Riyria
#274.35 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 11 books Status Ongoing 2008–present Reading commitment High Michael J. Sullivan Last reviewed 2026-08-05
Overview
Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria follows the thieves-for-hire Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater across two sub-series: The Riyria Chronicles (prequels) and The Riyria Revelations, a landmark self-published-to-traditional-publishing success story.
Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (11 works) counts toward ranking
The Riyria Chronicles Michael J. Sullivan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Crown Tower | 2013 | 1 | core | 4.33 (44,199 ratings) |
 | The Rose and the Thorn | 2013 | 2 | core | 4.40 (31,568 ratings) |
 | The Death of Dulgath | 2015 | 3 | core | 4.37 (21,775 ratings) |
 | The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter | 2017 | 4 | core | 4.40 (14,033 ratings) |
 | Drumindor | 2024 | 5 | core | 4.36 (4,493 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 (27,572 ratings) |
 | Avempartha | 2009 | 7 | core | 4.30 (16,377 ratings) |
 | Nyphron Rising | 2009 | 8 | core | 4.32 (13,204 ratings) |
 | The Emerald Storm | 2010 | 9 | core | 4.28 (11,565 ratings) |
 | Wintertide | 2010 | 10 | core | 4.46 (12,353 ratings) |
 | Percepliquis | 2011 | 11 | core | 4.57 (11,845 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.
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? Riyria's Core Canon is 11 books, plus 3 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Riyria? Publication order, starting with The Crown Tower. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Riyria finished? Ongoing (2008–present).
- How much reading does Riyria take? High reading commitment (estimated from 11 Core Canon books · ~4,426 pages).
- How is Riyria ranked? #27 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 208,984 reader ratings across 11 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #27?
Ranked #27 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.35 across 11 core books.
- Backed by 209k reader ratings.
- 0.01 behind #26, Skulduggery Pleasant.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 11 books · Ongoing · 209k ratings · Ranks #27 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 (11 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)
- The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (2017)
- Drumindor (2024)
Documented internal/story order
- The Crown Tower (2013)
- The Rose and the Thorn (2013)
- The Death of Dulgath (2015)
- The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (2017)
- Drumindor (2024)
- The Crown Conspiracy (2008)
- Avempartha (2009)
- Nyphron Rising (2009)
- The Emerald Storm (2010)
- Wintertide (2010)
- Percepliquis (2011)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
Related universes
- Same setting, different era Legends of the First Empire: Both by Michael J. Sullivan, set in the same world (Elan) but millennia apart; Legends of the First Empire/The Rise and Fall was explicitly flagged as a standing candidate at Riyria's own admission and confirmed an independent series requiring no prior Riyria knowledge.
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- The Drenai Saga Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · High commitment · 4.27
- Dragaera Sword & sorcery / Comic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.12
- Capitale du Sud Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.28
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.35 across 208,984 ratings on 11 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)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: New universe, Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria. Core = The Riyria Chronicles (5 novels, 2013-2024, prequels set ~9-10 years before the Revelations) + The Riyria Revelations (6 novels, 2008-2011) = 11 works. Expanded = 3 short stories (The Viscount and the Witch 2011, The Jester 2014, Professional Integrity 2015). Correction: the true first editions of the Riyria Revelations are the 6 individually self-published novels (2008-2011, Ridan Publishing); the 3-volume Orbit omnibus repackaging (2011-2012) commonly seen in retail today is a later combination, not the original release; get the direction right, as several secondary sources imply the reverse. Scope decision: Legends of the First Empire (6 novels, 2016-2020) and The Rise and Fall (3 novels, 2021-2023) share the same world (Elan) but are explicitly framed by the author himself as independent series that merely share geography, not continuity-dependent prequels; excluded from this universe, flagged as a future canon-extension candidate in their own right. Blythin Castle (Riyria Chronicles #6) is unpublished as of this research pass and not registered, per Article 2. No confirmed Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, Gemmell, or SPFBO recognition was found for any Riyria title: a confirmed zero-major-award record, notable for a series whose reputation rests primarily on its self-pub-to-traditional success story and commercial performance.