Riyria / Legends of the First Empire
#294.33 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 20 books Status Ongoing 2008–present Reading commitment High Michael J. Sullivan Last reviewed 2026-09-27
Overview
Michael J. Sullivan's world of Elan, catalogued as one universe across four series and three thousand years. The Riyria Revelations and the prequel Riyria Chronicles follow the thieves-for-hire Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, a landmark self-published-to-traditional-publishing success story. Legends of the First Empire and its sequel trilogy The Rise and Fall go back millennia to the founding myths those later heroes only half remember, telling how humans and the elven Fhrey first went to war and how the First Empire rose and fell. The author frames the two halves as independent entry points that share geography and deep history rather than a single continuous plot.
Sword & sorcery, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (20 works) counts toward ranking
The Riyria Chronicles Michael J. Sullivan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Crown Tower | 2013 | 1 | core | 4.33 (44,449 ratings) |
 | The Rose and the Thorn | 2013 | 2 | core | 4.40 (31,737 ratings) |
 | The Death of Dulgath | 2015 | 3 | core | 4.37 (21,908 ratings) |
 | The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter | 2017 | 4 | core | 4.40 (14,145 ratings) |
 | Drumindor | 2024 | 5 | core | 4.36 (4,603 ratings) |
Prequel novels/novellas, set ~9-10 years before the Riyria Revelations; internal chronology matches publication order. A 6th volume, Blythin Castle, was still being drafted by the author as of the most recent public update found and is not yet published, not registered here per Article 2.
The Riyria Revelations Michael J. Sullivan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Crown Conspiracy | 2008 | 6 | core | 4.18 (27,762 ratings) |
 | Avempartha | 2009 | 7 | core | 4.29 (16,507 ratings) |
 | Nyphron Rising | 2009 | 8 | core | 4.32 (13,314 ratings) |
 | The Emerald Storm | 2010 | 9 | core | 4.28 (11,660 ratings) |
 | Wintertide | 2010 | 10 | core | 4.46 (12,457 ratings) |
 | Percepliquis | 2011 | 11 | core | 4.57 (11,939 ratings) |
True first editions are the 2008-2011 self-published novels (Ridan Publishing, run by the author's wife Robin Sullivan), the 3-omnibus repackaging commonly seen today (Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, Heir of Novron, Orbit Books, 2011-2012) is a LATER combination of these 6 originals, not the first edition. Robin Sullivan is the publisher/business partner, not a co-author, on any title.
Legends of the First Empire Michael J. Sullivan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Age of Myth | 2016 | 1 | core | 4.22 (42,520 ratings) |
 | Age of Swords | 2017 | 2 | core | 4.28 (27,408 ratings) |
 | Age of War | 2018 | 3 | core | 4.43 (22,004 ratings) |
 | Age of Legend | 2019 | 4 | core | 4.35 (16,451 ratings) |
 | Age of Death | 2020 | 5 | core | 4.28 (13,885 ratings) |
 | Age of Empyre | 2020 | 6 | core | 4.40 (13,342 ratings) |
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.
The Rise and Fall Michael J. Sullivan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Nolyn | 2021 | 7 | core | 4.19 (8,895 ratings) |
 | Farilane | 2022 | 8 | core | 4.58 (6,176 ratings) |
 | Esrahaddon | 2023 | 9 | core | 4.64 (5,070 ratings) |
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.
Library / Expanded (3 works)
The Viscount and the Witch (2011) ; Riyria Chronicles-era short story.
The Jester (2014) ; Riyria Chronicles-era short story.
Professional Integrity (2015) ; Riyria Chronicles-era short story.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Riyria / Legends of the First Empire? Riyria / Legends of the First Empire's Core Canon is 20 books, plus 3 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Riyria / Legends of the First Empire? Publication order, starting with The Crown Tower. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Riyria / Legends of the First Empire finished? Ongoing (2008–present).
- How much reading does Riyria / Legends of the First Empire take? High reading commitment (estimated from 20 Core Canon books · ~8,744 pages).
- How is Riyria / Legends of the First Empire ranked? #29 in this site's official ranking, based on 366,232 reader ratings across 20 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #29?
Ranked #29 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.33 across 20 core books.
- Backed by 366k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.18 to 4.64.
- 0.01 behind #28, A Monster Calls.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 20 books · Ongoing · 366k ratings · Ranks #29 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running sword-and-sorcery universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (20 Core Canon books)
- The Crown Conspiracy (2008)
- Avempartha (2009)
- Nyphron Rising (2009)
- The Emerald Storm (2010)
- Wintertide (2010)
- Percepliquis (2011)
- The Crown Tower (2013)
- The Rose and the Thorn (2013)
- The Death of Dulgath (2015)
- Age of Myth (2016)
- Age of Swords (2017)
- The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (2017)
- Age of War (2018)
- Age of Legend (2019)
- Age of Death (2020)
- Age of Empyre (2020)
- Nolyn (2021)
- Farilane (2022)
- Esrahaddon (2023)
- Drumindor (2024)
Documented internal/story order
- The Crown Tower (2013)
- Age of Myth (2016)
- The Rose and the Thorn (2013)
- Age of Swords (2017)
- The Death of Dulgath (2015)
- Age of War (2018)
- The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (2017)
- Age of Legend (2019)
- Drumindor (2024)
- Age of Death (2020)
- The Crown Conspiracy (2008)
- Age of Empyre (2020)
- Avempartha (2009)
- Nolyn (2021)
- Nyphron Rising (2009)
- Farilane (2022)
- The Emerald Storm (2010)
- Esrahaddon (2023)
- Wintertide (2010)
- Percepliquis (2011)
Awards (verified)
- Readers' Choice Awards (Fantasy), 2016: nominated: Age of Myth; Reader-nomination round (semifinalist); did not win. Winner: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
- Readers' Choice Awards (Fantasy), 2017: nominated: Age of Swords; Reader-nomination round; did not win. Winner: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
- Readers' Choice Awards (Fantasy), 2018: nominated: Age of War; Reader-nomination round; did not win. Winner: Circe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.33 across 366,232 ratings on 20 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Riyria admitted; Core Canon; self-publishing history corrected; Legends of the First Empire excluded accepted 2026-08-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Michael J. Sullivan official site Tier 1
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riyria_Revelations
- Michael J. Sullivan's official site Tier 1
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Myth
Last reviewed: 2026-09-27
Rule: Core Canon = The Riyria Chronicles (5, 2013-2024), The Riyria Revelations (6, 2008-2011), Legends of the First Empire (6, 2016-2020) and The Rise and Fall (3, 2021-2023): 20 novels in their own series orders. Expanded = 3 Riyria short stories. The true first editions of the Revelations are the self-published Ridan singles (2008-2011), not the later Orbit omnibus. Merged into one universe on 2026-09-27 under the one-world rule; Blythin Castle remains unregistered until published.