Lo primero que me llamó la atención de Seven Deaths of an Empire fue su portada, que es bastante impactante, ya que el nombre del autor era totalmente desconocido para mí. Pero todo el mundo tiene que empezar por algún sitio así que una sinopsis interesante y una portada tan espectacular son un bien motivo para darle una oportunidad.


Nos encontramos ante una fantasía correcta pero previsible que se inspira en el Imperio Romano, aderezándolo con algo de magia. Donde digo toma como base, se puede decir perfectamente que copia descaradamente la ambientación.

Parece una salida facilona para un panorama literario donde pueden verse todo tipo de escenarios mucho más logradas. No sólo puramente fantásticas si no también basadas en otras culturas con menos visibilidad y que resultan más interesantes y exóticas para el lector occidental.

Si ya hemos establecido que el escenario no es precisamente el punto fuerte de la novela, ¿qué podemos destacar? ¿Los personajes? ¿La trama? Desgraciadamente, ninguno de estos aspectos es especialmente novedoso tampoco.

La novela está estructurada en dos hilos convergentes. Uno está protagonizado por un viejo general llamado Bordan al mando del ejército de este Imperio pseudorromano que se queda en la capital a pesar de la campaña que está en pleno curso en el norte (contra los bárbaros ni más ni menos). El otro hilo presenta a Kyron, un aprendiz de mago que sale de la capital por primera vez como parte de la campaña militar. Es joven, inexperto y viene con muchas ideas preconcebidas sobre los «bárbaros» que vienen a «civilizar».

Las dos tramas tienen un interés parecido, y se ve durante la narración que están condenadas a encontrarse. No obstante, el ritmo es bastante parsimonioso, y aunque supuestamente se dosifique la información para saber cuál es la relación entre ambas, desde muy al principio de la novela se ve venir la conexión.

Ése es, posiblemente, el principal problema de la novela: la previsibilidad. Al principio el libro comienza con la muerte del emperador en el frente. Como consecuencia se desata una serie de intrigas para asegurar la sucesión al trono. Sin embargo desde el principio se ve venir lo que va a pasar y el lector moderadamente avezado podrá descubrir al verdadero culpable antes de llegar a la mitad del texto. Aunque el final en sí mismo no sea tan fácil de adivinar, saber estos detalles de la conspiración arruina bastante el disfrute de la novela.

Un punto a favor de la novela es la presentación de las culturas «bárbaras» como algo diferente, pero no peor. Kyron tiene un interesante arco de paso de madurez sobre todo por las conversaciones sobre esta otra cultura.

El otro hilo, protagonizado por Bordan, no tiene un arco de ese tipo pero resulta entretenido ver los tejemanejes que los diferentes miembros del consejo de llevan entre manos y los esfuerzos que lleva a cabo por mantener en vereda a los miembros de la familia real.

Cuando al fin ambas tramas se encuentran, la historia gana algo de ritmo, pero es muy tarde en el desarrollo del libro como para compensar la lentitud anterior. Y no es que sea un libro corto pero puede dar la impresión de que el autor se ha quedado con alguna cosa en el tintero y quizá le habrían venido bien algunas páginas más para para rematar la faena. O puede que simplemente se esté guardando material para la siguiente entrega, ya confirmada.

Un aspecto interesante aunque poco desarrollado en la novela es el sistema de la magia. No es el colmo de la originalidad pero los magos utilizan un sistema de ‘bordado’ con el que crean constructos o ‘tejidos’ uniendo con la mente los diferentes puntos mágicos que hay flotando invisibles por el mundo. Este sistema permite crear hechizos al vuelo pero también imbuir objetos con efectos mágicos que, generalmente, se agotan pronto. Hacia al final de la novela se presenta una aplicación de la magia distinta que permite almacenar poder en objetos para liberarlo posteriormente con sorprendentes efectos.

Ojalá se hubiese utilizado más este recurso, porque al final la novela queda un poco en terreno de nadie, algo de fantasía algo de retelling de historia pero nada definido. Y con ese sistema de magia quizá se podría haber dado algo más de originalidad a la novela, don del que anda escasa.

En la continuación, en la que esperemos el desarrollo de los personajes protagonistas continúe a un ritmo más dinámico, posiblemente se exploren otras áreas del Imperio y otras formas de utilizar la magia. Los que queden vivos, porque el título ciertamente está bien puesto.

Es difícil recomendar un libro que no termina de cuajar en muchos aspectos, así que creo que habrá que esperar para ver si la segunda entrega complementa la historia mejor que esta primera entrega.

I received a copy of this ARC away from NG, but feel I have to post the review here as well.
What a fantastic, solid, well-thought out, and twisty fantasy novel.
We follow the POV of 2 characters - the General and the apprentice Magician and they lead us through the seven deaths in the title.
I particularly liked that when we changed POV, the style of writing shifted ever so slightly and the author matched the younger, fresher voice of the Magician when necessary. A true skill in a writer.
The Roman era feel was well-rounded and researched. I like that we moved away from Western traditional medieval fantasy
I felt the cast as a little male heavy, but loved the (spoiler) introduction of a female Emperor and also a young forestwoman(?) clanswoman(?)
There is a lot that traditional fantasy readers will love - battle scenes that move the plot along, council meetings, magic, legions, family tension.

A fantastic tale that really sweeps the reader along and also breaks the heart...

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great take on grimdark fantasy that feels simultaneously fresh and familiar. The use of a more greco-roman setting rather than the typical medieval period setting really helped the book stand out.

The author did a great job of writing a political drama in this setting and I found the characters, especially Kyron to be engaging.

If you like worldbuilding, it is done very well here while showing us how the fantasy realm works rather than telling.

Overall, I liked it a lot, even though I'm not huge on dual perspective books!

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.

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
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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.

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.

Seven Deaths of an Empire was wonderful. Truthfully, I found a chunk of the story to be relatively slow, never boring but slow. The book is told in two perspectives, rotating every chapter between the General and an apprentice magician. I will admit I found the magician to be more intriguing and flew through those chapters with ease. The General tended to be more articulate and predictable. For the most part, I expected the plot progression and I was rarely surprised. Do not be mistaken, this story was rich and amazing, the last 20% of the story that had my heart racing. The ending hurt; it is not often that I find myself at the mercy of an author, crying and hopeless.

Interesting nd original narrative choices. I like it. The world and the character felt great so does the plot, but it's the way the author choose to tell his story that make it stand out the most. I will definitely continue with this series when it eventually come out and I recommend you read it!

"Seven Deaths of an Empire" is a new fantasy read set in a world of swords and sorcery where there is one might Empire slowly and inexorably conquering the barbarians in the forests surrounding the Empire. It is a sort of Roman Empire if you will at its height. There is a tension within the Empire between the priests and the magicians with the priests seemingly in the ascendancy and the magicians starting to wane.

The story is told in alternating chapters between the Magician and the General's points of view. The Magician (and Magician may well refer to the elder Magician or to his young apprentice or both) is with the Emperor on a long journey to the northern lands with a great army. When the Emperor is felled in battle, it is critical that his body be returned to the capital city along with the amulet of the royals so that his heir may take the throne. The magician, the apprentice, a forest warrior princess, and a relative handful of priests and warriors leave the main body of troops in the north and travel through the forestlands among the hostile villages to reach the far-off capital. Meanwhile, in the General's chapters, we have palace intrigue back in the capital as the young heirs are tested and impatiently await the Emperor's body returning and the passing of the crown.

In many ways, this is a coming-of-age fantasy as the torch is passed from the older generation of the General and the Magician to the younger not-quite-ready generation of the Emperor's children and the apprentice. In some ways, both the Emperor's children and the apprentice seem almost too young for their years, too naive, too quick to judge. A bit more well-rounding of their characters would be in order.

This is clearly the first of several books in a series and the magic works are barely hinted at in this volume. There is far more fascinating stories to be told of the awesome powers that can be wielded and the hidden realms behind the trees. All in all, quite a good read. Although it weighs in at 550 pages or so, it does not quite feel that lengthy.

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,”