Nolyn
core novel 2021 Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
Record
| First published | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.19 (8,895 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 480 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781944145644 |
| Internal chronology | 7 |
Synopsis
Nolyn opens The Rise and Fall trilogy centuries after the events of the Legends of the First Empire, in the imperial city of Percepliquis. Nolyn, an heir to the empire who has spent five hundred years in quiet exile, is abruptly recalled to active duty as the Goblin Wars intensify along the frontier. Ordered to relieve a besieged military outpost deep in hostile territory, he arrives to find the stronghold does not exist, exposing his mission as an attempt to have him killed under the guise of duty. Assigned instead to the battered Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron, he is thrown into brutal fighting through unfamiliar jungle terrain far from the empire's centers of power. As Nolyn adapts to his new command, he begins to uncover how deep the intrigue against him runs, and how much the empire he serves has changed since his exile began.
Where it sits
- Universe: Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
- Series: The Rise and Fall core; position 1 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 1 of 3: next Farilane (2022)
- Internal chronology, within Riyria / Legends of the First Empire: position 14 of 20: previous Avempartha (2009) · next Nyphron Rising (2009)
Sources
← Riyria / Legends of the First Empire dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.