Theft of Swords

A GOOD START TO A SERIES

I got this book as an on sale item, and sometimes these are disappointing. This was a easy to listen , fun book.This book follows Royce and Hadrian as they mistakenly enter an epic adventure. Royce and Hadrian are Michael Sullivans reoccurring characters. This is the first of three books in this tale.

106 of 112 people found this review helpful

Good Clean Fun!

If you are in the mood for a light, fun read without gore, sex, and foul language, this is the book for you. It is clean enough for an 8 year old to listen to it, exciting enough to keep a pre-teen enchanted through the entire telling, and deep enough to entertain adults.

Theft of Swords is probably the worst of the trilogy, but it really is a very good book (4 stars out of 5). The two that follow it are even better. This is one book (and series) that won't disappoint

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

Not Polished, but Extremely Readable

First of all, I think it's admirable how author succeeded through self-publication. Way to go! That in itself makes a good story for believing in yourself and your product.

The story itself is a good yarn with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles... It's one giant and true love short of being the Princess Bride. To make up for this, Sullivan offers the intrigue of an evil church conspiracy bent on remaking the world to conform to their will. So it is a very interesting story that keeps you engaged.

The characters are well composed and endearing. Both the author and the reader play their parts in bringing them to life. Reynolds really brings the individuals into contrast with very subtle changes in voice. His characterizations are not super bold, but they are enough to make individuals recognizable. I am not the largest fan of his overuse of the British, West Country for low-born accents, but that is a very minor thing. Mostly very good.

My only issue with the book is that it lacks a bit of polish. Sullivan tends to overuse the word "guy," which sort of messes with the medieval setting. There are also editing flubs in the track, where words are repeated. The text could be tightened up a little bit. But all this is just quibbling; if you don't sweat the small stuff, it is a really fun read.

37 of 42 people found this review helpful

Better than many, not as good as some.

Some fun and witty banter between main characters and some (and I mean some) complexity of plot. A bit predictable at times with typical rehashed characterizations represented in Tolkien style fantasy.
Overall a worthy listen for some decently paced storytelling.
One thumb up for "Theft of Swords"

29 of 33 people found this review helpful

Two books in one - keep listening!!

If there were a way, I'd have given the story 3.5 stars. It says it in the description, but in case you missed it - this audio is two books combined into one audiobook. Which is good choice on the part of the audio publishers. If I'd listened to just the first book, I may not have continued. It's not bad, it's just not something that would inspire me to listen to 5 more books. I didn't really care about the characters and it seemed like a pretty cookie cutter sword and sorcery.
HOWEVER - in the second book, the story really hits it's stride. It's nothing revolutionary, just solid writing with fun characters and an enjoyable storyline. Which, in my opinion, is more than we're getting from a lot of fantasy writers of late. By the time I got to the end of all three audio books I was hoping to find more by this author.
To quote from the author himself about this series: "The Riyria Revelations, especially in the beginning, is little more than fast-paced light fantasy. As the series progresses, I think you'll see more depth both in the world of Elan and the characters. This was a purposeful decision and a dangerous one. It means that by design the first book is the weakest of the set, but enables me to end it with a resounding bang."
And he absolutely did.

247 of 288 people found this review helpful

Fantasy without detailed battle scenes?

I like the fantasy genre. A lot. Unfortunately, much of the time fantasy=detailed, long, drawn out battle scenes that I usually wind up pretty much skimming (in the case of audio books, ignoring). That's why I was so pleased to find this series. I'm working on the last one right now and all the way through it's been about the story, not about the fighting. Leaving out the bits about who whacks whom with a sword when and which flank is being attacked by which of the enemies leaves Sullivan time to really develop the story and the characters. He gets the reader to become emotionally involved, or interested, in the characters and then puts them in situations which create all of the suspense and drama needed. It's a really good listen and I can recommend it to anyone who doesn't thrive on the violence. Not that there isn't any violence at all, but at least he doesn't go on and on and on and on about it like so many fantasy writers seem to do. I've loved every minute of the whole series.

The narrator is really good. Easy on the ear and well spoken. A good choice for these books.

22 of 25 people found this review helpful

Excellent

What a great series!! It's a complex story with very likeable characters who come to life with believable emotions and lots of humor. Plenty of twists and turns that keep you very interested for many, many hours. I was sorry when Volume 3 ended.
I Loved the narrator, very talented!

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

Slowly, relentlessly wins you over

If you could sum up Theft of Swords in three words, what would they be?

Relaxed readable epic

What did you like best about this story?

The main characters are wonderfully vivid and real. The story starts slow and even sounds a little bit generic, but it builds and builds until it's absolutely capitvating. It doesn't really need set-piece battles, world-shattering doom, or magical pyrotechnics; this is a fantasy story you want to get lost in.

Have you listened to any of Tim Gerard Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He's a great narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Not your ordinary pair of thieves."

Any additional comments?

The sequels are even better...Sullivan is like the Terminator of fantasy authors; he relentlessly batters his way into your heart.

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

Great writing, great narration, great story!

What made the experience of listening to Theft of Swords the most enjoyable?

The writing is just amazing, there are no annoying author "habits" that can get on your nerves, like catch phrases or bad characters. Tim Gerard Reynolds is a great narrator and is as smooth as glass to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

It's just good. I mean really good. Fantastic characters, amazing writing, just a perfect book.

Have you listened to any of Tim Gerard Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time with Tim Gerard Reynolds, but it won't be the last. I plan to listen to the whole series as well as the follow up series the Riyira Chronicles.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

These thieves will steal your heart!

Any additional comments?

I couldn't be more happy with a book and I'm so pleased that this is a series so I can get to know all the wonderful characters and backstory even more.

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

Solid foundation for an epic tale.

Riyria Revelations has all of the elements for a classic epic fantasy. A thief and a warrior with far more talents and abilities than any others in their profession, both with a legacy that is yet to be fully revealed are deeply entwined with the politics of Empire Building, dogmatic clerics, an the rebirth of magic. Men Elves and Dwarves and reside in this world with other races. The church of mankind seeks to reestablish the human empire under their control. Many human kings are in opposition of this and the other races of this world might make their feelings known. This is a fast-paced story with good characters and I look forward to reading the other volumes.

21 of 24 people found this review helpful