Author guide
Michael J. Sullivan is an American author born in Detroit in 1961. He is best known for the Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles fantasy series, along with Legends of the First Empire and The Rise and Fall, all set in the world of Elan. His standalone science-fiction novel Hollow World and his short fiction complement his major fantasy work. After beginning his publishing career with a small press, Sullivan went on to publish independently and with major publishers including Orbit and Del Rey.
Catalog record updated .
novel · First published 2025
When a master-craftsmen dwarf is fired, he threatens retaliation, and the rogues-for-hire known as Riyria are commissioned to stop him. Traveling to the paradise resort of Tur Del Fur, the two are granted a lavish allowance that, along with an easy task, promises to turn a job into a vacation. Everything would have been perfect except that the disgruntled worker's last name is Berling, and the target of his wrath is the legendary towers of Drumindor.
Not sure where to begin?
The first published Riyria novel and the author's recommended entry to the Riyria Revelations.
The opening novel of the Riyria Chronicles for readers who want the characters' earliest partnership.
The opening novel of the completed Legends of the First Empire series.
The opening novel of The Rise and Fall.
A self-contained science-fiction novel requiring no series background.
Read in order
novel series · completed
An epic fantasy tale following the skilled thief Royce Melborn and former mercenary Hadrian Blackwater, conceived as one complete story divided into six novels.
Book 1 · novel · 2008
Book 2 · novel · 2009
The secret is in the tower. The problem is the beast.The answer is two thieves. ABOUT THE BOOK When a destitute young woman hires Royce and Hadrian to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are once more drawn into the…
Book 3 · novel · 2009
A PUPPET IS CROWNED. THE TRUE HEIR REMAINS HIDDEN. A ROGUE'S SECRET COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. War has come to Melengar. To save her kingdom, Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian…
Book 4 · novel · 2010
Book 5 · novel · 2010
A FORCED WEDDING. A DOUBLE EXECUTION. TWO THIEVES HAVE OTHER PLANS. The New Empire intends to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a day that will never be forgotten. On the high holiday of Wintertide the empress will be…
Book 6 · novel · 2012
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS...THE ELVES HAVE CROSSED THE NIDWALDEN. TWO THIEVES WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE. -I saw a great journey. Ten upon the road, she who wears the light will lead the way. The road goes deep into the earth, and into…
novel series · ongoing
Prequel adventures chronicling Royce and Hadrian's early partnership and the formation of Riyria.
Book 1 · novel · 2013
Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making. Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, they…
Book 2 · short_story · 2011 Optional
Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were…
Book 3 · novel · 2013
Two thieves want answers. Riyria is born. For more than a year, Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater when all other doors were closed against them. Unable to stay away…
Book 4 · short_story · 2014 Optional
Book 5 · novel · 2015
Includes a bonus short story, The Methuselah treatment, by T.C. Powell.
Book 6 · novel · 2017
When Gabriel Winter's daughter mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead, the wealthy whiskey baron seeks revenge. Having lived in Colnora during the infamous Year of Fear, he hires the one man he knows can deliver a bloody retribution…
Book 7 · novel · 2025
When a master-craftsmen dwarf is fired, he threatens retaliation, and the rogues-for-hire known as Riyria are commissioned to stop him. Traveling to the paradise resort of Tur Del Fur, the two are granted a lavish allowance that, along…
novel series · completed
A six-book fantasy series set thousands of years before the Riyria novels, recounting the events behind the formation of the First Empire.
Book 1 · novel · 2016
"Michael J. Sullivan's trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership and comparisons to…
Book 2 · novel · 2017
"Age of Swords continues the epic story of the war between humankind and the elves--and of ordinary people becoming legendary heroes. It introduces a set of new characters: the dwarves, whose magical weaponcraft could decide the war. It's…
Book 3 · novel · 2018
The epic battle between humankind and their godlike rulers finally ignites in the masterful follow-up to Age of Myth and Age of Swords. The alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is fragile—and about to be tested as never before.…
Book 4 · novel · 2019
Each culture has its own myths and legends, but only one is shared, and it is feared by all. With Age of Myth, Age of Swords, and Age of War, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan riveted readers with a tale of unlikely heroes locked in a…
Book 5 · novel · 2020
DO GODS TRULY EXIST? CAN YOU KNOW THE FUTURE? AND WHAT LIES BEYOND THE VEIL OF DEATH? Winter blankets the land, and more than hope has died. Barred by the tower of Avempartha, the western army cannot invade the Fhrey homeland. So it must…
Book 6 · novel · 2020
A door opens. An army of dragons advance. And the fate of the living rests with the dead. After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey has turned the tide of war once more--but gaining the advantage has come at…
Book 7 · short_story · 2020 Optional
When a storm reveals a mysterious cave behind a waterfall, the young mystic’s apprentice and her wolf investigate. Inside, she discovers a secret place containing a pile of human bones and the young girl makes what could be a fatal…
novel series · completed
A fantasy series about the rise and eventual fall of a new empire after the great war between humans and those they once regarded as gods.
Book 1 · novel · 2021
From the bestselling author of the Legends of the First Empire: New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post After two hundred years of service, the heir to the empire is suspicious about his reassignment to active duty on the front lines…
Book 2 · novel · 2022
Some truths are dangerous, certain secrets best concealed, and one story never should have been written at all. Being an unwanted twin in the imperial line of succession, Farilane becomes a scholar, an adventurer, and—in a time when…
Book 3 · novel · 2023
A HERO TO SOME. A VILLAIN TO MANY. THE TRUTH FOREVER BURIED. The man who became known as Esrahaddon is reported to have destroyed the world's greatest empire -- but there are those who believe he saved it. Few individuals are as divisive,…
Outside the series
novel · 2014
"Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark upon an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing, but when diagnosed with a terminal illness, he's willing to take an insane gamble. He's…
short_story · 2012
Michael J. Sullivan is a fantasy and science-fiction author best known for the Riyria novels. He is a New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author.
Sources: michael-j-sullivan.com (opens in a new tab)michael-j-sullivan.com (opens in a new tab)
He was born in Detroit, Michigan. Before pursuing writing full-time, he worked as a commercial artist and illustrator and founded an advertising agency, which he closed in 2005.
He says The Lord of the Rings ignited his passion for reading and writing when he was thirteen. Later, he wrote a fantasy series with his dyslexic youngest daughter in mind.
After more than 100 rejections and a long break from creative writing, Sullivan returned by writing for himself and publishing through small-press and self-publishing routes. Orbit later acquired his series, making his career a notable example of hybrid publishing.
Sources: michaelsullivan-author.com (opens in a new tab)kirkusreviews.com (opens in a new tab)
His audiobook The Rose and the Thorn won a 2013 AudioFile Earphones Award, and The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter won one in 2017. Theft of Swords was a finalist for the 2013 Audie Award for Fantasy.
Sources: michael-j-sullivan.com (opens in a new tab)audiopub.org (opens in a new tab)
