Speculative Fiction Junkie

Michael J. Sullivan

One of the things I mentioned in my recent interview with Harry over at Temple Library Reviews was that I cannot believe that a major publisher hasn't yet picked up author Michael J. Sullivan. The first two books in his Riyria Revelations (reviews here and here) series were excellent.

Perhaps the reason for this lapse is that publishers are overly committed to the grittier side of fantasy for the time being and are consequently not too interested in traditional fantasy tales. I love gritty fantasy as much as the next guy but its proliferation shouldn't come at the expense of consistently good writers like Mr. Sullivan just because they aren't writing on the grittier end of the spectrum. Honestly, if the lack of grit is the issue, the Riyria Revelations could just as successfully be marketed as a young adult series.

With the publication of Nyphron Rising the Riyria Revelations is at its halfway point. And while this latest installment is not my favorite thus far, the Riyria Revelations continues to be an extremely strong series.

As Nyphron Rising opens, things have progressed quickly since the conclusion of the preceding book. The Kingdom of Melengar faces a probable attack from the rapidly expanding Nyphron Empire prompting Princess Arista to enlist the help of Royce and Hadrian to attempt a dangerous diplomatic mission. Along the way, we see a lot more of the world Mr. Sullivan has created and learn more about Royce and Hadrian than we did in previous books.

All of the things that distinguished the previous volumes in the Riyria Revelations series are present in Nyphron Rising and the additional worldbuilding and exploration of Royce and Hadrian's pasts are welcome developments. But I still couldn't quite escape the feeling that this is clearly a transition book. It's similar to The Two Towers in that respect: not the strongest link in the trilogy but very good nonetheless and a necessary bridge to future books. The first half of the book is full of a lot of elements that are good when considered in isolation but these didn't quite gel for me in the same way that the contents of first two books did. The second half of the book, however, is amazing and probably constitutes Mr. Sullivan's strongest work yet.

Nyphron Rising is another capable installment in a fantastic series. Fans of the Riyria Revelations will not be disappointed.

Rating: 8/10

The True First

Nyphron Rising was first published by Ridan Publishing in September of 2009.

[This review was not based on a review copy]