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Rhune (2000)

by Michael J. Sullivan(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

series

The First Empire

review 1: ** Please note: I had received this book from the author as part of a beta read.**First off, I'm a huge fan of the Riyria series and was absolutely thrilled to get an advance copy of Michael J Sullivan's new book. As I was reading the beta (which is very different from simply reading I have learned) I found myself trying to find something not to like....some sort of honest criticism or plot hole I could point to. Something that would make me an objective reviewer and not just a gushing fan boy.In this I failed absolutely. Loved the hell out of it.This is book one of a series that ties in to the Riyria world but can easily be read on it's own. In fact the story takes place in the same world but eons in the past. Even though it is/was the same world there was still a good de... moreal of world building to do and I enjoyed that aspect: I was sometimes reminded of Scotland during medieval times. In fact, I was reminded of Scotland and their relationship to England at the time, racism and classism were certainly themes that were explored in this book. There are three main races in the story they are Fhrey, Rhune and Dherg (fans of fantasy will probably be able to guess their identity pretty quickly). To say there are class differences would be a bit of an understatement!Short summary: Persphone and Raithe of the Rhune partner with a mysterious mystic to battle a force of evil in the forest. Amidst this storyline is the fact that Raithe had recently killed a Fhrey who were seen as gods by the Rhune and this resulted in brutal retaliation against them. An unlikely alliance is formed with an outcast member of the Fhrey and the Rhune and the story builds to a climax with both the entity in the forest as well as the vengeful Fhrey.This is a magical world, with sentient trees, horrific creatures and violent battles. I liked the characters and some of the dialogue. (There was some banter that reminded me of two characters from Riyria!) I also liked the foreshadowing at the beginning of each chapter.....can't reveal too much here for spoiler reasons but it was one of the many neat things I liked about this book.Five stars from me and highly recommended to fantasy fans or any reader for that matter!
review 2: I was lucky enough to be selected as a beta reader of Rhune, so this review is based on that, and as such there may be some minor variances with what is finally published. With that said, this felt very polished and refined and I'd venture to guess not too much will change!Michael Sullivan returns to the world of Riyria but set far into the distant past when the Fhrey were still the ruling class and with their long lifespans, physical prowess and abilities beyond the comprehension of the Rhune (humankind) they are viewed as gods. However when one dies at the hands of a Rhune it sets the wheels in motion for a fantastic, epic tale of action, betrayal, and heroism that is nearly impossible to put down! Like the Riyria Chronicles... this book is very character driven, and there are a lot of characters to really love in this book. The reluctant heroism of Raithe, the fortitude of Persephone, the skill and strength of the Galantians (including Nyphron which long time Sullivan readers should recognize by name)... and the list goes on. Extremely well written (Mr. Sullivan continues to refine his craft and it shows), full of plot twists and turns with all of the action you would expect and hope for this is destined to be one of the best books of the year! less

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