Age of Swords

The Legends of the First Empire, Book 2

By: Michael J. Sullivan

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

The gods have been proven mortal, and new heroes will arise as the battle continues in the sequel to Age of Myth - from the author of the Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles series.

In Age of Myth, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan launched listeners 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 from within.

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

The answer lies across the sea in a faraway land populated by a reclusive and dour race who feel 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, where waits an ancient adversary as fearsome as it is deadly.

©2017 Michael J. Sullivan (P)2017 Recorded Books

As a follow up to a well written, thrilling novel, Age of Swords brings even more to the table.

Sullivan's fascinating character development and creation of life-like relationships help his fantasy world draw connections to reality. Persephone and her troop of female warriors take on both a fearsome demon and the patriarchal society in which they live. Meanwhile, Raithe struggles with his commitment to Persephone and his personal desire to be free from conflict. On the other side of the conflict, Sullivan offers a peek into Fhrey society, where young (relatively speaking) prince Mawyndulë is torn by disconnects between right and wrong, family and friends, love and law, and heart and brain. This can't miss, fast paced novel is only ameliorated by the magic of Reynolds performance, making this a truly wonderful listen.

Great story and Heroines/ Heroes

Michael J. Sullivan nails it again. Love the characters and seeing them grow. TGR one of the best Audiobook performers around, delivers again!

Loved the book, can't wait for #3

I loved this book and how it brought in so many side characters and stories while still maintaining a good overall cohesion. I also loved how it explains so many of the modern technological "discoveries" such as swords, bows, writing, etc, very clever. Can't wait for the next book!

Very entertaining story

Would you listen to Age of Swords again? Why?

No, there are too many good books out there to waste time reading the same book twice!

What did you like best about this story?

All of it. I don't want to anylize it. To me Sci-fi and fantasy is something you just go with. It's not non-fiction right? Let the author take where he wants to go and enjoy the ride. I base it on my experience reading it. I was entertained and I didn't want it end. Specifically, I yelled "NOOO" at the end.

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

He is one of those gifted voice actors that manages to get several different voices right. He always does it on all the books he's read.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the plot angles. I enjoyed the characters. Can't wait for the next book.

Another Masterpiece from Sullivan

If you are a fan of epic fantasy this series is a no brainer. It is so polished and so well written that I can't find any fault in it at all. I will say right off that I am a huge fan of Michael J Sullivan and I am a huge fan of Tim Gerard Reynolds, together they are the best of the best. I read a lot of fantasy and in my opinion Lord of the Rings is at the top of the list of best series ever, this series so far is right at the top and climbing. I know Sullivan has already finished the series it just has to be published and I cannot wait for this story to continue. If this series keeps getting better, as Age of Swords has gotten better from Age of Myth, which I loved, than this series will be right with Lord of the Rings as best fantasy series ever written. Sullivan doesn't get near enough credit for his talent. I believe his work will be studied in the future.
If you are looking for a great series that can be enjoyed by both teens and adults, look no further than Sullivan. All of his books are fantastic and I would highly recommend any of his series.
My only complaint is the story had to end. I could have spent a lot more time their. I will be buying book 3 on day one! I am really loving these characters.

Women save the day

Another enjoyable tale from Michael J Sullivan, that expands the story of Age of Myth. A good listen that tended to get a bit tedious for me, with the heroic women of the story inventing everything from the wheel, to the bow, to writing. That tended to drag out the story a bit, but toward the end, the purpose became clearer in the development of the female characters in the series. Raithe and Nyphron, prominent in the first book seemed to take a back seat for this installment. The background story of Prince Mawyndule succeeded in sparking my interest the most, as his young arrogance and ignorance made him the chosen pawn of the Frey. All and all a good bridge book.

WELL WORTH THE WAIT ! ! !

Love my excursions into Elan and beyond. This story did not disappoint. It touched upon so many points that are part of the Chronicles and Revelations series that it was filled with those "a-ha" moments that felt like visiting old friends. The story is wonderfully consistent and I cant' say enough about the performance of Tim Gerard Reynolds. Truly looking forward to my next opportunity to return to this cast of characters.

After reading this story, I would hope that at some point, Mr. Sullivan has the opportunity to actually develop "The Book of Bryn (sp)" for us to read. I absolutely love the quotes from this character to begin chapters.

Absolutely terrific!

Once again, Michael J Sullivan and Tim Gerard Reynolds have created a beautiful masterpiece of literature. I hope they will continue to be as good in the future.

Lacking continuation of good first book

I must agree with other reviewers that the technological advancements, as they occured, were extremely silly. It did hamper my immersion and that's a pity. I would have appreciated a slightly more realistic approach.
More things that reduced my enjoyment were the many occasions of annoying whining and the many occurances of extreme stupidity or ignorance. There was one moment in particular, where there is an immediate threat and instead of following pressing orders the main characters want to talk it all over.

Even the performance had some minor issues. It sounded like certain parts were recorded afterwards and then retrospectively put in. As several times the voice sounded totally different for a few sentences.

I would still recommend the book, as one should probably read it, if one intends on continuing with the overall story and I do like the characters, even though almost all of them have some annoying traits.
I congratulate Michael J. Sullivan to have such strong female characters, would however recommend giving up the trope of having women using bows. I'm not saying that they can't use them, but there are more suitable weapons (no, not frying pans).

great listen, ready for the next

good listen, narrator was good overall, a nice refresh of middle earth type story, elves, drawves, and man.