The Riyria Revelations (Full Series Review)

Michael J. Sullivan was/is a self-published author who was so successful at his craft that a traditional publishing house (Orbit) bought up his books and re-issued them.  These six books were split into three omnibuses.  The Riyria Revelations tells a spectacular story that is instantly familiar and yet completely different.  In The Crown Conspiracy, the Reader is introduced to a duo of thieves—Royce Melbourn and Hadrian Blackwater—who are hired to steal a sword from an impenetrable fortress.  Little did they know that this action would set off a series of events that would change the course of the world.  Along the way they meet princesses, warlords, pirates, monks, magicians, and all sorts of colorful characters.

Indeed, characterization is but one of the strengths of the series.  Royce and Hadrian are complex characters, thieves of renown who are exceptional at what they do.  They each have a rich history that slowly comes to light over the course of the novels, and I can’t help but think that this is part of the meaning behind the series’ title.  The two are simultaneously funny and lethal.  Their banter is a joy to read, and their escapades are entertaining.

While character is vital to a good story, plot is integral.  Sullivan tells a matter-of-fact story, one that is not filled with flowery language nor is it devoid of life.  Each novel is a complete book in itself, satisfying to read without leaving the Reader too dependent upon cliffhangers, etc.  There is an over-arching story, of course, and I can’t imagine anyone reading any single book of this set without wanting to read the rest.  The books are quick reads and pacing is never slow.

World-building is top notch here.  Like Royce and Hadrian, the history of the world grows with each novel.  The old empire fell hundreds of years ago, and in its wake several independent kingdoms arose.  Imperialists look to rebuild the empire.  Nationalists seek democracy.  Royalists prefer a monarchy to rule over them.  These factions provide plenty of room for conflict, as do the religions that accompany the various peoples.

I’m trying to think of shortcomings but am failing.  Michael J. Sullivan’s books are tight stories with intense action and wonderful characters.  Tropes appear and disappear, sometimes subverted, sometimes not.  The conclusion is breathtaking and exciting.

Do I recommend The Riyria Revelations?  Let me put it this way.  I let my brother borrow the first volume.  He tore through it, and then when he found out that I didn’t (yet) have the second volume (Rise of Empire) he went out to buy it.  Instead he wound up with the third (Heir of Novron) because the bookstore was sold out of the second book.  I ordered Rise of Empire from Amazon and proceeded to read it.  Meanwhile my brother re-read The Crown Conspiracy.   He said he “liked it as much—or better—than Patrick Rothfuss.”  I gave him the second book and he’s since read each one of them multiple times.  That’s some rather high praise for Mr. Sullivan.  Praise that’s absolutely worthy. 

The Riyria Revelations are safe novels that I can recommend to any person with a passing interest in fantasy fiction.  They would be a great place to start for a fledgling reader into genre fiction, but they also are great for old salts, too.  I very much look forward to reading more of Michael J. Sullivan’s work. 

Josh Ritter Concert (The Mercy Lounge 6/27/2013)

I finally got around to seeing Josh Ritter in concert.  The few times he's came close enough I've had other things going on and have never been able to make it.  Last night, Mr. Ritter, along with the Royal City Band and the Milk Carton Kids, rolled in to Nashville.  Fate aligned and I found myself there.

Venue: The Mercy Lounge

Status: SRO, hot, front of the stage spot

Opening Band: Milk Carton Kids

Main Act: Josh Ritter

Time: 8:00pm

Having already witnessed the Americana sounds of the Milk Carton Kids twice before, I was very much looking forward to seeing the duo again last night.  Their new album came out a few months back, so they played several new songs.  Even more, they played plenty of tracks from their first two records.  Additionally their stage presence was more refined.  Witty banter.  Audience interaction.  The MCKs played just under an hour and quietly stepped aside for Josh Ritter to come up.  (I would have loved for them to have played a little longer, but alas...)

Josh sent out an email a few months ago giving some insight to his new album The Beast in Its Tracks.  Josh was going through a messy divorce with plenty of pain and anguish.  To anyone who's listened to it, it's obvious.  So I was expecting Josh to be a bit somber last night.  Instead, he burst onto the stage hopping around with one of the widest-most-genuine smiles I've ever seen on someone.  He was like a subdued Thom Yorke. 

An example of craziness. 

This energy was felt in the crowd.  Everyone on the stage looked like they were having a blast, dancing, singing, laughing.  I heard Josh yell to the bassist between verses of one song, "This is awesome."  And I think he meant it.  Being right in front of the stage, his charisma was infectious. Despite the heat and packed-like-sardines crowd, I had a blast.

Highlights?  The whole thing.  "Kathleen," one of my favorites, was played, and Josh let the crowd sing a chunk of it.  That was fun.  In "Wolves" Josh got down on the stage and howled, which was funny.  "The Temptation of Adam" was in the encore, which was awesome, cause I didn't expect to hear that one.  He sang "Galahad" and laughed through it.  His setlist was long, about an hour-and-a-half.  I got a pick from the stage (actually Leigha picked one up for me and one up for Dustin). 

Perhaps the best praise I can say is that of all the concerts I've been to (here), this would rank as one of the most fun.  I've been to some great shows, but being this close to the stage paired with the energy, wow.  An awesome show.

If you're not familiar with Josh Ritter (for shame), you can listen to some of his music here and here.

Calico Joe, a Review

 Calico Joe is a novel by John Grisham.  I had to keep flipping the book to the front cover to remind myself of that.  No matter how much truth is blended into the story, the fact remains that the book is a novel.  The book is probably one that I never would have picked up on my own, but my buddy Jordan purchased me a copy and gave it to me to read, lauding it as a good story.  Not wanting to put Jordan off for too long, I picked up the short book and started as soon as I finished what I had been reading.

Calico Joe is, on the surface, a story about baseball.  Joe Castle was an up-and-coming baseball star, shattering records and making fans all across the nation.  Paul Tracey, at eleven years old, was obsessed with the game.  His dad, Warren Tracey, was a pitcher for the New York Mets, and from an early age Paul loved the game.  But Warren was a lousy father, often drunk and abusive and critical of everything.  Paul loved his dad but hated him, and this is the true crux of the novel.

The book is formatted into a memoir style.  One chapter is present day, with an odd first-person-limited view being told in present tense action.  Paul is older now, married with children.  The next chapter is a flashback to mid-century America, past tense jarringly obvious.  This format works, though I did find its methodology peculiar.  Regardless, the presentation accomplishes the story Grisham is telling.

The action here is subdued, with a foreseeable climax and a lengthy denouement that’s entirely appropriate.  The mood is tragic—Paul’s childhood was terrible—but the Reader is never all-out distraught.  The story is remarkably simple, but it’s also very accessible.  Grisham tends to do this well, writing prose that hooks the Reader on.  (Maybe that’s why I read pretty much all of his novels in middle and high school?)

I enjoyed Calico Joe.  As I’ve already stated, it was a simple story, but its simplicity made it effective.  The book is especially recommended for folks with daddy issues, or also for people that like reading “coming of age” books.  Baseball fans will undoubtedly love Calico Joe, although I suspect that hardcore fanatics may jump at some of the liberties Grisham took.  Overall, Calico Joe is a quick read.  The book handles the familiar themes of love, forgiveness, and death reasonably well, making an impact as much as to be expected by a popular fiction author.  If you want a summer read that’s appropriate for all sorts of Americana, check out John Grisham’s Calico Joe.

Humble Orthodoxy, a Review

Humble Orthodoxy, by Joshua Harris, is a concise booklet.  It has only four chapters, spanning just 60 pages*.   However, with those 60 pages, Harris writes about a message absolutely relevant to Christians today, and that’s one concerning love.

Humble Orthodoxy is a follow-up book to Harris’ Dug Down Deep (reviewed here).  It’s practical and to the point.  In Chapter One, “Your Attitude Matters,” Harris lays the groundwork for why this book is important.  Too often, Christians are either too humble or too orthodox, and each camp is plagued with problems.  Harris writes,

“Christians need to have a strong commitment to sound doctrine.  We need to be courageous in our stand for biblical truth.  But we also need to be gracious in our words and interaction with other people.” (p. 3,4)

Harris takes no credit for the term humble orthodoxy, but his teaching on the topic is nevertheless powerful.  It’s refreshing that’s he’s candid, for he, too, has much room for improvement.

This book packs a punch.  My copy is filled with underlines and stars.  The message is humbling (intentional pun!) and challenging.  Harris makes his point, and at least to me, it’s one that I am trying hard to infiltrate in my life.  Pride is insidious.  It’s toxic.  It’s detrimental to the gospel and it’s keeping millions of people in sin.  I don’t want my life ruled by pride or by my own personal truths/agendas, and Joshua Harris’ Humble Orthodoxy is an excellent resource to help combat that.

I highly recommend Harris’ little book, Humble Orthodoxy.  It offers a message that each and every Christian needs to hear.  A message on humility is not a fun message, nor is one on orthodoxy, but they are messages that are still important.  I pray that God works in my heart to make it more aligned with His truth.  I want to have genuine love and compassion for each person I encounter in my life.  I want to also hold fast to the Truth that God has revealed.   

* There’s an additional study guide section in the back.

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FTC Thingy: This book was delivered on the wings of a three-winged Pegasus, festooned with spring rolls and lucky Vegas dice.  It also was delivered free of charge in exchange for my honest (to goodness) review.  I was not obligated to review this book positively, nor was I obligated to feed the Pegasus my last Oreo cookie, either, though I did manage to do both.

Red Country, a Review

Shy South is a foul-mouthed piece of barbed wire layered thick over a sandpapered-yet-beating heart.  Her life consists mostly of tending her farm, along with her step-dad (Lamb), her two siblings, and a ranch hand.  When she and Lamb return from a trip to town to find their farm burnt to the ground, the ranch hand hanged, and the children missing, Shy’s life changes.

Temple is a man of many professions, most recently employed as a lawyer to a gang of ruthless mercenaries.  Temple always takes the easy road in life, no matter the cost.  But the years of this taking the easy road are catching up with Temple, and sooner or later something will have to give.

Red Country is Joe Abercrombie’s sixth book in the world of The First Law.  Years have passed since the original trilogy.  The Union is ever growing, expanding to the prairies and empty lands of the Near Country and the Far Country.  Dark skinned Ghosts attack with the wind, quick and sneaky, eager to cut the ears off of trespassers on their lands.  Through this wild and untamed country Shy follows a trail, stopping at nothing to get back her brother and sister.

I find it interesting that Abercrombie, a master of trope subversion, falls back on a rather clichéd incident for Red Country.  A burning farm.  Kidnapped children.  This is nothing original to the Western genre.  Nevertheless, taking these tropes and placing them in the blurred fantasy world Abercrombie does yield some entertaining reading, albeit flawed.

It seems like many people enjoy Abercrombie’s gritty Realism feel.  I like that style to a degree, but this is not the predominant reason I like his books.  Indeed, this was what I rather disliked with Best Served Cold.  Abercrombie writes characters who are amoral and wretched, often portrayed with little-to-no redeeming qualities.  Altruism does not exist in his world.  Because of this, the reading is often heavy and bleak.  What I like about Abercombie’s world is his worldbuilding.  The history is mysterious and deep.  The magic is barely there, but enough to keep me intrigued.  I’m okay with shady characters, but I really connect with the worldbuilding.

Red Country is a Western and it’s a Fantasy.  I’ve been a fan of Westerns for a good portion of my life (at least through film).  I like the slow pacing of a Western, the simplicity of the plot, the landscapes and colors.  Red Country was slow (almost too slow, honestly) when it needed to be, but the action was intense whenever presented.  Abercrombie did a wonderful job of painting the untamed countryside.  He even did a great job blending this genre into his already developed universe.

So after all of this, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed with Red Country.  In some ways it was anticlimactic, as if Abercrombie matter-of-factly orchestrates events for these characters with little fanfare.  I was also somewhat underwhelmed with Shy.  It felt like she was reluctant to open up to even herself, and throughout her POV chapters I often felt as a viewer.  Temple, on the other hand, was engaging and much more interesting.

Despite some disappointment, I still very much enjoyed Red Country.  It improved upon the bleak, violence that Best Served Cold (my review here) offered.  It also had a more interesting plot than The Heroes (my review here), even if the action was less intense.  All in all, Joe Abercrombie knows how to craft an entertaining story.  More importantly, he knows how to keep me interested enough to read more of his works.  I can only hope to get a little more information about the Fantasy side of his universe with future books.  Give me some magic.  Just a little bit.  And stop making everything so bleak.  Red Country probably isn’t for everyone (especially people that despise Westerns), but it is a worthy addition to Abercrombie’s growing catalog.