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Theft of Swords  By  cover art

Theft of Swords

By: Michael J. Sullivan
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
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Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fantasy, 2013

Acclaimed author Michael J. Sullivan created instant best sellers with his spellbinding Riyria Revelations series. This first volume introduces Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, two enterprising thieves who end up running for their lives when they’re framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy bigger than they can imagine, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery - before it’s too late.

Theft of Swords contains The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha, books 1 and 2 of Riyria Revelations.

©2011 Michael J. Sullivan (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

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What listeners say about Theft of Swords

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Perfect Escapism

Tim Gerard Reynolds is Flawless.
The stories are well paced and thoroughly engaging of the imagination.
I actually care about ALL of the characters.
My second time through the audio series.
Just as much fun!

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Give it time and you are in for an amazing journey

To start, this is a fantastic book. This volume is actually two books in one. The first book is a bit normal. It is good and the chemistry between the two lead characters is amazing, but you can tell that this is a new author finding his legs. Let him. The second book in this volume is incredible and really steps up the plot to become a great work of fantasy. I flew through this volume and immediately went on to the next. It is worth buying and the series only gets better from here.

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Love love LOVE! but help me out here...

... can you PLEASE fix the scene in book two when you say "Ulrich stared at him, confused..." (Book 2: Avempartha, chapter 3: Ambassador, 32:45). This is a scene in the carriage with only Arista, Sully, and Bernice. Arista is staring at him confused, after he's begun to explain how the contest/tournament isn't actually a competition.
I listen to these books (as well as ALL of your books) over and over and over and over and over again. I sure wish someone would take the time to make this correction. Little things like this get to me (just like punctuation and spelling) in books.

Off Subject, but ABSOLUTELY important:
Mr. Sullivan, please write more books! I'm waiting for lots more (as I'm sure all your fans are, too).
Mr Reynolds, PLEASE keep narrating! I'm always searching for your narrations on Audible, and can't wait to find more!

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All roads lead to Tolkein

If you could sum up Theft of Swords in three words, what would they be?

Friends, enemies, frenemies

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Royce. Throughout the book, he surprised me, whether through his actions or attitudes or by the author's revelations about his character. His dialog was also some of my favorite

What about Tim Gerard Reynolds’s performance did you like?

He was easy to understand and did a decent job at differentiating the different characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried in various parts.

Any additional comments?

While this volume is really good fantasy writing all on its own, it's also proof that all roads lead to Tolkein and that's not a disparagement to the author. We have humans and elves and dwarves and a flying creature. There's a wizard, a hidden heir, and a quest here and there. And while I wouldn't call them a Fellowship, a set of characters does appear over and over no matter what action is taking place. And yet it doesn't feel derivative. I see the bones of Tolkein here, but Sullivan has created a rich and wonderful world where I want to remain for another 26 hours (next volume) at least. Bonus: it's the perfect soundtrack for walking the dog.

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excellent quality material

this was such a great listen the story and reader are great well paired team. Cannot wait for the next one.

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Best Extrovert-Optimist joins Introvert-Pessimist

Any additional comments?

Most of what makes these books so great is how deeply the main characters love-hate each other in such an endearing fun way.

Expect to power threw the first few chapters but you will be hooked by the time things start going very wrong for these unlikely friends.

It must also be noted how perfectly Michael J. Sullivan's overall plan is executed here. There are very few books where there aren't at least some parts that make no sense to the over-all story/conclusion but these are a shining example. From first(Theft of Swords) to last(Heir of Novron) these are orchestrated without those familiar irritation and story explosions that I have come to hate so much (l).

George R.R. Martin would have been well served in completing all Fire and Ice books before releasing any of them as well. Don't get mad, just watch Season 7 of GOT and tell me I’m wrong.

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Awesome series

Love this series, the characters are well developed. Looking forward to the emperors blades. Again Awesome.

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Loved it.

This book kept me delightfully entertained throughout with a wonderful story, interesting characters, exceptional narrator and plot twists.

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Glad I found this series!

I decided to give this series a try mainly because I liked the narrator, and was pleasantly surprised by the first two books!! I downloaded the next two before I even finished with these, because I enjoyed them so much. Humor, adventure, friendship, villains, mysterious figures, all made for quick paced, action packed fun, that left me excited knowing I had more to look forward to! The narrator was excellent btw! I first encountered Tim Gerard Reynolds in the Red Son Rising series, and he does a masterful job bringing the characters to life in this series as well. Really glad I found this author. I enjoyed his style, and it was a very nice change of pace from my usual fare.

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Solid Adventure

The story was great and well written. The reader did an amazing job that made it easier to follow which character was talking. The main characters are easy to like and the banter between them is pure gold. The entire book cruised on by and I find myself looking forward to the next book in the series. Read or listen to this book if you even remotely enjoy the fantasy genre.

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