Thank you Net Galley and Orbit for the ARC. This book is set in same world as a previous work by the author which I have not yet read so I cannot appreciate this enough.

I devoured this. In complete honesty, I was here and seated for the mermen. Yes, mermen. No, I have not read the previous trilogy, and no, I didn't even really pick this up for the intriguing fantasy apocalypse plotline. MER. MEN. I regret to say that it took 70% of the book for them to show up, but they did and they had great white sharks and I was not disappointed.

There are three main POVs:
◾️ Peter Kleist: an officer in his early 20s who has been deployed to distant lands (genre: fantasy horror)
◾️ Renata Rainer: a young ambassador who is sent on a diplomatic mission to magic-wielding peoples (genre: fantasy action/adventure)
◾️ von Oldenburg: a wealthy count obsessed with magic and arcana (genre: fantasy horror, but in this case it's mainly his fault, he's the horror, it's him)

I am a little surprised that most reviews seem to favor Peter's POV because Renata's was by far my favorite. Through her we have a road trip, we have side characters, we have sieges and galleys and cannonballs whistling by, we have a little romance with a roguish soldier (slight O'Connell vibes from The Mummy), we have MERMEN with GREAT WHITE SHARKS in case anyone has already forgotten! Renata is a poor diplomat and made quite a few painful blunders, but the room for character development is wide open.

Von Oldenburg is repulsive. I felt such acute dread reading his chapters but had to see what awful thing he'd do and try to rationalize next. The possibility for a redemption arc is... impossible.

As mentioned, I have not read the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. I don't think that it's a required read to enjoy this new entry (I certainly enjoyed this and wasn't confused in any way by the worldbuilding), but I'm sure it enriches the experience and I'll definitely be picking those books up now.

> digital arc provided by netgalley
Fun start to a series. It did take me a little longer to get through than I had expected, the writing is great, I like the complicated politics but there's a lot of action and travel (and I like long journeys!) and I got a little fatigued LOL That said, I didn't find it too dense w infodumping as I've seen others say, but that's all subject to personal preference.. I haven't read a Big fantasy book in quite some time so I kind of needed to get my bearings.

A good mix of character POV chapters, some I preferred more than others but each one kept the story moving forward and I never felt any particular one dragged, they tended to be short enough to keep the momentum going.

A little bit biased but travel is one of my favorite parts of a book, and this had a delightful range of biomes and species(!!) , each presenting a unique challenge to its respective set of characters... this was a standout aspect of the book to me. I went in with some skepticism, "how will he pull together mermen, wolf men AND more ? that seems like a lot" But he did it !!!!! And it was fun!!!! it's just so different from what i have been reading lately.

(I'm sorry though I really only skim the epithets at the beginning of each chapter)

I'm curious to see where this story goes and if any of the personal gripes I had with it sort of get smoothed out in the following installments. This is such a cool world with a range of character morality I definitely want to keep up with it.

4 stars bc had more fun with this than any real problem I had and I need some reading Ws like this so bad right now

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orbit for an eARC of this book.

“Grave Empire” by Richard Swan, marks the commencement of “The Great Silence” trilogy, unfolding two centuries after the events of the “Empire of the Wolf” series. This novel introduces readers to a realm on the brink of industrial revolution, where sorcery is forbidden, and an ancient prophecy—the Great Silence—threatens impending doom.

The narrative follows Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to a formidable race of mermen, tasked with seeking answers from practitioners of the arcane arts. Simultaneously, Peter Kleist, a newly commissioned officer in the Sovan Army, confronts unforeseen challenges at a remote frontier fort. Their journeys intertwine as they navigate a world besieged by mysterious plagues, collapsing wars, and supernatural catastrophes.

What I love the most about this are Swan’s world-building and character development in what to me is true epic fantasy. This is an immersive page turner between the two plotlines, while the stakes build and continue to grow with an impending sense of dread.  

“Grave Empire” seamlessly blends elements of flintlock fantasy and horror, offering a richly detailed world and complex characters. Whether you’re a returning fan or new to Swan’s work, this novel promises a compelling and immersive experience in a world where the past’s shadows loom large over an uncertain future.

Bottom line, this was a great read! 5-stars for me

I went into Grave Empire with high expectations, drawn by its intriguing premise and the promise of a complex, immersive fantasy world. Unfortunately, I found the book to be a struggle to get through and ultimately decided not to finish it.

One of the major issues for me was the pacing. The story felt slow and bogged down by excessive detail, which made it difficult to stay engaged. While some readers might appreciate the meticulous world-building, I found it overwhelming and disconnected from the characters and plot.

Speaking of characters, I had trouble connecting with them. They often felt flat or unrelatable, and I struggled to care about their journeys or decisions. The narrative's tone and style also lacked the kind of spark or energy that typically keeps me turning the pages.

That said, I can see how Grave Empire might appeal to readers who enjoy intricate, methodical storytelling and are willing to be patient as the story unfolds. It simply wasn’t the right fit for me.

If you’ve enjoyed other works by Richard Swan or are a fan of slower-paced epic fantasy, this might be worth a try. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold my interest, and I had to set it aside.

First things first, a big thank you to the people at Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book, one of my most anticipated of the year.

At this point I've now read everything that Richard Swan has written, from the promising but somewhat unpolished self-pub Art of War series to the stellar Empire of the Wolf trilogy, which numbered among the best books I read in 2023. It was an absolute pleasure, then, to get to experience this next step of his writing career, one that I think shows remarkable growth as a writer in the short year since the Empire of the Wolf ended.

Without venturing into spoiler territory, we pick up the story about 200 years after the ending of Empire of the Wolf, in a Sova that is both familiar and different. Readers of the previous trilogy will enjoy getting to see how the world has changed, but there is certainly enough background provided for new readers to jump into this world here.

Our story follows three different perspectives, each of which I felt was interesting and provided a different lens through which to view the larger plot. It isn't apparent until close to the end how all three of the characters are connected, but it was extremely satisfying to see how Swan had subtly wove the disparate plot threads together throughout the story. The story was fast-paced while still leaving room for quieter character moments, and I thought that the prose has improved even further, with an almost neo-victorian bent to it that really fit the style of the story. The eldritch horror readers of the previous volumes will be familiar with is back as well, and in a form that I think is as creepy as it has ever been (without saying too much in the way of spoilers).

Overall, this novel did a great job of opening a new story in this world that stands on its own. It takes great care to set all of the necessary plot pieces in motion, and by the end I became very invested in the direction that the series is going. I would wholeheartedly recommend this novel to previous readers of Swan's work or any newcomers, and I can say that it is going to be a long wait for the continuation next year.

4.5/5

As someone who loved the Orginial trilogy this was a great follow up book and a start to a new series. It felt like its own book while still subtlety mentioning the events of the series. I already love these new characters and I can’t wait to see where they go

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for this ARC.

I've only read one other novel by Richard Swan, but I loved it so much that I thought that the Grave Empire would be an exciting read. Unfortunately, half of this isn't my jam and the other half really brought out the glaring issues that I overlooked in the previous novel.

The Grave Empire has some cool stuff going, leaning more into the horror of the fantasy world and has some beginnings of a well thought out world. However, I find that the summary for Grave Empire doesn't emphasize how much Swan decided to take on in the first book of a trilogy and how much it fell flat.

We follow three main POVs in Grave Empire, which would be fine in most 500 or so paged novels, but the deeper you read into the story the more it becomes obvious that Swan is not equipped enough to flesh out three characters at the same time.

As I read I kept wishing that Swan picked one POV and stuck with it for the duration of the novel so we could become more attached to each character and that they could feel more than just an idea written on paper. None of the characters felt more so than a vehicle for things to happen, barring Peter who I felt was given the most attention. Each character themselves could not focus on other secondary characters long enough for them to become more than a blip in our periphery which did them such a disservice. When it's a horror novel and characters are dying left and right, the reader needs some sort of attachment to make the gravity of the situation stick with them. Instead I often said good riddance to each subsequent death.

With the disconnected storylines, it really made no sense why everything was stuffed into one novel. They don't connect until it's much too late and so many important details went over my head because too much was happening and not enough time was allotted for the reader to just breathe in the world.

Primarily I am a character driven reader and would have preferred to have a balance of plot and characterization but due to the imbalance, finishing Grave Empire became a chore. In my opinion, I feel the story would be stronger if it was divided into three novels with one primary character each and a fourth novel that has it all brought together. That may not match Swan's vision for the trilogy, which I completely understand, but as it stands this entry point really turned me off reading beyond to find out what happens next.

As the Expedition Leader of the quest for the best in flintlock, I'll go ahead and say that Grave Empire deserves a place up with THE THOUSAND NAMES and GUNS OF THE DAWN as pinnacles of the flintlock genre. It remains to be seen if the rest of the series can straddle that fine line and seal the deal in such a perfect way as to make it the seminal flintlock <i>series</i>. GUNS is a standalone and SHADOW CAMPAIGNS stumbles at the finish line and longtime viewers know that POWDER MAGE is not a favorite of mine. Can THE GREAT SILENCE take that top spot? Ask me in 2 years.

As a sequel series set 200 years after the events of TRIALS OF EMPIRE, Grave Empire gives us more of Sova and its environs. I enjoyed not having to relearn basically everything since much of the world is familiar, and yet Swan does a fantastic job of making it feel like a world later in time, not just the reskinned old one. One of the main POVs deals with diplomacy, military logistics, and politics while the other has some really stellar flintlock battles as well as...horror...both grounded and cosmic. Seriously, Swan loves the horror genre. Some of this stuff is legit frightening, as in I did not enjoy reading it in the evening times and, for the two of you besides me who have read it, some of it reminds me a lot of the MONARCHIES OF GOD series in some of the supernatural and terrifying happenings.

The mystery keeps you guessing and the characters are memorable and fun, and Swan has a great portrayal of autism which I thought was neat. There's also something called The Knackerman that unsettles me way more than it has any right to. I think this book straddle the line <i> perfectly </i> between the grounded and the supernatural and I hope it continues to walk that line as, for me, the supernatural benefits from being grounded, enhancing the terror and avoiding power creep.

Also, there are armored sharks and orcas. As if you needed more to recommend it.

This is my first Richard Swan book, and it definitely will not be my last. He has an amazing way of writing an epic-fantasy with high stakes, amazing characters and fantastic world building. I don’t mind the slower paced world building because when the story picks up, it does not stop.

I was not aware going into this book that it is set after the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, but don’t worry, this book stands on its own, and now is making want to move up the trilogy on my TBR.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sequel to continue the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Publishing for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the chance to read and review this ARC!

I wanted to love this one but unfortunately it didn't really work for me. Reading this felt like I was reading the second book in a series (and maybe because this is interconnected to Swan's previous series that I haven't read?) where people, places, and concepts are mentioned but not explained to the reader.

I also found this very hard to get through, I almost DNFed this multiple times because I was bored. There are multiple POVs but only Peter was remotely interesting to read and I didn't care about the others very much. I'm assuming the overlap between these characters will come to fruition in future novels of this series (?) but I didn't really see how they were connected in this one until the very end.

I am not great with action scenes; even with the best of writers I can sometimes find it hard to visualize what exactly is going on — and in longer scenes with lots of moving parts, it gets even more muddled for me — but Richard Swan did a very good job in limiting the focus to Peter and his emotions, his immediate actions and his own confusion and enthusiasm. It was nice to have a good fight scene where it was clear and clean enough that I was able to keep up with what was going on. Peter himself, clueless but well-intentioned, thoughtful and clever and yet young an ignorant makes for a very nice POV character since he knows just enough to make necessary decisions and yet is inexperienced enough that other, older and more experienced characters can fill in the gaps in his knowledge with it feeling natural and like real conversations as opposed to exposition or an info dump.

Renata, on the other hand, didn’t appeal to me as much. Her voice didn’t feel as clear, When she talked with monks, ministers or other people of rank it felt clumsier as she was asked to repeat information, or as she laid things out in conversations that felt more like the story talking rather than a character. That said, she had some interesting moments, such as the merpeople, that I wished had gone on longer.

This book is full of world building and plot, and while I personally would have preferred Renata to have a bit more ‘voice’ to her chapters, I was still invested in what happened to her, though not as invested as I was in Peter. The villains are properly dastardly, the pace is nice and fast and the writing is strong and I can’t wait for book two.

This is the first book of this author’s that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. I’ve already gone looking through their work and intend to try one of their other series. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC.

The Run-Down: In Grave Empire, Richard Swan delivers an exciting story, set in the same universe as his Empire of the Wolf series, that provides enough inventive thrills and expanded worldbuilding to outweigh the more formulaic quirks of his writing.


Review:
Grave Empire by Richard Swan takes place hundreds of years after the events of the Empire of the Wolf series, as a secularized Sovan Empire harnesses its newfound industrial power to conquer and colonize distant lands. The book follows three characters who find their lives upended as eldritch forces threaten the existence of the mortal and immortal planes. Renata Rainer is a disdained, lowly assistant ambassador to an enigmatic race of mermen she has never even encountered in real life; her dreams of putting her ambassadorial skills into practice abruptly come true after she receives orders to contact the magical beings to help understand and combat the otherworldly forces that threaten the world. Lieutenant Peter Kleist is a reluctant soldier for the Sovan Army tasked with investigating mysterious terrors that plague the wilderness of the empire’s remote colonial holdings, only to find that the corporeal terrors of warfare pale in comparison to those of the supernatural. Meanwhile, Count Von Oldenburg, a power-hungry noble, attempts to meld scientific inquiry with arcane witchcraft to harness the forces of darkness for his personal gain.

If you’ve read Richard Swan’s Empire of the Wolf series, you will find much of Grave Empire to be familiar ground—for better and for worse. To an extent, these repetitions lend a stale quality to the narrative. For example, many of the new main characters seem like echoes of characters from past books. His aggravating overreliance on certain interjections (characters react to every situation by uttering “Nema Victoria!” or “Prince of Hell!”) has not improved in this new installment. The overarching supernatural threat that the characters must face is also a little too similar to that of his first series.

However, there are several aspects in which Swan’s writing and worldbuilding improve upon the blueprint he created in Empire of the Wolf. For one, he abandons the first-person singular perspective for a third-person multi-person perspective, which breaks up the story and adds a sense of narrative momentum. For another, the book delivers exceptionally unsettling and creepy moments that build into pure horror as the characters confront the evil, gory nature of war and supernatural malice. As the narrative progresses, Swan introduces plenty of inventive worldbuilding elements (merpeople-controlled shark fights, anyone?) that make Grave Empire well worth the read.

For those wondering if they need to read Empire of the Wolf before Grave Empire, the answer is no. It might even be a better experience without having read the other series because the writing and ideas will seem fresher.


Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a joyus Sova before all to everyone! Now when I heard Richard Swan was giving us another series in this setting I was midly (this is a lie) excited (feral). "Grave Empire" builds on the bones of the Empire of the Wolf, but now that blood engine runs on money.

Out 4 February 2025! Thanks Orbit for the arc, got any of that book 2 laying around?

Sova is going pretty well with the expansion again, at least if you trust the press. But there is a plague in the north and the south conflict with the wolfmen is going poorly for the side backed by the crown. Oh and then the monks show up saying they can't contact the afterlife. Which if true is the start of The Great Silence which leads to the end of all things. Unfortunately, the least funded department of diplomatic relations is also the key to getting any answers. Since the merfolk have the best understanding of the arcane they are who the empire needs to turn to. Double unfortunate for Renata Rainer, assistant ambassador, she is now vital to the Empire.

Reasons to read:
-Avoids the second arc issue of being too dependent on the first, while I popped off when I made connections or a name was mentioned that's more a bonus than a draw
-Definitely not ribbing on capitalism and imperialism
-People being over the glory of country at moments when they really can't do anything about it
-Time with peoples that were hinted at in the previous arc
-Really horrific threats

Cons:
-Some of you people won't read the epigraphs and it shows a sever lack of moral character
-Maybe making practice and knowledge of something you have evidence exists illegal can backfire

I received an ARC from netgalley/the publisher in exchange for a review.

I had previously read and enjoyed Swan's Empire of the Wolf trilogy. This takes place some centuries after the events of the first trilogy, and though you don't need to read the first trilogy to understand the characters and plot, I would recommend doing so in order to understand the greater context of the world building (as well as some minor easter eggs). In contrast to his previous trilogy, Grave Empire has several different character POVs, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was interesting to read as their stories and arcs intertwined in different and unexpected ways. I do think the book dragged a little for the first half, though the last third or so of the book redeemed itself. I am excited to read the second installment in the series.

Firstly, I'd love to thank Richard Swan, Orbit publishing, and Netgalley. I got an eARC of "Grave Empire" and it took me a bit longer than planned to finish it, but hell yeah is it worth it!

The biggest compliment I can give to Swans writing is his dialogue. Again, just like with The Empire of the Wolf, his philosophical talks between two characters, especially based around morality, I could read for hours.

We have 2 main POVS, between Peter and Renata. Both at different times I found took control of the book and pushed it. Like a baton of the most interesting points happening.

The world building is massive, not just the land but continuing what he established within the Empire of the Wolf, and then even more. I think that's vague enough.

I will say a bit of a fault for me, and it's the same gripe I have with "The Trials of Empire" is that sometimes its too much information being thrown at you. And sometimes things are just kind of happening around his characters.

Its better paced, and there is a surprising amount of not only horror but grimdark elements too, which kind of surprised me. Swan has no problem hurting characters.

Looking forward to book 2!

I received a courtesy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’ve read the “prequel trilogy” Empire of the Wolf, but I don’t think doing so is necessary to enjoy Grave Empire…but I do think it’s fair to say that having read the initial trilogy enhances your read of Grave Empire.
This book (#1 in The Great Silence series) is a multi-POV fantasy/horror set a couple of hundred years after Empire of the Wolf. The plot weaves across multiple stories: Renata Rainer, an ambassador thrust into a certain level of responsibility, is our main thread, but there’s also an army soldier forced into command, a “corrupt” politician messing with scientific themes, and much, much more.
Unsurprisingly, things do not go as planned for anyone.
I definitely enjoyed this book more than The Trials of Empire (book 3 of Empire of the Wolf) because the horror, while still crucial to the story and present, was less distracting to me. Looking back, having finished the story last night, the unpeeling of the layers of the onion of the mysteries of the plot kept me intrigued. 4.5/5

An absolutely relentless, action packed adventure chocked full of fantasy and horror that will easily be listed among the best fantasy releases of 2025. Set a couple hundred years after his previous trilogy, we get an action packed intro to a new series in the age of flintlock that is as epic and strange and horrible and incredible as the best epic fantasy stories out there. Following three distinct storylines that share completely different yet intertwined facets of the unfolding crisis, we get a punchy, relentless story chock full of action and tension that's just so well written. Richard Swan takes accessible prose and elevates it with vocabulary and turns of phrase that delight and amuse, with frequent, scathing thoughts on government, politics, war and the entire complex that sees one person stand above another and declare themself better. I loved this, I can't wait to talk to friends about it when it's released, and I can't wait to see where Richard Swan takes the story next. A certified banger.
NB: Youtube link goes live on January 12 2025 @ 3 PM EST.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for an advance copy of this first in a new series of fantasy books that looks at an Empire that should be enjoying the fruits of its conquest, but there are many signs that the gods might not be looking kindly on them, with the dead being silenced, a magical plague, the night rent by screams, and a prophecy that could mean the end of everything.

When I was younger I loved fantasy novels, especially the big door stopper ones that took two hands just to flip pages. I could get lost in the worlds they created, the derring-do, the magic, the mythos. After a while I noticed a certain sameness in fantasy, something I also saw creep into science fiction. Books felt bloated, with lots of pages, but little going on. Page after page, sometimes book after book. I stepped away from genre for awhile, and only in the last few yeas have I returned, to find that the books might be as big, but there is a whole lot more going on. Fantasy has changed, adding fresh ideas, even mixing genres a bit. While I have enjoyed many this one I think will stay with me, for not only is there a lot going on, the going one is done very well, and more than once I said, well that's new, or hmm didn't see that happening. And I love that feeling. Grave Empires is the first in a series The Great Silence by Richard Swan, and takes place in a world where magic is outlawed, technology is on the rise, the empire is making money, and nothing is what is seems or safe.

The Empire has been expanding in many ways, through trade, conquest, and diplomacy. The Empire has treaties with Were-people, and Mer-people. Trade with others, and is fighting a war or two, but not enough to effect trade. Magic has been banned, only small magics which can be used by engineers are still allowed. All else means death. Though there are still many problems. The book is told through the eyes of three different people, people who seem to be dealing with their own problems, but finding that everything is linked. A young man is sent to the frontier to secure a border area, and finds that what is happening at the limits of the Empire are not being reported. Or even understood. The nights are filled with cries, and men, armed and trained military men are not safe from something out there. Something the soldier soon finds. A young women trained in the art of diplomacy for dealing with the Mer-people finds herself on orders of the Empress to find out if an old tale could possibly be true. A tale that could lead to end of the world. Finally a man of wealth, taste, and no ethics or scruples has found himself something that could make him a fortune, or it could lead to the end of everything. From the shadows something is watching, warning, and attacking, with motivations that remain unknown.

Much is happening in this book, but the book never drags, not does it feel that one is being info-dumped on. This is a second trilogy set in the same world, two hundred yeas later, but I did not read the first series, and had no problem following along. The story is deep, and one is about 3/4 through when one gets a good sense of what is going on, but again readers won't be bored or confused. Swan knows when to switch points of view, and keep the story fresh, entertaining, and yet Swan still feeds the reader enough that they don't get lost. This is a rich world, with a lot of different beings, and I like how it unfolded. There is a lot about diplomacy, and government, which really adds a lot to the world building, and makes one want to know more. And keep reading to find out. A very promising start to what looks to be a great series.

Again one does not have to have read the first trilogy, I plan to as I like Swan's writing and want to enjoy it some more. The winter months are a perfect time for a big book, and this one would b pleasant company by a fire and a warm drink of choice. I look forward to the more books in this series.

This was a great read! It was the perfect escape - I loved the rich world building and characters. The story is full of everything you want in a fantasy - political intrigue and wonderful dialogue.