Review: Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

Summary: 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 despair. The voices of the dead guide your steps. You walk back in time. The three-thousand-year battle begins again. Cold grips the world, death comes to all, and a choice is before you.” — Fan Irlanu, Tenkin Seerer of Oudorro Village

Percepliquis is the final installment of the epic fantasy, The Riyria Revelations. In this saga that began with The Crown Conspiracy, two thieves caught in the wrong place at the right time were launched on a series of ever escalating adventures that have all lead to this moment. Three thousand years have passed and the time for Novron’s heir to act has arrived.

My Thoughts: Great ending to one of my all-time favorite series. Although, like the author’s wife, I’m sad. It’s over! I read the last chapter with tears in my eyes – largely because I know there is no more. So sad. So very sad.

Ugh. LOL I don’t usually get so emotional over a book – at least not simply because it’s the end of a series. Not even Harry Potter made me sad for that reason. LOL It’s bittersweet, as I loved reading through the end of the tale, but I knew it was the end. (PLEASE, Michael, write more! LOL) That said, this book made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me laugh some more, cry some more. And laugh, and cry …

You get the idea.

And now for more of a review. Where to begin. This is written as well as the previous books in the series, and is just so much fun! And, despite it being 500+ pages, it reads fast. More like a 300-pager. I couldn’t believe how quickly I plowed through it! (And I wonder at the size of Heir of Novron, given that this book on its own is as thick as Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire! LOL) Although, I had to take breaks, and found myself not wanting to get back into it. Not for any reason other than the fact that once I was done, I was done. Series over. No more Royce and Hadrian. No more Arista and Modina. No more. Done. sigh Sullivan again does a wonderful job with the world building and characters. We get more of the witty banter out of Royce and Hadrian, and even other characters made me laugh.

And now, from here on out, it’s hidden as spoilers, because even if it doesn’t spoil this book (which it will in some cases), it will spoil previous books in the series. If you want to read these, click on the + to open. In spots with the huge spoilers, you’ll also have to highlight the white text to read it.

SPOILERS

Firstly, I just have to say that the description of Percepliquis, as recited by Myron, made me think of ancient Rome. I’m not even sure how close it is to what Rome was like, but it seemed very close. Or, at least, that’s assuming my memory from what I learned in college is at least somewhat accurate.

What happened to Alric? I remember liking him once he stopped being a jerk in Crown. Now his ego’s back, and I found him annoying. Their mission to the lost city of Percepliquis is Arista’s mission, and there’s no reason she shouldn’t be the leader. But, he doesn’t want anyone to forget that he is king, and he just can’t let a woman run the show. I know, I know. It was the culture, but still. She knew a heck of a lot more about everything than he did. And, let’s face it, she’s much smarter! LOL His demise was bittersweet. I was sad to see him killed off, but at the same time I felt he got what he deserved. Still, he was brave, valiant, and a good brother (for the most part) to Arista. With a little maturity, I think he’d have been a great king.

I was glad to see that many of my hunches were correct. Hadrian and Arista. Gaunt. I even had an inkling about Royce. Why was I glad to be correct? Because they were things I not only thought maybe might be coming, but they were things I hoped would happen.

Speaking of Royce. I was so worried for him when I finished Wintertide. I was afraid of how he’d react to the loss of Gwen. I figured that, in the spirit of fantasy, he’d be OK. But it was a little worrisome for a bit there. I was glad to see him come around. And so impressed by how much he changed. Clearly Gwen’s death was not for nothing. As for his identity, I remember thinking back after reading Avempartha that maybe he was the Heir. And I dismissed that thought. I thought that’s not something authors like to do because they want to keep readers guessing. Well, the good news is that Sullivan does keep readers guessing, and I had fully bought into the idea of Gaunt as the Heir (once he had stopped being such an ass). By the time we find out the true identity of the Heir, I had completely forgotten my suspicions from way back when! It comes as a wonderful surprise. Of course, I felt like I should have seen it coming – especially after the part with Gilly!

There are seemingly minor characters who were so much more important than I’d ever have guessed. Renwick, Magnus, Merton, Lenare Pickering, Myron. One big one I won’t even name, because that was such a wonderful surprise for me I don’t want you to know until you read it! Wouldn’t want to ruin it!

One thing I love about fantasy is that anything goes. And that includes that everyone – or almost everyone – can have a happy ending. It doesn’t have to be realistic in any way, and so dreamers like me can see all of their favorite characters (or at least all of the ones who weren’t killed off) have an ending that they deserve. Thank you, Michael, for allowing for that here.

And, Michael, while I have your attention, I have a wish list for you:

Nyphron’s story
The story of the destruction of Percepliquis (as well as the Empire prior to that)
Esrahaddon’s story
Royce’s life before Hadrian, including time spent in Manzant
Hadrian’s life before Royce
Riyria before The Crown Conspiracy
Royce as king of elves
Hadrian and Arista rebuilding the Teshlor Guild and the Cenzarium

I could probably come up with a lot more, but this will do – for now.

Thank you, Michael, for a fabulous series. I cannot wait to have some time to read the Orbit versions – hopefully soon! I can’t wait to see what things I missed the first time through and spot clues and such that I’d just didn’t know were clues.

Favorite Quotes: Just a couple (spoiler-free) to share.

Alric spoke in a voice just loud enough for Mauvin to hear. “Sometimes the price of dreams is achieving them.” ~ page 106

Isn’t that the truth? Reality rarely proves to be as rosy as our dreams. It often seems that the bigger our dreams, the harder it is for them to live up to our expectations.

Modina smirked. “I’ve already seen the world end once. Nothing is ever as impressive the second time around.” ~ page 414

She’s right about that.

Source: Sent for review.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. Note: This is the last book from the Ridan-published six-book Riyria Revelations series, and is only available for a limited time. Previous books in the original series are likely to be difficult to find. If you are interested in the series, I would recommend getting the new Orbit-published series. All six books are brought together into three books, each having two of them. Percepliquis is the second in the final book, Heir of Novron. The first two tomes are, in order, Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire. (Links to the Orbit-published books are Book Depository affiliate links. Purchase through these links will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012 and Free Reads 2012.

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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