Series

Thank you for your interest in my writing. My website is in desperate need of revamping, but I'll try to fill you in on the various series and hopefully help people decide where to start reading. To learn more about each book, see this page. I should also mention that you can buy copies directly from my store. Doing so cuts out the middlemen (so a higher percentage of your money will stay with me), and you can get your books signed.

Currently, I have four different series and one standalone novel. They are:

• The Riyria Revelations: Theft of Swords | Rise of Empire | Heir of Novron
• The Riyria Chronicles: The Crown Tower | The Rose and the Thorn | The Death of Dulgath | The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter | Drumindor
• Legends of the First Empire: Age of Myth | Age of Swords | Age of War | Age of Legend | Age of Death | Age of Empyre
• The Rise and Fall: Nolyn | Farilane  | Esrahaddon
• Hollow World 

Chronological Listing of books:

People often confuse The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles. To further complicate matters, the Riyria Revelations series was published in two different ways. The original self-published versions were released as six novels. When Orbit bought the rights to the series, the six books were re-released as three, two-book omnibus editions. The original versions are now out of print and not widely available. Here is how they break down:

• Theft of Swords contains (The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha)
• Rise of Empire contains (Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm)
• Heir of Novron contains (Wintertide & Percepliquis)

Series Timelines

All the fantasy books take place in my fictional world called Elan but at different historical times. 

• Riyria Revelations - furthest forward in the timeline
  
  
• Riyria Chronicles - a prequel to Revelations that occurs 10 years in the past
  
  
• Legends of the First Empire - a separate series occurring 3,000 years in the past
  
  
• The Rise and Fall - the "bridge books" that cover the time between Legends and Riyria which shows the formation and decline of the First Empire. There are large "time gaps" within this series. The first book takes place 850 years after the events of Legends of the First Empire, the second book jumps forward another 1,000 years, and the last book is a few hundred past the second.

Some people call Legends a prequel (because it happens before the Riyria books), but that's not accurate. First, the characters (the heart of the book) are very different between the two series. Also, the events in Legends take place in the distant past when the cultures and technology were dramatically different. Most importantly, no knowledge of Riyria is required to enjoy the Legend books to their fullest. As such, these are two independent series that just happen to share the same geography. The primary connection between the two is that characters who are mentioned in historical terms in Riyria are met face-to-face in Legends. For those who do read the Riyria books, they'll see the contrast between legends and the reality of the people who shaped the world.

Because the Rise and Fall books fit between Legends and Riyria it could also be thought of as a prequel to Riyria and a sequel to Legends, but again, this wouldn't be accurate. Like Legends and Riyria, this trilogy tells its own self-contained story - and while there are mentions to people and events in the past, it's not necessary to have read Legends to enjoy the Rise and Fall series.  If you have no interest in Legends, then you can certainly start with Nolyn (Book #1 of Rise and Fall), that said, it WILL contain spoilers (such as who won the First Great War, who lived, and who died).  So if you "think" you will be reading Legends, I highly recommend you read that series before starting with The Rise and Fall.

Chronicles vs. Revelations

Unlike Legends or The Rise and Fall, The Riyria Chronicles truly are a prequel to Revelations. I know many people shy away from prequels, and I think that's unfortunate as there are some great stories in the Chronicle novels. I will say that I'm pleased that so many people refer to Chronicles as "prequels done right." To understand why I wrote a prequel (rather than a sequel) some background would help.

When I wrote the six novels of the Revelations, I completed the entire series before publishing any of the books. This technique allowed me to create a story with interwoven plot threads and a satisfying conclusion.  I didn't expect there to be any more stories with Royce and Hadrian, but pressure from my wife (who has a crush on Hadrian), and outcries from my readers, encouraged me to write more. I feared that "tacking on" by writing a sequel would have the very real possibility of ruining an ending I was exceedingly pleased with.  So I decided to go to "the other end" of the timeline. Since Royce and Hadrian had been together for twelve years before the first page of the Riyria Revelations, it made sense to go back in time and explore the full details of how they met and formed their little thieves-for-hire enterprise.

I wrote The Riyria Chronicle very differently than The Riyria Revelations. I would rather have the pair leave too soon than overstay their welcome. As such, the Chronicles are standalone novels, and I want to be able to end the series without leaving readers hanging with unanswered plot points. So I release a book, take the reader's pulse, and if they still want more...well, no one is happier than myself. I've outlined ten novels, but I have no idea if all of them will be produced. Because of this uncertainty, I write those stories as standalone tales. Writing self-contained novels also means that each Chronicle could serve as an introduction point for the entire body of work that is Riyria.

Because the two series are so closely related, people often ask me where they should begin. When I started writing Chronicles, one of my goals was to ensure an enjoyable reading experience for people regardless of which book #1 they started with. Personally, I prefer the order of publication for the following reasons:

• It's a better value - each book is two full-length novels in one volume, and since all the books cost the same, you get two books for the price of one.

• It's the way I wanted to introduce readers to the characters and the world. I start out simply (holding back so I can expose character backgrounds and world building across the whole narrative). And I ramp up the stakes with each subsequent novel. The idea was to make each book better than the previous, and feedback indicates I hit that goal.

• I put little Easter eggs in Chronicles for people who have read Revelations. These aren't anything that would affect the plot, just little winks and nods for "people in the know."

So, with that in mind, I suggest starting with Theft of Swords.  But if you like tales told chronologically, then, by all means, begin with The Crown Tower. Those that have read chronologically swear their way is best, so I feel like I hit the mark of making either approach work well.

Here's a handy guide for all the Riyria books:

Legends of the First Empire

As mentioned, this series is completely separate from my other books, and no prior knowledge of Riyria is necessary to enjoy Legends. For those who do read both, they'll find many Easter eggs related to the truth behind historical figures. After all, history is written by the victors and they dictate what future generations will remember about their exploits.

Like Revelations, all six books of The Legends of the First Empire were written before the first book was published. Del Rey released books #1 through #3 on a once-a-year schedule, but the last three books are self-published by myself (learn why that is), and they are released on an accelerated scheduled (all three books in a 10 month span). The release dates for each are here:

• Age of Myth - June 2016
• Age of  Swords - July 2017
• Age of  War - July 2018
• Age of  Legend - July 2019
• Age of Death - February 2020
• Age of Empyre - May 2020

That's six books in less than 4 years, which is a pretty good track record (actually it's 7 books, because The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter came out in December of 2017 (buy direct) and October 2018 (standard retail).

The Rise and Fall

The title of the series pretty much tells it all.  If the Legend of First Empire shows the events leading up to the founding of the greatest empire in the history of Elan, then this series shows how its assertion and decline.

While this is technically a series, each book shows a particular point in time as seen through the eyes of a legendary historical figure. As such, each is more "standalone:" than say The Riyria Revelations. In other words, you won't follow the same characters over a short period of time, instead you'll cover several hundred years by "peaking" at a particular important aspect in time.

Where to start

Okay, so given all that, where should you begin reading? Well, several possibilities exist: 

• Age of Myth (book #1 of Legends of the First Empire) - if you like epic fantasy with a large ensemble cast, or you enjoy reading in order of publication.

• Theft of Swords (book #1 of Riyria Revelations) - if you like adventure stories with likable rogues who "have a very particular set of skills; skills they have acquired over a very long career." And you want their story to unfold as originally intended by the author.

• The Crown Tower (book #1 of Riyria Chronicles) - if you like adventure stories with likable rogues and you prefer to read chronologically.

• The Death of Dulgath (book #3 of Riyria Chronicles) - if you are interested in the Riyria books but want to hedge your bet a bit. This is a standalone novel, so if you don't like it, you won't be left with unanswered questions that would occur when starting with the other Riyria books. If you do like it, then I would suggest the next read should be Theft of Swords, and you should read the remaining books in order of publication.

• The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (book #4 of Riyria Chronicles) - Like The Death of Dulgath, this is a standalone novel, so if you don't like it, you won't be left with unanswered questions that would occur when starting with the other Riyria books. If you do like it, then I would suggest the next read should be Theft of Swords, and you should read the remaining books in order of publication.
  
  
• Nolyn - As mentioned earlier, you should not start with Nolyn if you have plans to read the Legends of the First Empire, if, however, you plan on skipping those six stories, then you can start here (and you'll learn some of the important facts from Legends that will provide context to the Rise and Fall books.

Works in Progress

Here is a brief overview of what's coming down the road

• Drumindor (The Riyria Chronicles #5) - As of March 8th, I have 2 chapters left to write in this book. No release date scheduled yet.
  
  
• Hollow World Sequel  (Hollow World #2) - This book is outlined, but I've yet to begin writing it. Nor do I know IF I will write it. It depends on other projects that keep jumping in front of it.