Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations, #1)

by Michael J. Sullivan

THEY KILLED THE KING.
THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN.
THEY MADE A BAD DECISION . . .

Royce Melborn is a superb thief; his partner, Hadrian Blackwater is a skilled mercenary. Together they make a profitable living as agents-for-hire to wealthy nobles until someone sets them up to take the blame for the murder of the king.

Captured and sentenced to death the two are saved by an unlikely woman with a simple demand that will change the lives of the thieves, the course of a kingdom and the foundation of an empire.

'This epic fantasy showcases the arrival of a master storyteller' Library Journal

The Riyria Revelations
THEFT OF SWORDS
RISE OF EMPIRE
HEIR OF NOVRON

The Riyria Chronicles
THE CROWN TOWER
THE ROSE AND THE THORN

• ISBN10: 1306766028
• ISBN13: 9781306766029
• Publish Date: 1 January 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 19 May 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

5 stars for the first book, 4 for the second.

[charlton]

I liked this book,it was entertaining to read.The two main characters are best of friends but they were thieves.And this probably did add to the joy I had reading it.They would take any job for pay.

I've read several books about heroes,but these guys were straight up thieves.But who knows by the end of the series they may be heroes.

[empressbrooke]

I don't typically re-read many books these days - there are just far too many that I want to read to spend much time reading ones I've already crossed off my 'to read' list. However, having just contributed to Michael J. Sullivan's newest Kickstarter campaign for the next Hadrian and Royce book, I figured I ought to make it through the rest of the series that I already own before getting a copy of the new one.

Theft of Swords is an omnibus that contains both [b:The Crown Conspiracy|4345290|The Crown Conspiracy (The Riyria Revelations, #1)|Michael J. Sullivan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1313141264s/4345290.jpg|21574260] and [b:Avempartha|6342483|Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations, #2)|Michael J. Sullivan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388601360s/6342483.jpg|5104916], which are the only two I'd read already. They were just as much fun the second time around as they were the first time - almost even more fun this time because I was filling in all the little details I'd forgotten. I'm definitely glad that I did re-read, because I'd forgotten a ton of things that will clearly have major importance down the line. I couldn't wait to finish this so I could move onto the part of the series I hadn't yet read.

[wyvernfriend]

I really, really enjoyed this story of a pair of thieves who take on a job that lands them in hot water. They're set up as being the murderers of a king in a kingdom and they have to work out a way of getting away from the death penalty. Meanwhile they get caught up in a more complicated plot for the future of the area.
I loved the two main characters, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, they're so much fun to read about, they banter and behave like two people who have been working together for so long that they can almost predict what the other will do. I really want to read more about these characters. There were moments when I had to re-read to find who was where and doing what but overall things flowed well and I was very much sucked into the story, ploughing through it quite quickly.

I would recommend it.

[Lianne]

Just finished the first installment to the series and I highly enjoyed it! There's adventure, mystery and politicking, all of which are accessible and entertaining to read. I especially enjoyed the dyanmic between the main characters Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater. Looking forward to reading the other two installments to the series! You could read my full review of the book on my blog: http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=3699