This is definitely better than his previous book. Swan does politics well, and when he diverges from it, things go downhill. Glad to see he didn't do that here.

Wow this was a cool book, I really need to go back and read the original trilogy set in this world. The writing, worldbuilding, pacing, and character development is just superb.

Once again, Swan has laid the foundations for a truly fascinating, global arcano-political conflict in the world of Sova. As a big fan of Swan's first trilogy, I was thrilled to see the hallmarks of that series (political intrigue, exemplary worldbuilding, and necromancy) introduced in new and invigorating ways. I was also impressed by how little I would have needed to know (or in this case, remember) about the previous series. Other than a few easter eggs, I don't think I needed to know anything. Everything was spelled out nicely in active exposition along the way.

Renata and Peter make for great, and especially in the latter case, fascinating character explorations. The worldbuilding was tremendous, though never overwhelming. The prose is superb. Overall, this will appeal to fans of political fantasy and especially to those interested in existential threats, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC.

Grave Empire delivers beyond expectations. The transition from the singular point of view in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy to the multiple POV characters is executed with remarkable finesse. Each perspective is distinct yet intricately woven into the narrative, creating a multifaceted story that feels both expansive and deeply personal. The world-building done in the first 3 books is starting to pay off in this book with the introduction of new magicks and finally meeting new species.

What truly sets this book apart is how it builds on the strengths of the author’s earlier works while surpassing them in complexity and emotional depth. The pacing is sharp, the stakes are higher, and the world feels more vivid than ever. Grave Empire is Richard Swan's best work yet and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Interesting world building and very suspenseful. Great opening act but then drags some in the middle. Greatest strength of the book is it was very difficult what was going to happen next which kept it interesting.

A restored empire entering an industrial revolution, an apocalyptic prophecy, an eldritch plague, a world rich with political strife and magical races (including mermen!), and a hidden realm of malevolence and wonder that is threatened with extinction - this book offers adventure, horror, mystery, and an array of compelling characters!

“Grave Empire” kicks off a new series by Richard Swan; “The Great Silence”.
While it stands and can be read on its own, it does take place in the same world as the author’s previous trilogy, “Empire of the Wolf” - but, set 200 years later. The 18th-century inspired vibes were an exciting contrast to the more medieval atmosphere of the previous trilogy!

While “Empire of the Wolf” was everything it should be, it was a shame to leave the intricately mapped out world it contained to just one trilogy. But now, in this spin-off, “Grave Empire” not only explores the rich history of that world, but expands on it to create a sprawling political landscape that is only outmatched in intrigue by the terrifying and arcane secrets of yet another world beyond it.

The book follows three points of view, across different parts of the continent:

Peter Kleist; a young and unsure solider of the Empire, sent on a mission to the recently colonized New East, is thrust into uncovering ghostly secrets in uncharted lands.
Lamprecht von Oldenburg; a conniving and ambitious Count, who dabbles in illegal magic, investigates the dark origins of a mysterious plague.
And third (or rather first) is my favorite POV - our book’s heroine, Renata Rainer; an often mocked and ignored Sovan ambassador to the elusive race of mermen (yes, mermen! 🤩).

When two heretic monks bring a message to the Sovan Empire that contact has been lost with the spiritual world, they warn of an apocalyptic prophecy, called “the Great Silence”, that heralds the end of days. And so, Renata, and a small group of her superiors and unlikely companions, race against time and dark forces to find answers and allies within the depths of the ocean.

I rooted for Renata and Lyzander through their riveting adventure together, held my breath in horror at the darkness Peter and Olwin faced, and was utterly disturbed and fascinated by the schemes of Von Oldenburg and his reluctant partner (and witch), Yelena.

With mounting suspense and dread in equal measure, the book expertly and seamlessly connects the three very distinct storylines - each one intense and exciting in its own unique way - like pieces of an enigmatic and shifting puzzle.

I also have to say, the race of merpeople were my favorite part! (I won’t say much as to not spoil anything for you.) As magical creatures, they capture your imagination in exactly the fun and thrilling way you want them to 🦈 , but they also satisfy the need for a voice and characters to provide a foil to the Empire.

Overall, “Grave Empire” is an expansive and brilliantly crafted Epic Fantasy that raises the bar with its multidimensional world-building, complex politics, rich prose, and high stakes narrative. And with layer upon layer of magic, wonder, horror, and characters that CANNOT catch a break - the book makes for a powerfully structured and winning start to a new series!

“Grave Empire” releases February 4! 💥⚔️

Thrilling follow up to the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. The first 1/3 was a little slow but then everything began to pull together and the build up was absolutely worth it. The cosmic horror elements were just🤌🏽 can’t wait for the follow up. I also loved the shift towards diplomacy as a theme.

While it wasn’t necessary to read the Empire of the Wolf series before this, I’m glad I did as this was set 200 years after the events of those books and it definitely helped me get a feel for this world and how it operates. As always, Richard Swan’s writing is fantastic. My complaint with this book, and with the Empire of the Wolf series as a whole, is it takes too long to get interesting. The writing, the character development, and the world building are all beautifully done, but they often take up too much of the first half of the book, and then the second half is where all the action takes place. I also did not love how long it took for all of the different POV’s to come together in this book. At times it felt like I was reading three completely different stories, which made it hard to stay interested. That all being said, the later half of this book was great and makes me excited for the next installment in this series. I feel like we’ve only gotten a taste of what’s to come and I can’t wait to read what’s next.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Perfection. Once again, Richard Swan has crafted a captivating, multilayered tale full of action, violence, and tension. Richard does not shy away from putting his characters (poor Peter) into impossibly traumatic situations, and he excels at creating morally ambiguous villains that you love to hate. I wanted to punch von Oldenburg so many times, and yet I kept hoping that he would see the error of his ways and redeem himself. This is not a black and white story of good vs. evil, and part of that is due to the incredible depth of his worldbuilding. You can tell he's a history buff because the detail he puts into his political and social structures, the economy, the growth and spread of religions, is all so believable. I love seeing how Sova has evolved since the time of Konrad Vonvalt, and the little references dropped in to the first trilogy were an absolute delight. I was hungry for anything that might indicate how our beloved characters fared at the end of the Trials of Empire. This new era (a bit of industrial revolution/flintlock fantasy) was fascinating and refreshing from the classic medieval inspired settings. Once I got rolling, I couldn't put it down. And now I'm ready for the next!

is richard swan one of the fantasy writers with the best prose right now? almost certainly. after being enchanted with the justice of kings, i was nervous and excited to see what swan would do next in this world. swan excels at high concept, high stakes fantasy— NOBODY makes me sweat while reading more than him. but perhaps his biggest strength lies in his characters: they are so real, so human, that they ground the reader in them. it takes a strong, skilled writer to make multiple pov work & it’s just done so well here. if you’re looking for your next fantasy obsession, richard swan is one to watch out for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to settle into this world, which is fully developed with many layers. I appreciate that Swan has created a world with faceted, complex characters with complicated motivations. It adds satisfying depth to the story that can sometimes be lacking.

The Empire has it’s eyes on defending borders as well as expanding in it’s relentless pursuit of raw materials to fuel it’s industries. However, there is a greater, graver threat looming that they are absolutely unprepared for. The Sovan Empire has a complicated history with death magicks and so has outlawed it except for the most basic forms required to maintain buildings and public works. Cutting themselves off from the arcane may just be their downfall as the afterlife comes under attack, with the danger bleeding into the mortal realm. On one track, a mostly forgotten diplomat uses every available resource to try and feel out what this possible threat is. On another a reluctant military man is thrown into a world of arcane horror as he tries to simply stay alive. And on yet another, a wealthy man obsessed with the arcane and power starts out trying to protect the world but strays quite far from the path. All three start out on disparate paths that dovetail together as the stakes become clear and the threat of simply losing some territory is shown to be the least of the dangers to the Sovan Empire and all living creatures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this advanced readers copy of Grave Empire.

This is the best fantasy book I have read all year. The characters are interesting enough to keep me engaged throughout the book. I love how the POV switches back and forth and each character is in a different part of this world. The pacing is perfect. The only bad thing about it is that I have to wait for the second book!

4.5/5 Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Empire of the Wolf last year and really enjoyed it beginning to end, so I was excited to see what Swan had in store for this world 200 years after the ending of the previous series. Swan met and in a lot of ways exceeded the previous series here, and if book 2 was out I'd pick it up immediately.

He did a great job switching from first person in the EOTW to third person with multiple POVs here and thought the story and pacing benefited from it massively, I was always engaged in what was going on and he was able to tease these big moments and revelations that kept me turning the pages wanting to know what would happen next. This book has a lot of surprising moments and goes in directions I didn't expect but also makes sense given what we know about the world from previous books. Also there's one character here who is such a scumbag and I loved it, easily one of my favorite characters of the year. I thought all of the POV perspectives were interesting and showed the depth and complexity of the world building as well as just having a lot of cool moments that have big implications for the rest of the series.

The horror elements are awesome, probably one of my favorite parts of the book, some truly horrific things happen and I was all for it, really separates this book from other fantasy series and he's really amplified this part from EOTW which I really enjoyed in that series as well.

Swan is one of my favorite new authors in the fantasy genre and he consistently releases books every year, so I'm expecting to continue to get new entries in this series at a regular pace and looking forward to read them (hopefully early!). This is definitely a book 1 in a series but we do have a good stopping point with some but not all the answers and there's plenty to explore as the series continues.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for this ARC. To say 'The Empire of the Wolf' trilogy are some of my favorite books is an understatement, so I was thrilled to be able to read the next chapter set in Sova early. While the first trilogy slowly but surely waded into magicks and elements of horror, the first book of this new trilogy starts off STRONG with all things terrifying and arcane. I really liked this new set of characters, and enjoyed reading multiple POVs. I think one of the the most interesting aspects of the first trilogy were the idea of the afterlife being a real place, and magical half-breeds roamed the continent, so to have those elements be forefront make total sense and I'm excited to keep exploring them.

Very sad to report I’m DNFing this at 43%. I really enjoyed Swan’s previous trilogy, the Empire of the Wolf, and this book is the start of a new story set in the same world 200 years later. Should have been a win! But the characters in this book are not capturing me at all like the characters of the Empire of the Wolf.

The story of this book is compelling. There’s a very creepy horror vibe to what’s going wrong in the world - feeling like you’re being watched, hearing screams and weeping at night, having hallucinations of gory bodies… yikes. That part is great.

The story is told from 3 POVs which shows us how this crisis is arising in multiple corners of the empire. But I found Peter, Renata, and von Oldenburg to all be quite meh as characters. Peter is the best of the bunch, I think. So while Swan gave me quiet character-forward moments in Empire of the Wolf, those aren’t really present in this book. There are hints of characters I could really enjoy, but halfway through the book I find myself not really caring about what happens because I don’t care about these people.

Of course, that’s subjective, so your mileage may vary!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another 5/5 star book from Richard Swan—are we surprised? I am not.

This book, set 200 years after the events in the Empire of the Wolf Trilogy, brings the universe Richard Swan has created into a new age of industrialization, prohibition of magic, and of course gunpowder. The world is expanded in this novel, you are faced with the world outside of the Sovan Empire. Greeted with new races, new politics, and new facets of the supernatural and religion.

Something I am quite frankly obsessed with is the fact that this book is dark. The horror is visceral in a way that truly encapsulates the grimdark genre. There were many moments where Swan’s prose left me in complete awe and slack-jawed. As a lover of all things grimdark, this book is such a perfect representative of it. Eldritch horrors beyond my comprehension? Sign me up, posthaste.

Swan, per usual, delivers delicious character building and development. There are multiple POVs, which aren’t everyone’s favorite but they are mine, so it allows for insight into different machinations of the world. There was not a single POV I didn’t want to hear from and I was always hungry for more.

Quite frankly, I am already ravenous for the next installment which isn’t a surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the E-Arc!

The Empire of the Wolf has not only survived, but it has thrived, expanding its borders and entering an Industrial Revolution it has become a global powerhouse of both military and political might. They have also outlawed the Death Magicks that had wreaking havoc centuries ago, making it a capital offense to do so. Which is why Ambassador Renata Rainer finds it not just strange but worrisome when two monks who have been communing with the dead in secret arrive in Sova with a strange story to tell regarding the Afterlife, a prophecy made centuries ago, The Great Silence, this prophecy states that the world will end and that it will start with the Afterlife going completely silent. While they believe there is very little hope to save the mortal realm, if there is any group that can it is the Stygion and as Ambassador to the Stygion, they need her help. Reluctantly, Renata agrees to their request even though she believes this is madness.

Peter Kleist never wanted to join the military but did not believe he had any choice in the matter and now he's been sent to the Near East, to the aptly named "Fort at the end of the world". At first, he believes that this will be a relatively easy post. There is very little fighting seen here. He immediately realizes there is something very wrong in the north. Ghostly screams echo throughout the surrender forests followed by a woman's weeping, soldiers are found mutilated, and Peter is beginning to see things, terrifying things. None of this prepares him for what is to come.

Von Oldenburg cares only for two things; Himself and the Empire, and when he discovers a strange new contagion, he puts all of his resources behind, tracking down the source to this threat to Empire. Before long though, Von Oldenburg becomes obsessed with not just the contagion, but what he now believes is the one thing that can restore the Empire to its former glory. What he doesn't seem to realize is he is now the key to the world's destruction.

Holy shit was this absolutely amazing! I expected this to be the same slow build as in The Justice of Kings series, but it was far from it. All hell breaks loose almost immediately, and if you read Justice of Kings, I can promise you the phrase "Where the hell is Vonvault when you need him!?" will enter your mind every other page. Because omg the Empire *needs* him. Hell, actually, the entire *world* does. And look, I wasn't his biggest fan at the end of the last book, but he coulda sorted this mess out far faster than Renata. Plus, I only wanted to punch Vonvault a few times, I wanted to punch Renata almost every time she opened her mouth. And oh yes, we'll get to that.

World building here is, of course, epic and not only adds onto what we already knew about this world but turns a lot of it on its head. The fact that it takes place centuries after the first series is awesome as well. There's this very "Lord of the Rings" point here. This whole book only exists because Sova outlaws the practice of Death Magicks, instead of studying and understanding it the Empire turns it's back on it completely and because of this they are facing a world ending event that they may have been able to at least mitigate were they armed with the knowledge they needed to fight it. A pretty poignant reminder of how important not just knowledge but history is. Not only that but thanks to greed, corruption, and the forward momentum of good old capitalism and Empire building their stretched as thin as they can get.

But what puts this over the top is the atmosphere Swan expertly creates. I was in a constant state of anxiety reading this. This is done so simply that I genuinely hope horror authors take notes. A disembodied scream in the night is far more impactful than most people realize.

What is absolutely phenomenonal Grace Empire though is, of course, the characters. Peter may be the only one I only kinda like and while Renata *finally* does the right thing it feels too little to late when she spends half of the book spouting off all sorts or nonsense about how great the Empire is while seeing with her own eyes that it's built off the backs of the people they conquered and oppressed. There are several times when she knows she's wrong when speaking with the people she absolutely should not be a jerk too as they are the only ones with the knowledge she needs and yet she completely ignores it. Renata is a Karen of the worst sort most of this book.

Peter is whiny. Period end of story. And maybe he's occasionally justified in it, but it's not often. He's a privileged kid whose mom is nobility who, to an extent, actually recognizes his privilege and yet still blames everyone else for how he ends up where he ends up. And again, he becomes less whiny towards the end, but it's one of those situations where he has to go through hell to grow up, to figure out there a ton more important things happening in the world than his bad relationship with his mom.

Von Oldenburg is just evil. I mean, there's just nothing to add there. The man is one of the most evil characters I've ever come across who is also constantly high from a speedball. It's not a good combination.

And I know that sounds like I hated them all, but that couldn't be farther from reality. Making all three of your MCs unlikable is a stroke of genius. Renata and Peter, especially, they aren't evil or even morally gray characters. They are simply the products of privilege and nationalism. Their attitudes reflect the prevailing status quo of their society and that society tells them you are either for the Empire or against it, that the nobility and ruling class are significantly better than those around them, and that they have nothing to learn from those that they have conquered. Lessons they have to unlearn real quick if they hope to survive.

Overall, I called this one of the best new books of 2025 when I was just over a quarter of the way through the book. It reads nothing like the original series. It is so much more desperate, and it solidifies Swan as a truly talented storyteller.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eArc!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Being a huge fan of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, I was incredibly excited for this book to come out. Getting a chance to read it early, which is something I've never experienced before, felt like winning a prize.

Where to start? I. Loved. This. Book. I truly feel Richard Swan has brought something so unique and special and exciting to the world of fantasy. The only downside is having to wait for the next book to come out 🤪 I quite enjoyed the different perspectives and found myself on the edge of my seat at the end of each character's entry. The world and different races that make it up are incredibly interesting and captivating and I've greatly enjoyed exploring more of the world with this installment (I also liked the subtle nods to original characters from Empire of the Wolf).

Bring on book two of The Great Silence!

Genuinely one of the most underrated fantasy authors I know, I don’t know how he continues to slip under the radar but ever since receiving his debut novel as an arc this author became auto-buy and has only reinforced my opinion with each release.

Happy to come right back into the world I was so fascinated with previously and I will never stop recommending Richard Swan

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC for this book in exchange for an honest review. This was such a fantastic read! And I am so glad to have been given an eARC of this book. This is definitely one I will be ordering when it is released! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think this is the start to another great series and I personally enjoyed this more than Justice of Kings (which I enjoyed that series as well).

Justice of Kings had some elements that weren’t great, such as the weird romance, Helene was not the most likeable of characters and the story could move pretty slow at times. But Justice of Kings is extremely interesting in its relationship with the afterlife and sorcery. I enjoyed the trilogy and rated it high!

Grave Empire has none of the complaints of Justice of Kings but all the interesting factors of Justice of Kings. Rather than one point of view Grave Empire has three main point of views. Renata, Peter and the Senator.

This book does take place in the same world as Justice of Kings but it is hundreds of years later. You do not need to read Justice of Kings first before reading this series (although it may help you with having a better understanding of the world’s afterlife structure).

Renata is an ambassador to the Stygion mermen and she is set to meet with them in order to seek answers regarding a plague that is spreading. This plague essentially makes a person mindless and the issue of these vacant people are spreading. Peter is fighting in a Pagan kingdom and while there he is exposed to horrors that he cannot comprehend. There are monsters, phantom screaming and apparitions of people who have mysterious died. Lastly, the Senator is also trying his own methods to understand the nature of the plague but his motives are for himself and his own financial gain.
Overall, each character is forming a part of the bigger picture which is trying to understand why is this plague happening and its connection with the afterlife.

There are lot of scenes in this book that are pretty descriptive and gruesome (similar to Justice of Kings) but I do like that the author does not shy away from making the horrors, true horrors. I also felt like this book was more of a horror book (there are some seriously creeping things going on), which since I received this book in the fall, I thought this made for a perfect fall read!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I was constantly curious to know what was going to happen next, I enjoyed all the horror scenes and I enjoyed being back in Sova. I cannot wait till book 2 is released, as I do think this series will top Justice of Kings, and I enjoyed that series as well!

I definitely recommend giving this a try, especially if you enjoy more horror-type books with fantasy and a mix of sorcery.