Michael J. Sullivan

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-09-27

Michael J. Sullivan was born on September 17, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan, and began writing fiction as a young man for his own enjoyment. He returned to writing in the 2000s to help his daughter, who struggled with reading, and wrote the six-book Riyria Revelations, later self-publishing much of it before it was picked up by a traditional publisher; in 2012, the website io9 named him one of the most successful self-published science-fiction and fantasy authors. He has since written the Riyria Chronicles, a prequel series, the six-book Legends of the First Empire, the Rise and Fall trilogy, and the standalone science-fiction novel Hollow World (2014), which has been translated into 14 languages. Two of his novels, Age of War and Age of Legend, reached national hardcover fiction lists, and his novel Hollow World was nominated for an Audie Award for fantasy audiobook narration in 2013.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Crown Conspiracy (2008) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Avempartha (2009) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Nyphron Rising (2009) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• The Emerald Storm (2010) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Wintertide (2010) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Percepliquis (2011) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• The Viscount and the Witch (2011) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Expanded Canon
• The Crown Tower (2013) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• The Rose and the Thorn (2013) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• The Jester (2014) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Expanded Canon
• Professional Integrity (2015) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Expanded Canon
• The Death of Dulgath (2015) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of Myth (2016) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of Swords (2017) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (2017) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of War (2018) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of Legend (2019) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of Death (2020) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Age of Empyre (2020) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Nolyn (2021) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Farilane (2022) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Esrahaddon (2023) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon
• Drumindor (2024) · Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 20 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 3 (3 nomination)

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