Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

"Age of Swords continues the epic story of the war between humankind and the elves--and of ordinary people becoming legendary heroes. It introduces a set of new characters: the dwarves, whose magical weaponcraft could decide the war. It's up to our heroes to win over the dwarves to the side of humankind...or else lose the war forever"--

Age of swords is a book of preparation, a preparation for war.

After Age of Myth we are left with a threat of war between Runes and Fhreys. In Age of swords we see our characters planning and finding strategies to go to war.

I find the pace of this installment very slow especially in the first half and I found myself not interested in the characters of Moya and Roan. I found myself dragging off during this read. The second part was more fast-paced and it captured my interest again. I don't react positively to the death of animals, especially if they have a strong bond with characters, though. I cried for the last.. 40 pages or so?! That was torture, my poor feelings -_-
* I will never forget you for that, Michael Sullivan *

But at least I am glad if an author can connect to my feelings and make feel for the characters and the story :)

Overall, a nice installment with a good plot and with solid character development. Right now, I need a break from the series but I am curious to know what Age of War will bring.

3.75 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Author Michael J. Sullivan continues his six-book, 3000-years prior to Riyria, fantasy epic with Age of Swords, a tale of humans attempting to unite their clans and overthrow the god-like Fhrey race. Our main characters must overcome in-fighting, inferior technology, and a bunch of pesky dwarves before they can even think about crossing paths with the Fhrey.

This book starts with a bang, quiets down and then steadily builds to a satisfying conclusion. In typical Michael J. Sullivan fashion, there are plenty of common fantasy tropes at play here, but he utilizes them in a way that is fresh, inviting, and fun. There is something to be said about reading fantasy that gives off a positive vibe, during a time when grimdark is all the rage.

Sullivan greatly expands his character pool, while giving everyone enough to do to justify their presence. Each person is easy to root for and there's a bevy of awesome female characters that steal the show. No worthy adversary ever emerges, and the plot outcomes are fairly predictable, but this is still another enjoyable adventure with a stellar cast.

This is just incredibly boring to me. Sure, I am in a slump and all, so maybe I will try it again later, but right now everything about this is a slog.
The Fhrey chapters especially; just so much boring ass political exposition. Talking and talking, about this law and that ruler and I want to claw my eyes out.

There was also a scene where they invent the wheel. Some more developed races are present and they start going super into it, axles, metals, greasing, etc. and the whole scene made me kind of annoyed. Let me guess, the girl who “invented the wheel” is going to race through the technological advances on her own because she is just so special.