Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this eARC.

This novel was fantastic, with an interesting premise that is not only executed effortlessly but also provides even more than could be predicted. The horror elements in this fantasy novel are executed perfectly and is certainly a fantastic start to what is set up to be a grippingly dark series.
My only warning would be that the chapters are rather long so sometimes doesn’t feel as easily digestible, however I would not let that deter one from reading this novel. Also due to the multi POV’s I did have my favourites which meant that sometimes certain chapters were not are interesting as others.

What can I say? Richard Swan has truly done it again. This book was incredible and I ended up ordering a special edition from the broken binding because it was just that good!!

Richard Swan has been an author that I’ve wanted to read for ages and as soon as I seen the underwater dark fantasy, I had to read it.
The horror elements were incredible but this still had a fantasy aspect to it.

I had so much fun reading Grave Empire by Richard Swan. As someone that has previously read his trilogy Empire of the Wolf, I was genuinely excited for this upcoming series of his. First of all, if you’re keen to jump right into this book but haven’t read the original Empire of the Wolf trilogy, don’t worry – Swan provides a strong and comprehensive introduction to this world that ensures new readers won’t feel lost. Having a new series take place 200 years after the last installment in Empire of the Wolf is quite the challenge, but despite that, Swan manages to do a fantastic job of making it feel like a world later in time, rather than a remake of the old one.

Here, everything is broader—from the wars being fought to the push for magic to return (rightfully banned at the end of the last "Empire of the Wolf" book)—while still providing the reader with beautiful and complex characterization in a deadly but fantastic first installment of a new series. Richard Swan is incredibly skilled at creating a vast but realistic world of conflict, culture, religion, and relationships.

In Grave Empire, we follow three distinct points of view, each offering a unique lens through which the plot unfolds and the world expands. With new places to discover, new people to meet, and a lot of new horrors to uncover, the backdrop for a looming disaster couldn’t be more perilous.

I will look forward to Swan's next installment in this series!

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A superb fantasy action adventure that will have you on the edge of the seat right from page one. A must read that is highly recommended.

If you've been a reader of Richard Swan since his fantasy debut, The Justice of Kings, you'll know his works have been on a steadily more horror-centric trajectory. From the more mystery based and subtle beginnings of The Justice of Kings (if you can call Necromancy and Communication with the dead as subtle), to the bombastic, cosmic Lovecraftian level of the final showdown in The Trials of Empire, each of his books has introduced more monsters, more inter-dimensional horrors, more fear-inducing violence. And if you have loved how each of books has introduced some new level of terror, then you'll be pleased to know that Grave Empire fully embraces the horror genre, so much so that I'd say this one feels more like a horror novel with fantasy elements, as opposed to the other way around with its predecessor.

Set 200 years after the events of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy (of which you do not have to have read to enjoy this new trilogy), Grave Empire follows three POVs, all of whom are fully unique from each other and largely self-contained. Renata Rainer, arguably our main POV, an ambassador to the merfolk tasked with connecting these vicious people to find answers to the fabled Great Silence. You have Peter, an out of his depth officer in the far flung frontier, facing violent horrors lurking in the jungle. And finally, Count Lamprecht von Oldenburg, an ambitious and ruthless nobleman, who is investigating a strange plague that turns people into mindless entities. All three of these POVs, whilst barely interlinking, are unique in their style. Renata's plot feels the most fantastical of the lot, and is essentially a quest/travelogue story of a mission, a journey, a destination, but with Swan's distinct geo-political and darkly magic flavourings. Count von Oldenburg is almost a gothic horror akin to Frankenstein, as we live with a deeply single-minded scientist type character, who finds everything and everyone in his pathway to his ultimate goal (of which is best to find out yourself) to be fully disposable. He's strangely funny, in his often moustache twirling way, much the same that Nicomo Cosca is in The First Law series. He's deplorable, but enigmatic and charming too.

Peter's story, however, is pure horror. This is where Swan goes fully balls to the wall, and everything that could possibly go wrong does, and in disgusting fashion! His story is like a blend of Cannibal Holocaust & Bone Tomahawk, but with a bunch of terrified Napoleonic soldiers all fully at breaking point. From disembodied screams to mutilated ghosts to long, drawn out scenes of uber-brutal ritualistic sacrifices, Peter has a pretty shitty time of it. His scenes are far & aware the most overtly horrific, but that doesn't mean the rest of the book is sunshine and rainbows.

These three plotlines do feel very separate from one another, with only vague nods to tie them together. But knowing Swan's previous works, and where the book ends up, I should imagine these threads will collide spectacularly. This isn't a criticism at all, just merely an observation. It's clear that this book is its completely own new thing, unshackled from the events of the original trilogy, and also a set up for what's to come. But at no times does it feel like its just trudging along to justify getting to the good stuff. It's all gripping, action packed stuff, full of the same intelligent, witty, biting prose that you should expect from Richard Swan. It really feels like that, now unshackled from the constraints of the original trilogy (which was spectacular, and Richard knows I loved these books), he's gone crazy with it and allowed himself to be bold with his decisions. It's this book that I feel is a great example of what I am hoping will become a trend in modern fantasy publishing. Throughout the 2010's we had the rise of Grimdark works and a resurgence of Epic works, and now in the 2020's we have cosy fantasy & romantasy dominating SFF sales charts. I believe these can all exist in tandem, but I'd love to see more Capital H Horror titles, but wearing a fantasy costume, sharing the big name space. Grave Empire is the example that this offshoot should follow.

I realise I've written a lot of words and not really said too much. Essentially, if you are looking for very distinct complying characters, following three storylines that are all different enough to keep the reading experience fresh, and to witness a story and author that really feel like they are paving the way for something new, some new trend, then this book is a must read. I've always said that Swan's work is appointment reading, especially for all his character interactions which I rate up there with Abercrombie in their ability to entertain and also bitterly denounce a real world topic (law and order, political nonsense, philosophy, the wealthy). I also haven't even mentioned the fact that the world feels real in terms of how it is presented here, the peoples that inhabit it, but also how it has evolved since the original trilogy, which, again whilst not necessary to have read to enjoy this one, knowing how things were and seeing the very logical progression to a Flintlock & Gunpowder style world is so cool. I also have a soft spot for these early Industrial Revolution influenced settings. For whatever reason, muskets and incompetent military leadership, steam powered machines and the subjugation of the working class really gets me hooked!

This is a brilliant beginning to a new horror fantasy trilogy that I really hope catches on, as I'd love to see more overt horror in the fantasy genre. Grave Empire rules, and you need to read it right now!

This just didn't really work for me.

The wins,

The prose and the writing style were smooth and clear. The author is a very talented writer.

The premise and idea were cool, and who doesn't want to see a merman riding a great white shark.

The world itself was pretty exciting, and the imagery created was decent.

On the other side of the coin.

I just didn't get on with any of the characters and their pov. I just was never entwined with them or really cared about them.

There can be too much fantasy, I couldn't keep track of where the characters were or who they were seeing, I spent most of my time reverting to a map

Solid idea, just wasn't my kind of book

I'm partway through Empire of the Wolf and very much a fan of Richards writing style. This mixes some genres into one, hitting the dark fantasy meets mystery and a hint of horror too.

There's a mix of POVs here as you get into the main story, all of them go hard on the Grimdark style with a cast of characters that would give Joe Abercrombie a run for his money on their level of grey!

But there's more magic fantasy here than your traditional grimdark world and one full of those stories like you find in The Witcher as the mysteries unfold.

I'm stocking and highly recommending this as one for dark fantasy fans, Definitely those who liked Empire of the Vampire.

Grave Empire is set in the same world as The Empire of the Wolf Trilogy, but around two hundred years later. There's a few references to the previous books, but you don't need to read these to get this story.
Set out in a multi POV. My favourite was Renata, a diplomatic ambassador who works hard to be taken seriously.
This is fantasy with supernatural horror running through it.
I found myself totally engrossed in this. The world building is immersive, and there's a few surprises along the way.
The cover is fantastic, too.
Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the ARC

TW: gore, violence, cannibalism, sacrificial ritual.

The Great Silence is Richard Swan's new series set centuries after the events that took place in the Empire of the Wolf. If you haven't read The Justice of Kings, you are missing out on an original and intense fantasy story.

Grave Empire doesn't shy away from throwing the reader into the events currently unfolding of war and plague. We are immediately warned of the lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife and the unraveling of the ancient prophecy of the Great Silence, that beckons the end of time.

I found this to be a fast moving story, with no safe moments where I could take a deep breath. There is no safety in war after all. However, this didn't live up to the expectations that Empire of the Wolf gave me. In comparison, we follow three POVs instead of just one. We learn of different events taking place simultaneously instead of learning it the same time as the one main character.

While Grave Empire is a compelling story, I found it hard to stay invested in the story and the characters. Renata has genuine promise to be an endearing and memorable character to me, I just wish we had more time with her. I also found myself wondering on why we needed out points of view, as I didn't found it to be as entertaining as Renata's.

The writing was fantastic but since we were immediately thrown into action, it was difficult to root for the characters that are strangers to us. However, once the book ended I was rooting for Renata and Peter, and their companions.

I think Swan's writing is at its strongest with one single POV, but regardless I am happy to be back in this world.

I really enjoyed Swan’s previous series and I was excited to get back into the same world, albeit hundreds of years later. I always enjoy when authors push the world forward and I get to see what the world ends up looking like in another time. It’s a good way to stay in a particular world and introduce a completely new story and set of characters.

Grave Empire is dark. I’ve been a little off dark fantasy stories recently but the plot and the characters were so interesting that it didn’t really bother me all that much. This book is set at the very beginning of the industrial revolution and the tone of that is perfect for the story.

I really enjoyed the POVs. They are all very different from each other and they all have their own little stories in the overarching main plot but I found them all to be very compelling. Some were creepy. I wasn’t expecting some of the stuff that happens to happen but I was never bored while reading. Swan is very good at constructing his characters. Some of them are relatively good, some are relatively bad and some are just downright horrible but they’re always interesting.

Grave Empire is a great start to this series. The plot is tight, well written and full of action. The world is one that we already know and love, yet it feels very different to Swan’s previous trilogy. The book is well paced and I was hooked from the beginning. I didn’t want to put it down once I started and it definitely has me intrigued as to what is going to happen next.

Magical cataclysm in a world of blood, horror and conquest
—
In a robust new fantasy set in his secondary world, Swan conjures up body horror, end of days threats and political machinations. Renata Rainer is the untried deputy ambassador of the Sovan Empire to the mer-people. Peter Kleist is a greenhorn lieutenant sent to the eastern front where strange and terrible things are happening. And Von Oldenburg is an elite landowner, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep his place in the world. As an invisible threat appears at all sides, tension ratchets up and the main characters and their supporting casts are thrust deeper and deeper into the unknown future, where the whole world is at risk.

The positives: immersive world-building and deep characters with plenty of room to grow. The negative: this is a prologue to the real story. Every fantasy epic looks towards Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. What Professor Tolkien did was split his long tale into three parts but with discernible endings to each. By the end of this first book in this series, Swan manages to gather two of the main POVs, while the third character has just started their campaign. I wanted some sort of ending to the book, but instead it ends on a whimper of a cliffhanger, clearly laying the ground for another episode in the story but without really laying out the path to come.

An entertaining four stars.

I came into the book drawn by the cover, and stayed for the incredible story that it held within.
While this was my first foray into Swan's work, I have read his other series and can see many of the nods to it in Grave, and would thoroughly recommend reading it to understand the full world behind the book. Cannot wait for more!

Grave Empire is the first book in Richard Swan’s newest trilogy which takes place two centuries after the events of his first trilogy, the Empire of the Wolf. You can take the title of the book quite literally as the main aspect of this story is the investigation of a mysterious plague which is very likely connected to an ancient prophecy which is heralding the end of days. We’re following three POVs in this book:
- Ambassador Renta who is trying to investigate this prophecy
- Captain Peter who keeps having the worst time of his life (honestly, give this poor kid a break)
- von Oldenburg, an eccentric rich old man who plans on making every day the worst day for a lot of people

In Grave Empire geopolitical tension meets mystery meets horror. Richard Swan does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere. His description of (the plentiful) scenes featuring the supernatural were brilliantly written. Throughout the whole book, he managed to keep a spooky mood which kept you at the edge of your seat, not only because it was creepy but also because the tension and stakes were high in this book from the start. Next to the atmosphere, I enjoyed his character work: all of his characters felt real, they were flawed but their actions and feeling felt relatable (expect maybe one!).
While I enjoyed his world building and the rich history he has created for his world, it was a bit hard to gain a good understanding of the different places and conflicts. I think it overall worked out fine, it wasn‘t necessary to read his other trilogy first, but I was slightly overwhelmed with all the information, especially at the beginning. I wasn‘t bored for any part of this book but with the vast amount of information and things happening at every corner, I sometimes wondered if there was just too much for one book. A lot of the political struggles have or will have a big impact on the continent but since quite a few events took place off page, this was hard to grasp and follow.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story as a whole and especially the atmosphere Swan created. I‘d rate it 4 stars because while it was a page turner, I was never completely drawn in. I‘m still looking forward to book 2 because the last 100 pages were shocking and I can‘t (neither do I want to) imagine what will happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Orbit for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: violence, gore, death, war, torture, body horror, blood, grief, body manipulation

Set in the same world as the earlier ‘Empire of the Wolf’ trilogy, ‘Grave Empire’ returns to the empire of Sova three hundred years later, where all magic and alternate religion has now been outlawed and the world is on the verge of industrial revolution. Renata is the ambassador to a race of merpeople that she has never even seen and who very few believe actually matter. Tired of being mocked by other diplomats, Renata truly believes in the ideals of her mentor, Maruska and wants nothing more than to do her job properly. As the tension between Sova and other nations worsens because of war and a rampaging plague, Renata and Maruska are brought into a world of politics thanks to a terrifying prophecy delivered by two heretic monks- that something called the Great Silence is coming from beyond the veil, silencing ghosts, and the merpeople might be the only ones to understand it thanks to their practise of illegal magics. At the same time, Peter is a rich man but not particularly skilled, granted a role in the army because his family bought it. Sent into the wild depths of the Sovan empire, where people jump at noises in the night, soldiers are discovered torn to shreds and everyone is terrified of demons, Peter is forced to face a new reality when he tries to lead men who don’t respect him. Count von Oldenburg, a senator in the Sovan capital, might represent the people but he is also experimenting with ancient and deadly magics long outlawed. His use of magic spells disaster not just for himself but everyone in the universe, especially because the Great Silence is coming, and with it the end of everything.

‘The Empire of the Wolf’ books are some of the greatest epic fantasy I’ve ever read, and Richard Swan’s ‘Grave Empire’ takes the world of Sova to a brand new, even more violent but brilliant level. I did miss the other characters (especially Helena and Vonvalt) but I took so quickly to Renata, she’s stuck in a terrible position despite her passion and skill, and even Peter- who is initially deeply naive and snobbish- grew on me as he went through all the possible horrors in the fort at the edge of the world. I adored the scenes with the merpeople the most and I hope we see a lot more of them in the future, as well as Renata's partnership with Lyzander.The storyline with von Oldenburg was a mixture of terrifying and thrilling, he was genuinely a horrific person seeking to use ancient magics for himself; the things he does are beyond awful. This author is so incredibly skilled at building a massive but realistic world of conflict, culture, religion and relationships and here everything is wider- from the wars being fought to the push for magic to return (rightfully banned at the end of the last ‘Empire of the Wolf’ book)- while still giving the reader beautiful and complicated characterisation in a deadly but fantastic first part of a new series. I adored the last series, this first book, and I’m so glad to be back in this world of Richard Swan’s.

It’s been far too long since I’ve read an epic fantasy with a world as wholly unique and refreshing as this one.

I was suckered in by the mere mention of epic fantasy with gun-slinging and mermaids all-in-one. What I did not expect to find was a highly complex steampunk eldritch borderline-horror fantasy complete with armoured sharks, zombie armies, and automaton demons.

It felt like every chapter introduced us to some new aspect of this world but it never felt overwhelming. Magic, histories, and characters all were woven in like they had been there all along and the world felt all the more believable for it. The sheer amount of detail made it a bit dense to begin with while I tried to wrap my head around everything but once I got my teeth sunk into it I was fully invested in this world and these characters.

I am impatiently awaiting the sequel.

Richard Swan’s previous series, Empire of the Wolf (especially books 2 and 3) is among my favorites. While I’ve enjoyed A Justice of Kings, it wasn’t my favorite- but the next books got better and better. And if we can expect the same in case of this series, we have an amazing ride ahead of us!

The action takes place around 200 years after Empire of the Wolf. It has three POVs in it, and it hooked me from the very beginning. First of all, I don’t seek out horror, I usually only stumble upon it if It’s woven into a fantasy story, and in case of Grave Empire, it started hitting hard in that regard pretty early on. Yes, reading it during the nights wasn’t my best decision. 😀

This series is called The Great Silence- which is a prophecy in this world that heralds the end of days. With the different POVs we see uncanny things happen in various places of the Empire while the characters try to understand what exactly is going on. I don’t necessarily want to say more about the plot- as usual, I feel it’s best to go in blind. But I definitely appreciated how the answers were uncovered. The atmosphere was definitely there, I did feel quite uneasy while reading, and while I didn’t enjoy all of the characters (which was definitely intentional), I’ve gotten invested in all of their stories.

Now I’ll admit, I’ve felt like the middle of the book was better than the ending, but first of all, my mental health was not the best when I was finishing the book, and second of all, if I can go by how the previous trilogy was structured, Grave Empire probably can be treated as a long prologue and way crazier things will happen in the next books.

My rating is 4,5 stars, rounded up to 5, and I can’t wait to continue the series!

The comp titles (might I add, amazing ones):
✨The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie
✨The Age of Uprising by R. S. Ford

I was excited to receive this ARC and took my time in reading as it deserved that attention. We are back in the Sovan Empire but 200 years on from the events in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. After the reformation that closed the previous books the Sovan Empire has banned arcane arts except in certain critical areas, and industrialisation has moved the Empire on. The Empire now has one acknowledged religion of Nema Victoria, however practitioners of the arcane plus worshipers of alternate religions can still be found.
The book moves between the experience of three characters - Peter Kliest, Renata Rainer and Count Lamprecht von Oldenberg, All are on or thrust into a journey into discovery of the doom which is approaching them as part of the Great Silence.
Peter is a young officer, sent from the comforts of Sova to the outer reaches of the Eastern edge of the Empire. He has been sent to a remote Fort in a dank, oppressive forest where unknown monsters lurk, The sapping atmosphere of horror and doom is palpable from the authors writing and flashes me back to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is that creeping feeling of madness and the unknown.
Renata is an ambassador to the Stygion (Mer people) but this is not a highly regarded posting as interaction with the Mer Men is limited and of no to little financial value to the Empire. The arrival of two rebel monks with tales of losing touch with the afterlife however set her and her mentor on a journey to the Wolfmen and Mer Men to confirm that these two spiritual centres have also sensed this threat to the world.
Count von Oldenberg is fascinated with the arcane and combines his banned studies with scientific progression to explore the aethyr. He is a ruthless individual and his drive to discover the root of the mind rot that is spreading through the known world towards the Empire lead him to horrific acts.
This was an immersive reading experience with the tension and horror ratcheting up notch by notch. If you like your fantasy dark then this is the book for you, plus the writing is fabulous.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC, all views are my own.

This delivers on its title! It is grand, it is epic, it tense and it is dark.... Fantasy meets mystery meets horror. Sign me up!

Grave Empire is wonderful, unique fantasy. You want an epic world full of mermen, dark magic and grand wars? You also want a world with an intimate high-scale mission, characters caught out of their depth and tense mysteries? You will find all of the aforementioned here.

Richard Swan is brilliant at quickly crafting characters and investing you in their stories. Whether I love them, hate them or follow somewhere in the middle, I always feel the weight of their story. Their actions really feel like they have consequences, and that raises the tension so much. This style works perfectly with the spider web of mysteried and dark secrets entangled in Grave Empire. You slowly collect the breadcrumbs as the suspense builds to an epic climax. I cannot wait to see the repercussions in book 2.

I NEED IT NOW!

5/5 STARS

I hadn't read much of Swann and had not read any of the Empire trilogy but this was a wild ride. The intro of all sorts of creatures in particular the sharks was quite the surprise.

I loved the character development he managed to achieve, I really fell in love with with Renata and her tenacity

It felt like a good mix of typically modern themes in an older setting