Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan – Review

Published: July 25, 2017

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Legends of the First Empire #2

Pages: 512 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

In Age of Myth, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan launched readers on an epic journey of magic and adventure, heroism and betrayal, love and loss. Now the thrilling saga continues as the human uprising is threatened by powerful enemies from without—and bitter rivalries within.

Raithe, the God Killer, may have started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey, but long-standing enmities dividing the Rhune make it all but impossible to unite against a common foe. And even if the clans can join forces, how will they defeat an enemy whose magical prowess makes the Fhrey indistinguishable from gods?

The answer lies across the sea in a faraway land populated by a reclusive and dour race who feels nothing but disdain for both Fhrey and mankind. With time running out, Persephone leads the gifted young seer Suri, the Fhrey sorceress Arion, and a small band of misfits in a desperate search for aid—a quest that will take them into the darkest depths of Elan. There, an ancient adversary waits—an enemy as surprising as it is deadly.

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I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Michael J. Sullivan’s books because even after reading so many, I’m still so entertained and enthusiastic about them. His characters are lovable (or at least likable) and the plots are always top-notch.

Age of Swords literally goes from 0 to 100 in about 5 pages. It was one of the most incredible intros that I’ve ever read because I was NOT EXPECTING IT AT ALL. I mean really, tornadoes pretty much never happen in fantasy books, and MJS made it into this great moment that set the mood for the entire book. Not kidding, this entire event sequence kicks the story into high gear and far outstrips the pace of the previous book. Persephone is now the chief of Dahl Rhen and she sets about to call for a meeting of the clans to elect a keenig, which is basically a king, so they may make war upon the Fhrey. Throw in some dwarves, a pile of Tolkein-esque action and monsters, a few heartbreaking moments, and you’ve got one heck of a story coming your way. Go ahead and set aside whatever tasks you thought you were going to do because you’ll want to binge read Age of Swords.

The characters develop significantly throughout the course of events and I grew to like them even more, though not so much as I loved Royce and Hadrian. These characters just don’t have the same witty banter and camaraderie as those two, but this is set in a very different age. Persephone continues to kick butt mostly by having common sense and a level head. I think she makes a fine leader, especially since she surrounds herself with bright and clever people that totally support her. Brin and Suri both become older, wiser, and more world weary. Suri in particular becomes quite the spectacular butterfly, though she is such a different person at the end. Raithe is somewhat frustrating and Mawyndule has actually gained some sympathy from me because his sheltered and soft lifestyle left him stupidly naïve.

Overall, Age of Swords has left much more of an impact on me that Age of Myth did. It’s got so much more going on and I wasn’t bored for a second! The ridiculous pace at which things were invented/discovered (writing, the wheel, the bow and arrow etc.) made me laugh just a little because it was like society was on fast-forward. The Lord of the Rings influence was very strong for a portion of the book which was simultaneously amusing and overbearing. I’ll tentatively say that I rather liked it, but the whole Gandalf v. Balrog parallel was crazy obvious (I’m making the assumption it was intentional). However, I am REALLY looking forward to the release of Age of War because I can only think this series will continue to gain in awesomeness.