Awesome book! Very dark but very well written. Sometimes so well written that I had to put the book down for a minute because I could see the horror so vividly and it scared me, especially as I learned more and more about the "Great Silence" that was coming to pass and affecting the great Sovan Empire! Told from three viewpoints, that of Peter, Renata, and Von Oldenburg, you get three different types of people struggling to survive the chaos and horror being unleashed, some wanting to find the solution to this mess, and some looking for a way to profit off it, not really caring if it will make everything so much worse!

Be warned, there is much blood and gore, extreme dark magicks, mind rot zombies, and death galore, both on the mortal plane and the afterlife! Lots of political intrigue and really cool cultures, like the Stygions and the wolfmen, as well the the might of the Sovan Empire though sadly it has fallen into the rut of keeping to on set of thinking, to the exclusion of all else, even if it might spell their doom unless they can open back up to magick and all that it can do. I really hope they can do so before it is too late!

This book really sets up the world and story with a bang and while, yes, it is very dark, it still leaves a chance for hope at the end and I can't wait to see if the world and other planes can be saved from the Great Silence!

A Grimdark fantasy with horror elements that is completely unique and never before seen. It grabs you by the collar and drags you kicking and screaming into the depths of the afterlife.

Disclaimer: while I tandem read this with the physical and audiobook that I purchased myself, I did receive a eARC copy from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I have no words. I loved the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. But The Grave Empire blew it out of the water entirely. No pun intended. I loved that the story was developed well and had a slow world building that unraveled as the characters experienced things. The world was intricate, yet easy to understand and experience. I felt the dread and desolation at every turn. The various beings that were encountered in this story were amazing and I hope we see more of them and get even more backstory in future installments. Not one POV was boring or unnecessary in my opinion. And I'll be seeing the Knackerman in my nightmares.

Stunning. Amazing. I need the second book immediately.

4.5 stars

Richard Swan has done it again! Absolutely amazing flintlock fantasy I feel like everyone will enjoy! I also don’t think it’s necessary to read The Empire of the Wolf to read this (but there are some great Easter eggs if you do). Really excited to see where this series goes!

What Richard achieved with the Empire of the Wolf trilogy was enough for me to be interested in whatever he wrote next. While his last series started as a mystery and ventured into fantasy horror, Grave Empire sets the tone with a sense of dread almost immediately. His writing is more polished, Sova feels bigger, and his creativity is turned way up in this one. Can’t wait for book two!

I was a big fan of Swan's EMPIRE OF THE WOLF trilogy, so of course I was delighted to see another book in the same world--this time set notably in the future. I wasn't disappointed. Swan has an amazing skill when it comes to infusing his stories with worldbuilding without it feeling too heavy or to explainy. I don't usually read epic fantasy because I don't have much patience with worldbuilding (or with serieses, to be honest), but Swan's writing makes me want to dig deeper into his worlds so I'm happy to be along for the ride. You don't need to have read his previous trilogy to fully enjoy GRAVE EMPIRE, however, so don't let that stop you. This book immerses the reader in the setting and sets off on exciting adventures (with some of the best afterlife concepts I've ever read), so I'd recommend it to any fantasy reader.

We get to see the Sovan empire a few centuries down the line, now in full fantasy pre-Industrial Revolution in terms of soldiering and bureaucracy, only now the NotIllithids are coming to destroy them all and everything is going to super suck for these characters next book. Can't wait to see how they handle it!

Grave Empire is a follow up series set in Sova, following Richard Swan’s first series Empire of the Wolf. The empire no longer practices sorcery or magical arts. It stands on the cusp of war, and there is a mysterious plague affecting the pagan kingdoms. After two monks come forward about a prophecy about the end of the days, Renata, an ambassador to the mermen, must seek answers from those in the empire who still practice the magical arts.

Despite Grave Empire being a sequel series, it is not tied directly to Empire of the Wolf - it is set years in the future, and there are no overlapping characters. Having the background knowledge about the magical arts, and why it is outlawed or no longer practiced is helpful, but if for some reason you chose to skip that series and jump straight into this, it won’t hinder your understanding too much. (But you should read the other books by Swan, because they are great too)

Grave Empire follows several points of view - Renata, our ambassador to the mermen. I loved her story as she travels with the monks and several others to meet with the mermen to talk about the prophecy of the Great Silence. Her chapters have a lot of political and religious conversations, while still being fast paced and exciting.
Another point of view is Peter, a solider who has newly been given a command position. At the beginning of the book, I was all for Renata, but as Peter’s story continued, his chapters was the one I ended up loving the most. They are dark and unsettling and there is so much going on his sections that I just needed more answers to. By far the creepiest parts of the book happen in his chapters, and Peter was such an endearing character trying to sort out what is going on, struggling with his new position, and being a very relatable figure in how frightened he was while still trying to get things done.
The last POV was von Oldenburg, and his are chapters you love to hate. Everyone good grimdark-style fantasy needs that grimy shitbag of a character, and von Oldenburg has got that covered. I cheerfully would read more from him just so I could complain about what a despicable person he is and wish all the worst things to happen to him. His chapters were also truly interesting, and he was a good foil of bad guy to the really kind characters we get with Renata and Peter.

I feel like there is a lot of the plot I can’t talk about without spoiling so many interesting things that we discover along the way. Discovering what exactly the prophecy entails is fascinating, and opens up so many possibilities with the continuation of the series. I loved that we had more wolfmen in this one after the introduction of them in the first series. Having new hybrid humans other than just the wolfmen was fantastic, and terrifying. The plague that is affecting the empire made my skin crawl. There is just so much jam packed into this book that I was really invested in and couldn’t wait to read more.

I have zero complaints about this book except for the fact that I finished reading it and have to wait for the next book. Peppered throughout are cliffhanger chapters that kept me hooked, and I should have expected the ending would do something similar, It doesn’t leave you unsatisfied with the cliffhanger though, it just leaves you with theories and questions that I am really looking forward to discovering when the next book is released. I can’t recommend this one enough.

This man needs to be stopped--how much longer are we going to let him get away with absolutely destroying my brain with his masterpieces of fiction? I loved this. I really enjoyed Richard Swan's other works and this was even better than that. The world and the characters were so compelling, and I flew through this at light speed. I cannot wait to get our physical copies in at the branch because I will absolutely be checking it out to reread it (even though I already own my own physical copy).

4.5 stars

If you loved the cosmic horror in Richard Swann’s Empire of the Wolf fantasy trilogy, get ready for the horror to ramp up even more in Grave Empire!

Taking place 200 years after The Trials of Empire, the Empire is on the verge of industrial revolution, and arcane practices are now outlawed. A mysterious plague is spreading, and two monks have arrived in Sova claiming they’ve lost all contact with the afterlife. An ancient prophecy called The Great Silence may be coming to pass and with it bringing the end of the world.

We follow three POVS. First, there’s Peter Kleist, a captain dispatched to pagan lands, tasked to investigate mysterious occurrences. His was my least favorite perspective at first because a good part of this subplot is about military maneuvering and trudging through the forest, and I was a bit bored. But..then his story takes a horrific turn. It was SO fascinating! I’m very much looking forward to knowing what will happen next with him.

Count Von Oldenburg’s POV was the most disturbing for me. He’s a ruthless noble obsessed with anything to do with the arcane, performing experiments in his dungeon and dabbling in dark magic that quickly gets out of control. There were so many chilling scenes in his chapters that will stick with me for a long time!

And my favorite character, Renata Rainer, a low-level ambassador to the Stygion, a race of mer-men. After a personal tragedy occurs, she travels to meet with the mer-people to seek answers and help about the Great Silence. I always love a travel/quest story and the world-building and setting of the Stygion cities was SO amazing! Easily my favorite sections of the story.

I’d highly recommend Grave Empire, especially if you’ve already read Swann’s first trilogy. You can still read Grave Empire first, although it made the story even richer for me to already understand a lot of the history and politics of this world from the beginning.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the digital arc.

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I really enjoyed this novel. Taking place 200 years after the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, it follows several characters (a diplomat, a young officer in the army, and a politician-scientist) who are investigating some recent unsettling changes within Sova. Is it a plague, is it illegal magic? Each is facing a separate arm of a larger problem. You don't have to have read the original trilogy to understand what's going on, but it does give some context as to some current viewports. I enjoyed how the world really opened up and expanded as we are pushing the frontier of Sova and learning more about some of the human/animal hybrids--and their handle of magic--that live beyond the borders of Sova. The author is delicate but intentional with some of his messaging when it comes to colonization, tradition, duty... all in all, a fun and somewhat horrific read. I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding and look forward to the next book.

Brilliant novel! I need to thank NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. My biggest complaint after completing this novel is that I want to immediately re-read it again. Death magic, mer-men, and other ghastly things await you within these pages. Richard Swan is becoming a master of horror fantasy. Certainly not a novel for the squeamish, but for those that like their fantasy dark, what an enjoyable read.
The novel takes place 200 years after the Empire of the Wolf. After what happened in the past, death magic has been outlawed within the Sovan empire. Magic users can be executed for practicing magic within the empire. But on the outreaches of the Sovan empire’s stronghold and hundreds of miles away, dark magic is being practiced, a dark plague is looming, and spiritual and human forces are threatening not just the rule of the Sovan empire but could bring the end of all existence.

From these distant lands, come two heretic monks, who practice death magic and even knowing they could be executed by the Sovan Empire for revealing this, have come to the Empress of Sovan with dire news- the monks are no longer able to speak to the dead in the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy known as the Great Silence that will lead to the end of both the physical and spiritual world for all life. The Empress and council decide to investigate and to have a delegation to be sent to speak to the mythical Stygion, mer-men who are considered the greatest magic users of this time, to collaborate the monks’ story.

The novel is told through three enjoyable POVs. Peter is a reluctant officer in the Sovan army stationed on the outreaches of the Sovan empire in lands where ghastly images haunt him and disembodied screams can be heard by all through the night. Daylight is no better, as Peter and his soldiers discover one horrific scene of carnage after another. And as Peter begins to investigate further into the happenings and moves deeper into these dark lands, he and his soldiers will be changed forever.

The second POV is Raenta, a low-level ambassador of the Stygion in the Sovan Empire, one of the few left. Raenta’s study of the Stygion, mer-men, is ridiculed by some and others feel it is a waste to spend a whole life studying and learning a language to communicate with mythical blood thirsty monsters from the deep. While Raenta is excited to be part of the delegation to try to communicate with the Stygion and possibly learn more about the Great Silence, her life is threatened by individuals that would rather see her silenced, permanently. Also, with having to avoid on going warfare, filled with ships, cannons, and muskets, this is not going to be easy.

Finally, we have my favorite POV, Count Lamprecht von Oldenburg. He is an aristocrat with his companion Yelena who are practitioners of outlawed magic in the Sovan empire. In these pages, he will do some appalling things, murder the least of them, all for his own individual gains. Not to go into too much detail, but he taps into dark magic and learns the secret of the dark plague that is threatening Sovan. And where maybe you would think he would share this knowledge to help humanity, he instead sees this as how he can eventually rule the world. He is a despicable character on many levels, but through his unrequited love of his companion Yelena, I found him not completely a monster. Also, it is in this POV, there is a lot of dark humor this author delivers that helps lighten the overall tone, at least for a little while until we are back with Peter, especially.

It is early but already this is one of my favorite novels of 2025. There are plenty of scenes of grotesque imagery throughout, and especially late in the novel as we learn the fate of Peter and his soldiers that is hard to forget. This is a novel you do not want to read late at night with the lights off and only with the glow of your Kindle. And, with von Oldenburg, we have a character as he goes through his machinations to hopefully reach his goal of becoming King of the World, his plan of how he is going to reach these lofty goals is something I won’t forget for some time. And on top of this, there are mer-men that would make those Disney mermaids shudder.

Once again, I feel so honored to have received this Arc from NetGalley and Orbit. Richard Swan is becoming an author I am looking forward to every year now. As a fan, I hope we will see the next novel in the series next year. For now, and for other fans of Richard Swan, I will just have to wait.

Grave Empire sets itself apart with its seamless blend of political intrigue and eerie supernatural horror. Swan doesn’t just deliver courtly machinations and battlefield strategy—he layers in an unsettling tension as the empire’s rejection of magic begins to unravel reality itself. The novel’s pacing keeps the tension simmering, balancing thoughtful worldbuilding with bursts of action and mystery.

While the intricate politics and military conflicts may require close attention, Swan rewards readers with a deeply immersive and thought-provoking narrative. Grave Empire is more than just a story of war and diplomacy—it’s about the cost of progress, the weight of forgotten truths, and the fear of forces beyond human control.

I have never really read much horror fantasy or steampunk fantasy before but wow Grave Empire has me reconsidering all of that. This world was so immersive with three so distinct POV characters. Renata our slightly overwhelmed ambassador to a race of mer-men on a journey to learn why these two monks who practice forbidden magic have lost contact with the afterlife. Peter a colonial army officer whose father bought him a commission out on the end of the empire and is haunted by screams in the night. Then there is our villain POV and oh boy was he so evil and yet so captivating to read.

The world here felt so lived in which I think is aided by the fact that this does take place 200 years after Swan's earlier trilogy (something I will be picking up while I eagerly await the next book). I enjoyed how even the fantastical elements felt true to the world - like yes, there are a race of wolfmen and they do speak something very similar to Dutch.

This was one of the best fantasy books I have read in a while and I am pleased to know I at least have a backlog to dive into after this as well.

Wow! What a fantastic grim dark fantasy novel! This makes me want to read his Empire of The Wolf series!

I love the characters Richard Swan choose to have as his point of view characters. They are so different and show very different parts of this world. Sometimes authors have too many POV characters or the POV characters are so similar that it can get muddled. That is definitely not a problem for this author.

I also like his style of world building. You have a real clear picture of this world and what is going on, but you don't feel overwhelmed or have any slow parts filled with an information dump.

I will be recommending this title for all my dark fantasy readers.

I thought this book was only mer people and sharks. I was wrong. Fortunately it’s better than I expected it to be.

Set years after The Empire of the Wolf Trilogy, Grave Empire begins with rumblings of a plague to the north, a war and civil unrest to the south, and in the heart of the empire, monks partaking in outlawed magic and sorcery discovering an ancient prophecy is real and on their doorstep.

I find it so rare that a high fantasy book pulls me in and this one was just that. The world building was deep but not drowning, the characters were real and fun but not tropes or caricature, and the magic and the mystery kept things alive and interesting throughout. At times it felt like an adventure movie and other moments having truly scary horror elements.

This was my first Richard Swan book and I need to go back and read the previous series, This was amazing. Even if you have not read it, this book is still great and easy to follow.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I have seen Richard Swan‘s name a lot lately, being praised for a different trilogy and since I am a huge fan of fantasy in almost all of its forms I was excited to pick up Grave Empire which is grimdark or fantasy/horror almost. This is the first book in The Great Silence Trilogy, set in the same world as The Empire of the Wolf, two hundred years after the events of that trilogy. I didn’t have any trouble following the story and do not think you need to read the first series to enjoy this one.

Our story is unfurled as we follow the lives an inner thoughts of three characters Renata, Peter and Von Oldenburg. Renata, an ambassador to the mermen, is considered a joke by her peers. Most of her training has been theory up to this point. That is about to change when she is tasked to go to them for their expertise in the arcane to see if they can assist in thwarting a prophecy called The Great Silence. Peter, an officer on caught in a war, is on the front and back lines. He doesn’t seem to have any contact with the known enemy he thought he’d be fighting. Instead, there is a different enemy, one that screams in the night and follows them like ghosts in the dark. Von Oldenburg is the villain we can see in this tale. He has studied death magics and is on a course of discovery that is truly horrifying.

Renata’s PoV focuses on her traveling through a war torn country with a delegation, trying to get to the mermen before her country loses access and lives. She was a character that was easy to like in her quest to do what she had trained for most of her career. The journey is fraught with danger and some harsh revelations about some of the people she has trusted. I especially enjoyed the lore and interactions with the mermen. The mermen are far from the enchanting creatures of Disney. They are a vicious, cold-blooded culture, as harsh as their aquatic domain, riding sharks with a chilling ferocity.

Peter’s journey as a soldier in a jungle atmosphere was so engaging. Trying to figure out what is going on at night when the screams come. Is he crazy, why are others acting like nothing is going on? I loved how he is not a born hero, he has questions, fears and is just trying to do his best to lead his men and not get everyone killed as they go up against something unknown in the dark. He is human is a place full of new horrors and acts accordingly.

Perversely, he was so frozen in place with fear that to an observer it looked as though he were standing his ground with great stoicism.

As I read Von Oldenburg’s PoV I became more and more convinced of how evil he could be. He seemed morally ambiguous in the beginning but, his journey takes us to the depths of how far he will go for his own ego and how dangerous he could be in this world.

“You are a fool if you think word has not spread already. There are demons in hell who envy your reputation.”

There are great characters in the story with complex feelings, motivations and depths. I enjoyed getting to know all of them as they exposed the origin of The Great Silence and what it means to the Empire. The horror aspects of the story fit in so well and floored me sometimes.

Like most first books in a new fantasy series, it starts off a little slow and build and builds until all of the tension of the final chapters is lived through. The conclusion leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment with a satisfying yet tantalizing end. I enjoyed the teasers at the end of the book as they opened up the mind to think about various possibilities before we get to the next book in the series.

This is great for epic and grimdark fantasy readers and maybe even those who enjoy horror but wanted to try out fantasy.

Set two hundred years after the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, Grave Empire is instantly familiar and yet also quite different. IMO I don’t believe it’s in any way necessary to have read the Empire of the Wolf trilogy to enjoy this one. (Though you really should read it simply because it’s awesome.) If you aren’t familiar with Swan’s work you’re in for a treat. His world building is excellent, his characters spot on, and his storylines are always intricate and intriguing and that is different the case his this new novel. This epic fantasy is dark,(yeah I know, no surprise right? Pretty much a hallmark of Swan’s work, lol) moody, suspenseful, and wonderful complex. I’d like to thank Orbit Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Grave Empire.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1UPWPDBAQLQS0/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This world is incredibly dark and expansive. The world building by Swan is masterclass level and reading through the story was very immersive. Because of that there is certainly a lot going in in the plot and with our many main characters. For the longest time, I could not see how these wildly separate plots would come together, but they did so very nicely in the very end, setting up what is sure to be an even better sequel. I did not find myself attached to any character in particular but Renata’s POV stood out amongst the others.

“In the same way that we would not tolerate a man walking up to our house and smashing it down with an axe, so must we find intolerable the actions of a man who would destroy the scaffold about which we construct our society.”

Thank you to @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this since it's a fantasy/horror blend, but it is fantastic! I actually loved the genre mix.

As if rumors of a plague aren't enough to contend with, the Empress has received a disturbing message. Two monks that practice forbidden magic to communicate with the afterlife tell her they can no longer speak with the dead. It is the beginning of The Great Silence. The end of days.

Rather than have them killed for using magic, the Empress sends them along on a diplomatic mission to see what can be done to save them all.

This is so good and so disturbing at the same time. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for allowing me to read an eARC of this book!
I got into Swan's first series because I won a Goodreads giveaway for Justice of Kings. Now, here I am a few years later able to recommend the start of his next series!

I'll start with a short and sweet pitch. This would be a fantastic “spooky season” book. From the very start you are gripped by a strange attack in the forest, plus screams at night that no one knows from who or what.
We get 3 POV's. Peter, Renata and Von Oldenburg. Oldenburg is very much a “love to hate” type of character, a member of nobility in Sova and prides in his wealth. Peter is a new lieutenant sent to lead armies in battle against Casimir. He is unsure of himself and if he really is ready to lead. Renata is an Ambassador/scholar of Sova sent on a diplomatic mission to speak with the Mermen.
If you've read Swan's previous trilogy, this new one seems even more fantastical with the inclusion of Mermen, Catmen and Wolfmen. They are “stygia” in this world. Magically created meshing of human/animal creatures.
The only reason I couldn't give this a 5 star were for two different aspects that don't particularly mesh with my tastes. Both seemed uncharacteristic for what I was used to in Swan's writing.
The first is the sexual content. Von Oldenburg had a couple scenes that got a little to descriptive for me. Not descriptive in the “smut” and “spicy” romance sense, but enough that I would have preferred more of a fade to black. There is this “magic healing” element to it, that I think was the point, but still not for me and maybe could have described this magic in a tamer manner.
The second is that a Colonel, tasked to go along with Renata, is just given this brief description of being married to a man. It is so brief that it feels so “token gay character”. Nothing else happens with this point other than for his introduction to the party. Have a gay character, because they are in the world, but don't make it just another describing factor in introduction. I'm trying to stay spoiler-free, but he is also very much a side character and the fact that he is gay has no weight whatsoever on the plot. So why include it if it really doesn't matter?
Overall, besides my gripes, I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I never wanted to put it down or pause to switchover to something else. We were set up with a great cast of characters and the ending just made me want to reread this by the final word of the epilogue. I am already eagerly awaiting the next book!