Swan is back and better than ever. I'm a massive fan of the same story set years later and this depth to the original trilogy is outstanding.

DNF at 65% because i was way too bored

Why 3 stars? It's not a bad book, i just didn't click with it. I think some readers might enjoy it a lot, and i don't have big gripes with it.

Why bored? It's a story i've read a few times already, and there wasn't anything new to it. A few POVs, not atrocious, but not great. Character archetypes i've already seen a thousand times, who reacted exactly as predicted, without any novel framing or interesting thoughts.
<b>If you have never read the "there is something into the woods and it's maybe magic; also war and someone needs to save the world" kind of plot, then this book is for you!</b> I haven't gotten to the ending, so check with other reviews that it wasn't a let down, but i'd expect it to be at least decent.

The worldbuilding was ok, but since this is supposed to be more of a horror/thriller kind of genre, lots of information is missing on purpose to rise the stakes. I hate this in general, and in particular in this book it didn't work for me. I didn't feel any tension, any danger, and i never feared the characters would get severely hurt (except maybe that one asshole, but i won't tell you what happened ;))

The prose was fine. Nothing spectacular in my opinion, but lets itself be read quickly. It's not purple, it's not confusing, but it's not giving me much emotions either.

Grave Empire is the new novel by Richard Swan, I’m like to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Grave Empire is set in the same world as the author’s triumphant Empire of the Wolf trilogy, but some 200yrs in the future. Although there are a few nods to the previous trilogy you are more than able to start reading from here.

The book is a dark fantasy novel which rotates around three POVs as they seek to understand events surrounding The Great Silence (the name of the new trilogy).

The author gets the rotation of these POVs spot on, there is always the desire to read just one more chapter to find out what’s happening with the other POVs.

There will inevitably be comparisons to Empire of the Wolf but they are very different. With Empire of the Wolf we delved deep into the relationship between the two main characters.

Whilst the characters in Grave Empire are wonderfully written this is really a plot driven story. The world and lore just expands massively, we visit many new places and meet many new races.

I adored this book and I cannot rate it highly enough.

A triumphant return to the Empire!

Richard Swan burst onto the Fantasy Literature scene a few years ago with his highly acclaimed Empire of the Wolf trilogy and I was among a large number of readers who gave it a shot and was very impressed by his debut trilogy. Equally impressive is the regularity and timing of his annual publications, so no worrying about starting a trilogy or series from him and having to wait years between volumes.

With Grave Empire we return to the same world that the Empire of the Wolf was set in, but around 200 years later, a time when magical and arcane arts consigned to history in favour of a transition to industrial revolution and gunpowder (this was something that I was hoping to happen in a subsequent series when I previously reviewed The Trials of Empire).
It is worth noting at this point that prior reading and knowledge of the first trilogy is not essential, readers could adequately jump in at this point and follow events without any difficulty. In fact, it was actually refreshing to read a start to a sequel trilogy that did not rely on the presence of legacy characters and constant call backs to generate attachment and interest in the newer generation telling their story.

Grave Empire massively improves on the EOTW trilogy by utilising a third person narrative allowing us to see three different main character perspectives. Whilst The Justice of Kings was absolutely fantastic with its use of first person, you could see Swan becoming hampered with the narrative choice as the story ever expanded in the subsequent books, leaving crucial events and character arcs being absent or occurring 'off screen'. Switching to third person has completely fixed this issue and Swan has been able to make his world feel significantly bigger and rotating between the POVs really made for fast page turning and anticipation to see what was happening elsewhere and to also get back quickly to the cliff hanger that you have just left with another character - this reminds me much of other authors such as John Gwynne or Joe Abercrombie who also do this so well.

Overall, Grave Empire was such a good read and a significant step up from the previous trilogy, which was still pretty good regardless. The pacing was substantially better and many of the criticisms that some reviewers had from EOTW seem to have been acknowledged and addressed this time. Fans of the original trilogy will still be glad to see that Swan's sharp and intelligent style and prose remains, as does the leaning towards the horror side of fantasy with a side order of gore and body horror. This series has the potential to be a huge hit and I am excited to see where this story goes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review. Grave Empire is expected to be published on 4th February 2025.

Grave Empire by Richard Swan is such a good book. When I out if down I couldn't stop thinking about it. So so good. I loved this story sooooo damn much!

These are difficult days for the Sovan Empire: rumors of a mysterious plague come from the North, while in the southern regions the war for the maintenance of the territories now seems lost.
Amid the turmoil of impending disaster comes news of a prophecy, known as The Great Silence, that could lead to the end of the world. It will be the task of Renata Reiner, ambassador to a mysterious population of mer-men, to discover how to avoid the catastrophe. Meanwhile, beyond the unexplored forests of the New East, soldier Peter Kleis is called to survive the horrors of a territory that hides more than one mystery...

PROS:

- The story of Grave Empire mixes elements of dark fantasy, horror and supernatural with a frenetic and enthralling pace, and manages to do so without necessarily resorting to armed conflict: although there are some battles, it will be the constant tension and the numerous mysteries that will not leave the reader not even a moment's respite;
- Despite what has been said, the space for worldbuilding remains very large, and what has already been seen in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy is greatly expanded;
- The short chapters and changes of point of view contribute to the rhythm, constantly generating anticipation;
- The three main characters are excellently written, and each has very different characteristics, thus giving freshness to each chapter; it is impossible, however, not to empathize in particular with Peter Kleist, also thanks to some particularly effective narrative ideas;
- Writing style that is never banal and of a high level: the breadth of the vocabulary used is extremely stimulating, rising above the average of the genre;
- Afterlife, monstrosities of all kinds, otherworldly figures, humanoid hybrids: if you love the fantastic - often with a horror twist - this is the novel for you.
Much will be revealed in the next volumes, but already from this first chapter it is clear that the good things seen in the first trilogy will return with greater power.

CONS:

- With the exception of the character of Peter, by far the most engaging, the emotional spark with the other two points of view is triggered, but only in part and above all thanks to the tumultuous ending;
- Although it is possible to read this new chapter without any previous background, the numerous references and quotations, as well as the wordbuilding elements only mentioned, make reading more difficult for those who find themselves unfamiliar with the original trilogy.

Grave Empire is a spectacular dark epic novel, and probably Richard Swan's best effort: the transition from a first-person to a third-person point of view eliminates the only real "problem" of the first trilogy.
A driving pace, brilliant prose and excellent characters forge a story that drags the reader into a spiral of horror and magic.
A book recommended for every lover of dark fantasy, to be read in one sitting in the hope that there isn't too much time left until the next chapter is released.

I’m a huge fan of Richard Swan already so I was highly expecting to love this book. I was not disappointed.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This is set 200 years after the events in The Empire of the Wolf and we see an empire expanding into territories that are going to bring terrifying new encounters. And Richard Swan knows how to do terrifying. Some of the encounters in this book are so unnerving and not what I was anticipating at all.

Unlike Empire of the Wolf, we follow multiple perspectives in this novel, and it works really well. We follow a soldier whose mission is coloured with fear from the start, and only gets darker and stranger. There’s an ambassador who will undertake a great journey to the land of mer-men. Her posting isn’t taken very seriously but when some monks raise concerns about the great silence, an expedition is mounted Finally a noble who I won’t say too much about (other than to point out how awesome his companion is). The voices are all so distinct and advance the story in different ways as the characters investigate their various missions. It comes together beautifully at the end as we find out more about what’s happening and why. Character work is excellent with all the different POVs being interesting and unique. I enjoyed all of them but I hold particular affection for Renata our ambassador for being such a strong and determined woman.

There’s a plague affecting the realm and it has horrific consequences. The way the investigation into this builds and we uncover information is just brilliant. I was completely riveted throughout. The world building is excellent but I would expect nothing less from this author. We’re seeing a different side to the empire now. People seem to be forgetting the past events of the earlier books and we have new inventions and technology. New cultures are introduced as the empire expands and we see money being a huge driver for motivations.

I cannot wait to continue on with this series. The next book can’t come fast enough! This was so fascinating, well-written, exciting and often horrifying!

4.5/5
We left Sova earlier this year and we're back already, except it's been 200 years. A lot has changed but once again the mortal world is in trouble...so maybe not too much has changed there. Poor Sova, can't catch a break. What also hasn't changed is Richard's stellar ability to create an immersive world populated by characters you love and hate, that you cheer for and that give you the heebiest of jeebies, all while you navigate politics, religion, and an increasingly industrialised world.

And for those of us who loved Empire of the Wolf, we get little nods throughout to Helena and Von Valt. Now, if this is your first dip into Richard's work, don't worry. You'll miss the little nods but not the wider book.
Once again, our story centres on a young woman, Renata Rainer, who is woefully unprepared for everything she's about to face and faces it with a lot more skill and competency than anyone, herself included, expects. I can already see Renata's going to be right up there with Helena from Empire of the Wolf in terms of focal characters I would die for.

We see a lot more than just Renata's experience with this nightmare situation through Peter. The book actually opens with Peter writing a letter and that's how we really see the changes across Sova. I loved this. It was so perfectly done, telling us without beating us over the head with it and it was so natural for how to introduce the dramatic world changes. Peter also has some of the most genuinely terrifying experiences...actually they all have their own terrifying moments.

Our third and final focal character, is Von Oldenburg. I won't say too much about him because you need to experience that with as little info as possible. Unless you have asthma and are prone to gasping, in which case please keep an inhaler close by for Von Oldenburg's chapters.

When I finished Empire of the Wolf, I said "I sincerely hope we see so much more of Swan's work in future and maybe one day come back to the Republic of the Wolf. Pretty please? I want to know what happened decades and centuries later after Vonvalt's controversial choices." And I could sum up this whole review as: I have never been so excited to return to a world where the characters I loved are dead and we're onto new problems. Grave Empire knocked my socks off and I will prepare new socks for everything else that's to come.

How can Swan’s books get more epic, terrifying, and brilliant?!
Renatar is an ambassador to the Stygion Mer-men - a position that makes her the laughing stock of the Imperial Office. But there is a plague overtaking the lands and Reina is sent to seek the merman’s knowledge of the arcane arts following a prophecy heralding the end of the world.

Lieutenant Peter of the Sivan Army has been posted to Fort Ingomar, the so-called “fort at the end of the world”. There are strange screams and whispers of demons and monsters. He must fend against enemies and deal with a more supernatural element that no one truly believes in.

We have a third pov, but I’m going to leave that one up to surprise because this character makes me want to tear my hair out. Swan, I applaud you.

What excellent character work.
Peter especially is one of the most well-written soldiers I have read. He is terrified, yet proud. He continues fighting and overriding his primordial instinct to run and never stop just so that he will not be called cowardly. He would die to avoid being so labelled.
This herd feeling is painfully realistic and makes you feel so sympathetic. I don’t know if Swan has experience with the army, but his descriptions were stunningly shocking.

<b>“Armed conflict is a wellspring of certain misery, but is not to be avoided at any cost. There is such thing as an intolerable peace. The diplomat finds himself at the nexus of these two states. Their mission is an unenviable one: to avert both the former and the latter.”
</b>
The world-building, like his previous trilogy, is incredible. We have different races, different religions, death cults, and arcane objects.
By having different perspectives in different positions and places in this world, we get tastes of the different attitudes and simmering rage of all.

War is the Empire’s purpose. It’s turning wheel. Swan uses fantasy to show a mirror to our own political climate. Our structures and laughable systems.

<b>“There is something so contemptible about newsmen. Their salt is misery, their butter woe. Their job is to distil the wretchedness of millions into inches on a sheet, and capture its most despondent and salacious essence. A dozen such stories are so reduced, each an oyster of despair waiting to slip down the gullet of ready consumers. But if the newsman is worthy of contempt, the news-reader bears an equal burden of scorn. A person who makes it their business to read the news every day, wallowing in matters which he could not possibly hope to affect, is a foolish wretch. There is no end to human unhappiness, and so there is no end to his unhappiness.”
</b>
The epigraphs…. Is it weird to say they were one of my favourite parts of the book?

Physical arc gifted by Little Brown Book Group.

I'm a very big fan of the other series I read by Richard Swan so was super intrigued by this one.
Richard Swans books are very well fleshed out, the world building is impeccable.
It's ne of those books you will read and forget you're reading because you get so sucked in the world.
Can't wait for more!

Richard Swan's Grave Empire is one of my favourite reads of 2024.

Set around 200 years after The Empire of the Wolf trilogy, the story expands upon an already intriguing world. We follow a number of different character POVs, with their motivations not all equal!

Each of these arcs takes us to new parts of the Empire as well as to realms outside, with each journey linked to an arcane horror threatening the entire world.

I was hooked from the very start and engaged throughout. The pacing was consistently great, and I loved the third-person perspective taken. As you'd come to expect from this series, there is plenty of suspense and gruesome horror!

For those who haven't read the previous trilogy, do not despair, as this novel works so well on its own. The history of the Empire and events of the last series are referenced, though very subtley, and this book sets up the next trilogy incredibly well.

Finally, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. What I think the author does exceptionally well in this book is the world building and atmosphere. It was really interesting to see how the world had changed and progressed since the events of the first trilogy. It was amazing how effective the author was at creating a creepy, gloomy atmosphere. The blend of fantasy and horror elements is quite unusual, but done very well! The battle scenes also did really capture the chaos of those moments. The characters, as I expected from the first series, are complex and varied with their motivations and morality. I do think that the pacing in this was not quite right particularly in the first half, but I blew through the second half. Highly recommend! While not essential, I would start with the author's previous series set in the same world as it will enhance the experience,

If the previous trilogy saw the Empire of the Wolf in a medieval age, this trilogy sees the Empire in an industrial revolution with gunpowder, muskets and cannons.
We follow the POVs of three characters, although it is a bit unbalanced towards two of them. Renata is a human ambassador to the mermen, and her story begins when two monks confess that they tried to talk to the dead, but no one answered, so they assume it's due to a prophecy called the Great Silence, which will also affect mortals. Death magic is forbidden, so she starts to investigate what's going on.
Peter Kleist is a nobleman who never wanted to join the military, but he is sent to fight for the Sovan Empire in the Near East, a desolate area where strange things happen. Von Oldenburg is the bad guy of the story and has less chapters with his POV than the first two (fortunately, I might add).

I loved Renata and Peter. I thought they were well characterised, and I was glad to see that the author gives voice to men's emotions through Peter. Peter is not your typical brave hero, he's reluctant and just wants to go home. I can't say the same about the Count of Oldenburg, who is simply meant to be unlikable.

The world is described with a very lush and descriptive prose and I could feel myself immersed in the creepy atmosphere that the author has cleverly created. Even though necromancy et similia is not my cup of tea, I think the magic system was original in the fantasy genre, it was interesting and I am curious to know what role it will play in the sequel. What I liked most was the presence of different races, such as wolfmen and mermen, with magical and somewhat mysterious origins and customs.
What I think could have been handled a bit differently was the huge amount of place and world building names, which were often a patchwork of German words. I couldn't keep up because there was no map in the ARC, so I struggled to follow where the characters were and at some point I just couldn't. I hope to see a map and glossary in the final edition because different people use different words to say the same thing, which is cool and I loved it, but it was confusing.

The whole story started off a little slow to introduce the characters and the setting and then picked up towards the middle of the book. As I mentioned before, the author did a great job of creating a terrifying atmosphere throughout the story and I felt a constant sense of fear looming over me. The action scenes had the perfect rhythm and tension, but I often found them a bit confusing and struggled to understand what was going on. Luckily, everything was explained in the following chapter, but I would have liked to have had the chance to think about these scenes and form theories in my head.

All in all, even if some of the ingredients were not my cup of tea, Richard Swan managed to blow me away with a great world building, characters to root for and a creepy and dark story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
I would go a bit far and predict that this could easily be the best dark fantasy of the 2025s (fingers crossed!).

All the reviews of this book I’ve seen so far are very positive and maybe that skewed my reading and my expectations were raised to high because I just didn’t feel the love for this book, I have almost read (DNF to be honest) other books by this author and I finally have to give up and say his writing is not for me, I’m sure many many readers will love it, not me however