About the Book

Age of Myth inaugurates another six-book series set in Elan.

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

432 pages (hardcover)
Published on June 28, 2016
Published by Del Rey
Author’s webpage
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This book was both an ARC and a library loan.

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I’m a huge fan of Michael J. Sullivan. I jumped on the Sullivan train early, back when he was a self-published author. I absolutely loved his Riyria books, and I’ve made sure to read everything he puts out. This is the longest I’ve waited before reading one of his books. There’s no real reason I waited this long, its more just life got busy, and I forgot until I saw it at the library recently and nabbed it.

I do have an ARC of this book that Sullivan gave me on my kindle, but some books I prefer reading in actual dead-tree form. There’s a reason for that. Some books are just so loved, so wonderful to read, so delightful in every respect, I want to feel it in my hands. I want to smell the paper, and turn the pages, feel the story whirl past me as I read. Sullivan’s books do that to me. They are like tumbling into a world that’s both strange and familiar at the same time. They have interesting twists on heroic fantasy tropes, and plots that refuse to quit. They fill me up, and much like comfort food, I want to binge myself on his books, and this binging process requires me to hold the actual book in my hands while I read.

For people new to Sullivan’s writing, this is a great place to jump into his world. There isn’t really anything that you need to know before you read. This is a starting point, so never fear. Grab a book and jump in with both feet.

As always, the things that stand out to me the most about Sullivan’s writing are here in spades. I love his easy writing style, the way that his prose flow effortlessly, and build up the world and cultures without overwhelming me. He eases me into his worlds perfectly. The other thing I love about Sullivan is how he takes familiar tropes and always adds his own unique twist to them. For example, we have humans here, and other long-lived creatures that resemble elves (called Fhrey). Humans (called Rhunes) think these creatures are gods, and these creatures think humans are basically uncultured animals, little better than swine. These streams cross, someone is killed who shouldn’t be, and this sets events in motion.

This isn’t your typical class of cultures, though, and I absolutely loved how Sullivan crafted the culture of the humans, the tribal nature of things, the way they lived off the land, and how that changed lifestyle based how the landscape changes. The magic system that is introduced is kind of flashy on the Fhrey side of things, and really understated and almost unknown on the Rhune side.

Sullivan has a way of keeping things constantly moving, and right when you think one thing is happening, Sullivan throws you through a loop and you realize what you thought was so, isn’t. He also drops a lot of clues along the way, things that only make sense when you reach that one massive “ah ha!” point toward that incredible ending.

My one drawback, which isn’t really that much of a drawback, is the fact that this book did feel very much like the start of things, rather than a completely contained story, like the Riyria books. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but it did very much leave me feeling like this book was clearing off the beach so I could get to land.

So, basically what I can say is that Age of Myth was wonderful, delightful in just about every respect. There is a reason I love everything Sullivan writes, and it’s due to the incredibly high quality of his work. Somehow he manages to make his books feel both new, and comfortable at the same time, and I adore that. Age of Myth is the start of a new series. Tried-and-true Sullivan fans will love it, and so will new readers.

4/5 stars