Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.
Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the old wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, just might do it.
Orbit | August 6, 2013 | 432 pages
My Thoughts
- The Crown Tower is the first novel in Michael J. Sullivan's newest series, the Riyria Chronicles. This new series is a prequel to Sullivan's fabulous Riyria Revelations books, and focuses on the early days of Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn's partnership. In this novel Hadrian and Royce are paired for the first time, charged with stealing a sought after treasure from the top floor of a seemingly unassailable tower. But Hadrian and Royce take an immediate dislike to one another, which puts the achievement of their quest in jeopardy.
- I absolutely love, love, love the characters and world Sullivan introduced in the Riyria Revelations, and was so excited when I heard that a prequel series was in the works. Of course, I was also a little bit anxious. Would I enjoy this new series as much as I did its predecessor, which is one of my all-time favourites? Almost from the opening pages of The Crown Tower I knew I had nothing to worry about, as this book is every bit as good as it predecessors.
- The best thing about The Crown Tower is its lead characters, Hadrian and Royce. I fell in love with both of them in the Riyria Revelations and I think their friendship is one of the best in the fantasy genre (or any genre for that matter). While the Riyria Revelations notes that Hadrian and Royce had a rough beginning, I loved being able to read about how and why they were brought together in the first place. I was also happy that Sullivan chose to showcase Gwen's, another great character from the Riyria Revelations, early years in Elan.
- Sullivan has created an interesting world - Elan - in this novel, and what I especially enjoy about his world-building is that it isn't overly complex. Some fantasy novels can get bogged down by world-building, but The Crown Tower certainly isn't one of them.
- As noted by Sullivan in his author's note, the Riyria Chronicles is free of spoilers for the Riyria Revelations. As a result, readers new to Sullivan's novels can start with either series knowing that information important to one series will not be revealed in the other.
- If you enjoy fantasy novels or fantastic storytelling no matter the genre, Sullivan's novels are a must read. If you're new to Sullivan's works The Crown Tower is a great place to start. If you're a fan of the Riyria Revelations The Crown Tower will not disappoint you.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Source: Purchased
