Now releasing The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
Nathan Lowell lends his narration talents to fellow Ridan author Michael J. Sullivan. Check out the serialized audiobook version of The Crown Conspiracy. It’s the first book in a print-series that’s already five books deep:
They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.
There’s no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to kill the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out…and so begins this tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.
The Crown Conspiracy is book one of the six-book saga: The Riyria Revelations. Eschewing recent trends toward the lengthy, gritty, and dark, the Riyria Revelations is a return to traditional fantasy combining great characters, humor, and drama in appropriate measures. The series is told through six novels each a separate episode in a single epic tale . Across the entire chronicle, mysteries build, characters evolve, and plots thicken, but each is a self-contained story that can be enjoyed in its own right.
July 12th, 2010 at 12:30 am
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July 12th, 2010 at 8:58 am
I just wanted to thank Nathan for his wonderful reading. He really brings a whole new dimension to a story that I’ve loved for so long now (but of course I’m biased). We could not have asked for a better “voice” to Riyria then his.
Thank you Nate!
July 12th, 2010 at 9:15 am
This has been a great project for me to work on. I love how it starts out simple and gets more complex as the story goes along.
It’s a classic swash and buckle and I’m looking forward to moving on to Avempartha — after Owner’s Share, of course
July 13th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I really enjoyed the first chapter and am looking forward to more. Your use of language is outstanding and really seems to fit Nathan’s reading style well. This is sure to become one of the podiobooks I consume with ravenous zeal.
July 13th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Hey James, really glad you liked it and are looking forward to more. As for “fitting Nathan’s voice” – He is a master of audio and I truly think he can make anything sound better. As an author its a fantastic feeling to see something you’ve created brought to another level because of talented colaboration. I couldn’t be more happy with Nathan’s contributions.
July 13th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
A most excellent start. I look forward to hearing more of the adventures of these 2 rogues.
Great work!
July 13th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
David glad to hear you tune in. Royce and Hadrian are fun to write about. Crown Conspiracy is meant to be just a fun paced little romp to introduce them – If you stay with the series you’ll learn a lot more about their background and how they came to be a team etc. Hope you stay tuned.
July 14th, 2010 at 10:10 am
David, Glad you’re enjoying it – this has been a fun series to write and hopefully you’ll be along for the other stories as well. I’m working on Wintertide (Book #5) now.
July 15th, 2010 at 3:57 am
James,
Thanks for the kind words I so agree about Nathan’s style I think he brings a whole new dimension to the story. Although I do think that I could find sit and listen to Nathan read the phone book aloud – I’m sure he could make it sound interesting.
July 15th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
My first fantasy book and I am truly enjoying their adventures! I hope to have the priviledge of the entire series narrated to me. Will Avempartha become available upon completion of The Crown Conspiracy?
July 15th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
That’s the plan, Matt.
Avempartha is in my queue, and will probably show up at Podiobooks this winter.
July 16th, 2010 at 4:02 am
Sorry about the double posts – I posted…but they didn’t show up then I posted again …. then they all showed up.
July 16th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Hi Michael – Nathan’s narration brought me to your book but the story is wonderful so far! I’m enjoying every minute and will seek out the rest in print. I love the audio best but have such a hard time waiting to continue when the story’s good! Thanks so much for sharing with us.
Joan
July 17th, 2010 at 9:23 am
I just wanted to say that I’ve been with this story for five episodes so far and can recommend it whole-heartedly! The suspense and intrigue(s) kicked in right at the beginning and the plot development has added yet extra sauce and spice with every new twist in the story. I can’t wait for more. My hat is off to Michael Sullivan for this fine tale. And allow me also to give a bow of appreciation to Nathan Lowell for his sterling narration in this podcast.
July 17th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Thanks Ignatz. Very glad to see you are enjoying it. This is a great venue for me as I’m able to connect more directly with people. Here’s to hoping you like the last 1/2 as well as the first.
July 21st, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Loved the book so much I went and bought it and the next one in the series as ebooks.
Loved the characters, the plot and the humor. This is fantasy literature at it’s best. (It goes without saying that I loved Nathan’s narration in the podiobook.)
July 22nd, 2010 at 8:04 am
Hey Ellipsis,
Thanks for the kind words and the support of buying the books. It’s been a lot of fun writing the series (which is winding down now with the last 2 books in editing.
July 22nd, 2010 at 4:55 pm
i have been, well and truly, cliffhung. My son told me that he hates dwarfs as well. This is a well crafted story with a very crafty narrator.
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Hey annoyance…luckily for you Nathan is so quick on producing the next episode is out (and only one left) so your cliff is un-hung. Thanks for the compliment on the story. I’m glad you are enjoying.
July 23rd, 2010 at 3:19 am
A rather intriguing story. Has me captivated, and I am interested to know where it is going to end up.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:39 am
Hey Nigel,
Thanks for listening and glad you like it. This is the first book in a six-book set. All six were written before the first was published so there is a long story arch that goes over the whole series but I wrote each one as “episodes” so they can be self-contained stories in and of themselves.
Look for Avempartha (book #2) coming later this year also read by Nathan.
July 25th, 2010 at 2:41 am
This podiobook is quality all the way through. The ending did not disappoint and, like all good books, it left me hungry for more adventures of the Royce-Hadrian duo.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:11 am
I enjoyed The Crown Conspiracy immensely. It is on my short list of must haves in print! Can’t wait to see what Royce and Hadrian do next and I am very interested in learning about their past and how they meet.
Very nice Mr. Sullivan! Looking forward to reading and listening to your works for years to come.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
This was a great story, downloading the next episode was the highlight of my day. Nathans voice acting really sets the tone for this piece and it is definitely the best podio book out so far. My print copy will be in the mail soon, can’t wait for the next book. great job Mr. Sullivan.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Michael, I really enjoyed your story. Well crafted with exciting characters. I am really looking forward to the rest of the books. Hope they are available to buy because I would drop some coin on them. Nathan did a wonderful job as well.
July 28th, 2010 at 6:36 am
Thanks for all the kind words and for ratiing the book. This is the single biggest thing that helps others find new authors so I’m grateful to you for helping to spread the word.
As to the question about availablility of other books. There are four books of the Riyria Revelations available presently they are:
The Crown Conspiracy
Avempartha
Nyphron Rising
The Emerald Storm
The fifth one is titled Wintertide and is in editing for an October release and the last one Percepliquis is due out in April 2011. Here is a link to a page that you can buy signed copies from(Ridan always offers signed copies for their books). This page also has direct links for Amazon print version, kindle version, and all other forms of ebooks (from Smashwords).
http://www.michaelsullivan-author.com/special_offer_save_fifteen.htm
If you want to buy ebooks direct for $3.99 each here is a link for that.
http://www.michaelsullivan-author.com/special_offer_ebook.html
Again thanks for all the kind words and thanks for listening. As Nathan’s schedule allows other books in the Riyria Revelations will be coming out on Podiobooks.com.
Thanks for all the support!
July 28th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
As soon as I get Owner’s Share done (and the Half Share edits completed), I’ll probably jump into writing Cape Grace and audio production on Avempartha.
Look for more of Royce and Hadrian this winter.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Michael, great story! I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now off to buy the e-books. You and Nathan are a wonderful combination for audio books.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Just finished the last episode and thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing was great and it’s hard not to lavish praise upon Nathan Lowell’s writing. This is definitely one that should be in everybody’s queue.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Thanks Thomas and Chris posting comments can definitely help others find the book – and on a personal note how can I not love coming here and seeing people saying nice things about something I wrote. It means alot so I appreciate you taking the time to shout out.
July 31st, 2010 at 3:37 am
This is a fun enjoyable book. I love the characters and the plot is well crafted. I especially like that it uses “traditional” fantasy elements (wizard, fighter, thief) but puts them fourth in a fresh new way. For instance, Esrahaddon is obviously a powerful character but unlike most books where he would “join the cause” he wanders away leaving us to ponder what he will be up to. The story did a great job of “wrapping up” as a single satisfying story but it is obvious that there are seeds planted that will…I hope be explored in future volumes in the series.
Excellent job Michael…or and the narator’s voice was good as well I’m going to be looking into more of his series too. Thanks for giving me many hours of enjoyment.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Great book or maybe it is just Nathan Lowell’s reading. He could read the phone book and make it interesting. I ordered the trilogy from the author’s website to test the great book hypothesis.
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:53 am
Just finished The Crown Conspiracy. I quite enjoyed it. And really liked how the episodes were nice and long.
All in all, great job on both the writer an the reader. Lots of thumbs up. Some mine, some I commandeered for this comment.
Poor hitchhickers. Seems they’re stranded on the side of the road now with no way to ask for a ride, but it was worth it.
August 3rd, 2010 at 7:20 am
David, Alan, and Brandon
Thanks for stopping in to say you enjoyed the story. The Riyria Revelations series has been a blast to write.
As to Esrahaddon – yes of course you see more of him in other book starting out with Book #2 Avempartha. He is definitely…interesting to say the least.
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:16 pm
I have to be brutally honest here. It’s ironic that Nathan is narrating the story because I have the exact same problem with all of Nathans stories that I have with this one and it’s a significantly difficult problem: Eventually, the story ends but I want more!
Fantasy is probably my favorite genre of literature so I’ve read great heaps of it through my life. This story hit the mark just right for me on many levels: Fun characters, intriguing story line, realistic setting with a rich history…. Yeah, it’s all there.
I’m almost afraid to finish the last couple of chapters knowing that I’ll have to then wait more than 5 minutes for the next book in the series. As much of a trial as that will be I will happily face it, knowing that if there’s more where this came from it is going to be a great ride.
August 4th, 2010 at 4:26 am
What a great complement and one I’ve heard a few times before which is just about the best thing anyone can say to an author, so thank you. The series was “fully written” before the first book hit publication and it allowed me to carefully construct a large story arc but in several self-contained works. I’ve always looked at The Crown Conspiracy as an appetizer something just fun and page-turning that hopefully gets your mouth watering for the next one. Three other books are out in print and I’m currently putting the finishing touches on Book #5 Wintertide and Book #6 will be out in April – I’ve been on a six-month schedule which is aggressive even though the books are done as there is a lot of editing that occurs with each one to make it “the best it can be” upon release. Nathan has mentioned that he’ll be recording Avempartha in the fall – so not too much longer for the audio version and I want to be conscientious of his time.
August 6th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
I have to say, I normally shy away from fantasy. Usually because authors introduce too many characters at once, or start using a bunch of fancy names right away. I hate that. This story doesn’t do that. There are only a few central characters, and they develop really well.
Add to that the narration of Nathan Lowell, and you have a fantastic story. To be honest, I didn’t even read the whole description before I downloaded the book, seeing that Nathan Lowell narrated it. He’s great.
I can’t wait for the next book!
August 7th, 2010 at 2:38 am
Awww, shucks.
Thanks, Dave.
August 9th, 2010 at 4:35 am
Excellent book, excellent production, excellent story. Bravo guys.
I read the description and it didn’t really sound like the type of story that would interest me.
One of the best stories I’ve heard on Podiobooks.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
I have really enjoyed this reading and podiobook. The narrator was excellent in his rendition of the reading. I eagerly look forward to the next installment in the series. Keep up the great work. I even had to relisten to the last few episodes to be sure I caught all the details of the action. It is riveting!!!
August 12th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Just finished the book today and it was EXCELLENT! 5 stars. Story was great and Nathan did a fabulous job narrating. Highly recommended if you enjoy the fantasy/medieval/knights and swords genre.
August 12th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Great book. Thoroughly enjoyed. Well written and well read. Can’t wait for the next volume to come out.
August 13th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Just wanted to drop in and thank J, Teenormmous, Jennifer, Joe, and Dave for leaving comments here. It is so nice to see such positive feedback to the writing – and of course Nathan’s great voice talent which cannot be under-emphasized. Thanks for dropping by and “making my day”.
August 14th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Enjoyed every minute of a wonderful book. Looking forward with anticipation to the next volume.
August 16th, 2010 at 10:33 am
A fantastic book, very well written and well read. Really enjoyed it.
Excited for the next volume.
August 16th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Thanks Todd and Essence. It’s nice to see so many people waiting for the next book, Avempartha. Nathan is busy at work with his own Owner’s Share but when that is finished and recorded he’ll be doing that – and considering how fast he is at this it won’t be too long.
Thanks for dropping a line and saying that you like it.
August 18th, 2010 at 4:37 am
I’m new to podiobooks (this was my first listen) and was throughly impressed. What a fantastic story. It had everything you could want – great characters, a fast moving plot – I couldn’t wait each night after getting home from work so I could listen to the next episode. A few times I did two at a time even though they are quite long – I just couldn’t stop.
I’ll certainly be tuning in for more of this series.
August 18th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Thanks, Betty. Shouldn’t be long now…
August 19th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Welcome to podiobooks Betty – Since you liked Crown Conspiracy I highly recommend you listen to Nathan Lowell’s books as well — he is the narrator that read The Crown Conspiracy and he has several books out here – I would start with Quarter Share (from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper) but if you are not into sci-fi then try Ravenwood – Nathan is a great voice talent but also an exceptional and prolific writer. There are other very good books to check out here so you’ll have plenty to listen to.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
This is a rare gem. I’m only 4 episodes in and can’t wait to find out what happens next. Thanks to Nate for the heads-up. I think its safe to say you’ve got me hooked.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Glad you’re enjoying it, Zeus.
Michael’s work was a blast to read and I’m looking forward to the next one.
August 20th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Hey Zeus,
Glad to have you along. You’re just getting to the “good part” – The prison that Esrahaddon is in — is one of my favorite parts of book 1 – I hope you enjoy.
August 20th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Hey Michael,
I just finished the last episode and cannot wait for more. I can’t believe there are at least 4 more books like this in the pipeline, it’s fantastic. I would absolutely *love* to see more of Esrahaddon, especially after he’s had time to acclimate himself to his current climate. The entire concept of this insanely powerful wizard who… well, I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. Let’s just say I find him extremely entertaining and look forward to seeing him pop up again in the most unexpected places, doing the most unexpected things.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:25 am
Hey Zeus,
Thanks and of course you’ll see more of Esrahaddon. What I really liked about him is he has is own agendas and there is this little nagging sensation in the back of your mind of whether letting that Genie out the bottle will be a good thing or a bad thing. Guitaria Prison was one of my favorite things about Book 1.
Wintertide (book 5) is wrapping up nicely and book 6 – the final one will be following close on its heals – its been a great fun to work on.
Hang on – becase the ride is just starting.
August 24th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I am convinced that Nathan Lowell agreed to record his reading of this novel on the condition that he be allowed to add some gratuitous descriptions of food.
I like that this is a fantasy novel in which the magic and the non-human races and the monsters and bogeymen are all just sort of on the periphery and the focus is really on adventure and political intrigue in a predominantly human kingdom. I think this might be (perhaps the only) problem I have with Nathan’s voicing in general, which is that I sometimes have difficult telling individual characters apart, so I’m not sure if finding the two protagonists to be somewhat indistinguishable is a problem with the writing. Other than that I was impressed with the way that the characters evolved from their introductory sketches into deeper and more complete pictures of people– the prince being the most obvious example.
August 26th, 2010 at 2:52 am
Hey SquidDNA,
Glad to hear you liked the book. Nathan did a couple of different “test runs” — some with more pronounced “voice acting” – I think for me…it came down to it sounded more “Nathan-ish” to not do that – I’m really glad he went that way as I just love hearing his own inflictions.
You’re right Alric actually does the most growth here – This is his book for that as I wanted to purposefully go “light handed” with Royce and Hadrian as they are going to be exposed to the reader in a “slow burn” over books so you get to know more about them and their background over time.
Thanks again for posting.
August 29th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Hi Michael and Nathan,
Thank you Michael for writing a very interesting story. I stopped listening only so I could sleep a little bit. I am looking forward to more of your stories.
Nathan, you have done it again. You brought the story to life. A Big Thank You! I look forward to hearing you read more stories.
Thanks,
Sandy
August 30th, 2010 at 3:27 am
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sandy.
New books are coming as soon as I find a way to put 30 hours in a day
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Michael, I have come out from under my rock and subscribed to this book on the strength of the descriptive line: “a return to traditional fantasy combining great characters, humor, and drama.” I, too, have been wondering why every story has to have the fate of the world or the galaxy or the universe hanging on the outcome! (Obviously because you hadn’t got done writing this series.) And only after subscribing do I see who is narrating, plus all these great comments. Am I ever looking forward to hearing this! Thanks for sharing with us on Podiobooks.
September 3rd, 2010 at 1:37 pm
@sandy – Thanks and glad you enjoyed what you’ve heard do far – stop back by when you are finished I’d love to hear what you thoought
@gail – Glad the blurb “drew you in” – I really like telling a large story arc in self-contained episodes. While the whole series is not “out yet” it is all written so it is not something that will just “go on without end”. Book 5 is due out in October and the last book next April.
September 3rd, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Hi guys,
A massive thankyou for releasing this audiobook for free, it was a brilliant listen, loved it all.
The characters were excellent, the story line was compelling without being obvious ad I thoroughly enjoyed listening
September 5th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
What a great story and what a great narrator.
“I love what you’ve done with the place”… I laughed out loud.
Five stars all around!
September 10th, 2010 at 1:15 am
I liked this book a lot. I have only one little bone to pick with
it. I felt that it could stand by itself without resorting to magic,
or at least without doing it in an explicit way. The reality of
politics, the human struggle, the inter racial dynamics, the theology that people believe in, are somewhat undermined by it.
Magic played well within the plot, where it came into the story in
subtle and implicit way, as something that people believe in and a
thing that can be explained as perhaps magical, perhaps simply not
understood by the common man within that world.
I have only listened to the first book, and perhaps in later books
magic will be an important plot device, so I will reserve my judgment
until I will be through with the rest of the story.
That said, this is a grate book. Masterfully done, and beautifully
narrated.
September 19th, 2010 at 8:24 am
chen, it’s funny that what you find to be a bone of contention was what i considered to be one of the amazing aspects of the book.
the book was a wonderful listen, combining enough humour, adventure, politics and character development to keep me listening from start to finish in a single go.
i, too, came as a fan of nathan lowell, and was pleasantly surprised to find him reading a book by someone else that lives up to the quality writing i’ve come to expect from him. i’m most definitely looking forward to more from michael sullivan.
September 20th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
I would again like to thank Michael Sullivan writing this wonderful series and Nathan for turning me on to it. I just finished Avempartha and if you enjoyed the Crown Conspiracy — and I know you did — you absolutely should not wait a second more to find out what happens next by purchasing all four books currently available. Avempartha has nearly everything you’re likely hoping for and quite a few clever surprises you’ll think you see coming but won’t.
Well, what are you still doing here? Go! Go NOW! Scat!
Buy the books now at michaelsullivan-author.com! If you…er… “use your gemstone”… you might unlock some special savings. And by that, I mean “Keep your eyes peeled”.
As for me, Nyphron Rising awaits…
September 24th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Hey all the recent posters…Sorry I’ve not checked in here personally to thank you for your kind words. It’s not that I don’t appreciate them – believe me this is the kind of stuff that makes it all worth while so I’m truly grateful to you for taking a minute and telling me what you think. The reason is I’ve been heads down in the final edits of Wintertide which is just about fully knitted up at this point.
@Chen – about magic – you’re right it have very little to do with the first book – but is a component of the world so I wanted to at least introduce it in the first volume. For the most part people in Elan as of the date of the telling think about Magic with superstition and fear. To be accused as a witch is a pretty bad thing. As to “real” magic, in general it is for the most part a “lost art” in Elan. Esrahaddon has the knowledge but when the church cut off his hands he is handicaped in more ways than just one. You’ll have to read the rest of the series to see what if anything magic plays on a larger scale.
September 24th, 2010 at 11:56 am
This was recommended to me by a co-worker and I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this. I think Mr. Sullivan has done an excellent job on the first installment and I’ve already downloaded his 2nd book from Amazon and am reading it. I like Avempartha just as much (maybe more – if that is possible) than the first one – a fine job and I wish you great success in many more books to come.
September 25th, 2010 at 4:33 am
A few weeks ago I received and email from Nathan Lowell, telling me of his current works, and status. I was very happy to see more of his work is coming. Not being able to wait I gave this book a shot. I loved it, and demand more!!!! Please.
I loved the people in the story, not over the top but still very interesting.
The first thing you did right after the writing was to have Nathan read this great work for you.
Thanks
Wes
September 26th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Adventure fantasy (or whatever it’s called) isn’t normally classed with The Great American Novel. No one expects literary brilliance, I suppose, though sometimes you see it. Whether it can be found there is left as an exercise for the reader.
This book is exactly everything it’s supposed to be. Plenty of action, interesting magical factors, colorful characters, and an engrossing story. It was excellently narrated by Nathan Lowell. I like to think I’m a good narrator: then I listen to Nate…
I don’t know if this book will ever be rated as Great Literature. But for what it is, it is every bit as Great is it needs to be.
Griz
September 27th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
A ripping good adventure tale. And Nathan, too. I am happy. But need more.
September 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
@Peter – please thank your co-worker for me – word of mouth is the #1 way that authors get discovered so I thank him for turning you onto the series – and you for posting such nice things.
@Wes – I could not agree with you more. I was “besides myself” having Nathan breathe life into my words with his exceptional narration. I’m not sure if you know it or not but I provide the cover design for his books so we’ve got a nice synergy thing going there.
@david – You made my day with your comments – I’ve written “the Great American Novel” and it is written in a much different style then the Riyria Revelations – one day I might get that one published but too busy for now. What I wanted to create was a “fun” romp and it looks like I hit the mark there – so thanks.
@Jennifer – More is on the way. Nathan is very busy – working on writing Owner’s Share, doing editing on Half Share for an October release. When he gets done with them I’m sure he’ll want a well deserved rest but at some point he’ll start recording Avempartha. We’ll keep you posted when it is available.
I love dropping in here and seeing such great encouraging comments form people – thanks all!!
October 5th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Fabulous, simply wonderful. This is one of the best books I’ve ever had the plesure of listening to. I love the characters and the fast paced action. I’m so excited to hear it is part of a series as I’m definitely looking foward to more fun times with Royce and Hadrian.
October 5th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Jennifer – thanks for writing – glad you enjoyed. Book #5 just hit the street and early reports are good…here are a few reviews:
http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/book-review-wintertide.html
http://proudbooknerd.com/2010/10/02/review-wintertide/
Avempartha should be in audio sometime in the not too distant future.
October 10th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Just wanted to let everyone know that I liked Michael’s book so much that we are using it for our first online book club book. ITs just starting out so I hope you will pop over to the site and join us. Oh and I downloaded and read Wintertide and it was awesome!! GO BUY IT. its only Seven bucks a total steal. That damned dwarf!! Thanks Michael so much for your wonderful story telling.
October 13th, 2010 at 7:33 am
Collin – I’m so honored – I just made an account at your site and later on today will “peek around” the forums a bit. If me being there will “diminish” the club let me know and I’ll but out but I’d love to participate in the discussion answer questions (those that I can – without spoiling the series) etc.
Thanks so much !
October 15th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
What a great story and Nathan is a great story teller can’t wait to see the next book come out
Thank you
Jim
October 16th, 2010 at 2:38 am
This story was superb. One of the best and most original books I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I was blown away. You’ve done a brilliant job. I’m struggling to find others that are anywhere near to this in quality. Are any of the later books in this series out as audiobooks? I would be more than happy to pay for them. You deserve to get rich from this world! Best of Luck.
October 16th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I loved the story.
One of the great joys of any fan of fantasy is to have a story that gives you a great book arc then embeds smaller character arcs while sowing the seeds for a much larger arc to be resolved over multiple books and this story give you it all wizards, dwarfs, swords, kings, heros and villans .
And as extra bonus you get the always excellent narration of nathan Lowell. What more could you ask.
October 17th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I just stumbled upon this story, what great fun…having just finished all of Nathan’s Quarter|Half|Full|Double|Captain’s Share books, it was a pleasant surprise to hear his narration again… The story telling reminds me of the early Dirk Pitt stories from Clive Cussler.
I’m off to buy the next book now…
October 17th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
You guys should sell the next one on audible.com
October 18th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Thanks so much for all the kind words….@andrew – the rest of the series will make it to podiobooks – but Nathan has some projects of his own that are in the works so Avempartha (book 2) is on the queue behind them. Trust me it will be worth the wait to have him continue the reading.
This has been a blast of a series to write – Just one book left – and Wintertide Book #5 is getting really good reviews so far so it gives me hope.
October 21st, 2010 at 10:23 am
Excellent book – I loved everything about it. Great characters – fantastic pace, twists and turns. Can’t wait for the next installment!! Well done gentlemen.
October 22nd, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I just finished listening, and I’m definitely looking forward to book 2! If you like fantasy, this is a good book that is worth your time!
October 26th, 2010 at 1:33 am
Hey there Michael and Nathan, I must admit I started the podiobook because I heard that Nathan Lowell was doing the audio, but I stayed with it because the story line was fun and delicious. A marvelous story, reminiscent of the science fiction/fantasy stories I read when I first discovered the genre so many years ago.
I look forward to reading the rest of your very satisfying yarn. Thanks for filling a rainy, windy Sunday in front of the fireplace with a fabulous story and a great listen. I am a fan now.
October 26th, 2010 at 4:03 am
Thanks, Diana. Glad you liked it. It was great fun to read (other than the 12 different times I recorded the first hour, trying to find the right “voice” for it).
I’m looking forward to getting Avempartha out in the next couple of months.
October 27th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Really cute, light-hearted fantasy I enjoyed quite a bit. I have a weakness for anything with thieves/rogues as main characters, and this scratched that particular itch quite well. Can’t wait for the next one!
November 13th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
This is the first audiobook that I have really enjoyed. I have just finished listening to The Crown Conspiracy and I am really keen to listen to the next book. I do hope it comes out soon.
November 15th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
The main characters are Two Musketeers, all the battles and magic and wonder of that time and world all rolled up in a neat package that is well produced, humorous and of course well read by the master himself, Nathan Lowell. Yes, I liked it.
November 25th, 2010 at 7:21 am
I love the plot, the writing style and the telling. I recommend this story and eagerly anticipate the next.
November 25th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Just a shout out to all the recent posters for taking the time to come here and say some nice things about the book. As a writer there is no greater pleasure than hearing from those that like your work so I really appreciate you taking the time to drop a line!
December 9th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Wonderful series. The characters and story are very engaging. The series was recommended by Kindle and I have just purchased the 3rd and have started reading. It looks like I’ve caught up to your latest release. Now I have to suffer every reader’s curse. Waiting.
I just found out you were on podiobooks visiting Nathan Lowell’s site who I found also via Kindle’s recommendation.
Also, I would like to add that the books are priced perfectly. I have no hesitation in purchasing books at those prices.
December 11th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Loved the book. Very well written, and the reading added to the whole experience. Nathan’s reading suites the story quite well. I am waiting eagerly for the podiobook for Avempartha, and plan to buy all the books in the series soon.
December 22nd, 2010 at 4:36 am
@Eric, Thanks for the kind words – at this time the first 5 books are released in both print and ebook: The Crown Conspiracy, Avempartha, Nyphron Rising, The Emerald Storm and Wintertide which just came out in October.
@Divya, thanks for dropping back I commenting. Yes Avempartha is “in the queue” but Nathan is very backed up right now working on his own Owner’s Share — We’ll post as soon as he gets around to the next installment.
December 25th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Loved the reading so I bought the 5 published books in the series. My whole family has read and loved them. If you are reading this Michael stop wasting you time on message boards. Get back to your keyboard and finish the last book.
Hi Nathan. My family loved the Quarter Share book as well. I am the only one in the family who listens to audio books, so we will buy any dead tree book you publish.
January 1st, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Lol Alan,
My part is actually finished…for now. I’ve done the editing and my wife is 1/2 way through hers so I’m actually working on my next project Antithesis (nothing to do with Riyria) until I get changes back.
So glad to hear that you liked the whole series.
January 23rd, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Great story, love to hear Nathan Lowell audio – and the story is very satisfying! Looking forward to the next book and the whole series. Thanks!
January 27th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
I just finished listening… And I want more! My friend Abbie turned me onto this story. I rated the book on Amazon, and will be purchasing the series. How many books are available? I’m already a fan of Nathan, as a Cowry Catchers listener. So I’m looking forward to book 2 in audio. Keep up the great work.
February 19th, 2011 at 3:08 am
Hey Ryan – so glad to hear you want more – music to my ears. The series is designed as a six-book story arc and 5 of the 6 are released inp print/ebook form. Only Crown is on podiobooks but I think Nathan may start recording Avempartha soon.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised.
April 5th, 2011 at 1:34 am
Rollicking great adventure with outloud chuckles. Excellent teaming of writer and reader….more please!!
Many thanks to both Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Lowell
April 9th, 2011 at 11:42 pm
Nathan Lowell’s narration is excellent. I give all his works very high marks. Michael J. Sullivan’s story was fantastic. So I look for his other works and surprize, surprize like Lowell not one audio book to be found. REALLY? I don’t understand why not edit them together and sell it on audible. Scott Sigler does and he gets my money every time. Like most people here,I listen at work and greedly eat up podcasts and audio books like candy. I want, NO I demand to beable to purchase these stories in a audio book edition. I look forward to buying The Riyria Revelations and Trader Tales very soon. From your websites or Audible either will do.
April 12th, 2011 at 7:46 am
I loved this book! This isn’t normally the genre of book I like to listen to, but this was fantastic! It had humor, adventure, and a little romance. The characters are all well developed, and I love that we are rooting for the stereotypical “bad guys.”
As for podiobooks, this is the best recorded book I have listened to from this site. Nathan Lowell’s voice is easy to listen to and the voices he creates for each character are perfect. Plus, the choice of music suits the story well.
I’ve been waiting for Avempartha to come to podiobooks.com, but I think I’ll have to search it out elsewhere, because I can’t wait for the story!
April 12th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
@king jerk – you’re right. I don’t put out audiobook editions. I don’t have any plans to at the moment. Feel free to donate via the button on the website, or toss a few gilder at Podiobooks.com to help them keep the servers powered up.
@Jennifer – thanks!
it was a blast to do and I’m hoping to get Avempartha in the queue as well.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
I loved this book part of which might be because Nathan was reading it, but I just finished listening for the second time. And I must say I can’t wait for the next book in the series to be out and ready for my listening pleasure.
Thank you both…
And I’m awaiting in anticipation.
Tom
May 9th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Just finished TCC and I loved it. Really looking forward to Avempartha @ podiobooks.
A big thank you to Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Lowell
May 9th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
An extremely well written and captivating yarn! Thanks to Michael Sullivan for writing it and to the wonderful dulcet tones of Nathan’s rendition.
I can’t wait for Avempartha to be released!
May 10th, 2011 at 6:26 am
I gave this book a listen [on Nathan's recomendation] and I’m certianly glad I did. I got caught up in the world of Medford andI fell in love with all the charactes, Myrin espically.
Nathan’s reading added a whole layer of enjoyment and I’m so glad he plans to record more!
July 8th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Loved. This. Can’t wait to hear more
Rich storytelling and good writing–thanks so much!
July 11th, 2011 at 7:32 am
Awesome book and an awesome narrator. I enjoy Nathan Lowells voice and this book left me wanting to hear the next book.
July 24th, 2011 at 8:03 am
I enjoyed this book so much that I’ve been back to check for updates on the next months every once in a while for the past year. I keep hoping to find the next part up, and yet I’ve never left a comment.
Well, this book is fantastic, even for people who aren’t fans of regular fantasy novels. Michael J. Sullivan has written his characters really well, and their personalities carry the story just as much as the plot itself.
I enjoyed the subtle humor of the book and I was very entertained throughout it. Like I said, I’ve been waiting for the next one for a year; I don’t think I’ve done that with any other podiobooks.
Enjoy!
July 24th, 2011 at 10:21 am
I need to check with Ridan about whether or not the new book deal with Orbit makes a difference.
I suspect it will … now that the contract is signed, I’ll get a definitive answer.
August 9th, 2011 at 6:35 am
Loved the book, bought the second one in PDF format converted it to audio. Certainly not the quality of Nathan but makes for excellent reading anyway
August 13th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Hello,
I came here to leave praise part way through The Crown Conspiracy, and found a reply from the author listing the series of books (yay). The link to the author’s blog-site is no longer active but if you like me are happy to purchase the series (I bought the available books as PDF but there are several options) follow this link –> http://riyria.blogspot.com/p/buy.html
Thank you for this series, I am absolutely loving this first book and look forward to the rest of the series – my only request is that you may consider releasing them all as audio books? I have two jobs and one requires me to travel a lot, so audio fiction is the easiest way for me to enjoy my love of good books on the go.
BD
August 17th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Loved the book.
I do hope the rest of the series comes out in audio form.
I have just pre-ordered all three books but I listen to a lot of audiobooks and would love these to be available.
Free or buy, just make it so that they are not DRM crippled.
October 31st, 2011 at 8:26 am
I’m bummed that I missed this podcast version, seems like everyone enjoyed Nathan as a reader. I look forward to the Orbit version. I enjoy audiobooks of my favorites on the long drive to work and the Riyria series definitely fits into that category.