Age of Death
core novel 2020 Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
Record
| First published | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.28 (13,885 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 420 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781944145392 |
| Internal chronology | 5 |
Synopsis
Age of Death is the fifth book of Michael J. Sullivan's Legends of the First Empire series, opening as winter closes in on the western army, its path forward blocked by barriers that seem impossible to cross. With time running out before the harsh season strands them, Persephone and her allies search for a way to keep the campaign from collapsing. The mystic Suri, whose bond with the world beyond the living grows stronger, begins to suspect the answer the Rhunes need may lie with the dead rather than the living, drawing her toward paths few dare follow. Raithe and the other war leaders press on despite dwindling resources and rising doubt, while the Fhrey leadership contends with its own internal strain. As desperation mounts, the fate of the surviving Rhune and Fhrey alike may hinge on secrets buried in realms beyond ordinary reach.
Where it sits
- Universe: Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
- Series: Legends of the First Empire core; position 5 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Notes
- From the series record (Legends of the First Empire): 6-novel series (2016-2020) set ~3,000 years before the Riyria universe; per the author's own framing, requires no prior Riyria knowledge. Publication switched mid-series from traditional publishing (Del Rey/Penguin Random House, books 1-3) to self-publishing (Sullivan's own Riyria Enterprises LLC + Grim Oak Press, books 4-6, all Kickstarter-funded); the author has stated this let him release the final three books within a 10-month span rather than Del Rey's annual cadence.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Legends of the First Empire: position 5 of 6: previous Age of Legend (2019) · next Age of Empyre (2020)
- Internal chronology, within Riyria / Legends of the First Empire: position 10 of 20: previous Drumindor (2024) · next The Crown Conspiracy (2008)
Sources
- Michael J. Sullivan's official site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Myth
- https://riyria.blogspot.com/p/books.html
← Riyria / Legends of the First Empire dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.