Esrahaddon
core novel 2023 Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
Record
| First published | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.64 (5,070 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 713 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781943363605 |
| Internal chronology | 9 |
Synopsis
Esrahaddon concludes The Rise and Fall trilogy with the origin story of the wizard later remembered across the empire's history as either its destroyer or its savior. As a child in the village of Haddon, Esrahaddon triggers magical accidents he does not understand, and is exiled and hunted by a goblin priestess after being condemned by a god for what he has done. Taken in during his exile by a trio of Uberlin Ghazel and raised by their leader Hakkabah, he grows into a formidable wizard and eventually joins the Cenzars, an ancient order of magic serving the empire. His path brings him into conflict with Mawyndulë, a Fhrey nursing a centuries-old vendetta against the empire. As old scores resurface and the empire's stability comes under renewed threat, Esrahaddon must decide what role he will play in the history about to be written.
Where it sits
- Universe: Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
- Series: The Rise and Fall core; position 3 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Notes
- From the series record (The Rise and Fall): Direct sequel trilogy (2021-2023), set ~800 years after Legends of the First Empire ends, chronicling the rise and collapse of the First Empire founded there; ~1,000 years before Riyria begins. Entirely self-published/Kickstarter-funded (Riyria Enterprises LLC + Grim Oak Press hardcovers + Audible Studios audio), unlike Legends' hybrid history. Classified Core Canon alongside Legends, not Expanded, since it is the direct, author-intended continuation of the same historical narrative (the First Empire's founding, then its rise and fall) rather than tangential side material; the same reasoning this database has applied to Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle, where multiple sequential sub-series (Riftwar Saga, Serpentwar Saga, Conclave of Shadows, Darkwar Saga, Demonwar Saga, Chaoswar Saga) are all Core as one continuous mainline saga.
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 The Rise and Fall: position 3 of 3: previous Farilane (2022)
- Internal chronology, within Riyria / Legends of the First Empire: position 18 of 20: previous The Emerald Storm (2010) · next Wintertide (2010)
Sources
← Riyria / Legends of the First Empire dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.