Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an omnibus of books 3 and 4 in the series. The third follows well on the heels of the big battles and what amounts to a civil war with the installment of a puppet on the throne, with our favorite thieves getting caught up in the travail, with the search for the rightful heir on the way in the fourth book, with plenty of hijinks on the high seas to keep things interesting.

What did I think about them?

They're pretty okay. Granted, I've read a lot of fantasy and a lot of great characters who are thieves, a lot of great wizards, a lot of great treatments of elves in wildly different circumstances, and even a lot of fantasy pirates. What makes this stand out from the rest of them?

Well, the writing is decent and consistent and the story arcs follow solidly from book to book, feeling more like a long and comfortable adventure with characters I can settle in with for the long haul. That's basically what I get out of it. It's decent. I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars if I had the option. I'll continue, too, because its good enough to keep my interest.

But in general? I do kind of wonder where or if it takes real flight or if it will blow me away.

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