Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations, Vol. 2) - Softcover

Michael J. Sullivan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0979621119 ISBN 13: 9780979621116

Publisher: Ridan Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

Note: Avempartha has been replaced by Theft of Swords a two-book Omnibus edition that contains both The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.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

About this title

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.

About the Author

Michael J. Sullivan has been successfully published in all three publication paths: small press, self-published, and traditional (big-six).  His debut series, The Riyria Revelations has sold 70,000 copies when self-published and another 140,000 English copies from Nov 2011 - Jan 2012. The series has also been translated to thirteen foreign languages including: Germany, Dutch, French, and Japan.

Michael's work has been well received by critics and readers alike, earning him hundreds of positive reviews, and more than 25 "best of" or "most anticipated" list mentions. He has attributed much of his success to the fantasy book blogging community. Dubbed "the little indie that could" he found his books pitted as the only independent in major competitions such as the 2010 goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy and the 2009 Book Spot Central's Fantasy Tournament of Books, which he won. As a traditionally published author he was named to both Library Journal and Barnes and Noble's Blog Best Fantasy of 2011 lists.

Michael has several projects under development: 

• Antithesis:  an urban fantasy 
• Hollow World: a time travel science fiction story 
• The First Empire Series: (to be completed in mid 2014)
• The Crown Tower: book #1 of The Riyria Chronicles (released by Orbit Aug 6, 2013)
• The Rose and the Thorn:  book #2 of The Riyria Chronicles (released by Orbit Sep 17, 2013). 

In addition he will have short stories in the following anthologies:

• Burning Alexandria in The End Anthology (released)
• Traditions in Triumph Over Tragedy (released)
• Autumn Mists in The Fantasy Faction Anthology (March 2013)
• The Jester in Unfettered (May 2013)

Edition details

• Publisher: Ridan Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0979621119
• ISBN 13: 9780979621116
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 344