Seven Deaths of an Empire

I’ve waited what felt like ages for this one, and I couldn’t be happier with the story I got to read!

Seven Deaths of an Empire is a grimdark fantasy that is inspired by roman legions and forest tribes. It combines a lot of my favourite things, so in this book you’ll find political manoeuvring, loyalties and betrayals, a whole pile of bodies, action and fighting along with quiet and contemplative bits, magic as well as a realistic feeling world where actions do have consequences.

I especially enjoyed the two different POVs and main characters. One being a battle weary old general trying to hold the young heir and the empire together.

"Age was an enemy no one could defeat with cunning strategy, clever tactics, or sharp sword. It cut through armour, flesh, bone and blood without pause or care."


The other POV being a young and still rather naive magician and his sage master.

"Kyron looked down at the intricate carving, not understanding. A state of being he was used to."


These different styles and manners kept me well hooked and breezing through the chapters as I always wanted to know what would happen on the other side of the empire. I clicked with the early characters early on and found them well rounded and enjoyed seeing them grow over the cause of the book. Besides the darkness there’s also a little bit of humour and banter sprinkled throughout the book, which made the world a bit less bleak and helped to get a good balance overall. Like this one after jumping at shadows:

“I will be stabbing a tree in a minute,” he said.
“Me too, sir,” the soldier said.
“Get your own tree,” Bordan said, his smile growing wider. “Plenty to choose from.”


Another bit of the book I absolutely loved is the prose. Most of it is effective but unobtrusive, doing its job well without drawing attention to itself as more purple passages might. And then you get those little bits of more introspection, and it contrasts so well with the unembroidered style. I wouldn’t want to read a whole book this way, but the little bits and pieces strewn throughout worked incredibly well for me.

"Bordan chose each word with more care than he sharpened his sword. A cut here would not be healed with a simple bandage, but could put him in a grave of his own, next to the messenger, no doubt."


The setting also caught my interest quickly. I loved traveling the forest, and while I found the empire rather familiar having read quite a bit about the Romans, I was so very intrigued by the tribes! I really hope we might get to see more of them and their culture in later books of the series, but only time will tell! I didn’t even know who I was rooting for… I definitely hoped and feared for both sides of this conflict, which made the whole reading experience even more gripping to me. I can’t say I noticed even one infodump in the whole book, and the blend of new and well known to me cultures made it a good balance that was both fresh and yet not overwhelmingly new.

"Even as the sun rose above the trees, turning morning’s gemstone dew into a thin grey mist which drifted to the canopy above, the sense of despondency settled anew into his heart. The aroma of loss overpowered the smoke from the fires and the scent of porridge charring in the pots. He drew it down with every breath, feeling it sweep through his limbs on each pulse of his heavy heart, draining the energy from his legs, and every step became a struggle against lethargy."


I love grimdark as a genre, because it so often just feels more realistic than the classics. If you get an arrow in the stomach, it is very unlikely you will get up again later on. Actions do have consequences and the stakes just are a lot higher if you have no idea if your favourite characters will actually make it to the end. It can turn too dark and end up completely hopeless, which will lose my interest, if I can’t see any way forward for the characters at all. GR Matthews always dangles just enough hope in front of you to keep you always ploughing on, hoping for the best while also fearing the worst. So I’ll leave you with one last quote, and hope you’ll do yourself a favour and go read this one!

One spark is it all it will take for them to burn us down.”
“Let us hope for rain then,” Bordan said.
“Always,”

This book was a fantastic read, one which I really enjoyed becoming not only sucked into the overall story, but invested in the main characters. Written from a duel point of view, we have Bordan the old General and Kyron a young magician. 
The worst thing that could of happened to an Empire at the height of its power, the Emperor has died. This throws the Empire into a period of flux, as the Emperor's body is sent back from the battlefield, where his army has been subduing the Northern Tribes along a perilous route with a minimum force to protect him and Kyron along with his master and a Barbarian guide.
Meanwhile in the capital General Bordan is faced not only with the devastating news, but now the political wrangling, a balancing act between the faith of the flame and the Mages, but also protecting the heir to the throne as they await the arrival of his fathers dead body to officially crown the new Emperor. A job made all the harder by the fact the heir to the throne has his own ideas of ruling and seems unwilling to except that until power is transferred his position is precarious at best. 
The author handles this all expertly with a fine line between politics and action, with some beautiful prose and some expert timing. For a  fairly large read this moved at a good pace. Both Bordan and Kyron being tested at every turn. It had some excellent side characters and all had a part to play in bringing this book to an action packed ending. I eagerly await book two. 

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgally.

First I want to note that I was given a free ARC of Seven Deaths of an Empire in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I have read other books by G.R. Matthews and follow him on social media, but I do not know him personally. 

Seven Deaths of an Empire is a new fantasy world loosely based around the idea of Roman legions. I specify the legions rather than the government, because the government in Seven Deaths is more like a traditional European Empire than the one based in Rome. The structure, weapons, dress, and culture of the military is very Romanesque, though. There are other similarities between the world of Seven Deaths than a Roman style military, the conflict with indigenous forest tribes evokes a sense of familiarity for those who are familiar with Rome’s conquest of Europe, particularly the locals like the Goths, or the Picts and Celts of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Other familiar themes peek through--the conflict between the Emperor and the Lords, the Emperor and the military, the church and paganism. 

Self interest vs Service and Honor. 

Matthews chose a dual POV for the book. Generally, I prefer a singular POV, but I have both loved and hated the way some authors used multiple POVs—sometimes in the same book. Matthews does a good job with the two: The General and the Magician; I’m happy that he limited it to two, and I’m happy that he alternates between them each chapter with metronome-like predictability. 

That predictability, that familiarity, all lull the reader into believing he knows what will happen. The themes are familiar ones, after all, but from the start Matthews muddies the water just enough to keep us off balance. The good guys are harder to pin down, their motives, the way they work both with and against their consciences in attaining their goals, the justifications they make for their action or inaction, the way neither they nor the presumptive bad guys are all of one or the other. Almost to the end, the reader is unsure who to believe, who even to root for. The characters are just that bit too selfish, or petty, or naïve, or lost to throw oneself fully behind. 

The two points of view are from opposite ends of the same story. One at the end of his service to the Empire, the other just beginning. There is some teasing, some sense of familiarity in the two stories, the very fact of two separate POVs with no clear or explained connection makes the reader wonder if there even is one. There is just enough to make us unsettled in our familiarity that I found myself hesitating to make my usual readerly conclusions. I think the author did a masterful job at keeping us guessing
. 
The book opens with the death of the Emperor. It’s no spoiler, since it happens quickly in the first chapter. The General struggling with how to deal with the news that he has to deliver to the royal family. How to manage the succession. The next POV is the Magician, an apprentice traveling with the Northern Army in conquest of the Northern Forest Tribes led by the Emperor when he loses his life, who must now leave with the honor guard which will escort the body of the Emperor and the Amulet which contains the memories—perhaps the souls—of all the past emperors back to the Capital to be passed on to the Heir. 

Shenanigans ensue.

The two POVs shuttle the reader back and forth between youth and age, between starts and finishes, between beginnings and endings. The juxtapositions of their disparate views, like the world which is familiar and strange at the same time, is unsettling and engaging. It kept me reading and interested. I felt like I learned real things about real people, and when I finally knew who the good guys and bad guys were, I was truly ready to chose sides and pick a hero. We all get there at the same time, and it’s very well done. 

I look forward to the rest of the series and will eagerly pick up the following volumes.

Seven Deaths of an Empire is one of best fantasy books I have ever read, right up there with The Way of Kings. This book takes many influences from different cultures and pieces of history. Namely the romans and the Greeks. I got completely lost in the story, the setting, and the characters because it was well written. 

The character is the general is practiced, and disciplined while still being emotional. He is not completely stiff, or stoic - it is shown that he feels emotion, he is just disciplined enough to know when to reign his feelings in. Which is great, because I worried how stoic the character of the general would be.

I was at the mercy of this story, and cried a few times. I would highly suggest it, as it delivers on all its promises of political suspense.

Thank you sincerely to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this remarkable story. Plan on picking it up.

"The hardest truth is the realization that sometimes there is nothing you can do"

Seven Deaths of an Empire is a tale about the turmoil that succession of power can lead to. The book takes place in an Empire heavily influenced by the Romans. The titular Empire is in a long-lasting conflict with the tribes surrounding its borders and one of the military campaigns leads to the death of the old Emperor. The novel focuses on people having to pick up the pieces after such an event happens. The book is divided between two protagonists: The General who has faithfully served the old Emperor his entire life and The Magician who is just beginning to grasp the extent of his powers.

"A sword might end a single life, but a word can lead to the death of thousands"

General Bordan has to keep The Empire from dissolving into chaos during the power vacuum until the new Emperor is crowned. He has to deal with plotting dukes, rebelling crowds and a reckless crown prince who is not handling the situation very competently. It is up to Bordan to ensure The Empire remains strong while an entirely different mission is underway.

The Magician Kyron is an apprentice to a powerful mage and has the task of protecting the old Emperor's dead body and escorting it back to The Empire from behind enemy lines. On the journey back he has to deal with bloodthirsty natives and zealotry priests who treat magicians as abominations of the natural order.

"Fire cleansed, the priests taught, but Kyron now saw the truth, heard it in those screams. It burned. It destroyed. Lumos of charred meat, scorched store, night dark charcoal wood, the residue it left behind was a husk of all it had once been. Smoke rose upon the air, spreading the pollution, the reach of the fire, to everyone and everything, tainting with its touch.
It was not holy to be cleansed, to be cremated, it was destruction. It was not a new beginning: it was the end.
Fire did not create, it consumed."

I had a great time reading this book and it was thoroughly entertaining all the way through. The pacing is quite fast and the chapters rather short. Structurally the PoVs alternate every chapter which worked really well for the story. It was easy to get in the "One more chapter" mindset. The plot was gripping and offered plenty of action alongside some mystery and even a few emotional gut-punches. I liked the way the novel tackled the juxtaposition of progressiveness and tradition. We saw the cultured Empire slowly dismantle the traditional lifestyles of the tribal community in favour of a progressive lifestyle. At the same time, The Empire faced a problem where their religious faction relied on tradition to weed out the magicians who were originally a huge part of the Empires own progressiveness.

I was happy with the overall experience and I do strongly recommend it although it does come with a small caveat. The author has said that the novel is a complete story but has a sequel written. The sequel is currently at the agent but it isn't completely clear how many books are actually going to be released. This is where the caveat comes into play: I do not believe that it is a completed story. It works really well as a part of a series and it feels like it is designed this way from the start. Having it remain a standalone would hurt the experience and there is a lot of potential to be tapped. I really do wish to see more of this world!

A fantastic fantasy adventure for all tastes.

I mostly read social commentary pieces, but I enjoyed this publisher's other title so had to give this a go and I'm glad I did.

The mash up of traditional fantasy story with ancient Roman influence was wonderful, and the strong characterisation of the General was perfection. I wasn't overly keen on the magician, but I think that's a credit to the author as the arrogance of his youth was grating at times! His female companion was fantastic however and I can't wait to read more about her. 
The seven deaths were played out well, but the last one was absolutely fantastic. 

A great page turner.

“The desire for revenge can destroy a person or fuel them for a time, but when revenge fulfilled is an empty thing. In the end, it is how we deal with our losses that define and guides our future.”

Seven Deaths of an Empire is a Roman-inspired fantasy set in a world where the empire is actively trying to conquer and control the “barbarians” in the forests. However, due to the sudden passing of the Emporer, the whole empire is struck by uncertainty and fear. This book follows two POVs, Bordan, a general that has gained a reputation of being loyal and skilled through his many years of service, and the apprentice Kyron, who is being trained by his Master Padarn, to become a magician.

G.R. Matthews does a phenomenal job at introducing the reader to the world and its characters. The reader is introduced to a world with a focus on forbidden magic, politics, discrimination and rebellion. Although there is a lot of political manoeuvring, the reader is never left confused. Matthews writing style is very accessible, and the pacing is phenomenal, making the reader feel immersed in this world from the first page. This book reads like a classical fantasy, but the fast pacing and the unexpecting plot twists make this story feel exciting and new.

General Bordan and the apprentice Kyron are great characters, with a lot of depths and complex motivations. Matthews does a terrific job at making the reader feel invested in the character’s story by explaining their thoughts, feelings and giving the reader some insights into these characters past. Moreover, these characters are put through challenging situations, forcing them to act on their intuition and showcase their character. Having the reader follow these two characters, which are different by age, location, and occupation keeps this story fresh throughout the book. Matthews is also analysing some fantastic themes in this book, such as identity, the value of human life and the cost of being loyal.  

The world-building is also great. The world is inspired by the Roman empire, which is reflected in the Empire's motivations, how the Roman numerals used at the start of each chapter and the mention of gladiators. The reader is introduced to a priesthood, magicians, soldiers, generals, tribes, forest, lore and forbidden magic. The magic system is based around the weave of motes into constructs but has its limitations and rules, making it feel like a “hard magic” system. My primary “criticism” is that the reader is left wanting to know more about the world, such as the tribes, the magic system and the empire’s history. Although we learn about these aspects, the reader does not get extensive knowledge about this, and the reader is left wondering what else there is to discover in this world (which can be a good thing!). Hopefully, we will learn more about this world in the sequel.

In conclusion, Seven Deaths of an Empire is a classical fantasy with fantastic pacing, memorable characters and satisfying plot twists. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. If you are looking for something new to the fantasy genre, I wouldn’t recommend this book. However, if you are looking for a classical fantasy, done well, then I can highly recommend this book. Although this is a thick book, it didn’t feel long or drawn out. I will definitely be continuing with this series. My only ‘criticism’ is the lack of explanation about the tribes, the lore and the magic system. Hopefully, we will learn more about these aspects in the sequel.

4.25 / 5 stars

Thanks to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.