Speculative Fiction Junkie

Michael J. Sullivan

I've found that a lot of people who don't read fantasy novels often have crazy, stereotypical ideas about the state of the genre and what a typical fantasy book is like. When questioned about their aversion, these people will often reveal that they believe all fantasy novels to be nothing more than mishmashes of wizards, elves, dwarves, and kings stewed together into a Tolkienesque gruel. I always find this puzzling because most fantasy being written today bears almost no resemblance to this stereotypical image. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I read a fantasy book that contained wizards, elves, dwarves, and kings.

So when I first heard about author Michael J. Sullivan's debut novel, The Crown Conspiracy, which does contain a bit of each of these elements, I was wholly uninterested. But for several months thereafter I kept hearing unerringly positive things about this book, and eventually I was forced to capitulate and seek out a copy.

As The Crown Conspiracy opens, we are given an immediate introduction into the way the two main characters, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, make their living. The former is a thief and the latter provides the muscle, and the duo puts these skills to use carrying out the nefarious noble-against-noble whims of whoever pays them enough, sometimes targeting the very people who have used their services in the past. Eventually, the entrepreneurial spirit overcomes their better judgment and they accept a job without taking the ordinary precautions. The result is that they are framed for the murder of the King, and find themselves facing a swift execution. Before they can be dispatched, however, they receive a new lease on life that ends up setting them on a dangerous journey.

The first thing that happened to me when I started reading The Crown Conspiracy was that I realized that I couldn't put it down. I tried prying it off my fingers and shaking my hands around like I'd just touched a hot pan but all to no avail. This book is that good. Even more amazingly, Mr. Sullivan manages to sustain this effect throughout the entire novel. The characters are likeable, interesting, and well developed, and the setting is wonderfully fleshed out, complete with a detailed history, political rivalries, varied landscapes, and everything else that readers of fantasy have come to expect. And Mr. Sullivan weaves the action into this story so skillfully that I had to keep reminding myself that this is his first novel.

While elves, wizards, dwarves, and kings are found in Mr. Sullivan's world, he uses them sparingly and never in a way that is cliché, which lends the world he has created credibility and took me back to a time before such elements made me immediately skeptical. The Crown Conspiracy is the first of six books in a series called the Riyria Revelations. All six books have already been written and Mr. Sullivan plans to release a new one every six months. My biggest fear is that six slim volumes won't be sufficient to give readers enough time to adequately explore Mr. Sullivan's wonderful creation.

The only negative things I can say about the book are that the ending felt a tad bit rushed and there was one instance in which one of the characters did something that seemed grossly out of character. All in all, though, this was an extremely enjoyable read from start to finish. The Crown Conspiracy reminds me why I fell in love with the fantasy genre in the first place.

Rating: 9/10

The True First

The Crown Conspiracy was first published in Fall of 2008 by Aspirations Media, Inc. and is only available as a trade paperback. If the remaining volumes of the Riyria Revelations are as slim as this volume is, my hope is that someone will bind them into a hardcover at some point.

[This review was based on a review copy]