Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire #1)
Description
A god has been killed, an ancient law has been broken, and a young Mystic foretells death.
In search of livable land, Raithe and his father cross the Bern River, defying the gods’ age-old law. There, Raithe learns the unthinkable: not only do the gods die, but they can be killed.
Persephone, wife to the chieftain of Dahl Rhen, faces a suffocating wave of unwelcome changes, from family death to governmental shifts. Now, whispers begin to tell of a ‘god killer’, and an unknown girl, claiming to have been trained by the town’s Mystic, casually informs her of their impending doom.
As Raithe flees the reality of his newfound knowledge, and Persephone tries to defend her people from certain death, the very world is poised to change.
Disclosure
I personally bought this book. There was no agreement with the author, publisher, or any third party that I would publish a review. The following review is unsolicited, unbiased, and all opinions are my own.
Review – Spoiler Free
I have been waiting to read this book since I finished Sullivan’s The Riyria Revelations series, and discovered that this series existed. That said, as a huge Sullifan, I had high expectations for this book, and I was not disappointed.
The first book in Sullivan’s The Legends of the First Empire series, this was such a fun read! I feel like that’s the best way to describe Sullivan’s writing style – fast, fun, and interwoven. The book starts out following two main story lines, throws in a third, and then slowly pulls open the curtains to show you how they’re all connected. The characters are developed and complex, the world is layered, and you can already feel how the story is building to something.
Having previously read Sullivan’s books based in the same world, Elan, it was fun to come across little Easter Eggs in this book that might be connections to the others. Time will tell if I’ve guessed correctly.
I would have liked some more detail in the map (where are the forests exactly?), but that didn’t take away from the story at all. And while the story didn’t move along quite as fast as some of Sullivan’s other books, I read over 4/5ths of this book in just two nights. If I hadn’t stopped to write this review, I probably would have started the next book, Age of Swords, right after I closed this one,
Overall, this is a great book, and a strong start to Sullivan’s The Legends of the First Empire series. I am so excited to dive into the next book – which is already calling to me from the bookshelf.
Quote
“I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope. You know what I mean?” He looked at each of them, but no one answered. “Live with it long enough and the prison stops being the walls or the guards. Instead, it’s the fear you can’t survive on your own, the belief you aren’t as capable, or as worthy, as others. I think everyone has the capacity to do great things, to rise above their everyday lives; they just need a little push now and then.”
Malcom (Age of Myth, Michael J. Sullivan)
Ratings
- Quality of Writing – 4
- Plot – 4
- World Building – 5
- Characters – 5
- Ease of Reading – 5
- Pictures/ Illustrations – 3 (loved the cover, map was OK)
- Overall Enjoyment – 5
- Final Rating – 4.5 (Actual: 4.4) – Really Liked It/It Was Amazing
Want to learn more about the numbers I use for rating, and the qualities I’m thinking about when writing a book review? Check out my post How I Rate and Review.