The Rise and Fall Books in Order

The Rise and Fall trilogy bridges the long stretch of time between the ancient conflicts of Legends of the First Empire and the more personal adventures of Riyria. Instead of following a single cast through multiple books, each volume focuses on a different historical figure whose life nudges the world of Elan toward the age readers already know.

Nolyn opens centuries after the great war has ended. The human-Fhrey empire that rose from that conflict is still powerful, but its founding hero’s half-Fhrey son has spent more than five hundred years sidelined. When Nolyn is suddenly reassigned to active duty and sent on a suspicious rescue mission during the Goblin Wars, it looks very much like an elegant way to get him killed. His only real chance lies with the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary, a small, unfashionable unit that refuses to treat him as a symbol instead of a person.

Farilane shifts to a later generation and a very different kind of heir. As an unwanted imperial twin far down the line of succession, Farilane has the freedom to become a scholar, explorer, and obsessive hunter of forbidden texts. In a time when reading is once again dangerous, her search for the mythical Book of Brin turns into a journey through forgotten ruins, old magic, and secrets certain people will kill to keep buried.

The final book, Esrahaddon, turns the spotlight on the man who will one day be blamed for destroying the world’s greatest empire. Instead of starting with the infamous wizard we glimpse in Riyria, the story follows a boy who survives exile, religious fanaticism, and a sentence passed by a god before he is even old enough to understand it. Watching his path unfold gives context to a figure who has long been treated as either monster or savior depending on who is doing the telling.

Together, these novels show how empires do not simply appear or vanish between one age and the next. They erode, reinvent themselves, and leave behind physical and cultural ruins. Long-lived Fhrey and human descendants alike carry memories, grudges, and half-true stories forward, so that by the time Royce and Hadrian are taking jobs in Melengar, they are moving through the echoes of choices made in The Rise and Fall.

For readers who enjoy seeing how grand historical shifts connect to later, ground-level adventures, this trilogy offers that connective tissue. It stands on its own as a set of character-driven epics, but it also deepens the sense that Elan is a place where history is always just underfoot.