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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I had fun. Excited to see what else this series has in store
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I couldn't put it down; read it straight through. Too bad I had to sleep and drive some in between. I think everything Sullivan writes is better than the last thing he wrote. I really enjoyed the rest of the series, but I've been looking forward to this first of two prequels with a character-fangirlish giddiness. For those who liked the rest and are doubtful - don't hesitate to get it. The story of Royce and Hadrian's beginning was worth the wait and extremely well-done. Can't wait for Rose and Thorn!
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have read the trilogy previously which was super. It was great reading again about Hadrian and Royce, how they meet. My complaint - the story could have been shorter, the plot dragged a lot
The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/08/the-riyria-chronicles-by-michael-j-sullivan-advance-review-bane-of-kings/
“This is how prequels should be done. Smart, clever – engaging, The Crown Tower is a stellar return to the world of Riyria, accessible for newcomers and veterans of the series alike – one of the strongest novels of the year so far.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
When the news regarding The Riyria Chronicles prequels broke, I was somewhat torn on the decision. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Riyria Revelations novels, the original six-book series by Michael J. Sullivan collected as three impressive omnibuses, delivering us some fantastic lead characters of Royce and Hadrian – but a part of me was somewhat cautious about this before I jumped in reading. Would we be looking at another Phantom Menace, or would we start to get tired of the characters? Or a little bit of both? As it turned out though, I shouldn’t have worried. Michael J. Sullivan’s The Crown Tower opens The Riyria Chronicles in an amazing way – full of confidence, and sets up the opening act of this duology wonderfully well, making this novel as good as the original series, if not more.
"TWO MEN WHO HATE EACH OTHER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.
A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin 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 valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadias can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.
The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles are two separate, but related series, and you can start reading with either Theft of Swords(publication order) or The Crown Tower (chronological order)."
The Crown Tower, for all of those who are unaware, tells the first meeting of Hadrian and Royce. They weren’t always Riyria after all, and this novel explores how the two characters met and what circumstances drew them together in a smart, entertaining way, with plenty of interesting things uncovered throughout this novel – made even more interesting when you consider that this isn’t just Hadrian and Royce’s origin too – we get appearances from the rest of the main cast in the Riyria Revelations, such as Gwen – to name just one, allowing for an interesting look into these characters, particularly when those who have read the future books will know exactly how they’re going to develop as the book goes on.
crowntower-2-5And that’s, to an extent – the major problem that I had with The Crown Tower, readers of the book who have read Ryria Revelations before will know which of the characters are going to make it through. We know that they’re going to survive and we know in some cases who’s not going to make it through, which robs some the predictability of the novel. It’s like watching any other prequel series that you’ve seen before, The Phantom Menace and its sequels, X-Men: First Class or Origins: Wolverine, or even The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. You know what’s coming next, you just can’t help it. Which is why, to Sullivan’s credit, he manages to make the elements of the book that we aren’t quite in full knowledge about yet unpredictable, engaging and enthralling. Heck, even the stuff that we do know is coming next is awesome, and told with the experience that Sullivan has gained over the course of his previous series, he’s put out some of his strongest work yet with this book, and it’s really enjoyable to read, as the author manages to make it feel fresh and entertaining.
The book itself fills in a lot of gaps that readers might not necessarily be aware about in the original Riyria Revelations, and it helps us explain how these characters got to this point in the beginning of the first novel, and readers themselves won’t find themselves bothered by the fact that the book may lack unpredictability. It’s great at exploring characters as well, and there’s a clear difference between Royce and Hadrian that we meet here and in the original works – they’re younger, and more inexperienced. Take the opening chapter for instance – as soon as Hadrian gets off a ship, he gets robbed – and comes across as a character who’s really got plenty to learn in future books, almost surprisingly for someone who from what we know has been in a lot of armies, and would most likely have a considerable amount of experience. Royce is almost an exact opposite of Hadrian at the start of the novel, and it’s really interesting watching them develop over the course of The Crown Tower.
Readers of Riyria Revelations will be aware of Sullivan’s skill at creating a page-turning read, and The Crown Tower is no different – I breezed through this novel very quickly and was ready to move onto the second as soon as I finished (although I ended up taking a small break inbetween to freshen things up), and the novel’s size when you compare it with the likes of George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson will be a welcome relief to those of you who are tired of massive, 1,000 page-length reads.
Therefore, in conclusion – there are plenty of things to love about The Crown Tower. I haven’t seen a negative reviewer for it or its sequel yet, and it’s well worth your time, be you a reader who has experienced the wonderful Riyria Revelations or not, as Sullivan manages to make it appeal to both. This is one of the strongest reads of the year so far, a really solid instalment.
VERDICT: 4/5
“This is how prequels should be done. Smart, clever – engaging, The Crown Tower is a stellar return to the world of Riyria, accessible for newcomers and veterans of the series alike – one of the strongest novels of the year so far.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
When the news regarding The Riyria Chronicles prequels broke, I was somewhat torn on the decision. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Riyria Revelations novels, the original six-book series by Michael J. Sullivan collected as three impressive omnibuses, delivering us some fantastic lead characters of Royce and Hadrian – but a part of me was somewhat cautious about this before I jumped in reading. Would we be looking at another Phantom Menace, or would we start to get tired of the characters? Or a little bit of both? As it turned out though, I shouldn’t have worried. Michael J. Sullivan’s The Crown Tower opens The Riyria Chronicles in an amazing way – full of confidence, and sets up the opening act of this duology wonderfully well, making this novel as good as the original series, if not more.
"TWO MEN WHO HATE EACH OTHER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.
A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin 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 valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadias can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.
The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles are two separate, but related series, and you can start reading with either Theft of Swords(publication order) or The Crown Tower (chronological order)."
The Crown Tower, for all of those who are unaware, tells the first meeting of Hadrian and Royce. They weren’t always Riyria after all, and this novel explores how the two characters met and what circumstances drew them together in a smart, entertaining way, with plenty of interesting things uncovered throughout this novel – made even more interesting when you consider that this isn’t just Hadrian and Royce’s origin too – we get appearances from the rest of the main cast in the Riyria Revelations, such as Gwen – to name just one, allowing for an interesting look into these characters, particularly when those who have read the future books will know exactly how they’re going to develop as the book goes on.
crowntower-2-5And that’s, to an extent – the major problem that I had with The Crown Tower, readers of the book who have read Ryria Revelations before will know which of the characters are going to make it through. We know that they’re going to survive and we know in some cases who’s not going to make it through, which robs some the predictability of the novel. It’s like watching any other prequel series that you’ve seen before, The Phantom Menace and its sequels, X-Men: First Class or Origins: Wolverine, or even The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. You know what’s coming next, you just can’t help it. Which is why, to Sullivan’s credit, he manages to make the elements of the book that we aren’t quite in full knowledge about yet unpredictable, engaging and enthralling. Heck, even the stuff that we do know is coming next is awesome, and told with the experience that Sullivan has gained over the course of his previous series, he’s put out some of his strongest work yet with this book, and it’s really enjoyable to read, as the author manages to make it feel fresh and entertaining.
The book itself fills in a lot of gaps that readers might not necessarily be aware about in the original Riyria Revelations, and it helps us explain how these characters got to this point in the beginning of the first novel, and readers themselves won’t find themselves bothered by the fact that the book may lack unpredictability. It’s great at exploring characters as well, and there’s a clear difference between Royce and Hadrian that we meet here and in the original works – they’re younger, and more inexperienced. Take the opening chapter for instance – as soon as Hadrian gets off a ship, he gets robbed – and comes across as a character who’s really got plenty to learn in future books, almost surprisingly for someone who from what we know has been in a lot of armies, and would most likely have a considerable amount of experience. Royce is almost an exact opposite of Hadrian at the start of the novel, and it’s really interesting watching them develop over the course of The Crown Tower.
Readers of Riyria Revelations will be aware of Sullivan’s skill at creating a page-turning read, and The Crown Tower is no different – I breezed through this novel very quickly and was ready to move onto the second as soon as I finished (although I ended up taking a small break inbetween to freshen things up), and the novel’s size when you compare it with the likes of George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson will be a welcome relief to those of you who are tired of massive, 1,000 page-length reads.
Therefore, in conclusion – there are plenty of things to love about The Crown Tower. I haven’t seen a negative reviewer for it or its sequel yet, and it’s well worth your time, be you a reader who has experienced the wonderful Riyria Revelations or not, as Sullivan manages to make it appeal to both. This is one of the strongest reads of the year so far, a really solid instalment.
VERDICT: 4/5
This was brilliant even though I knew some of what was going to happen and I just adored being back in this world once more. When reading the Riyria Revelations series earlier this year I was certainly sad to see that Royce and Hadrian's story finished up and I didn't want to not be able to read about them again, however, because of Michael J Sullivan's excellent skills as a writer he's managed to not only create some of the most beloved characters, but he's done so without revealing around 12 years of their adventures before we meet them in the Riyria Revelations books which means that we get to revisit these and see their backstory after having seen the ending.
I love the fact that Sullivan has left himself this space and that there's a potential for 12 of these 'prequel' books because it means more of these awesome characters, and more wonderful stories for me to enjoy.
In the Riyria Revelations books we often hear references made to the Crown Tower debacle but we never get explicitly told how Hadrian and Royce came to be a team. I think that although we do know a fair bit of the story, this book managed brilliantly not to sound like a rehashing of the original story, and in fact because we see about half of the book directly from Hadrian, we see a lot more of his inner thoughts, something we weren't often privy to in the Revelations books. This not only felt refreshing and fun because of how lovely and kind Hadrian is, but also because we feel like we know them so well by the end of Revelations and in fact in this book we get to see their earlier flaws a lot more prominently.
This is a duel narrative which inevitably ties together at the end. The first storyline we follow is that of Hadrian Blackwater who's back from many years away in the army and on the way to visit a family friend. Along the way he encounters all sorts of people and we really see his naivety and trusting nature shining through which not only lands him in trouble, but also sets him on the path to meeting Royce. Royce and Hadrian are totally different and very funny in their own ways. Whilst Hadrian is a very skilled fighter he doesn't actually ever want to fight and he does his best to stay out of confrontation. On the other hand Royce is a petty criminal and trouble seems to follow him around. he's elusive, sneaky, clever and lonely. He works alone and doesn't trust anyone... not exactly the ideal pairing you'd think, but when forced into an adventure together they have to rely on one another and learn to trust each other if they want to survive...
The second storyline follows another character who we met in the Revelations books but again she's a character we don't know a lot about. Gwen is a whore living in a brothel and working for tiny bits of money to earn her way. She never wanted the life she has, and she certainly doesn't want to stay there forever, but when one of the other girls she works with is brutally murdered she cannot stand to live there any more and makes a bold decision.
I adored Gwen and her story in this book because she's certainly one of the characters I have been most curious about for the whole of the Revelations books. I felt that there was always a lot more to her that we hadn't yet seen, and that's certainly the case as we find out by reading and learning her backstory from this book.
I definitely look forward to seeing more of her story in the next book as I know she's a really clever and wonderful character and can't wait to learn more about just where all her strength comes from :)
Some new characters who we meet in this book were Pickles, a young orphan boy who meets Hadrian early on in the story and is actually quite a charming young character. I really enjoyed his charisma and personality and felt he made an excellent squire for Hadrian, even though he wasn't really looking to hire one!
We also meet Rose who is another of the whores who work with Gwen and partway through the story we get to learn a lot more about her story which I felt very moved by. She's endured a lot and yet she's still one of the more positive and inspirational of the characters and I felt that her sections, although not as prominent as the main characters, were certainly wonderful to read.
I'd highly recommend these books if you've read the Revelations books as this one was fab and I expect the next one will be just as good. I know you don't have to have read the Revelations books to understand the story and get it, but I think your enjoyment will be tripled if you already love and connect with the characters and you can guess certain snippets because of what you know already from the other books.
A very solid 5* read, I read nearly all of it in one day, and I'd highly recommend it :)
I love the fact that Sullivan has left himself this space and that there's a potential for 12 of these 'prequel' books because it means more of these awesome characters, and more wonderful stories for me to enjoy.
In the Riyria Revelations books we often hear references made to the Crown Tower debacle but we never get explicitly told how Hadrian and Royce came to be a team. I think that although we do know a fair bit of the story, this book managed brilliantly not to sound like a rehashing of the original story, and in fact because we see about half of the book directly from Hadrian, we see a lot more of his inner thoughts, something we weren't often privy to in the Revelations books. This not only felt refreshing and fun because of how lovely and kind Hadrian is, but also because we feel like we know them so well by the end of Revelations and in fact in this book we get to see their earlier flaws a lot more prominently.
This is a duel narrative which inevitably ties together at the end. The first storyline we follow is that of Hadrian Blackwater who's back from many years away in the army and on the way to visit a family friend. Along the way he encounters all sorts of people and we really see his naivety and trusting nature shining through which not only lands him in trouble, but also sets him on the path to meeting Royce. Royce and Hadrian are totally different and very funny in their own ways. Whilst Hadrian is a very skilled fighter he doesn't actually ever want to fight and he does his best to stay out of confrontation. On the other hand Royce is a petty criminal and trouble seems to follow him around. he's elusive, sneaky, clever and lonely. He works alone and doesn't trust anyone... not exactly the ideal pairing you'd think, but when forced into an adventure together they have to rely on one another and learn to trust each other if they want to survive...
The second storyline follows another character who we met in the Revelations books but again she's a character we don't know a lot about. Gwen is a whore living in a brothel and working for tiny bits of money to earn her way. She never wanted the life she has, and she certainly doesn't want to stay there forever, but when one of the other girls she works with is brutally murdered she cannot stand to live there any more and makes a bold decision.
I adored Gwen and her story in this book because she's certainly one of the characters I have been most curious about for the whole of the Revelations books. I felt that there was always a lot more to her that we hadn't yet seen, and that's certainly the case as we find out by reading and learning her backstory from this book.
I definitely look forward to seeing more of her story in the next book as I know she's a really clever and wonderful character and can't wait to learn more about just where all her strength comes from :)
Some new characters who we meet in this book were Pickles, a young orphan boy who meets Hadrian early on in the story and is actually quite a charming young character. I really enjoyed his charisma and personality and felt he made an excellent squire for Hadrian, even though he wasn't really looking to hire one!
We also meet Rose who is another of the whores who work with Gwen and partway through the story we get to learn a lot more about her story which I felt very moved by. She's endured a lot and yet she's still one of the more positive and inspirational of the characters and I felt that her sections, although not as prominent as the main characters, were certainly wonderful to read.
I'd highly recommend these books if you've read the Revelations books as this one was fab and I expect the next one will be just as good. I know you don't have to have read the Revelations books to understand the story and get it, but I think your enjoyment will be tripled if you already love and connect with the characters and you can guess certain snippets because of what you know already from the other books.
A very solid 5* read, I read nearly all of it in one day, and I'd highly recommend it :)
I just finished reading this and I like it ... a lot. This is my first introduction to Riyria - the unlikely partnership of Hadrian and Royce. I like these two bickering, socially awkward, fledging heroes. Their growing dependency and friendship is something I think everyone craves in their own relationships. However, I adore Gwen. I found myself eagerly waiting for the points the story would circle back to her and her ladies. She's strong. She's mysterious. She gets things done. I'm glad my reading group introduced me to this wonderful world and I can't wait to read more.
Riyria always seems to bust through my door at the right moment, every time I return to it. It's like slipping on a pair of fuzzy slippers in your home after a long day and curling up with a mug of tea. I love the shit out of this series and these disaster thieves.
The Good:
- Muh boys! - Royce and Hadrian return, or should I say, appear for the first time. I was a little nervous about starting the prequel series to something that I'd loved so much, but I should not have worried, because this is how you do a prequel! The foundational adventure of beloved characters. Easter eggs for the series fans, but nothing obtrusive or distracting. And seeing these two meet...it was like fanfiction, but written by the author so everyone was in character. I missed this duo so much and didn't realize it until they were bickering in front of me again. Welcome back boys!
- The Heist - Absolutely ridiculous. Planned by a wizard with machinations far grander than any treasure and I loved it.
- The side characters: Michael J. Sullivan has a way of crafting the most charming side characters and I get attached to them all. There are some he definintely did not need to go as hard as he did on, but he did and I would die for them.
- Gwen - My darling, dearest Gwen. It was so great getting her story and how she plucked herself from nothing and staged an entire coup in order to become the fierce madam that we see in Revelations
The Bad:
- Nothing. I had a great time. If you pressed me I'd probably say the buildup to Royce and Hadrian meeting, but that's only because I was awaiting it with bated breath.
The Ugly:
- Content Warnings: Murder of a prostitute not taken seriously by authorities (but handled elsewhere), other murder, death, death of a child, death of a horse.
I loved the shit out of this book and I'm so happy to be back in this world. The first Riyria book I ever read I felt the same way, like I was just strapped in for a delightful adventure with some good friends. I recommend this book for all Riyria Revelations fans, especially if you were hesitant like me to dive back in after that perfect ending the other series had. Never fear, this prequel rocks and does nothing to diminish the original series.
The Good:
- Muh boys! - Royce and Hadrian return, or should I say, appear for the first time. I was a little nervous about starting the prequel series to something that I'd loved so much, but I should not have worried, because this is how you do a prequel! The foundational adventure of beloved characters. Easter eggs for the series fans, but nothing obtrusive or distracting. And seeing these two meet...it was like fanfiction, but written by the author so everyone was in character. I missed this duo so much and didn't realize it until they were bickering in front of me again. Welcome back boys!
- The Heist - Absolutely ridiculous. Planned by a wizard with machinations far grander than any treasure and I loved it.
- The side characters: Michael J. Sullivan has a way of crafting the most charming side characters and I get attached to them all. There are some he definintely did not need to go as hard as he did on, but he did and I would die for them.
- Gwen - My darling, dearest Gwen. It was so great getting her story and how she plucked herself from nothing and staged an entire coup in order to become the fierce madam that we see in Revelations
The Bad:
- Nothing. I had a great time. If you pressed me I'd probably say the buildup to Royce and Hadrian meeting, but that's only because I was awaiting it with bated breath.
The Ugly:
- Content Warnings: Murder of a prostitute not taken seriously by authorities (but handled elsewhere), other murder, death, death of a child, death of a horse.
I loved the shit out of this book and I'm so happy to be back in this world. The first Riyria book I ever read I felt the same way, like I was just strapped in for a delightful adventure with some good friends. I recommend this book for all Riyria Revelations fans, especially if you were hesitant like me to dive back in after that perfect ending the other series had. Never fear, this prequel rocks and does nothing to diminish the original series.
This book makes me want to rethink how I rate on here. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the books I generally rate as 4 stars, but more than what I usually rate as 3. So... 3.75 maybe?
A really strong 3 stars, maybe 3.5?
I loved the characters. Royce and Hadrian were just the best grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-reluctant allies pairing.
The plot was so-so. It was interesting, but it seemed very predictable for Michael J. Sullivan and I haven't even read very many of his books. (I'm especially looking at you, Strong Female Character, Amazing Coincidences, and Vague Foreshadowing of Doom).
All in all, great for audiobook
I loved the characters. Royce and Hadrian were just the best grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-reluctant allies pairing.
The plot was so-so. It was interesting, but it seemed very predictable for Michael J. Sullivan and I haven't even read very many of his books. (I'm especially looking at you, Strong Female Character, Amazing Coincidences, and Vague Foreshadowing of Doom).
All in all, great for audiobook