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willrefuge's review against another edition
5.0
4.4 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/age-of-empyre-by-michael-j-sullivan-review/
Spoilers for the previous Legends of the First Empire through Age of Death.
“You’re taller than I remember.”
“I grew up.”
He made a disapproving sound in his throat. “You should try to avoid that in the future.”
“Well, I’m dead, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.”
The epic conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire does not disappoint! While I was torn on the first three (I threw TWO at the wall, and took a month to read the third), the next two absolutely wowed me. The third does a great job of concluding the overarching story of the war between the Rhunes and the Fhrey, and the establishment of the First Empire. Just keep in mind that it’s called the Legends of the First Empire for a reason; the events within occurred so long ago (3000 years, I think) that they’ve become, well, legends. Though I certainly knew what to expect in general (it IS a prequel to Riyria, obviously, so it can’t be too much of a surprise for any veterans of those books), Empyre does provide a few twists and turns, along with some events that actually took me by surprise. It’s like the legend of King Arthur or Robin Hood that often changes in each telling. The broad strokes may be the same—but legends in the making can be quite different than how they turn out on the page.
With over half our cast still dead, the living fight so that those gone may yet have a world to return to. But the war has taken its toll. Dissent and hopelessness are on the rise on both sides of the conflict. Currently on the losing side, the Fhrey have paid an unbelievable price to gain the upper hand. But even as humanity prepares to retreat, the price proves too high for some in the Fhrey, and a desperate gamble is taken. A gamble that relies on two artists, a certain prince, and a mission that was doomed from the start. But with Brin and the other yet to escape the afterlife, all hope may’ve well and truly died (ha).
But there’s a twist. Tressa—as it will surprise no one—has been lying. And when the objective of their quest changes yet again, our heroes may yet have a hope of completing their mission. All they have to do is find their way back to life.
I tried to keep the blurb as vague as possible here. Being a six-book series (or “hexalogy”), there’s no telling where anyone will be now. And be it book four, book two, done for some months, not yet begun, not yet interested in beginning, or anywhere in-between—I don’t want to exclude anyone. That being said, there are definitely some spoilers, so if you’ve read this far… you’ve already noticed a few.
Having read the Riyria, I knew generally what to expect, though Sullivan does point out that these are LEGENDS. Like the stories of King Arthur, Beowulf, or Robin Hood. Something that has well before faded from memory and become legend. To this end, I’ve seen a few reviewers complaining that it’s different than what Riyria led them to believe. There’s bound to be some change in the story just from each telling. Sullivan does justify this further within, but I’ll leave it here. But as a side note, there are others that expected each character to have their own proper ending. This doesn’t happen. And in general, it didn’t bother me. The story wraps up the war and the establishment of the First Empire nicely. While I would’ve liked an afterward to glimpse just what what everyone got up to post-hexalogy—it really isn’t necessary. The conclusion is satisfying how it is. And that’s enough.
The main thing that annoyed me in Empyre was that Brin is credited with inventing writing. Technically it’s said before now, but Empyre refers to it a lot. Seeing as how she copied the writing from some ancient tablets she found in the Agave (in Age of Swords)—she didn’t invent it. Honestly, this probably wouldn’t’ve annoyed me so much, but Sullivan again tries to justify that it’s HER invention, even saying repeatedly (even after we find out who MADE the tablets from the Agave) that Brin had invented them. Even after the writing is noticed on the Horn of Gylindora, which predates Brin by millennia, the author still attempts to give her credit through a conversation with the Fhrey the Horn belonged to, in the land of the dead.
“To most, it looks like a battered ram’s horn. But it has markings on it.”
“Writing?”
The Fhrey nodded. “No one knows that—not yet. Right now, everyone thinks they’re just decorative markings. Some might even speculate they’re magic runes like the Orinfar. But in fact, they are words—words you can read.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because you invented the language they’re written in.”
So… his argument here is what—time travel? I don’t understand how—or why—Sullivan keeps trying to justify this. It doesn’t make any sense! Brin’s a badass anyway, she doesn’t need this extra bit. Rediscovering a lost writing system is just as impressive as inventing a new one, at least in my opinion. This is just another invention (e.g. the bow, wheels, pockets, etc) he tries to claim over the course of the series, a trend which I (very) quickly tired of.
As usual, the language is common, relaxed, not trying to reinvent anything, nor replicate that of olde. Therefore it’s quite easy to read, and quickly. I’ve always loved how well Sullivan blends action, excitement, and humor, which paves the way for quite a few memorable quotes.
“You can’t fight all of them,” Maya told him.
“Of course I can. I’m a Galantian. I’m not guaranteeing I’ll win, but I’ll try.”
“All by yourself?”
“What’re you talking about? You’ll help. And I have the Great Rain with me, and he’s got that sweet new sword.”
Rain looked like he might be sick.
The worldbuilding is as impressive as ever—particularly so considering we’re on the sixth book of the third series set on Elan (the SIXTEENTH book overall). While the First Empire is a prequel series, much of the land is undeveloped, but still memorable, though Sullivan doesn’t take quite as much pains as previous books to paint us a lovely word-picture. Of Elan, at least. The underworld, however, was easy to picture, and even sent my imagination running through its description. The characters—as usual—are amazing. Tesh, Brin, Moya, Gifford, Roan, Rain, Tekchin, Nyphron, Persephone, Suri, Mawyndulë, Imaly and even more have been fleshed out by this point. Any one of these characters probably could’ve carried the story on their own, but instead all of them meld together to create a truly epic narrative. There are even a few surprise appearances within that help the tale along. Not that it needs any help, mind.
TL;DR
An epic conclusion befitting of an epic series: Age of Empyre tells the story it sets out to and more, concluding the Legends of the First Empire in a blaze of action, adventure, and flair. While it may not appear exactly as you imagined it from the Riyria days, this hexalogy bears the title “Legends” for a reason. The plot alone provides more than enough justification to read this one—with so many threads converging at this point, it’s an epic conclusion to be sure! Meanwhile the worldbuilding and characters continue to wow, with each detail better than the last. A few hiccups remain—the group ending didn’t really appeal to me the way a personal one would’ve; and one of the story’s key points seriously tries to pitch time-travel as a justification. But, as with the latter half of the hexalogy, the pros well outweigh the cons. Plus, let’s face it—if you’ve gotten this far into Legends of the First Empire—are you really going to skip the final book? Really? Yeah, uh huh.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/age-of-empyre-by-michael-j-sullivan-review/
Spoilers for the previous Legends of the First Empire through Age of Death.
“You’re taller than I remember.”
“I grew up.”
He made a disapproving sound in his throat. “You should try to avoid that in the future.”
“Well, I’m dead, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.”
The epic conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire does not disappoint! While I was torn on the first three (I threw TWO at the wall, and took a month to read the third), the next two absolutely wowed me. The third does a great job of concluding the overarching story of the war between the Rhunes and the Fhrey, and the establishment of the First Empire. Just keep in mind that it’s called the Legends of the First Empire for a reason; the events within occurred so long ago (3000 years, I think) that they’ve become, well, legends. Though I certainly knew what to expect in general (it IS a prequel to Riyria, obviously, so it can’t be too much of a surprise for any veterans of those books), Empyre does provide a few twists and turns, along with some events that actually took me by surprise. It’s like the legend of King Arthur or Robin Hood that often changes in each telling. The broad strokes may be the same—but legends in the making can be quite different than how they turn out on the page.
With over half our cast still dead, the living fight so that those gone may yet have a world to return to. But the war has taken its toll. Dissent and hopelessness are on the rise on both sides of the conflict. Currently on the losing side, the Fhrey have paid an unbelievable price to gain the upper hand. But even as humanity prepares to retreat, the price proves too high for some in the Fhrey, and a desperate gamble is taken. A gamble that relies on two artists, a certain prince, and a mission that was doomed from the start. But with Brin and the other yet to escape the afterlife, all hope may’ve well and truly died (ha).
But there’s a twist. Tressa—as it will surprise no one—has been lying. And when the objective of their quest changes yet again, our heroes may yet have a hope of completing their mission. All they have to do is find their way back to life.
I tried to keep the blurb as vague as possible here. Being a six-book series (or “hexalogy”), there’s no telling where anyone will be now. And be it book four, book two, done for some months, not yet begun, not yet interested in beginning, or anywhere in-between—I don’t want to exclude anyone. That being said, there are definitely some spoilers, so if you’ve read this far… you’ve already noticed a few.
Having read the Riyria, I knew generally what to expect, though Sullivan does point out that these are LEGENDS. Like the stories of King Arthur, Beowulf, or Robin Hood. Something that has well before faded from memory and become legend. To this end, I’ve seen a few reviewers complaining that it’s different than what Riyria led them to believe. There’s bound to be some change in the story just from each telling. Sullivan does justify this further within, but I’ll leave it here. But as a side note, there are others that expected each character to have their own proper ending. This doesn’t happen. And in general, it didn’t bother me. The story wraps up the war and the establishment of the First Empire nicely. While I would’ve liked an afterward to glimpse just what what everyone got up to post-hexalogy—it really isn’t necessary. The conclusion is satisfying how it is. And that’s enough.
The main thing that annoyed me in Empyre was that Brin is credited with inventing writing. Technically it’s said before now, but Empyre refers to it a lot. Seeing as how she copied the writing from some ancient tablets she found in the Agave (in Age of Swords)—she didn’t invent it. Honestly, this probably wouldn’t’ve annoyed me so much, but Sullivan again tries to justify that it’s HER invention, even saying repeatedly (even after we find out who MADE the tablets from the Agave) that Brin had invented them. Even after the writing is noticed on the Horn of Gylindora, which predates Brin by millennia, the author still attempts to give her credit through a conversation with the Fhrey the Horn belonged to, in the land of the dead.
“To most, it looks like a battered ram’s horn. But it has markings on it.”
“Writing?”
The Fhrey nodded. “No one knows that—not yet. Right now, everyone thinks they’re just decorative markings. Some might even speculate they’re magic runes like the Orinfar. But in fact, they are words—words you can read.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because you invented the language they’re written in.”
So… his argument here is what—time travel? I don’t understand how—or why—Sullivan keeps trying to justify this. It doesn’t make any sense! Brin’s a badass anyway, she doesn’t need this extra bit. Rediscovering a lost writing system is just as impressive as inventing a new one, at least in my opinion. This is just another invention (e.g. the bow, wheels, pockets, etc) he tries to claim over the course of the series, a trend which I (very) quickly tired of.
As usual, the language is common, relaxed, not trying to reinvent anything, nor replicate that of olde. Therefore it’s quite easy to read, and quickly. I’ve always loved how well Sullivan blends action, excitement, and humor, which paves the way for quite a few memorable quotes.
“You can’t fight all of them,” Maya told him.
“Of course I can. I’m a Galantian. I’m not guaranteeing I’ll win, but I’ll try.”
“All by yourself?”
“What’re you talking about? You’ll help. And I have the Great Rain with me, and he’s got that sweet new sword.”
Rain looked like he might be sick.
The worldbuilding is as impressive as ever—particularly so considering we’re on the sixth book of the third series set on Elan (the SIXTEENTH book overall). While the First Empire is a prequel series, much of the land is undeveloped, but still memorable, though Sullivan doesn’t take quite as much pains as previous books to paint us a lovely word-picture. Of Elan, at least. The underworld, however, was easy to picture, and even sent my imagination running through its description. The characters—as usual—are amazing. Tesh, Brin, Moya, Gifford, Roan, Rain, Tekchin, Nyphron, Persephone, Suri, Mawyndulë, Imaly and even more have been fleshed out by this point. Any one of these characters probably could’ve carried the story on their own, but instead all of them meld together to create a truly epic narrative. There are even a few surprise appearances within that help the tale along. Not that it needs any help, mind.
TL;DR
An epic conclusion befitting of an epic series: Age of Empyre tells the story it sets out to and more, concluding the Legends of the First Empire in a blaze of action, adventure, and flair. While it may not appear exactly as you imagined it from the Riyria days, this hexalogy bears the title “Legends” for a reason. The plot alone provides more than enough justification to read this one—with so many threads converging at this point, it’s an epic conclusion to be sure! Meanwhile the worldbuilding and characters continue to wow, with each detail better than the last. A few hiccups remain—the group ending didn’t really appeal to me the way a personal one would’ve; and one of the story’s key points seriously tries to pitch time-travel as a justification. But, as with the latter half of the hexalogy, the pros well outweigh the cons. Plus, let’s face it—if you’ve gotten this far into Legends of the First Empire—are you really going to skip the final book? Really? Yeah, uh huh.
nova121's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
oberonmallory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
marvelruinedmyspirit's review against another edition
3.0
I had a few problems with this series as a whole which I'll summarize in this review, but before then quickly, I felt like this last book's ending was a bit lacking. On the one hand I absolutely loved the very last scene between Turin and Muriel and I did tear up when Turin and Persephone were talking about Royce (and I think Modina?) and when he says that he has to hope that no one is beyond redemption . On the other hand there were other parts of the series which were barely touched upon, and characters (including pov characters) about whom not even a line is written. On the whole I felt that Riyria wrapped up better.
As for the series, while I liked learning about the mythology as opposed to the transformed story we hear about in Riyria, I think that I would have been content with the legends of Novron and Persephone, because the real story wasn't super compelling (and given the fact that i still can't understand Raithe's appeal... this romance was a bummer ). As for the rest of the cast, while they all had their moments, they stayed in the afterlife too long , at one point I stopped caring.
As for the series, while I liked learning about the mythology as opposed to the transformed story we hear about in Riyria, I think that I would have been content with the legends of Novron and Persephone, because the real story wasn't super compelling (
chlcrc617's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vespertillio's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
sarahdm's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
TL;DR
There was a moment about half way through the book when I realized that the main theme of the series was capital "F" Forgiveness. And it completely soured everything for me. On top of that, there was a complete lack of suspense in this book thanks to a certain character being just a little too involved. This book is still really good, but this is by far the weakest book in the entire Empire series in my personal opinion.
The Forgiven
In the bottom of the Abyss a person is weighed down by anger, regrets, and other emotions of the like that they have gathered from being alive. The team realizes that they need to let go of their burdens to be able to escape the Abyss. And so Roan forgives Iver. Iver who owned Roan and her mother Reanna as slaves and abused them, resulting in Iver killing Reanna. Which resulted in Roan killing Iver. She FORGIVES her ABUSER. An abuser which has been implied to have sexually abused Rowan and/or Reanna. While I don't think this implication is actually intentional by Mr. Sullivan as it is not TEXTUAL but SUB-TEXTUAL, it is still there. And I did ask another person if I was delusional about this subtext, but no they also picked up on the subtext. Even without the sexual assault subtext, this book is still saying that the only way to save your soul from turning into wallowing ooze at the bottom of the abyss is to forgive your abusers. This is ABSOLUTE horse shit.
Then of course there is Tesh. Who is told he needs to forgive the genocidal murderers who wiped out his entire culture and clan. "Let go of your JUSTIFIED anger! Its shackling you down," the book says! Forgive them because one of them ended up being a decent person who didn't see the humans as wild brainless animals. Absolutely wild.
And finally, the grand daddy of all assholes, Turin. Who is manipulating this entire plot of the war so that he can get forgive then from his family. Just doing more shitty things to try and redeem himself and gain forgiveness that he just does not deserve.
So yeah. Forgiveness is a big fucking theme. Forgiveness for people who just don't fucking deserve it. There was a moment where one of Turin's sisters says that she isn't angry at Turin anymore and she let go of her anger because it was useless, pointless, and just wasn't doing her any good. And I don't think she says that she forgives him. Which I can 100% get behind. Yeah, let a guy redeem himself, maybe even let go of your anger for the past, but don't forgive them unless they deserve it. I like this idea of a theme WAY more.
Blind forgiveness just rubbed me the wrong way. It reminded me of sitting in church camp and pastors telling 10-12 year old girls that they needed to forgive their rapists. This last book really smacks of biblical forgiveness: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” And I'll be honest with you guys, that scene with Roan forgiving Iver and kissing him, it was triggering.
Mr. Sullivan has spoken about his experience with faith. Quote: "I was raised Catholic, but I spent a good portion of my life on a search for my own beliefs, and in so doing, I've borrowed a bit from many religions and philosophies. I do believe that people are basically good, and when we make mistakes we should try to redeem ourselves." Even if Mr. Sullivan is departed from Catholicism, its very obvious that his writing is influenced by it. I mean this book and the last one are inspired by Catholic fanon (Dante's Inferno). I mean, fuck, there are even 3 sections of the after life: Purgatory, Hell, Heaven vs Rel, Nifrel, and Alysin. The more I look the more I see it everywhere in this book. To say that this book is not influenced by biblical forgiveness is moronic. So I better not get comments saying I am bring up faith for no reason.
Look, I have personal beef with faith. I don't like the idea of forgiveness for the sake of spiritual salvation. It just pisses me off. I wouldn't have minded the theme of forgiveness if it was handled in a better way. Especially on Roan's part. When she grabbed Gifford's sword I was ready for some feminine rage. I loved when Tekchin saves Tesh. Tekchin could have asked Tesh for forgiven and then Tesh could have let go of his anger. Turin, well he is a work in progress, maybe I'll have a different opinion of him latter on.
The Suspense Problem
I think finding out that Turin has planned everything from the state and its all going to go his way really took the suspense out of his book. I think its most felt in the fight between Nyphron and Mawyndule. The reader already knew that Nyphron was going to win and spare Mawyndule because Turin already told us that's how it was going to happen. I think this could have been easily fixed if we saw Turin's plans fail and him really stressing out about everything thing a little more. I mean, his forgiveness and redemption is on the line here, bro should have been stressed. And Turin kept SAYING that things could go wrong but I feel like we just really didn't see it or not enough of it go wrong to really believe him and continue to have suspense. Apparently in the other books he has less control on the narrative situation so maybe this isn't a problem outside this book.
Some Positives
This book and the Empire series as a whole still absolutely rocks. I LOVED the scene with the dragons. I was literally kicking my feet and squealing. I loved Brin and Suri in this book so so much. Honestly, was super invested in all the stuff happening with the elves. I think if you are this far in the series you are gonna love this book no matter what.
Really looking forward to The Rise and Fall series next!
There was a moment about half way through the book when I realized that the main theme of the series was capital "F" Forgiveness. And it completely soured everything for me. On top of that, there was a complete lack of suspense in this book thanks to a certain character being just a little too involved. This book is still really good, but this is by far the weakest book in the entire Empire series in my personal opinion.
The Forgiven
In the bottom of the Abyss a person is weighed down by anger, regrets, and other emotions of the like that they have gathered from being alive. The team realizes that they need to let go of their burdens to be able to escape the Abyss. And so Roan forgives Iver. Iver who owned Roan and her mother Reanna as slaves and abused them, resulting in Iver killing Reanna. Which resulted in Roan killing Iver. She FORGIVES her ABUSER. An abuser which has been implied to have sexually abused Rowan and/or Reanna. While I don't think this implication is actually intentional by Mr. Sullivan as it is not TEXTUAL but SUB-TEXTUAL, it is still there. And I did ask another person if I was delusional about this subtext, but no they also picked up on the subtext. Even without the sexual assault subtext, this book is still saying that the only way to save your soul from turning into wallowing ooze at the bottom of the abyss is to forgive your abusers. This is ABSOLUTE horse shit.
Then of course there is Tesh. Who is told he needs to forgive the genocidal murderers who wiped out his entire culture and clan. "Let go of your JUSTIFIED anger! Its shackling you down," the book says! Forgive them because one of them ended up being a decent person who didn't see the humans as wild brainless animals. Absolutely wild.
And finally, the grand daddy of all assholes, Turin. Who is manipulating this entire plot of the war so that he can get forgive then from his family. Just doing more shitty things to try and redeem himself and gain forgiveness that he just does not deserve.
So yeah. Forgiveness is a big fucking theme. Forgiveness for people who just don't fucking deserve it. There was a moment where one of Turin's sisters says that she isn't angry at Turin anymore and she let go of her anger because it was useless, pointless, and just wasn't doing her any good. And I don't think she says that she forgives him. Which I can 100% get behind. Yeah, let a guy redeem himself, maybe even let go of your anger for the past, but don't forgive them unless they deserve it. I like this idea of a theme WAY more.
Blind forgiveness just rubbed me the wrong way. It reminded me of sitting in church camp and pastors telling 10-12 year old girls that they needed to forgive their rapists. This last book really smacks of biblical forgiveness: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” And I'll be honest with you guys, that scene with Roan forgiving Iver and kissing him, it was triggering.
Mr. Sullivan has spoken about his experience with faith. Quote: "I was raised Catholic, but I spent a good portion of my life on a search for my own beliefs, and in so doing, I've borrowed a bit from many religions and philosophies. I do believe that people are basically good, and when we make mistakes we should try to redeem ourselves." Even if Mr. Sullivan is departed from Catholicism, its very obvious that his writing is influenced by it. I mean this book and the last one are inspired by Catholic fanon (Dante's Inferno). I mean, fuck, there are even 3 sections of the after life: Purgatory, Hell, Heaven vs Rel, Nifrel, and Alysin. The more I look the more I see it everywhere in this book. To say that this book is not influenced by biblical forgiveness is moronic. So I better not get comments saying I am bring up faith for no reason.
Look, I have personal beef with faith. I don't like the idea of forgiveness for the sake of spiritual salvation. It just pisses me off. I wouldn't have minded the theme of forgiveness if it was handled in a better way. Especially on Roan's part. When she grabbed Gifford's sword I was ready for some feminine rage. I loved when Tekchin saves Tesh. Tekchin could have asked Tesh for forgiven and then Tesh could have let go of his anger. Turin, well he is a work in progress, maybe I'll have a different opinion of him latter on.
The Suspense Problem
I think finding out that Turin has planned everything from the state and its all going to go his way really took the suspense out of his book. I think its most felt in the fight between Nyphron and Mawyndule. The reader already knew that Nyphron was going to win and spare Mawyndule because Turin already told us that's how it was going to happen. I think this could have been easily fixed if we saw Turin's plans fail and him really stressing out about everything thing a little more. I mean, his forgiveness and redemption is on the line here, bro should have been stressed. And Turin kept SAYING that things could go wrong but I feel like we just really didn't see it or not enough of it go wrong to really believe him and continue to have suspense. Apparently in the other books he has less control on the narrative situation so maybe this isn't a problem outside this book.
Some Positives
This book and the Empire series as a whole still absolutely rocks. I LOVED the scene with the dragons. I was literally kicking my feet and squealing. I loved Brin and Suri in this book so so much. Honestly, was super invested in all the stuff happening with the elves. I think if you are this far in the series you are gonna love this book no matter what.
Really looking forward to The Rise and Fall series next!
lex24's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5