This book was so damn much fun.
Clever story telling
and wonderful world building.
I loved this book.
Epic fantasy on a scale
hardly seen these days.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

Firstly I want to mention that I have never read any book in the Ellan Universe or any book written by Michael J. Sullivan. I have been wanting to get into his books but felt intimidated by the long series and wasn't sure where to start. So, I was very excited when I saw that this is something I can try and could also enjoy as a standalone if I wanted to.

The book follows Nolyn as heir to the empire; his assignment to rescue an outpost leads to a dead-end canyon deep inside enemy territory, and his suspicion turns to dread when he discovers the stronghold doesn't exist. Nolyn is an interesting character that gets to form a great friendship with a group of great warriors. Their friendship is so nicely portrait and I really like all of them.

The other perspective is Sephryn - mother and daughter of War Legends. She is going through some very deep and horrible things. Her part is a little bit of a mystery compared with Nolyn's part. Her son is kidnaped and you follow in trying to get him back. She does a lot of questionable things and in a way I feel sorry for her at the end.

My favourite part about this book has to be the world. Both Nolyn and Sephryn are half-elf, half-human and the politics and history of this world made me very curious for the other series by Sullivan. I will definitely go and read his Legends of the First Empire series!!! Second favourite were the side characters: Nolyn's new friends (Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron) and Arvis Dyer (she is just so precious and her chapters are just great, I was happy for her at the end - also the last page made me so incredibly happy for her... OMG!!).

This book impressed me and even though I new nothing about this world before it captured me and I am happy I have read it! Now I can happily go and read more in this Universe. ^_^

Looking forward to read more of Sullivan's books. I've heard so many good things with the other series he wrote.



The story is great. Great read!

absolutely enjoyed this book by Michael J. Sullivan ... once the story got going, i couldn't put it down!

After more than five hundred years of exile, Nolyn, the heir to the empyre, is weary about his reassignment to duty on the Goblin War’s front lines. He needs to rescue an outpost, leading to a dead-end canyon deep inside enemy territory. Someone went to a great deal of trouble planning his death to look like a casualty of war. Lucky for Nolyn, he got assigned with the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron, real legendary soldiers. They might just make it out alive.

We mostly see the story from the perspective of Nolyn, who’s the above-mentioned heir, and Sephryn. Both are children of legendary people (whose story took place in the First Empire series if I’m not mistaken).

While Nolyn has to fight off the ghazel and get out alive with his squadron, Sephryn remains in the capital trying to bring more equality between the Instarya and humans.

But things take a dark turn when she comes home one day to find her nursemaid murdered, her baby stolen, and a voice in her head commanding her to steal a certain artifact if she ever wants to see her son again.

I loved both their storylines a lot. Nolyn’s story gave some great action scenes. And the bonding between Nolyn and the squadron was a delight to read. I especially enjoyed the growing bond between the skeptical Amicus and Nolyn.

Sullivan also did a great job with the characterization. This all comes down to some nice details. For instance, Nolyn is terrible with names, so when we first meet the squadron, a lot of them have nicknames given by Nolyn before he can remember their actual names. I just really loved that little detail.

On the other hand, Sephryn’s story made the racial issues in the empyre clearer and gave me a thrilling mystery to solve. Who is that voice? What is their endgame?

I loved reading along and finding the clues and trying to figure out what it all meant. I wasn’t great at it, but perhaps if I’d read some of the other books (and would’ve known a bit more about the history of the world) I’d have gotten the answer sooner.

I also really loved Sephryn’s character—she lives to help other people. We can see this from the very beginning, where she’s basically the only one who’s nice to a woman who’s clearly somewhat crazy. And she would do anything for her son.

While there were a lot of things I loved about this book, I especially loved the ending. Everything came together so well, and I just couldn’t put the story down anymore. I had to know how everything would conclude. And that conclusion didn’t disappoint.

There were certainly some devastating parts of that conclusion, and it might be that not everyone will like how it ends. But I think it made sense, and it really gave that nice bittersweet feeling.

I could also easily go on about the worldbuilding, which was fantastic. All the cities, jungles, different races were detailed and wonderful to imagine. But there were also details on the magic and history of the world, without it being too much. That’s a great balance to achieve.

A final note: while Nolyn is part of a series, all the books in this series will tell the story of a legendary person that was mentioned in some of the other series from Sullivan. So these stories do read as if they were a standalone.

To conclude: if you love epic fantasy with great writing, a rich world, and compelling characters, read Nolyn.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Michael J. Sullivan for the ARC!

Now, what can I say? Unlike most people I do not think this is a good entry point to Michael J Sullivan's world...

As I had not read any of his other books I felt a little lost at the beginning, but as I was loving Mr. Sullivan's writing I ended up buying The Riyria Revellations...And then Legends of the First Empire, both of which I deeply recommend, along with any of Mr.Sullivan's books!

However, I would recommend reading the book in order of their publications for the full experience!

I missed a lot of the sarcasm and humor that I enjoyed while reading the Riyria series and now it's back! Legends of the First Empire was okay; however, Nolyn proves that this series, Rise and Fall,, are going to be FANTASIC!! Completely enjoyable banter between characters with well thought out world building made me fall in love with Michael J. Sullivan's writing, all over again. Nolyn is the first book in his newest series release and I cannot wait until the next comes get here. Well done, Mr. Sullivan!!

Amazing cover art and great story. From start to finish I enjoyed every moment of it. The moment Nolyn, the main protagonist who is half human and half fhrey, decides to drop the truth bomb on his troops to save their live and sacrifice himself, I knew this would be any sci-fi and fantasy lovers next best read.

I had forgotten how much I liked this author. I went back and looked on Goodreads and realized that I read every single book in the Riyria Chronicles but for some reason, I only read the first book in The Legends series. Believe me, I will be rectifying that immediately.

This is the first book in a new series that is based in Elan - the same world as the two series mentioned above. Do you have to have already read either one to jump into this series? No. Well, at least I hadn't and it was not a problem for me.

So, about the book. Let me say that it took me about 5 minutes to seriously like the character of male MC Nolyn. He is a great character and the son of the current Emperor and a very unique kind of mixed breed. In other words, his mother was human. We also get to meet a group of Legionnaires and a very special fighter that end up having interesting connections. Their dynamics was a dynamic addition to the story.

The POV alternates between Nolyn and Sevrin (another half human/half Fhrye) who has grown up with Nolyn. Because of the fact that they have human blood, they will not live as long as the other Fhrey (who live a couple of millenniums). The two of them are about 850 or so years old....(that's a heck of a lot of history) :)

Let me just say the world building was wonderful, the characters were very well developed and the story line was compelling. There were a couple of twists that I did not see coming and the story built to a wonderful climax.

There is no doubt that I will be eager for the next book in this trilogy, which according to Mr. Sullivan will be coming out in June 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Bestselling author Michael J. Sullivan has just released the first book in his new trilogy, The Rise and Fall. Nolyn is set in the same world as Sullivan’s beloved Riyria novels and The Legends of the First Empire series. This novel takes place about 850 years after the end of the Legends series and 1000 years before Riyria. The Rise and Fall series will depict the formation and collapse of an empire over time, with each novel following a different main protagonist. Grimdark Magazine received an ARC of Nolyn in exchange for an honest review. This review contains minor spoilers for The Legends of the First Empire.

“When the fate of the world is in your hands, gambling is an unaffordable luxury, and idealism is often burned on the altar of reality.”
NolynThough Sullivan states it is not necessary to read any of his other novels before Nolyn, a knowledge of the history of the empire and its power struggles adds vital context. With a dozen and counting published books set in the world, new readers may feel intimidated. Readers who know little of the world of Elan may be puzzled by repeated references to the Legends of the First Empire series. Reading Sullivan’s books in publication order offers the most gratifying reading experience.

The plot follows Nolyn—the only son of human Persephone and elf Nyphron —in the tumultuous events leading to Nolyn’s ascension from heir to emperor. Nolyn, who has lived for centuries at odds with his militaristic father, has just been ordered to the front lines of the Goblin Wars in an assignment that is essentially a death sentence. Meanwhile, Nolyn’s childhood friend and love interest Sephyryn has been unsuccessfully trying to improve the lives of humans in the Empire for generations. The series of events that unfold following the kidnap of Sephyryn’s child near the beginning of the novel could have implications that derail the empire’s progress forever.

“Everyone has to pay, but heroes—I think they have a higher price than everyone else. And maybe they never erase their debts.”

A thought-provoking recurring theme in Sullivan’s novels is how myths and stories are born and manipulated, affecting civilizations for generations. Because many of Sullivan’s characters are long-lived, they witness firsthand how history can be blurred by bias, myth, and memory. Readers witness how Nolyn’s father, Emperor Nyphron, has molded history and myth to shape his elf-first vision of the empire. The Riyria novels set hundreds of years later display a future when even Nyphron’s story has been rewritten into something unrecognizable.

Nolyn will inevitably draw comparisons to Sullivan’s previous works. While it does live up to the magic of Riyria in its third act, Nolyn differs significantly in subject matter and tone. While the Riyria series is an adventure tale following odd couple ex-mercenary Hadrian Blackwater and cynical thief Royce Melborn, The Rise and Fall series is shaping up to be more of a mythological fantasy depicting fictional historical events. The plot arc and character dynamics of Riyria are more fun and leave space for surprise and humor interspersed with stylish splashes of violence. Royce and Hadrian are so engaging and well-rounded that by comparison, Nolyn and Sephyryn can sometimes feel hollow with their predictable choices and lack of meaningful interaction with each other.

Sephyryn’s plotline in particular contains little of the levity or character development that readers may have come to expect from Sullivan’s novels. Her point-of-view in the novel feels disappointingly inconsequential; she is given little agency or moments of growth and primarily serves as an absent love interest and catalyst for the male character’s rise to power. Over the course of the novel, Sephyrn is compelled, in gallingly predictable ways, into awful situations while failing to consider any path other than the one set in front of her.

This might have worked with the right foil, but unfortunately, the morally ambiguous types of characters depicted in many of Sullivan’s previous works are more or less absent in Nolyn. Readers may question why there are no interesting new villains or anti-heroes to accompany this new series. The bad guys as depicted in Nolyn are generally unsubtle stereotypes: kidnapping children, murder of innocents, and machinations to rule the world are all in the playbook.

Sullivan’s writing truly shines in moments when characters who know each other well are allowed to banter and interact with each other. Nolyn’s perspective chapters, in which he joins and travels with a squadron of skilled warriors as he attempts to stay alive, are among the most engaging scenes in the book. The cast of compelling side characters, especially Nolyn’s band of brothers, elevates the book any time they show up—though one wishes they were explored more deeply, with fully fleshed-out backstories and independent motives.

Like Brandon Sanderson, Sullivan is an extremely organized and prolific writer. Sullivan has a process in which he writes a series first and then publishes each book about a year apart. This technique allows the author a lot of precision in plotting and editing to maximize effective storytelling and continuity. Fans of Sullivan’s previous works may find themselves consulting the Riyria Wiki to help identify easter eggs and continuing threads.

With a slew of successful Kickstarter campaigns to fund his novels, Sullivan has a devoted and supportive fanbase that will definitely enjoy this newest novel. Readers who enjoy the cycles of history and myth in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series should definitely check out Sullivan’s work.

In Nolyn, Sullivan has penned an enjoyable tale with consistent prose and meticulous attention to detail. Though the novel perhaps does not match the charm and rereadability of its predecessors, it is definitely worth picking up. Entertaining and immersive, Nolyn is a great summer read for fans of epic fantasy.

3.5 stars

I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I jumped when I saw this arc. I have been following Sullivan for a few years now. I've read all of the Royce and Hadrian novels. I consistently love everything I've read by the author. His world feels like returning to friends. I love the detailed world building, the characters and then humor. Royce, Hadrian and Arista are some of my favorite fantasy characters ever.

I haven't read Age of Myth series yet. I was a little worried that it would hinder my experience. I can't act like that isn't true. A lot of this world has details from that series that if I"d read it I'd understand the plot a little quicker. I had hints of things from reading the Riyria novels. Instead of feeling discouraged though it really made me excited that I had more Sullivan to read and bumped up Age of Myth on my tbr to immediate.

This novel was great. Everything that I've come to expect from Sullivan whether a novel or short story. I was engaged and immediately invested in the story and characters. I'm dying for the next novel especially book three. Sullivan hit it out of the park for me. He's continues to be an autobuy author, for me. Also, I waited to read this physically and through audio because I adore the narrator.

Would I tell someone to start with Nolyn to get into Sullivan's works. No. I'd tell them to start with Riyria. But I would tell them that this is a great book and Sullivan just gets better and better. Now to wait and devour Age of Myth before book two comes out.

My Thoughts

I would like to thank Grim Oak Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan is a well-written first book of the Rise and Fall Trilogy. I haven't read the series prior to this yet, BUT this is a standalone work that can be read without the knowledge of the previous books. That's why I still enjoyed reading it, and I'm planning to read the other series, too.

The story followed Nolyn, the heir to the throne who was sent out to the Goblin War’s front lines to die as a casualty of war. With the Seventh Sikaria Auxillary Squadron, who were not-so-ordinary soldiers, they survived the attack but now, Nolyn had to find who was trying to kill him. Was it his own father, who he had a complicated relationship with? Or maybe this planned assassination was just the tip of the iceberg?

Told with multiple POVs, it was easy to get some insights of the personalities and motivations of the characters. The narrative started strong with Nolyn's epic battle, but it slowed down a bit in the middle, then suddenly boosted up to a nerve-racking climax. I liked the banters, the actions scenes, the betrayals, and again the last few pages were such a rollercoaster ride. I really enjoyed reading Nolyn's POV. I had a softspot for the camaraderie of unlikely group of characters. However, I wished that there was more into it. I just felt like loyalty and friendship weren't just developed in such a short time. On the other hand, Sephryn's POV was interesting, too. Although there were times where I felt like Sephryn just kept on going to the flow despite the fact she could have thought more and done something to solve her own predicament, I still kind of understood where her decisions and actions lied with.

The author's writing style was quick and easy to read. Most fantasy books I read was very traditional in a sense that I needed to get used to the writing first, but I did not need to do that while reading this novel. It felt like it already has its modern feels to it. It flowed smoothly and did not have hifalutin words. Also, he was able to present inequality and imbalance of power between various races. It had such a huge factor between the present and the past events. On top of that, I found it interesting how history was distorted in the novel. Real events were so different from what were known in the present time.

The only issue that I had was some of the plot devices were a little bit jarring and unbelievable at some point. Nevertheless, it was only a minor issue that it did not much affect my reading experience.

Overall, Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan is an entertaining read. I cannot wait to see what the other entries have to offer.

4/5 stars!

This book is the first in a new series from Sullivan, set in the same world that his other books are. I've read the Riyria books before, but never got around to reading the legends of the first empire, so while I was familiar with how the world of Elan will eventually be, I was much less familiar with its distant past, which Legends and this new series seem to cover. It's easy to pick up this series with no prior knowledge, Sullivan does a great job of making this book standalone and providing context from previous books when he needs to. The focus this time is on a plot against Nolyn, the emperor's son, by an enemy of his father's long since thought lost to time. In the mix as well is Sephryn, Nolyn's childhood friend, who's story runs parallel to Noyln's, as well as a whole cast of supporting characters who are fascinating and interesting in their own way. The two main plot lines connect together well, and I really like Noyln and Sephryn as characters. There were some things I feel I missed, like the importance of Malcolm and his role, but overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series will go.

A great start to a new series by Michael J. Sullivan! While you could definitely jump in here, this is now a series with both a prequel series and a sequel series, so it's best read having already read the Riyria books and the Legends of the First Empire series (especially the latter).

Michael J. Sullivan is incredibly consistent, so if you're a fan of his work so far this looks like it'll be another exciting and emotional series!

Micheal J. Sullivan has created a world I just cannot get enough of. Nolyn is the first book in the new The Rise and Fall trilogy. It is actually the 13th full length novel set in the fantastic Fantasy world of Elan with stories spanning millennia. While this is a new series and supposed to be an entry point, there are tons of Easter eggs for readers for the past set The Legends of the First Empire series as well as future set The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles. I honestly recommend reading all the books in their order of publication. But if you can't fit 12 other books into your reading schedule, you could get by just reading the Legends of the First Empire series. Still Michael J. Sullivan is one of my favorite fantasy authors and he always delivers. He has an unusual writing style of finishing the first drafts of all of his series before releasing a book so the reader can trust they will not be left hanging with an unfinished book series, *cough* other fantasy authors, you know who you are *cough*

Nolyn is set 600ish years after the events of The Legends of the First Empire. Nolyn is the son of the Fhrey (Elf) king and his human wife. He is one of the first hybrid children ever produced and there are very few like him. He has been pretty much estranged from his king father for the past 500 years; they have a bit of a complicated relationship. But he has just been sent into an unwinnable battle in a war that has been going on fifty years and he is about to meet some people who will change his life forever.

“Something I’ve learned about people, both human and Fhrey, is that they hate having long-held beliefs challenged by facts, even about stupid things. Once you get something settled in your head, it becomes comfortable and difficult to dislodge.”

Luckily, Nolyn was sent out with Seventh Sikaria Auxillary Squadron; they don't seem to die as easily as other soldiers. Could be the Teshlor training their leader has given them. With a squadron in tow, Nolyn now has to find out who is trying to get him killed, even if it is probably his own father, and possibly find a way to make amends with the woman he has loved for centuries.

***Decisions based on a feeling. Women referred to it as intuition. Men called it gut instinct. His father believed such things to be foolishness, but his mother had referred to it as the Voice of Elan. Suri once told him his feelings were the sounds his soul heard when listening to the world singing the music of truth. Nolyn didn’t know which to believe, but he missed Sephryn, and those eyes reminded him of her.***

Sephryn is the daughter of Moya and Tekchin and another elf/human hybrid. Her son has been stolen by someone and will not be returned until she can figure out a way to steal a horn she has never heard of before. She will do anything to find her child, even if it means figuring out how to steal something from the Emperor himself.

The story is told with multiple PoVs so the reader can get into the head of all the important players. Even the villain, who readers of the other series will know, gives great insight into the motivations and the personalities of the characters. Moya was a favorite character of mine from the prior series, so it was hard to read how she could be with both her daughter and her husband, but it would be hard to grow old while those you loved stayed young looking and perfect. As a reader of all the books set in this world, I always marvel how history has been corrupted in the future and the real events are so different from the ones I first read. I also love how MJS takes something that you think you knew from the books set in the future and turns it completely on its heels making you see it so differently.

If you love fantasy I recommend all the books set in this world highly. The banter between characters, the twists, the betrayals and the workings of the gods of this world really do know how to capture the reader. He is in my top 5 fantasy authors and absolutely an auto-buy for me.

Nolyn, the son of Nyphron and Persephone and heir to the Empyre has been reassigned after 500 years of exile. Nolyn has been sent to the front lines in war and is certain he's being sent to his death. Fortunately for him, he's been assigned to the Seventh Sikaria Auxillary Squadron, an already noteworthy squadron that has a legendary warrior among its ranks. New legends are beginning in the midst of deception and tragedy.

Initially, I felt like I was thrown into the story - I didn’t know anything about this world or its characters/character types, as I’ve never read a Michael J. Sullivan book before. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book with that beginning. But then as I continued reading, I got to know the characters better, got the hang of the intricacies of the world (mostly), and my interest grew.

Written in alternating points of view, the characters’ lives interweave until it all culminates on one fateful day. After about the first 150 pages, the story really picks up and the action feels like it is leading somewhere exciting.

The predictability of some reveals is what took away from the story the most for me.

As there isn’t a cliffhanger that creates an urgency to read the second instalment, this can definitely be read as a standalone if you're interested in an entry point into Sullivan's work!

As always, this author has done an amazing job captivating me with the characters and world that he has created. This new series timeline is set in between The Legends of the First Empire and The Riyria Revelations. While I have not yet read The Riyria Revelations, I have made it part way through The Legends of the First Empire and was able to easily recognize the Easter eggs that Sullivan placed throughout this new adventure. This new series, The Rise and Fall, can easily be read on it’s own though without starting on the others first.

We are following multiple perspectives throughout the story:

Nolyn, the son of the current reigning emperor, begins the story being sent into what seems like a trap. He quickly realizes someone might be trying to get him killed. He ends up creating a bond with the squadron of soldiers that were sent with him. It almost felt like a found family and was one of my favorite parts of the story.

Sephryn is a councilwoman in the capital that faces her own tragedy right from the beginning. She begins to hear a ‘voice’ and has to follow its orders or her son will die.

There are multiple characters introduced to us, but each had their purpose. This story finished out STRONG. While it is a trilogy, it didn’t feel completely open ended. There is still much to discover and explore in the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grim Oak Press for approving this e-arc. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan is the first book I finished this month. I read Riyria Revelations ages ago and I don't remember much, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment. And I probably missed a lot of cameos 🤷🏽‍♀️. IMO anyone can enjoy Nolyn with no background from previous books without feeling lost.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆:
→an unputdownable read! I finished this in the wee hours of the night and I can confidently say, "No ragrets!"
→it hooked me right from the start, where after a few pages, a well-executed battle began
→rich in lore, fast-paced, epic battle scenes, and intricate plot
→Michael J. Sullivan's writing style is enjoyable! It flowed easily, beautiful, and no words wasted.
→the banters between the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary squadron and Nolyn made me laugh at times and their camaraderie is heartwarming
→I love Nolyn and Nyphron's conversation. So weirdly good
→that last 20% was WILD!!!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆:
→there are a lot of deus ex machina moments
→Nolyn's daddy issue

Overall, if you like epic fantasy goodness, magic, intense battles, humor, and friendship - Nolyn is perfect for you!

Thank you so much, Grim Oak Press and Netgalley for the DRC 🥰

I am glad I dug into Michael J Sullivan's previous novels prior to starting this one. It is constantly said by Sullivan that you need to have no prior knowledge of the world he has created or the the events of the previous books, but I found that this was not entirely true for this series. Going from Riyria Revelations to the Legends of the First Empire series or vice versa can very easily be done, as there are the most minor Easter eggs between the two. But I feel like readers will be missing a lot of important information and worldbuilding if they have not read the Legends of the First Empire series prior to starting the Rise and Fall series.

I'm hoping this series takes a more standalone format that is connected more by themes, than by being outright sequels as I have a hard time being invested in what happens to our two main characters following the conclusion of this story. The character building was strong enough in this book, though nowhere near as masterful as what Sullivan displayed in his LotFE series. This one also felt more rushed, and like the events of the novel didn't really have room to breathe and develop in comparison to both the Revelations and LotFE series. While this was nowhere near Sullivan's best work, it was still a fun tale that shows a little bit more of the history of this world.

I am guilty of owning several books by Michael J. Sullivan that are sitting, unread, in my house. Sorry - for me, that is. "Nolyn" is a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are crafted very well, and there are more than a few surprises tucked away. The writing is engrossing, and it feels like no word is wasted. The world has been constructed with a lot of care, making it believable and one you'll want to return to.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.