Michael J. Sullivan is the best selling author of the Riyria Revelations and the Legends of the First Empire series. Michael is by no means an under the radar author nor are any of his works as he has thousands of fans across the world, myself included. I consider Michael in the top ten of epic fantasy authors today and in my personal top five favorite authors of all time. The reason I am writing this early review of Nolyn is to give fans a taste of what you should expect next year when Nolyn is released and boy are you all in for a treat!
I am honored to be a beta-reader for this book and Michael hits it out of the park! This will be a spoiler free review and I will keep the descriptions vague as to not spoil anything for brand new readers to the series. This novel takes place between Michael’s First Empire series and his Riyria novels, but do not let that deter any new readers. Anybody can pick up this book with essentially zero background and not be lost, but there are plenty of Easter eggs for long time fans! The world is as rich as ever with more of an emphasis on history and lore than in Michaels previous novels. Nolyn is the culmination of everything that was built upon in the Legends series and how certain things have evolved, while others have been forgotten or lost through the centuries.
The story follows several characters, but primarily Nolyn and how he is dealing with the Goblin Wars and the conflicts created from it. He is a military leader ambushed by the Goblins and he has to make it back to the capital with his company before it is too late and the invading Goblin horde destroy everything. Characters are written exceptionally well, as has come to be expected from Michael. The real joy for me in this book is the number of surprises, twists, and revelations that are jam packed in Nolyn. I can’t remember another book written by Michael where I was on the edge of my seat for an extended period of time, especially during the second half of the novel.
Please keep in mind that some portions of the novel will be changed on edits, but that just means Michael will make Nolyn that much better for his fans. I couldn’t put this book down and neither will you! Long time fans, like myself, will adore Nolyn as well as waiting on pins and needles for the entire trilogy to be finished. I can’t wait you everyone to experience the joy of reading Nolyn as I and asking Michael about the rest of the series!
Here’s to you Michael, job well done!
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 