What an adventure!
I found the story started slow...lots of world building and character introduction. This is a BIG story so definitely needed that base. Around the 50% mark though it really took off and I couldn't put it down. All the clever writing culminates in a novel that defies description. Is it horror? Fantasy? Flintlock? kind of all of the above and does it ALL well.
The sheer scope of the world is just insane. We have 3 main POV's and we follow each as they live through what is essentially the weirdest, most dangerous discoveries of their lives. Renata, the ambassador, Peter, the reluctant war captain and Von Oldenburg , the Senator....all have their own horrors to live through. Peter's story arc in particular was harrowing to me and the Knackerman is just disturbing! I loved it!
I was only slightly disappointed in how little time we spend with the armour wearing spear-mounts. I hope we see more of those and the under water world itself in the next chapter of this amazing story!
My rating is 4.5 rounded for GR
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the advance reader copy in return for my honest review. These thoughts are my own.

Richard Swan continues in the tales of the Sovan Empire, only 200 years after Vonvalt and Saint Helena of Muldau lived. Now with 200% more sharks.

**4.5/5 Stars, Rounded Up**

I immediately downloaded Grave Empire by Richard Swan as soon as I possibly could. His last trilogy, “Empire of the Wolf”, was one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. I did not read the description; quite frankly, I didn’t care. When I opened to the first page, it thrilled me to discover Swan took us back to his epic world except two hundred years into the future. I couldn’t keep the grin from my face as once again, Swan demanded my attention from the beginning and didn’t let it go. Grave Empire fulfilled my imagination’s every desire. I couldn’t get enough.

Do not read these novels if you don’t like world-building. Grave Empire’s setting is complicated and intricate; the map demonstrates it. But on top of the geography, we have tense political relations between peoples and kingdoms that can be difficult to follow. I sometimes had to pause to recall what had happened even three chapters previously, partly because the story features three different viewpoints: Renata Rainer, Peter Kleist, and Lamprecht von Oldenburg. Each character has unique motivations, unique personalities and histories, and unique journeys. They don’t always make the right choices, which makes them resonate with readers all the more.

Sova banned the practice of magic. Two monks admit their sect broke that law, reporting they can no longer communicate with the dead. The merfolk are still deeply connected to magic. Renata and her supervisor are the Sovan ambassadors to the mer, and they are driven to discover the reason why the spirits have suddenly gone silent.

Peter Kleist never wanted to be a soldier, but he finds himself deployed to a Far East outpost, plagued by mysterious screams. His major tasks him with finding out the cause and venturing into the unknown regions. It doesn’t take long for his mantra to become, “I want to go home.”

Von Oldenburg has also broken the law by collecting books and studying the magical arts. He, too, knows of the plague and the warring parties in far-off lands. Maybe magic could offer a solution. His motivations may be in the right place, but he spirals into darkness, and his work may doom the world.

Richard Swan’s newest work features spectacular character-driven storytelling, delicate and thought-out worldbuilding, and slow—but appropriate—pacing. Grave Empire by Richard Swan is easily my favorite book thus far in 2025. Bravo, sir. Thank you for taking me back to Sova. For introducing me to brand new characters in a world I never realized how much I missed. I can’t wait to return for the next book, which will not come soon enough.

Warning: Grave Empire does have sex and swearing. F-bombs galore.

The Empire is built on magic. Its rulers know that entities exist beyond the veil. What folly, then, to forbid the study and practice of sorcery.

Ignorance will not stop death.

An empire on the cusp of industrial revolution is losing a proxy war in the South, while rumors of a plague in the pagan North are being violently suppressed. We follow three characters in different regions of the continent: A terrified young soldier traveling to the most remote edge of the empire, a political ambassador preparing to contact a mysterious race of mermen, and a politician with a dark and twisted obsession.

This was my first Richard Swan book. It is set in the same world as his Empire of the Wolf trilogy, and I’ll admit, wasn’t blown away by the first few chapters. While I didn’t mind the extensive world building, I thought world itself was rather boring.

I was wrong. Soon, the story descends into darkness. There is true horror in this book. Disembodied voices screaming in terror, gruesome deaths that first appear in dreams, and the sense of something truly being *wrong* beyond the veil. I was hooked!

The writing is excellent, and the three POVs complement each other quite well. There are mysteries to be solved, a character you will love to hate, and plenty of political intrigue. The ending is both satisfying and leaves you begging for more. The stage has been set, and I can’t wait for the next book!

A sprawling fantasy with three converging plotlines, great characters, and a compelling worldbuild, Grave Empire should definitely be on your list if you’re a fan of darker fantasy.

The novel follows three plotline: Renata, the ambassador to the mer-people who is travelling with some others to ask the Stygion for help with a dark prophecy; Peter, a soldier sent to the far end of the empire who really has a terrible time; and Van Oldenberg, this middle-aged senator, rich-dude who is obsessed with arcane artifacts and pretty much stumbles into and takes advantage of a very strange turn of events.

It’s hard to say which of the three was more interesting. With Renata, it’s a bit of a political fantasy and a quest narrative with a small group of characters, a very minor love story, and interesting places. With Peter, it’s almost a horror survival fantasy, as when he gets to the fort a lot of weird shit happens, and all of it is creepy and then rather grotesque at times. And then we have Von Oldenberg who is a character I should have hated but, damnit, he's as incredibly interesting as he is incredibly unlikeable. The man is a total self-serving sociopath who has an immensely complex characterization. He’s a huge asshole on one side who, when tempted by darkness, doesn’t just jump but dives right in, yet he has twinges of guilt, and he truly seems to care about his mistress Yelena, albeit in a weird way. He’s a great character because what you feel about him is layered.

There’s another character I really liked at the start that has a huge character twist at one point that made me really sad because I really liked that person for most of the book. Yet, the twist thing makes sense for their character, which was all the more sad. <spoiler>Glaser </spoiler>

Renata was fine - I didn’t love her, but she was likeable, as was Peter.

Moving onto the writing itself, it’s crisp and snappy and moves at a great pace. There’s a fine balance in the novel between backstory, taking its time in the telling, and moving things along. The three storylines help with that as well, as all three were compelling and weighed equally. I always wanted to get back to each individual story. The battle scenes are visceral and bloody and gory. Swan doesn’t shy away from the gross aspects of human bodies, but it doesn’t reach body horror levels. It’s definitely gorier and on the darker side of fantasy, though.

The plot was interesting because the three stories you know are interconnected, but you’re trying to find out why. There’s a mix of the reader knowing what’s going on and the characters in 2/3 stories not, which shifted once in a while, with us also not knowing and learning along the way. I wouldn’t say there are any major twists in the novel, but the story has a simple objective with a large structure underneath, like an iceberg.

The world-building is great. In this one, they have moved from the tail end of medieval to musket-level firearms, a sort of blend of colonial UK, civil war US, and mythical fantasy (as there are wolf-people and merpeople and gods and magic and a hell realm, and well as science and ships and carriages). It’s fun, too, if you read the other trilogy because you can see how things have progressed socially, economically, and culturally. Also, there's a thing called Selachomancy, which is the power to control sharks! So fun.

Overall, if you couldn’t tell, I couldn’t put it down, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Read this book if you enjoy:
Fantasy epics
Rich worldbuilding
An utterly appalling character you’ll love reading about

Stoked to get an eARC from NetGalley.

I think this book is way better in the back half. The first 60% or so of this was just pretty boring. A lot of the worldbuilding didn’t work for me. It seemed like people were just listing the names of towns and territories for the hell of it. I’ve read the Empire of the Wolf, and while this was supposed to be a continuation of that, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it builds off of anything that trilogy had established. The characters were also lame as hell for most of this. Fortunately, the second half completely changed most of that. Overall this book is okay and has a way better finish than I was expecting. I ended up enjoying it. I’m mixed to positive and I’m looking forward to book two but I’m not begging for it.

4.5
The first half of the book introduces us to this world and its inhabitants. We follow three POVs: Peter, the poor soldier who finds himself in strange situations; Renata, an assistant to the ambassador to the Sulereii or merpeople; Lord von Oldenburg, who is obsessed with the forbidden dark and deathly magicks and wants to learn these skills for personal gain. The last person is such a good villain.
So the first half is lots of worldbuilding but also get acquainted with these characters and their fate. It’s all very intriguing. We found out that along with the merpeople, there are wolf-men and cat-men and possibly some form of tree-men. The progress of Peter’s characters is awful and tantalizing. He is going to the person I want to see what happens to the most.
I didn’t think I’d like the political aspects of the fantasy but it was brought into the story in a measured way. There were pieces that reflected our world today. Also the description within the unknown and feared forest really drew me right into the heart of it. I just love forest settings.
The last half has all the action. I found myself flying through the chapters to see what would come next. And we are left with quite the cliffhanger!
Thank you to NetGalley for my review ebook copy.

This is a very moody and atmospheric novel that slowly but surely ratchets up the dread and horror. In many ways, it reminds me of a Lovecraft novel - where sane men are driven insane by mysterious non-seen entities right before the monsters emerge. Not one to read if you are depressed, for sure.

Story: The Empire of the Wolf has become a global power, colonizing huge swathes of land as they expand. But there are stirrings of an apocalyptic future, one whose signs are slowing coming true. It will take a soldier, a diplomat, and two priests to figure out what is happening and if they can prevent it.

The politics here are reminiscent either of Roman expansion or British colonialism. But the twist is a magic in the past that altered many cultures, creating Wolf/man or Wolf/fish hybrid cultures. The focus in this book is how those cultures are more attuned to magic and therefore might hold answers if the prophecy of the apocalypse is coming true. Both cultures are being treated poorly by the humans.

We're given several POVs. Renata is an ambassador who must travel to a far sea to speak with the mer-men. Peter is a lieutenant in the colonial army stationed at a far outpost. Their paths won't cross much in this book but it is clear both will have a clear part to play in discovering what exactly is going on in the world. While each travels, they have to deal with an ongoing war (similar to British vs. French).

There is a strong element of horror throughout. In addition to the unrelenting dread are many scenes of sacrifice, blood, guts, battle, and death. There are no light moments to alleviate the unrelenting gloom. Although this seems like a steampunk novel, it really is more of a gunpowder era fantasy, reminding me somewhat of David McClellan's powdermage novels in theme.

The book is well written and there are many subthreads throughout. Just be warned that it is very heavy and dark. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this review

This book was such a fun read! It had a slower beginning but once the mystery started I really couldn’t put it down. I love the imaginary way the author has made mer man in this world and mixed it with pirates in such a fun and new way

A political fantasy with horror elements, and a fantastic start to what promises to be another excellent series by Richard Swan. The last series leaned more into the horror elements by book 3, which I'm hoping doesn't happen with this series. There's so much more to explore than just horror.

I want to start off by saying I didn't finish this book but NOT because I didn't enjoy everything I read. I have come to a bit of a crossroads where I find it hard to read things digitally at length. That being said I got to around the 150 page mark and I really did enjoy the hell out of this story! I quite enjoyed both storylines having nothing to really do with each other (I'm sure it will come together eventually but even if not, it was still great). I love Richards ability to create horrifying concepts and integrate them into the story so seamlessly. The characters I found distinct and well thought out, two POV's that I really liked. As a continuation of the world of Sova, I felt this fit right in with his previous trilogy a hundred years on. I've already purchased my copy of the book as well as the special edition, I have full faith in Richard Swans ability to continue this story and I highly recommend it to any one who did or did not read the previous trilogy.

This book was incredible right from the start. It was easy to read and had me hooked right away. The plot was clever and the Mer-Men being in there was super cool to imagine.

In the middle of the book I was wondering how each point of view and the different stories were going to tie together and then at the end he absolutely nailed it.

I cannot wait for the second book to come out, and have already picked up The Justice of Kings so I can keep reading about this world. Just an amazing book that I’ll be recommending to all of my friends.

Thanks Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC!

Grave Empire is the first book in a new series by Richard Swan. It is set 200 years after the events of his Empire of the Wolf series and after its success, I was so excited to pick this one up.

We follow several character POV's. Renata, the Sovan/Stygion ambassador tasked with learning of a horrifying prophecy and going on her first adventure to the mer-people; and Peter, the young Sovan soldier sent to war with the unknown - were my favorites. These characters aren't always lovable - they are flawed and real. The stakes are high and that's felt with each scene.

The best part of Grave Empire is the plot and world. It was fantastic. There is an ongoing territory war and shaky relationships between the different people. Add to it all, a mysterious plague in the North and an unearthly screaming with no source.

Honestly, there were scenes in this book that have been more chilling than most of the horror books I've read. The horror scenes, action, and mystery just hit perfectly for me, and I cannot wait for book 2.

Grave Empire is one of the best fantasy books I've read recently - 4.75 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely a top 5 read of the year! I was immediately hooked from page 1.
3 povs who each have different arcs. Renata is an ambassador who gets involved in a plan/mission to discover if a dark prophecy is coming true. Peter is a soldier sent to an isolated part of the world where things are not what they seem. The last pov is someone who is not a good guy...let's leave it at that.
The pacing was a little slow in the beginning but picked up, the world building was done well and I enjoyed seeing different cultures. High stakes, mystery woven within and compelling complex characters.
There is definitely much more to this book but it's best to just dive into this blind.
Loonlking forward to the sequel.
Thanks to netgalley and Orbit for this ARC.

A stunning, terrifying, thrilling masterwork of fantasy storytelling. I could not put this one down. As close to a perfect book as you can get. This was a journey I didn’t want to end and I’m sad I need to wait for the next book! Expertly paced, wonderfully crafted characters, incredible world building. I wanted to stay In this world forever. This book has something for everyone. My first read of 2025 is gonna be a tough act for other books to follow. “Grave Empire” is the fantasy novel by which all others should be judged this year! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!

Grave Empire takes us back to the world of the Empire of the Wolf; a world which has changed rapidly since the conclusion of The Trials of Empire. An industrial revolution has pushed Sova into a new age of colonization and warfare. But this is a Richard Swan book, which means the existential horrors are lurking just off-screen, waiting for their moment. Unlike Empire of the Wolf, Grave Empire is written in third-person, which allows us to follow a number of characters and get a bigger picture of the unfolding events in the world, allowing Swan's world building to shine. The plot is engaging, the deaths gruesome, and yet I found myself laughing more than once at the humor in the book. I also adored the references to the events of the original trilogy and seeing how the decisions made by Helena, Vonvalt and Bressinger continue to ripple through the world. This was an amazing read to start my year with and I can't wait to see what fresh horrors Swan comes up with next.

Absolutely addictive book. A very indepth, well-crafted world with a premise I struggled to pull myself from. The cast of characters were pleasantly varied and I also enjoyed the chapter style giving us perspectives from different people for a more fleshed out read.

I cannot believe this was my first time reading Richard Swan because I was absolutely BLOWN away by this book. Everything felt so carefully crafted and brought an amazing pace to a very high stakes plot. The complexities of the characters were very stand out, and I loved sorting through the different roots and biases for each character's decisions. The humanity and morally grey aspects of the characters and the world kept the mystery very compelling. It's also worth noting that I loved to see this representation of autism, it felt like it fit naturally into the story but was a nice little "aaahh" moment as I was reading.

I think this is a book that absolutely deserves the hype it has received, and is also somehow DEEPLY under hyped. I need everyone to experience this level of fantasy so that they can see what kind of kick ass things are possible in books.

Grave Empire explores more of the world from his previous serious, which I enjoyed immensely. Set 200 years from the first series, I appreciated the world building done to make this feel 200 hundred years into the future. It is so hard to do that, sometimes in fantasy, because our own notions about human progress are so vastly different that most of our history, but I think Swan does a phenomenal job of showing it.

Do I think this his is his strongest work? No. But I found that his previous series started off strong, and only got stronger. I have a feeling it will be the same here.

Once again, Swan's strengths come in with the nuanced and realistic takes on the mundane, and how he blends it with the fantastical and horror elements. In Empire of the Wolf, with the law aspect, and now Grave Empire's with the foreign politics aspect. I enjoyed both immensely.

Other things I enjoyed about this book: exploration the flintlock fantasy genre, armored sharks, deconstruction of racism and colonial practices, and mermaids.

Swan has an imagination full of terrifyingly magical, mysterious, and ambitious ideas when it comes to Grave Empire. Following after the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, does the Grave Empire hold up or rise above?

For the majority of the book, I felt rather conflicted in my own interests. I really wanted to find someone to attach to—anyone—because I know that’s the key first step to connecting a story to an audience. As readers, fantasy ones at that, we are usually curious empathetic people looking for adventure and dreams of escapism, whether that be in romance or newfound friends/family. Unfortunately, every one of the main characters felt grey. Not necessarily morally (however, we do have some truly morally questionable ones) but more so, personally. Too grey, to the point everything the characters were or tried to be felt like an attempt to achieve something greater than what Swan could completely flesh out, thus resulting in mediocrity.

I noticed that there were certain areas in the story some characters had more depth than others, but it was never consistent between any of them, resulting in a chaotic cycle. When this would happen, the other characters would become forgettable and the side characters within their storylines became insanely hard to keep track of. By the end, I had hoped to see some character development at the very least, but there was nothing of great note; besides what I assume is the uprising of the villain, which again, focuses more so on the plot.

Continuing on that note, the plot and world-building was more intriguing. Swan knows how to write descriptive scenes really well, especially when it comes to constructing a horrific scene. When Swan focuses in on this skill, he masters it delivering actual goosebumps on my skin. Even with how much was explored, I feel as though Grave Empire only sheds light on the tip of the iceberg of this world.

Nevertheless, again, I felt conflicted because I feel like this book could have been trimmed down at least 100-150 pages less. There were multiple dialogue scenes that would go on for pages, only to have one new piece of knowledge delivered to the audience. Same with certain chapters that are merely about traveling, all certainly used for filler. On one hand, because Swan writes so well, I enjoyed exploring the world of Grave Empire. Yet, without any connection toward any of the characters, I kept thinking to myself as new layers of lore and world-building was added, “So what? Why should I care?”

If I’m going to care about a fictional world, as a real person in the audience, then I need real problems to relate to for the characters. It is then, and only then I can enjoy the story at its fullest and will tackle the large amounts of lore, traveling, and small-talk with a new perspective. Then, my heart will strive for the little things because the characters I love care about the little things too. Without that connection, all else breaks apart.

Grave Empire: A promising start to a horror fantasy series, but one that definitely needs to work on rebuilding its pathos.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy). This review is based off of an uncorrected proof.