Grave Empire

By: Richard Swan

Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley, Zoe Mills

From critically acclaimed author Richard Swan, Grave Empire begins the epic tale of an empire on the verge of industrial revolution, where sorcery and arcane practices are outlawed – and where an ancient prophecy threatens the coming end of days.

Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.

A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.

But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire’s proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.

Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days—the Great Silence.

It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save...

Critic reviews

"Reminiscent of Andrzej Sapkowski ... [a] complex and dark historical fantasy series inspired by medieval state-military-church political conflicts."—Kirkus (Starred Review) on The Tyranny of Faith

“A fascinating look at justice, vengeance and the law — great characters, compelling and wonderfully written. A brilliant debut and fantastic start to the series.”—James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost, on The Justice of Kings

"The Justice of Kings is utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing, and written with such skillful assurance I could barely put it down. The characters feel so real I swear I suffered every horror and hangover alongside them, and their world—though we see just the smallest portion of it here—feels vastly complex, poised on the brink of a disaster I can’t wait to watch unfold.”—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld, on The Justice of Kings

“Murder mystery meets grimdark political fantasy in this first of a trilogy … An intriguingly dark deconstruction of a beloved mystery trope.”—Kirkus (starred review) on The Justice of Kings

“The Justice of Kings is equal parts heroic fantasy and murder mystery. Sir Konrad Vonvalt’s fierce intellect and arcane powers will make you long to follow in his footsteps, but it’s his young clerk, Helena, who brings heart and dazzle to the story. Together they’re a formidable team, and Richard Swan’s sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more.”—Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger, on The Justice of Kings

"A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing."—RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships, on The Justice of Kings

"A marvelously detailed world with an engrossing adventure from a unique perspective."—K. S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, on The Justice of Kings

"A fantastic debut."—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones, on The Justice of Kings

"Swan crafts a strong, dynamic character in Vonvalt . . . This promises good things from the series to come."—Publishers Weekly on The Justice of Kings

“The world of the Empire of the Wolf is a rich and interesting one … Readers will enjoy the world building, Sir Konrad and his crew, and the unique touches to a familiar fantasy tale.”—Booklist on The Justice of Kings

Had Potential... but, No.

Macabre fantasy that was just only slightly interesting. Not my cuppa. I need four more words. Sigh.

oh Zoe Mills

The male voice actor was absolutely phenomenal. the female voice actor....unfortunately terrible. always sounded like she was whispering and she does male voices all the same and whispers them and you can o ly tell if she is doing the main female protagonist and every other voice is the same. a whispered grunty voice.

I give the book a 4.5
male voice actor a 5
and the female voice actor a 1

Slow and steady

It was very very dense and slow building the world, explaining the magic system, and showing us who is who and what is at stake. I think having it in print would have helped me keep the characters straight, I don’t think things really clicked for me until about 60%. But there was a thread of ominous mystery from the beginning that kept me curious, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book takes us.

Good slow-burn fantasy horror.

The writing is mature and the world building is expansive. It's nice to read a book intended for a more sophisticated audience. But for everything I liked about this book, it's really just a long prolog for whatever comes next.

Bland

Felt really disjointed to me. The narrator was good but I didn’t even finish it.