A year after the events of Avempartha, the newly formed Nyphron Empire has annexed every kingdom and province on the continent-either by bribery or by force. Only Melengar has refused to join. But without support or allies, the kingdom cannot hope to withstand an invasion.

Mercenary thieves turned royal spies, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater-together known as Riyria-have been called upon to aid the struggling kingdom in its stand against the growing colossus. As war approaches, a desperate gamble behind enemy lines is their only chance at forming an alliance with the Nationalists to the south.

But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth, Royce must unravel Hadrian's hidden past. What he discovers will lead them to the end of the known world on a journey rife with treachery and intrigue.

A rip-roaring epic of sword-fighting and adventure, myth and magic, Rise of Empire contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm-the third and fourth books of the Riyria Revelations, Michael J. Sullivan's self-published ebook bestsellers-now available in an SFBC exclusive hardcover edition.