Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire #1)

Boring and predictable, wish I could get my money back. Stopped about 5 chapters in and wish I could get that time back too.

The first chapter is okay and sets it up for what could be a good story but I think the author ran out of talent after that. It just seemed to get more and more boring and pointless. Then he added the token lesbians and I knew it would be the same drivel that is peddled everywhere now.

They think we will like it more because they added a social hot topic but it just betrays their lack of imagination.

Age of Myth is a Tolkienesque fantasy novel. Set in a medieval type world, the Fhrey (elves) live as Gods. They use Rhune (humans) as slaves and to fight their wars. Humans and other species (goblins) are considered much the same as animals- filthy and incapable of advanced thought. The history of the world is murky but one thing is clear, the elves came clsoe to exterminating the Dherg (dwarves) in a previous war.

The book opens with Raithe, a human. After a series of accidents he kills a God. What occurs the rest of the book stems from this one incident.

This book has a rather unique writing style. The POV’s are rather shallow, and it is a plot driven story. That doesn’t mean that the characters are weak- much the opposite, but the POV does limit how easy it is to get into each characters head.

The other unique thing, is the use of comparisons and contrasts to drive home points. The book is riddled with them. Not on sentence scale, but on the chapter scale. I rate them as a ‘neutral’. Not good or bad, just different.

Positive:
+ World. While derivative, it is unique enough.
+ Tone. A level of suspense existed.
+ Some Characters (the mystic)

Neutral:
+/- Writing Style. Layers of mysteries and comparisons.
+/- Plot. I liked it at first, but it kinda devolved into a series of small scale conflicts.

Negatives:
– Characterization. The characters foundations are strong. But they weren’t built on. I really feel that the book used the wrong POV’s at different times in the book. By reordering, or seeing a certain scene from a different POV, the characterization would of been better. Deeper POV’s would have helped as well.

I love this book. I can’t wait for the next one.

If you love everything about Tolkien, but wish for something new, this book is for you.
If you loved the huge story in Wheel of Time, but despaired at the repeated phrases, and wished for better editing, this book is for you.
If you loved the story and characters in Game of Thrones, but thought the sex and violence was a bit overdone, this book is for you.

This book is about ordinary people stepping up to extraordinary challenges. It’s about reluctant heroes facing a crazy world with humor and resolve

If you love great story-telling, excellent writing, and superb editing, this book is for you. Enjoy.

Michael Sullivan is a well-established writer of fantasy fiction, but this is the first book of his that I have read. The book is the first in a prequel series that he calls the Legends of the First Empire. There is much to accomplish in the first volume of a fantasy series. The author not only has to introduce the characters and tell a compelling story, he or she must also establish the nature of the created world and any fantasy creatures. The burden is huge. By the end of this sweeping novel, our author has carried the burden well. The reader has a good understanding of the landscape, its features, its dangers, its beauties, and the general rules of the natural world. We have been introduced to heroes and villains, several different political systems, and several different classes of beings. We have learned much about the history of the different classes and their respective religions and myths. There is treachery, bravery, loyalty, magic, naivet, and suspense. This is not a short book, and it is jammed with people, action, and information. Sometimes keeping everything straight (especially confusing names) is tricky, but it all sorts out. There are some scenes of violence and torture that include disturbing images. It is a saga that ends with hints of secrets and the challenges that are still ahead for our characters. My only critical comment is that in a few instances the dialogue had a flippant and oddly anachronistic feel that seemed out of place. The distraction of that is easily ignored and it only appears in small portions in the beginning. There is no sex or romance to speak of and no language that would give offense. It was a Kindle deal and the reviews and preview convinced me to make the purchase. (Full purchase price is on the high side for a Kindle book.) It is likely that I will read the second book.

What a book! There was just something about it that really appealed to me, it gave me the feeling of anticipation that I rarely get these days, where I’m just dying to find out what happens next. I read the whole book in one day, I think that shows how good it was.

We have two main characters, Raithe and Persephone, both humans in what seems like fairly early bronze age technology tribes. We also have a few other POV’s, in particular Arion, a practitioner of the Art in Fhrey (Elvish) society, which I particularly liked. It’s set in the same world as the Riyria Revelations and Chronicles but thousands of years before. The Fhrey are considered gods by the humans and are starting to think it themselves, at least in certain parts of the society. As you might gather the focus of this book is how the humans are starting to become disabused of this notion and the consequences of this from both sides.

Like all the books of his I’ve read there’s nothing particularly earth shakingly new about the concepts here but there’s just something about the writing, about the dialogue and characterization that I really love. It could be because the author has already said that the books are basically already ‘written’ so I am always wondering at things, wondering if they are foreshadowing something, it is a great to experience. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who liked the Riyria books or who just loves a good old school, high fantasy adventure, you will not be disappointed!

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