Review: Rise of Empire

Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




I have to say, this installment is far more epic than the first book of the series, and therefore also a little heavier. Although I really enjoyed the light feel of The Crown Conspiracy, I am glad that it's broadening into something deeper. This series is really taking me by surprise and fast becoming a favorite.

Although the epic-ness does make it heavier, I still really don't feel that this series is too depressing, at least so far. All fantasy needs some darkness. What makes the difference for me is when there are also beautiful or meaningful moments that lighten the tone, giving you a break instead of dragging you through the mud every single step of the way. In this series, the humor and the friendships that develop serve that purpose. I feel like this is a more traditional style fantasy in that way, and it's such a pleasant change from some of the other recent fantasy that's all blood and guts and despair and the world is full of gray and dust and now I just want to die.

Ok, moving on.


Nyphron Rising - 5 Stars

I really enjoyed Nyphron Rising as much as (or more than?) The Crown Conspiracy. I loved that Royce and Hadrian are traveling again, this time with Arista instead of her brother. I loved that there's more of the underworld. I loved that it's not all just action - the characters are not static, just responding to events. They are thinking and changing. Especially Arista. She really comes into her own in this book. She finds her worth and a purpose and steps out of her sheltered princess world. It's not all peaches and cream, and she does a lot of growing.

There's not much more I can say without giving away the plot. All I can say is that it has many aspects of good epic fantasy that I can be relied upon to enjoy whenever I see them cast in a new way. Characters find themselves in impossible situations and I have no idea how they're going to get out, and then of course there's that twist at the end that I didn't see coming at all - a trademark of Mr. Sullivan's, I am coming to believe.

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Emerald Storm - 4.5 stars

I didn't enjoy The Emerald Storm quite as much as Nyphron Rising. I'm talking a hair's difference here - it was yet again completely different in setting, and I didn't like the new locations quite as much. It also seemed like not as much actually happened in this one, apart from Royce & Hadrian's mission, which goes along quite standardly.

My description is so blasé that you'll be thinking I didn't like it, but once again it's hard to describe without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that when I reached the end of this book, I thought I knew what was going on, and then something happened that turned everything on its head so that I had to re-evaluate everything that had gone before. Just when I think it's getting predictable, this series surprises me. I love that. It's so rare.



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