The Justice of Kings

By: Richard Swan

Narrated by: Lucy Paterson

Action, intrigue, and magic collide in this epic fantasy following Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor's Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one—but with rebellion and unrest building, these are dangerous times to be a Justice . . .

The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne.

Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire.

When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they’ve sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire?

"Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." – Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger

“A fantastic debut.” – Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

Critic reviews

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

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

Enjoyed the mystery aspects combined with the fantasy setting and elements

The story got a little convenient at the end but overall enjoyed the book. Looking forward towards the sequels

Good premise with disappointing characters

Characters spend more time expressing and exploring their short comings that by the end of the book you can't feel any sense of character growth. The plot also stumbles all over itself and the heavy foreshadowing doesn't help the bumbling characters be seen in any kind light.

Wonderful fantasy

The finely drawn characters and philosophical bent of this fantasy helps to overcome the usual unoriginal Sword and Mail, European medieval setting.

The narrator was wonderful as well.

Great debut novel and well worth a credit. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series.

Q

The narrator over acts throughout the whole book. I guess it gets interesting but it was hard to get through.

Give it a try. Doubtful you'll regret it.

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. The pacing was a slow build, but done really well. The choice of using the clerk as narrator gave a good twist to the styling of the story. The magic system applied is well thought out, well used, and maintains a decent balance as to not become an overpowering factor in the story. Small applications of magic go a long way in making a good story into a great story.

We only touch on a portion of the world being built in this story, but the narrative has given us a glimpse at something with a lot of potential. As a reader, the learning style is more of a show than tell which is also a plus in my opinion. The voice of the story isn't treated like she just came out of a coma and knows nothing of what's going on in the world.

It may take a bit to invest yourself into the characters, but there will be a point when it does happen and the story will be that much better for it.

The narrator is on point with her voicing. She does a great job at keeping characters distinct from one another and really gives the story life.