've received for Percepliquis (and Heir of Novron) is from people who bought both books.  Despite mine and the publisher's efforts, some people were confused. For this I'm sorry...and hope you can return your duplicate books for a refund.  To try to prevent others from making the same mistake let me try to clarify the issue.

• If you have read Wintertide, then you should purchase Percepliquis only.  There is no need to buy Heir of Novron as you already have both books that it is comprised of.
• If you have read The Emerald Storm, then you should purchase Heir of Novron only.  There is no need to buy Percepliquis as it is already contained in the larger Heir of Novron book.
• If you have read The Rise of Empire, then you should purchase Heir of Novron only.  There is no need to buy Percepliquis as it is already contained in the larger Heir of Novron book.

Again, I'm sorry for any confusion on the part of readers for putting this book out two different ways.  It was not, as some have suggested, some ploy by myself or the publisher to get more sales.  What we were trying to do is provide existing fans a way to complete their series.  And once again I'd like to thank Orbit for the time and effort to they took to put the books out two different ways.

EDIT: 11/14/2012: I'm pleased to announce that Percepliquis was selected as one of 15 books published in 2012 for goodreads Reader Choice Awards.  Here is what the organizers of the award had to say: 

"Instead of consulting publishing experts or a judging panel, we look to readers to find the best books of the year. We analyze statistics from the 170 million books added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2012 and nominate based on a book's number of ratings and average rating. So a nomination is truly an honor because it comes straight from the readers!"

It is indeed an honor to be sharing the ranks of  industry staples such as Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Stephen King, Brent Weeks, Joe Abercrombie, Robin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, and many more.  I'm also impressed to be included with such quality newcomers as Mark Lawrence and Saladin Ahmed.  No matter the outcome...I consider myself a winner just for having my "little book" plugged from the ranks of so many exceptional offerings.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 568 pages
• Publisher: Ridan Publishing; 1 edition (January 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937475018
• ISBN-13: 978-1937475017
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,080 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

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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

#19 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#29 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#45 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

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

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

#19 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#29 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#45 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great final novel in this series...5 Stars. January 18, 2012

By R. Nicholson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Percepliquis" is the final book in the 'Riyria Revelations' fantasy series by author Michael J. Sullivan. The book comes in two forms... a paperback edition that is 570 pages long and retails for $15.25 and a Kindle e-version that is a 908 Kb download and is selling for $7.99 at the time of writing this review.

SPOILERS

The elves have crossed the Nidwalden River and are invading (and conquering) the northern territories with surprising ease. Now they threaten the entire continent of Elan. It is left to Royce, Hadrian and a small group of adventures to try and save the day... and saving the day means a trip to the underground city of Percepliquis where they will encounter some unknown dangers and learn some surprising information.

END SPOILERS.

Impressions: I liked...

1.) author Sullivan demonstrates his superb sense of pace and timing as this latest adventure slowly unfolds. This is a well written story of intrigue, mystery and exploration, resulting in several thrilling encounters.

2.a) liked the final tidying-up chapter. Where everyone said their fond (and often sad) farewells before drifting off in different directions. A nice touch for a six book series.

2.b) loved the final paragraph...a complete but beautiful surprise...brilliant.

3.) map...a global map of Elan, well drawn with lots of detail (see cons: below)

4.) glossary...the end of the book has a list of all the people and places that were accounted for in this and previous books. A very thorough and comprehensive undertaking, and much appreciated.

Minor, minor complaints. (some would say picky, and they might be correct)...

1.) would loved to have had a brief 'what's gone on before' section at the beginning of this book. I must admit that the time in-between this book and the last, I forgot some details...took me a while to understand what was happening early on.

2,) the map...(from a Kindle perspective) was really hard to make out the names of places because the printing was so tiny. Expanding the Kindle maps only made the names more indistinct rather than larger.

3.) the relationship between Royce and Hadrian. I missed, in this novel, the usual steady and ongoing kibitzing banter and camaraderie between our two heroes. Yes, there was some...it just seemed there was less in this novel than in previous one. It was part of this series that attracted me the most to these two characters.

Conclusion.
A great series with an outstanding and satisfying ending to this final book.
Sorry to see it end.

As it is...5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! January 18, 2012

By Bellator

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Love the series and characters! Thank you for writing these wonderfull books - an enthralling escape from a sometimes hectic day. I hope to someday read more about Royce and Hadrians adventures!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect finish to an amazing Series. January 21, 2012

By Badvibes22

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am not one to usually write a review but I just wanted to say that this book is everything I hoped for to end this series. This story is amazing and you cannot help but love the characters. Very excited for any further work by My Sullivan.