Theft of Swords

Riyria Revelations, Volume 1

By: Michael J. Sullivan

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 22 hrs and 38 mins

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

Lots of fun in this light hearted Series

This is an excellent series if you're looking for something engaging, but also not too mentally draining.

Some of the great perks of this series:
Consistant and hilarious characters and banter, I actually found myself snorting aloud!
A LOT of delightfully unexpected turns! For being a rather light-hearted series, there are a lot of things that I just didn't expect to happen, I was happily surprised, and it kept me on my toes
These characters aren't undefeatable. But at the same time, they are wholesome-ly likable
The series has a clear ending, it's NOT 15 books long
There is light magic that doesn't run amok. It's powerful, but limited
There are strong female characters. (although, this doesn't really show up as much until later in the series. It's slow to rise, but believable)

Will I listen to this series again? Absolutely, I had a lot of fun with it the first time, and I can't wait to do it again. It's not sophisticated reading by any means, but it's a really fun lark that really wants you to enjoy yourself while you listen.

Nice fantasy series, well read!

I'd definitely recommend this series to a fan of the fantasy genre. It's essentially a buddy tale about a warrior and assassin, each one masters of their craft who make their living as elite thieves. Their abilities are renown and sought by the wealthiest clients, letting the pair rub elbows with upper crust nobility. Yet they also know their way in the criminal underground.

The two have hearts of gold though. So one can't help but grin when their clashing personalities cause them to banter and bicker while they get into and out of trouble, despite being fast friends.

The setting is fantasy-familiar with enough new perspectives on magic, other races like elves and dwarves, and geography to keep things interesting. Add to that murder-mystery intrigue, action-adventure rescues, and a relatively lighter air than Joe Abercrombie or George RR Martin, and this makes for a really nice listen.

An additional bonus is a great narrator, and a pretty impressive length that stays engaging. Add to that the fact that this is only the first in a trilogy, and I think you'll find it's a great deal.

Great book and worth listening to in audio format.

Read or listen to this, I personally only finish books I think are good. .

Best fantasy book i`ve listened to !

I`m happy to have discovered this new author,in the caliber of the best authors in fantasy(sword and sorcery). I find this series more mature in the writing,there is not much magic but i prefer a story somewhat realistic and the characters are all very engaging and close to reality in the middle ages,i also like the bit of humor. Really great story and narration!

Very entertaining fantasy that draws you in.

I found myself buying the entire series halfway through the 1st book and putting the other works in that universe on my wishlist. As of writing this review, I've almost finished the 3rd volume of Revelations and am still thoroughly enjoying it!

The entire cast is interesting and all characters have their own believable motivations. The story does not rely on typical fantasy staples to be interesting. Yes, there are dwarves (well, really there's one dwarf) and elves and magic, but they never feel like gimmicks.

The only thing I found a bit odd, was the suspense curve during the 3rd book. There is a definitive climax in the story and then the book just goes on, building up for another story line, that was previously merely hinted at. Repeated and ominous as those hints might have been. This creates a bit of a lull, until the party gets going again.

Overall, I would recommend this series to anyone who has enjoyed Eddings or Brooks.

Very Accessible Fantasy

I am not a fan of the fantasy genre, so I hesitated to listen to this book. But it came up on sale and I finally tried it.
Very enjoyable without all the (what I find) usual convoluted and difficult fantasy elements.
Good interesting characters with some twists and humor that I appreciated.
Tim Gerard Reynolds is a good narrator and I might continue with the series.

Very good writer

These guys are probably a take on Fafhord and Grey Mouser but its the style and humor that made me bust out laughing sometimes. We have horses too, they said. Oh I would love to see them but its dark he said. They replied No,No we need stables or something.
I wasn't expecting the humor there so it was even funnier. I'm not to deep in this book yet, 5 hrs or so, But love it so far.

Absolutely Outstanding!

Where does Theft of Swords rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A fantastic story that kept me gripped to the end. This is how fantasy is supposed to be written. Great narration too.

Perfect Narration, epic scope, fun romp

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hadrian. Part was the narration, but he seemed likable. Has his own problems, but not going to sit there and whine about it for 30 pages.

Any additional comments?

This trilogy (Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, Heir of Novron) seamlessly follows several main characters is a plausible (for a fantasy plot I guess) way. Too often, a plethora of characters tangle themselves when narrated aloud, and it's hard to keep the strands of story detangled. Not so here. The characters have depth, the dialogue is interesting, and the narrative limited to show more than tell. Although you might think you know where the plot is going... it keeps you guessing right up until the very end. Plenty to love.

The fight scenes were somewhat realistic, as much as possible I think, and not too long or complicated. When you're trying to form your own mental reel, it helps when the fight scenes are compact and vibrant.

On the narration... fabulous. All the characters had very distinct voices. As a side note, Reynolds does a fairly decent woman's voice. Although only one main character, and two very central characters, are female, I've found male narrators often give all women the same voice, are overly comical, or just end up with an annoying female voice.

Fantastic

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

Recommend to all

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both main characters. Never laughed so much at the interactions between two characters.

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

After the first hour of listening I forgot all about the reader, and just enjoyed the book. Great job

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Might be a bit long but other than that yes I would.

Any additional comments?