Theft of Swords

The Riyria Revelations Series - Book 1

Theft of Swords

By Michael J. Sullivan
Unabridged
100% overall 2 ratings. Go to reviews
$24.80 $30.99
Save 20.0%
Quantity:
Add to wishlist
Monthly Membership

Monthly Membership

$12.99
  • Cancel anytime!
  • Memberships will renew every month
  • One credit every month on renewal
  • You can spend 1 credit every month to get an audiobook
window.theme = window.theme || {}; window.theme.preorder_products_on_page = window.theme.preorder_products_on_page || [];

“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. These books should be in every bookstore and I really hope that they are someday.”

Speculative Fiction Junkie

Acclaimed author Michael J. Sullivan created instant best-sellers with his spellbinding Riyria Revelations series. This first volume introduces Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, two enterprising thieves who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy bigger than they can imagine, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery-before it's too late.

Ratings & Reviews

Review guidelines

100% of listeners recommend it of readers recommend it

Overall 100%

Based on 2 ratings

Listened to this one? Read this one?

Share what you thought and help others decide.

Sign in to write a review

2 reviews

  1. Dawnsy
    Overall Liked it
    Verified listener

    "This first book in the series is so well done it made me wish I could be Hadrian," said by my son.

    The author, Michael Sullivan, was really very cool and sent me two of the books on CD 10 years ago. Imagine that! An author who answers his mail and then sends you his material! They weren't available at my public library and I cannot read printed material. Thank the Gods for Downpour! Back to the review! Very often, in a series, I feel like I am left wanting more; or something was left either undone or left out. What I found was really well done in this first book was it truly laid the groundwork for the rest of the series but was truly entertaining in its own right. The Main Protagonists, Royce and Hadrian, are sort of a wisecracking Robin Hood Duo, dragged into a Political Conspiracy. There is of course, a Princess and Religious Creeps as well twisted up in this plot and that's as far as I am giving plot spoilers! If you, like my son and I are looking for a really well written fantasy series that doesn't have 2 chapters of a sex act thrown in constantly (I HATE when I research a book and get halfway through and find its a ROMANCE novel :/ then this is the series for you. My kid had the attention span of a gnat and he listened to these two books the author sent us over and over and over again. That is how well written this series is. I am so pleased that Michael Sullivan's books are so affordable here on downpour.com and I do not have to beg him to send me his material. So, in conclusion, a well written series, starting with this book and a really nice guy who wrote the series. You will not be sorry you rented or bought this book and you will be hooked! You WILL finish the series! And of course, with the books being 11+ hours each you are getting a great big bang for your one credit if you use it to purchase this series. :) And Michael, if you do see this review, I do thank you yet again for sending the CDs way back when and I congratulate you on all your success, thanks for making your books available through downpour!

    Helpful Report
  2. Samuel
    Overall Liked it

    A thoroughly enjoyable production of a darned good story

    Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations series was originally to be published as 6 books, but before book 6 even came out Orbit bought the series and repackaged the 6 books as three sets of two, this being the first such “mini omnibus”, including “The Crown Conspiracy” and “Avempartha”. “Riyria” is a group of two mercenaries (one a 3-sworded warrior named Hadrian, one a hooded thief named Royce) who have a certain reputation for being able to take on odd jobs of all kinds, and a backstory of jobs gone good and bad and the sarcastic banter to go with it. In “The Crown Conspiracy” the two are set up as the fall guys for the murder of a monarch, however, the powers which have done so have oh-so-spectacularly picked the wrong pair of thieves. The game is afoot, and we get an introduction to the powers and nations and (some tip) of the deeper history of the world along the way. As “Avempartha” opens, one of my favorite little bits of self-referential fun for the year is that a play is being put on roughly about the (legend-in-the-telling) events of the first book, with the play called… “The Crown Conspiracy”. I love that. Light humor and a more honest and goodness of spirit, though hey, yes, they are mercenaries, inhabits these books than the more grim and gritty “everyone’s an anti-hero” fests which have become a bit more the mode of epic fantasy. Author Sullivan certainly does have a thing for towers, as “Avempartha” centers around a mysterious tower near the site of a religious-based tournament of swordsmen, with the winner getting quite the prize indeed. However, the villager-eating beastie at the heart of this tournament may be more than the church has bargained for or can deal with. Enter, of course, Royce and Hadrian. Sullivan shows even better his deftness for fitting the pieces of his plots and subplots nicely together here, as by the end some things which were quite heavily hinted at are confirmed, setting up a world quite ready for conflict and change as the series goes forward. On the world, there are some very interesting touches, particularly in the nearly enslaved elven race as opposed to the elegant noble free and fair folk of stock-standard fantasy fare, as well as multi-layered systems of politics and religions, though at this point in the series we have not “zoomed out” too terribly far. Narration: Reynolds is very, very well-cast here, with a range of voices and accents which really make the story sing. A thoroughly enjoyable production.

    Helpful Report