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Age of Myth Book One of The Legends of the First Empire Michael J Sullivan Books

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Age of Myth Book One of The Legends of the First Empire Michael J Sullivan Books

I love this book. I can't wait for the next one.

If you love everything about Tolkien, but wish for something new, this book is for you.
If you loved the huge story in Wheel of Time, but despaired at the repeated phrases, and wished for better editing, this book is for you.
If you loved the story and characters in Game of Thrones, but thought the sex and violence was a bit overdone, this book is for you.

This book is about ordinary people stepping up to extraordinary challenges. It's about reluctant heroes facing a crazy world with humor and resolve

If you love great story-telling, excellent writing, and superb editing, this book is for you. Enjoy.


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Age of Myth Book One of The Legends of the First Empire Michael J Sullivan Books Reviews

Michael J. Sullivan has returned to the world of his Riyria series, this time taking his readers to an era three millennia before the six-volumes of the Riyria Revelations series. Age of Myth, the first in a five-volume “Legends of the First Empire” series, explores a time when humans (“the Rhune”) are barely subsisting in hovels, dwarves (“Dhergs”) have been driven deep below ground, and elves (“the Fhrey”) – having recently discovered magic – are treated as gods. If all of this sounds like the traditional formula for old-fashioned, heroic, epic fantasy, that’s because it is. Age of Myth is unashamedly an homage to the roots of the genre, with obvious, venal villains and unapologetically good and noble heroes.

Consequently, Age of Myth is a welcome, refreshing antidote to the senseless brutality and cynicism of recent, dark fantasy. Tolkien and his literary descendants endure because they tap into a fundamental human desire to see sympathetic, compelling characters triumph over evil. At its best, epic fantasy celebrates the values that make ordinary people into heroes, and – contrary to current trends – it also keeps the heroes around to fight another day.

Of course, if that were all that epic fantasy novels accomplished, they would quickly become repetitive and trite. Coherent, engaging worldbuilding is essential to good fantasy, and Sullivan certainly delivers in that regard. In his preface, Sullivan notes that he wrote all five of the Legends novels at once, and the scope of that project is reflected in the complexity and detail of the Fhrey and Rhune societies he has created. Sullivan begins with the homogenous and monolithic stereotypes with which each group views the other. He then quickly immerses us in details, conflict, intrigue, and politics that show the complexity and nuance of both societies.

As fascinating as the cultures are, it is the characters that make Age of Myth a compelling read. Sullivan has a talent for fast, clever dialogue. Like an impressionist working with quick, brief strokes he uses those conversations to deftly paint nuanced characters who are authentic, recognizable, and worth following over the course of a five-volume epic. The prose in which the characters’ words and lives are couched is solid work, but it does sometimes edge toward the trite or conventional. Fortunately, Sullivan’s knack for dialogue more than compensates for any shortcomings in that regard.

At the midpoint of Age of Myth, two of the central protagonists discuss the nature of stories in their respective villages. One notes that in the stories she learned, “The heroes are usually lost in the forest and either eaten or sucked away into the spirit world.” The other says that in the stories his sister told, “Almost every tale had a ghost or a dragon in and a hero who rescued a beautiful girl…[stories that] take you someplace else, someplace warm, someplace wonderful.” In recent years, fantasy has experienced a glut of stories in the former category. Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of Myth invites us to gather around the fire and instead retell the stories that take the chill from the night air and shine a light into the shadows. Readers eager to lose themselves in a well-crafted world, a world filled with likeable people who become unintentional heroes, should jump to answer that invitation.
Michael Sullivan is a well-established writer of fantasy fiction, but this is the first book of his that I have read. The book is the first in a prequel series that he calls the Legends of the First Empire. There is much to accomplish in the first volume of a fantasy series. The author not only has to introduce the characters and tell a compelling story, he or she must also establish the nature of the created world and any fantasy creatures. The burden is huge. By the end of this sweeping novel, our author has carried the burden well. The reader has a good understanding of the landscape, its features, its dangers, its beauties, and the general rules of the natural world. We have been introduced to heroes and villains, several different political systems, and several different classes of beings. We have learned much about the history of the different classes and their respective religions and myths. There is treachery, bravery, loyalty, magic, naiveté, and suspense. This is not a short book, and it is jammed with people, action, and information. Sometimes keeping everything straight (especially confusing names) is tricky, but it all sorts out. There are some scenes of violence and torture that include disturbing images. It is a saga that ends with hints of secrets and the challenges that are still ahead for our characters. My only critical comment is that in a few instances the dialogue had a flippant and oddly anachronistic feel that seemed out of place. The distraction of that is easily ignored and it only appears in small portions in the beginning. There is no sex or romance to speak of and no language that would give offense. It was a deal and the reviews and preview convinced me to make the purchase. (Full purchase price is on the high side for a book.) It is likely that I will read the second book.
I love this book. I can't wait for the next one.

If you love everything about Tolkien, but wish for something new, this book is for you.
If you loved the huge story in Wheel of Time, but despaired at the repeated phrases, and wished for better editing, this book is for you.
If you loved the story and characters in Game of Thrones, but thought the sex and violence was a bit overdone, this book is for you.

This book is about ordinary people stepping up to extraordinary challenges. It's about reluctant heroes facing a crazy world with humor and resolve

If you love great story-telling, excellent writing, and superb editing, this book is for you. Enjoy.