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    The Crown Tower
    The Crown Tower
    The Crown Tower
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Crown Tower

    Written by Michael J. Sullivan

    Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Michael J. Sullivan garnered critical raves and a massive readership for his Riyria Revelations series. The first book in his highly anticipated Riyria Chronicles series of prequels, The Crown Tower brings together warrior Hadrian Blackwater with thieving assassin Royce Melborn. The two form a less-than-friendly pairing, but the quest before them has a rare prize indeed, and if they can breach the supposedly impregnable walls of the Crown Tower, their names will be legend.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 6, 2013
    ISBN9781470360887
    The Crown Tower
    Author

    Michael J. Sullivan

    Michael J. Sullivan is a three-time New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author who has been nominated for nine Goodreads Choice Awards. His first novel, The Crown Conspiracy, was released by Aspirations Media Inc. in October 2008. From 2009 through 2010, he self-published the next five of the six books of The Riyria Revelations, which were later sold and re-released by Hachette Book Group’s Orbit imprint as three two-book omnibus editions: Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron. Michael’s Riyria Chronicles series (a prequel to Riyria Revelations) has been both traditionally and self-published. The first two books were released by Orbit, and the next two by his own imprint, Riyria Enterprises. A fifth Riyria Chronicle, titled Drumindor, will be self-published in the near future. For Penguin Random House’s Del Rey imprint, Michael has published the first three books of The Legends of the First Empire: Age of Myth, Age of Swords, and Age of War. Grim Oak Press distributes the last three books of the series: Age of Legend, Age of Death, and Age of Empyre. Michael has returned to purely self-publishing roots with the release of his most recent series, The Rise and Fall Trilogy. These books are being published in the current schedule: Nolyn (Summer 2021), Farilane (Summer 2022,  and Esrahaddon (Summer 2023). Michael is now writing Drumindor, the fifth book of The Riyria Chronicles. This will return him to the timeline of Royce and Hadrian, two rogues he hasn’t visited with since the release of The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter in 2018.  You can email Michael at michael@michael-j-sullivan.com.

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    Reviews for The Crown Tower

    4.5/5

    175 ratings38 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Here's proof positive that a story can have everything right and still not make a connection. Great characters, wry humor, decent story, plus fantasy mystery done well and yet there was something lacking that caused a distinct disconnect.
    • 2/5
      I think this would've been better if I'd read the main series first, rather than starting with the prequels. If I'd already known these characters, this would've been a mildly interesting if fairly implausible back-story. Since I wasn't already attached to Gwen, Royce, or Hadrian, and nothing in this book made me care about them, I was left feeling like I'd wasted my time.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, but felt a bit forced.
    • 4/5
      Reading AGE OF MYTH by Michael J. Sullivan made me want to go back (to the future!) and read some more Riyria. I’ve read the entirety of the Riyria Revelations series, but I hadn’t read any of the standalone Riyria Chronicles yet – starting with this book, THE CROWN TOWER.THE CROWN TOWER is the origin story of Riyria – it tells the story of how Royce and Hadrian first met and their first adventure together – robbing the Patriarch of the Nyphron church. Gwen is also a viewpoint character, and the book covers how she met Royce and Hadrian as well. I don’t remember the minor details of the Riyria Revelations books enough to comment on how much of this story is referenced in them (if at all), but some of the major plot points are definitely foreshadowed.I enjoyed this book. More Royce and Hadrian is never a bad thing, and it was interesting meeting them when they aren’t quite the people I was used to. There isn’t really much of an antagonist – the conflict is just Royce and Hadrian’s intense dislike of each other. There are people after them, but it’s not personal.I was a little disappointed at how little control Royce and Hadrian had over their meeting – they are literally forced together by Arcadius. Gwen displays a little more initiative, but she is also bound by prophecy. I would have been much less sympathetic to how everything happened if I hadn’t read the Riyria Revelations series, so I would definitely recommend reading that series first, starting with Theft of Swords.
    • 5/5
      I had intended to wait to read this until the next segment was out, so I could just pick up immediately, but I couldn't hold out.

      I've read the Riryia Chronicles end-quels and I like this one even better. Crown tower is about the meeting of Royce and Hadrian.

      It focuses mostly on Hadrian's experience, but I think that was a good choice, because by nature Hadrian is a more positive and therefore a lighter character, which leads to a more upbeat and lighter tone in the book. Had Sullivan focused on Royce too much the tone would have been a great deal darker.

      Both of the characters are well developed and interesting. Royce is certainly not ignored. But there is humor, hope and with a bit of darkness in this telling. And of course there is plenty of action/tension to make it a page turner.

      We see a development of characters like Gwen, who was mostly secondary in the sequels.

      I would recommend reading them in the order they were written, because I find it to be a more interesting read that way, but you could easily start with this one and read the three that already exist afterward.

      The book ends with a bit of a non-cliff hanger for people who have already read the sequels, however it still left me wishing for more and frustrated that the next one isn't out yet.

    • 4/5
      After writing the books of The Riyria revelations, Michael J. Sullivan has gone back to the beginning when Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater meet. Of course, they don’t particularly like one another; they just haven’t yet realized that together, they can do better what one cannot do alone. We also learn Gwen’s story and how she first meets Royce and Hadrian. The author does not give away any information so those who have not yet read the Revelations can easily start here. And for those of us who have finished the story, going back and learning more about Riyria was fascinating.Again the author includes a map but, be aware that it does not encompass the entire world of Elan. For that, the map contained in the Revelations books is needed. As with the earlier books, there is a glossary of terms and names with the same weaknesses as the other books with the names listed as forename, surname. It takes some time to adjust but the glossary is very necessary to keep track of all the players. Also missing is a listing of nations, kingdoms, gods and political parties which help in the understanding of the world of Riyria. (I went back and used the excellent overviews in Theft of swords.)For those starting with this book, the adventure is just beginning! And for the rest of us, reading more of Riyria was a pleasure.
    • 5/5
      It had been awhile since I read The Riyria Revelations series, but when I started reading this book I felt as if I was back among old friends. The Riyria Chronicles takes us back to a time before The Riyria Revelations. We find out how Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn first met (a lot of head-butting going on there!). We also get more history on Gwen DeLancy, who is another beloved character. If you haven't yet read either series, Michael Sullivan has written the books so that you can read them in any order. My personal preference is to read them in order of publication. Seeing how the characters started out after knowing how they ended up, made this book that much more enjoyable for me. I felt that I had a deeper connection to them. But either way, I can't see anyone who has read them not being a fan. Michael Sullivan has definitely become a favorite. I enjoy the depth of his characters so much and I really care about them. His books are well-written, evenly paced and they draw you in so that somehow you feel like you are right there on a great adventure with these characters. That's an art!
    • 4/5
      I skipped volumes 2 and 3 of The Riyria Revelations series in order to read "The Crown Tower", which is the first volume of the series that chronologically precedes Revelations. I'm sure that isn't how you are "supposed" to read them, but I don't like reading rules. This book is the origin story of how Royce and Hadrian met, learned to trust each other and became a team of professional thieves. Each of them is an appealing character and I really enjoyed reading about their start. There was also a surprising twist to the plot at the end that I liked a lot. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here though. Riyria goes on an impossible mission, they succeed and then they go on to the next quest. I'm not sure that my interest will be sustained over 4 more books of the two series, but I intend to read at least one more book.The only thing I didn't like about the book was the Gwen story which took up a lot of the book. She is a plucky prostitute who leads a revolt of her co-workers to establish their own brothel. Really, not every book needs a plucky female character. Maybe it's an attempt to appeal to the female demographic of readers, but in this case I just found it a distraction. If I had been reading, rather than listening to, this book I would have skipped those chapters. I expect that Gwen will play a part in the next book of the series and I'm not looking forward to it.The narration of the audiobook by Tim Gerard Reynolds was very good.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic story! My husband and I read this book on the recommendation of the bookstore clerk and we were pleasantly surprised. Started with the prequels as the first book in the series was not available.
      Wonderful character development and lots of action. Can't wait to get to the next prequel and then onto the series!
    • 5/5
      This is my first time reading a book in this series and I'm hooked! The characters and the world are richly described and I found myself fully invested in it. I am rarely caught by surprise, but I was several times during this story!
    • 3/5
      Most of the book is like two different stories, one I liked the other was a bit well... limp.. The half I really liked was the story of Gwen and her struggles.. the "heroes" of the other part I found unlike-able, one really weak and not sure of who he was (don't like real people like that!) and the other just a bore. The biggest problem, whilst the basic concepts and story were good, this book felt like an introduction to the series, not a real story with a start and a middle and END! Message to all authors! Series are good IF each book is a real story!!
    • 5/5
      although we know the story of how they met, this story is a delightful yarn full of familiar faces and places. nothing new here but a fun read for fans of hadrian and Royce and the narration is again top notch
    • 4/5
      The Crown Tower is first book in The Riyria Chronicles that is a prequel to The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan. If you haven't heard about this series or author before, then you obviously are not an epic fantasy fan. I've been planning to start reading The Riyria Revelations for sometime now, but as always with overflowing to-read list somehow I never really got to it. So when a free ebook of The Crown Tower was up for review and note said that it can be read either way, I jumped to the chance to review it.If you have chosen to start hanging out with Royce and Hadrian by reading The Crown Tower, like me, then you decided to follow chronological order of books. Although my OCD usually makes me pick this type of reading series, in case of Riyria my advice would be to go with publication order. A lot of times I had a feeling that I should feel much deeper connection to the characters or that there are mysterious links invisible to me that are familiar to those who read The Riyria Revelations. To them The Riyria Chronicles will be reunion with a well know friends and I think they enjoyed reading this book much more than I did.That being said, I can not say I didn't like The Crown Tower. Michael J. Sullivan has a nice writing style, he does not overwhelm you with infodumps, there is always something happening and new facets of characters personalities are constantly revealed. It's always interesting reading about characters that are opposite but have to cooperate together, and reading about Royce and Hadrian was no different.But my favorite part of the book were chapters dedicated to Gwen, a poor prostitute and her fight for survival. These chapters do not have almost any connection to current Royce and Hadrian's story but there are hints that Gwen will play big part in the future. I'm glad because I always like reading about strong and resourceful female characters.IN THE END...For Riyria fans, The Crown Tower brings a little bit more of your favorite characters. I know you'll be happy to read about them. As for those unfamiliar to them, I recommend starting with The Riyria Revelations and then using this series to satisfy you yearning for more Royce and Hadrian. ;)Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
    • 5/5
      I had read Theft of Swords and absolutely loved it so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review The Crown Tower. I have to say that after seeing how close Royce and Hadrian were in Theft of Swords it was a jarring change seeing them dislike each other so much. Sullivan does an amazing job at showing how this partnership began and gives a satisfying beginning to one of my favorite book friendships. Both Hadrian and Royce are introduced and developed really well from the beginning where both were lost unsure of what to do next since their life was at a crossroads to forging a partnership that gives both purpose and the beginning of a true friendship something neither ever had. Sullivan once again delivers the reader a well paced story full of action, intrigue, mystery, and the humor I have come to expect in Sullivan's work. The book's main story of the crown tower was well done, but the heart of the story is these two characters being forced to work together which I really enjoyed. I think this book is enjoyable to old fans who had read the other books in this series and it also serves as a great introduction to new fans. Overall this was a fabulous read that I would most definitely recommend. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.Received a copy of The Crown Tower through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      A fun fantasy novel that whetted my appetite for more in this series. It will be interesting to read more in the development of the partnership of Royce and Hadrian.

      4 Stars for a fun read.
    • 5/5
      Picturing Royce prior to his friendship with Hadrian, made their bond even more tangible after learning of the crucible that forged their relationship. I loved hearing the details of their origin story! If you love the characters, this is a must read!
    • 4/5
      Picked this up on a whim from the local library (on audio). I didn't have high hopes because I had never heard of the author. So I knew I was taking a chance that it might be some poorly-written, trite, independently-published drivel. What a surprise.This is definitely not "high fantasy", there aren't any monsters, non-human races and only the slightest hint of magic, which is usually a negative for me, but it was great. I really came to love and route for the characters, I was sad when people died, and impressed by plot twists I didn't expect. Also the introduction was hilarious.This isn't a serious epic/tragedy like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, there aren't 100 characters and 500 pages of back story, it's a story about a couple of people trying to survive and I guess it's also about some heroes meeting for the first time (it's kind of a prequel to a larger series, that I will be looking into).I would definitely suggest this book to teen readers, but that's definitely not to say older readers (like myself) wouldn't like it. There's plenty of action, lots of talk about prostitution, but not actually any detailed sex scenes. There's a strong female main character, an honorable male main character, and a not so honorable male main character and that's really what this story is about, characters.
    • 5/5
      After I had listened to the whole of the Riyria Revelations, I absolutely had to find out how it all began. And boy, this is another great tale about Hadrian and Royce. Tim Gerard Reynolds again does a fantastic job at narrating this wonderful tale.

      If you are new to this, I'd recommend you read/listen to the books in the order they were written (i.e. Revelations first, then Chronicles), there are various things that'll make you go 'aha, so that's what happened'. You'll get a deeper understanding of the Riyria Revelations, and it really adds to the pleasure.
    • 4/5
      I beta read this a year or so ago. It was nice to see the finished product, better to see the beta readers' influence on it. I put off reading this simply because I had spent so much time studying it that a few months wasn't enough time to let it fade some.

      I was leery of reading this. I'm not much on prequels but this & the following book are great additions to the series. We find out a lot of origins & it really fleshes out the characters well. I don't think it matters what order these are read in with regards to the series either, but that was one of my comments on the series, too. I ARC read the 2d book of the series before reading the first. While I prefer reading in chronological order, I was never lost or bored by info dumps to catch me up. Great job.
    • 4/5
      I am reading these books in all the wrong order, so my review may reflect that. This is the 'middle' series of Sullivan's Riyria books. The Riyria Revelations trilogy was written first, then this book, then the 'Age' series. I happened to start with Age of Myth, which is chronologically first but written after these books, then I picked up The Crown Tower, which chronologically came next. Sometimes while reading this one it was clear I'd missed something that was probably mentioned in the Revelations trilogy. This book 'introduces' the characters of Hadrian and Royce to each other. Royce and Hadrian, one a fighter and one a rogue fill familiar roles, the one that came to mind first was Lieber's Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser. Hadrian is an amazing fighter and almost a knight, in a good way, but kind of clueless about people and is trying to find his place in the world. Royce is a sociopath and great thief. Of course the two of them get thrown together on an impossible mission, to fulfill some purpose unknown to everyone - except probably those people who have read the last trilogy! Even out of order I enjoyed this book, though some of the interesting minor characters don't get enough time. The author also uses one of my least favorite fantasy language constructs 'okay'. Despite that, the writing is good, the book is hard to put down and while a little light on action, fun to read.
    • 4/5
      This is my first book by Sullivan - and, it seems, it is meant as a prequel to a more popular (or perhaps just older) series. Anyway, I had no issues following the story or knowing the characters based on this one story alone. Are there references to other things/characters that might have played a role in other books, maybe (i.e. Merrick, Wren, Arcadius), but since I don't know them, and Sullivan didn't drag on and on about stuff outside this story, I don't feel like I missed out on anything.As the story started, I had some fear that it was going to be slow and pondering - and perhaps it is (it is not an action novel, after all), but the characters are interesting and distinct and we grow to care what happens to them.The story seemed to stop rather suddenly, but even that makes sense since it is a multi-book series, and the events in this book were adequately concluded...
    • 4/5
      This is a start to the prequel series of the Riyria Revelations, which is a series I've heard good things about. You can read this series first or the other one first as this prequel series is still in the making. But this was the one I picked up first so I decided to just go with it. I was a little skeptical at first since it read more like a young adult fantasy novel where there are corny jokes and predictable ambushes. But the book pulled me in and either the writing got better or I just stopped caring in lue of the story itself. Good enough that I will be reading the next book The Rose and the Thorn and moving on the famed Theft of Swords. Not phenomenal but great enjoyment to see these two men interact. Total opposites but then opposites sometimes become the greatest of friends, and I've always loved stories about deep friendship.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic story! My husband and I read this book on the recommendation of the bookstore clerk and we were pleasantly surprised. Started with the prequels as the first book in the series was not available.
      Wonderful character development and lots of action. Can't wait to get to the next prequel and then onto the series!
    • 4/5
      I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Previously I had read The Riryia Revelations series by Sullivan and really enjoyed it. This book is a prologue to that series. It was an enjoyable read. There is a sequel to this book, The Rose and the Thorn, that has already released.This book follows two stories; that of Royce and Hadrian and that of Gwen. Hadrian has returned from fighting in a number of wars as a mercenary and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Royce has no purpose in his life outside of thieving and surviving. They are both summoned by the wizard Arcadias who wants them to team up and steal a book for him from the Crown Tower. Meanwhile Gwen is eking out a living at a whore house. When one of the girls is murdered by a customer Gwen has had enough and decides it’s time for her and the girls to take matters into their own hands.This book is the book where Hadrian and Royce meet. They pretty much hate each other and work with each other only to pay their debts to Arcadias. It was fun to read about how they used to be and to watch as they slowly begin to respect each other. You also get quite a bit more background information on their pasts. Although I enjoyed this portion of the story, it was fairly predictable.I actually found Gwen’s story to be the more engaging of the two. I had always been very curious about Gwen’s history and here you learn it in full. We see Gwen use her gift of Sight and watch as her and some very human women struggle to make a life for themselves. I loved watching Gwen build her empire and how she changed the lives of those around her so drastically. Both storylines refer to some events that happen in the Riyria Revelations. Both stories also show hints of what the Revelations books end up dealing with. It was fun to see how all the characters started down the path that they traveled in Riyria Revelations. This book can definitely be read without reading the Riyria Revelations...however if you read the Revelations first you will understand a lot more about what the actions that happen in this book are leading up to. Not to mention we get to see some cameos from characters in that series, that you just wouldn’t know about if you hadn’t read Riyria Revelations.Sullivan includes a very nice preface about why he wrote the books and some background on how he came up with the characters and the series name. It was a well done preface and I enjoyed reading it.This book is definitely only the first half of the story though, it ends a bit in the middle of everything. I didn’t like it quite as much as the Riyria Revelations books because I just felt like not a lot happened. It was engaging but not as epic and action-packed as the Revelations series.Overall a fun read. Definitely recommended to fans of the Riyria Revelations books, but not quite as complex, epic, and engaging as that series. I really enjoyed learning more background on the characters that I came to love and engage with in the Riyria Revelations books. All of Sullivan’s books are fun classic fantasy reads and I highly recommend them to fantasy fans. I can’t wait to read The Rose and the Thron!
    • 5/5
      This is the prequel to the Riyria Revelations with Hadrion Blackwater, a meritorious but disillusioned knight and Royce Melborne, a notorious thief with little regard for others. This is the delightful tale of the events that led to heir partnership in the Riyria Revelations. The usually entertaining affair. Highly recommended for a pleasurable read!
    • 4/5
      A team, a partnership, working together...the Elves have word for it in the world of these books -- they call it "Riyria". If you've read Michael J. Sullivan's excellent Riyria Revelations series already, you'll know that Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn weren't always the dynamic duo we know and love, and that they certainly didn't start off as friends. Now finally, with the story of The Crown Tower, we get to see how it all began. I was honored to be able to read a pre-release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Orbit and NetGalley! Being quite the fan of Mr. Sullivan's Riyria books and given the fact that Hadrian and Royce's "origin story" was one that was hinted at throughout that entire series, being able to read this was one hell of a real treat. The great thing is, even though The Crown Tower can be considered a prequel of sorts, it can also be read as a one-shot. We are introduced to Hadrian, a jaded and young directionless soldier returning home from the wilds of Calis after hearing about his father's death. He agrees to meet with Arcadius, an old friend at the university who claims to have a message from Hadrian's father before he died. Arcadius, however, inexplicably pairs Hadrian up with Royce, a depraved thief whose mistrust of everything and everyone is akin to that of a dog that has been kicked too often. The two men are sent on incomprehensible task to steal a book...which sounds simple enough, if only they can learn to work together without killing each other first.For newcomers to the world and characters of Riyria, this book will be a great starting point. Returning fans will probably be even more thrilled, as it basically has all the details about Hadrian and Royce's first ever job together, and answers questions about how these two men -- who arguably are complete polar opposites of each other -- became a team. As an added bonus, we even get chapters focusing on Gwen, who ranks up there among my list of strongest female characters I've ever come across in fantasy fiction. These are characters I've come to know well, and it's just so great to be able to return to them again, even if it's going back in time. My only regret is that Gwen's sections feel a bit rushed and a little glossed over, though rationally I can kind of see why I found this to be the case. Her presence in this book is definitely required, but at the same time the main focus must remain on Hadrian and Royce's quest. My excitement levels and hopes are lifted, however, for The Rose and the Thorn which is the follow-up to this, and it looks like it'll have a lot more Gwen and maybe it'll mean a deeper and more prominent role for her to play. The thing I love about The Crown Tower is that it continues to read like all of the other Riyria novels in that they are fun, action-filled adventurous fantasy stories that have a traditional, straightforward and down-to-earth feel-good vibe. Hadrian and Royce are ever the source of good banter, even at this point where they still hate each other. The book also has a feel of a puzzle piece that simply "fits", falling into place and filling out the timeline of the Riyria books without feeling forced or tacked on, unlike certain prequels of certain franchises I won't deign to mention here. You can tell with The Crown Tower as with all the books in the Riyria Revelations that the author has a grand plan, that everything happens for a reason and the presentation of it all is smooth and logical. The point is, I think this book would be great for any fan of fantasy, but if you've also read and loved the Riyria Revelations, this is a MUST-read.
    • 3/5
      An action/adventure prequel story of how Royce and Hadrian met and their first adventure. It is set in a Medieval-like world where there is not much fantasy elements. Royce and Hadrian always have a fun dynamic between them, which is the main draw for this series. I'm not a big fan of prequels and this book brought nothing new. The authors writing skills continue to improve compared to the original Riyria books, which was nice. The story is a self-contained story that it is possible to read this book without reading the previous books.
    • 5/5
      Loved it! First fantasy book I've read in many years - the thrill was gone, for me - but this series might just bring me back.
    • 4/5
      Great fun reading the prequel of the Riyria Revelations, meeting Hadrian the invincible swordsman and Royce, the cunning assassin.
      To fulfill obligations, Hadrian and Royce get thrown together, much against their wills, since they dislike each other on sight. At the same time, we follow the parallel story of Gwen, who is a beaten down doxy, at this stage of her life.
      Enjoyable, page-turning adventure.
    • 3/5
      fun read, but let's be frank, this book wouldn't stand on it's own. It's only interesting as the origin of our duo of heroes, how they met and how Gwen got to meet both too. But as plot, intrigue or quest goes, there is none in this book. Read "Revelations" trilogy first or you'll wonder why people like this book. 3 stars for a fun read.