Colleen Moore

In one of my previous posts, I promised more about this book, so here it is.

Before I begin my review, I have to tell you a little about this book.  Percepliquis is the sixth and final installment of the Riyria Revelations.  A member of my writer’s group, Michael J. Sullivan, wrote this series.  Since the initial publication of this series, that he put out partly with a small publisher and partly as self publication, the books have been picked up by Orbit.  Orbit then re-released the original six books in a series of three.  Those books are Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron.

I purchased Percepliquis as an individual book instead of buying Heir of Novron because by the time Orbit had picked up and released the new versions of the series, I had already purchased and read the first five books.  I wanted to complete the original set.

The Review

I am going to give some of the plot away in a minute, but the only salient information that you need is that this is a very good book.  It is worth reading either as a stand alone or as the final chapter in a series, although, if you’re going to take the time to read this book, I definitely recommend the series.

This is a hero’s tale.  Granted, at least one of the heros are a tad reluctant to don that mantle, but  he’s a hero nonetheless.  Sullivan really delivers by providing an exciting challenge for the characters and a satisfying end to the series.  There is even a nice surprise twist to the plot right at the climax of the story.  Definitely a fun read and an enthusiastic two thumbs up from me.

If you do not want to know anymore than that, STOP READING NOW!

Here are some of my favorite things:

Arista – She’s always been one of my favorite characters and has had a very interesting and complex storyline.  I also love strong women in literature and Arista fills the bill.  She even has a love interest.  It might catch some people by surprise, but not me.  It was the ending I was hoping for.  And she doesn’t just go off and live happily ever after either.  She has a strong leadership role after the story ends in what will become the new empire.  Very happy with end result.

Modina – The Empress.  What a character arc for her!  She appeared in the second book as a somewhat meek but daring country girl.  Through the series she is transformed into the heir of Novron and Empress who is controlled by the evil Saldur who wants to create an empire of his own making.  She leads a revolution against him and the other nefarious bad guys to truly become an empress in her own right.  And in the end, she stands in the rubble of the once great city of Aquesta between the last of her people and a giant Gilarabrywn (giant magical undefeatable dragon)  and the elves declaring they will not harm her people.  That act alone played a huge role in the saving the realm.

Hadrian – I cannot say enough good things about Hadrian and his friend Royce.  They are really the focus of the books.  They start out being unwitting suspects in a plot to kill a king and end up being our unwitting heros.  Hadrian, as it turns out, is a Teschlor knight and is a descendant of the old empire.  It has been his family’s job through the millennia to protect the heir of Novron, the descendant of the king.  The problem is, through the centuries, the heir and his/her protector became separated and Hadrian never knew he was the protector of the heir until late in the series.  As a result, he longs to have a purpose for his life, a heroic purpose if possible.  He regrets the folly of his youth, his life as a criminal, and tournament champion.  He wants to have a noble raison d’etre.  He finds it in this book as without him the heir and the world will be lost.

Royce – Royce is awesome.  He’s the dark hero in this book.  He’s had a hard, unhappy life.  His memory is long and he’s slow to forgive.  He’s a smart, extremely talented thief, cynical, and heartless.  But if you gain his respect, or his love, he would die for you.  Which, ironically enough, is where we find Royce in this book.  The love of his life died at the end of the last book, and in this book, he’s on the verge of ending it all.  When he’s asked to go on a mission to retrieve the horn of Novron from the underground city of Percepliquis, he only agrees in part because there is a huge chance he could be killed.  Turns out, he is more important to the mission than anyone knew.  I have to admit, I kind of guessed his purpose in the series early on and I was not disappointed in the least with the outcome.  Even though I suspected his role, Sullivan did a great job of leaving enough distractions to still make it a little bit of a surprise.  Of all the characters in the book, Royce has the  most dramatic character arc from the beginning of the the series to the end.  To see him at the end of the journey find a new purpose for his life and able to let go of his old hatreds and old ideas and find a new place in the world was very satisfying.

I was sorry to see the series end.  I really loved reading these books and I will miss the adventures of Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater.

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