Grave Empire

De: Richard Swan

Narrado por: Nathaniel Priestley, Zoe Mills

From critically acclaimed author Richard Swan, Grave Empire begins the epic tale of an empire on the verge of industrial revolution, where sorcery and arcane practices are outlawed – and where an ancient prophecy threatens the coming end of days.

Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.

A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.

But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire’s proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.

Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days—the Great Silence.

It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save...

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Reminiscent of Andrzej Sapkowski ... [a] complex and dark historical fantasy series inspired by medieval state-military-church political conflicts."—Kirkus (Starred Review) on The Tyranny of Faith

“A fascinating look at justice, vengeance and the law — great characters, compelling and wonderfully written. A brilliant debut and fantastic start to the series.”—James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost, on The Justice of Kings

"The Justice of Kings is utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing, and written with such skillful assurance I could barely put it down. The characters feel so real I swear I suffered every horror and hangover alongside them, and their world—though we see just the smallest portion of it here—feels vastly complex, poised on the brink of a disaster I can’t wait to watch unfold.”—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld, on The Justice of Kings

“Murder mystery meets grimdark political fantasy in this first of a trilogy … An intriguingly dark deconstruction of a beloved mystery trope.”—Kirkus (starred review) on The Justice of Kings

“The Justice of Kings is equal parts heroic fantasy and murder mystery. Sir Konrad Vonvalt’s fierce intellect and arcane powers will make you long to follow in his footsteps, but it’s his young clerk, Helena, who brings heart and dazzle to the story. Together they’re a formidable team, and Richard Swan’s sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more.”—Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger, on The Justice of Kings

"A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing."—RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships, on The Justice of Kings

"A marvelously detailed world with an engrossing adventure from a unique perspective."—K. S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, on The Justice of Kings

"A fantastic debut."—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones, on The Justice of Kings

"Swan crafts a strong, dynamic character in Vonvalt . . . This promises good things from the series to come."—Publishers Weekly on The Justice of Kings

“The world of the Empire of the Wolf is a rich and interesting one … Readers will enjoy the world building, Sir Konrad and his crew, and the unique touches to a familiar fantasy tale.”—Booklist on The Justice of Kings

Bland

Felt really disjointed to me. The narrator was good but I didn’t even finish it.

oh Zoe Mills

The male voice actor was absolutely phenomenal. the female voice actor....unfortunately terrible. always sounded like she was whispering and she does male voices all the same and whispers them and you can o ly tell if she is doing the main female protagonist and every other voice is the same. a whispered grunty voice.

I give the book a 4.5
male voice actor a 5
and the female voice actor a 1

Slow and steady

It was very very dense and slow building the world, explaining the magic system, and showing us who is who and what is at stake. I think having it in print would have helped me keep the characters straight, I don’t think things really clicked for me until about 60%. But there was a thread of ominous mystery from the beginning that kept me curious, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book takes us.

Another excellent start to a new series

I am really impressed with Richard Swans writing skills. He has made some very interesting characters who have made me either really love or really dislike. His story is top notch and seems to explore the supernatural that he outlined in his first series, which was an excellent series itself. Really liked this one and recommend it!

Good story; not so great reading

I really wish I had read Richard Swan’s physical books. The worldbuilding and plots are very good, but the narration just pulled me out of the stories and ultimately made me get tired of the characters. In Grave Empire, I think it would’ve been best to just let the male narrator do the entire book. Like with the other 3 books, the female narrator just wasn’t great at conveying action scenes or portraying the male characters. The male narrator kept me way more engaged. I also do kinda feel like book 3 of the first series and this book were a bit of a step back from the first 2 books of the original series. I just don’t find myself caring about the characters. As I said before, maybe I would’ve felt differently if I had just read the books myself. Overall, very good though.

Sooo good!

Great addition to the world. Loved the story and characters. Richard Swan is a master world builder.

I liked it

Writing was quite strong and I felt it was pretty original. No complaints, solid listen

4 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

Grave Empire is a dark tale of war, fear, and lost hope. Not unlike Swan’s first trilogy, this is a genre blender-a mix of mystery, epic fantasy, a quest, and very clearly horror. The land is old and full of dread. The men who fight do not know what waits for them. The sea hides things that should not be seen. The woods hold ghosts of the past.

The book opens with Peter riding in a coach to a fort at the edge of the world. This reminded me of the first chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in which Jonathan rides a coach through Transylvania to reach castle Dracula. Like Jonathan’s ride, Peter’s ride is long and full of dread. Also, at least part of Peter’s story is told in letters, the epistolary inspiration from Dracula is unabashed. The land is strange, the air thick with fear. The men who drive the coach seem to know more than they say. The trip is not just a ride—it is a step into the unknown. He hopes for a life of ease, but finds only death and cold fear. The land is strange, the air thick with doom. He writes to his dad, but his words grow dark. The men at the fort are weak and lost. The woods near them hum with pain.

Renata works for the crown. She must deal with the sea folk, but no one cares for her task. The ships that sail near them do not come back. The truth is deep and hard to find. She seeks peace, but war may be inevitable. The worldbuilding is exquisite here, Swan conjuring races, symbiosis between species, environs, habitats, that filled me with wonder.

Praise aside, the book was slow, probably intentionally so, for the first half and picks up pace in the second. The snail’s pace at the start serves to slowly build the dread, set up the mystery, lay out the various pieces - nations, races, religions and religious sects, their politicking, before the intentional convergence towards a quest and then the climax. The politicking here was not as interpersonal as Swan’s previous trilogy. The book presented big-picture political happenings and religious rifts in this world as a close backdrop of our characters’ lives playing out in the storylines of three main POVs. The pace intensifies in the last third where all the mystery and secrets are unraveled in a satisfying climax and ending. The end and the epilogue provide adequate anticipation for the next installment.

The book was grim and full of woe. The land vast and cold. Swan has spun a world that is full of awe and marvel. This slow-burn horror-mystery-quest was rich and deep, with words that pull you in.

Audio- in Renata’s POV there is a high pitched ‘s’ that is grating to the ear. Overall great audio.

This book absolutely ruled

Ok so I half read the gorgeous Broken Binding SE and half listened to the audible version and both were fantastic. Amazing narrators and I highly recommend listening to it even if you’ve read it physically. This was my first Richard Swan work and it had everything that I love. Magic and naval battles and forts and ghosts and treehouses and booze and wolfmen. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the end of the book is just setting up the next one which I am 100% OK with and can’t wait for it to come out. The silver blood promise by James Logan was my favorite book last year and Grave Empire was my favorite book of 2025 so far! The Devils by Joe Abercrombie might take its spot in a few weeks when it comes out, but no matter what this book rocks and I highly recommend it!

Excellent Story and Gripping World

The world and story are an absolute gold mine which has me beyond excited for the next book and looking at the prequels. Only complaint is the narration. The male parts being phenomenal, excellent vocal range, great differentiation between characters, and what felt like a true performance. The female portion felt off unfortunately. Not to say she was bad, just the way she went about all the male roles in her portion of the story felt very flat and if the book didn't say so outright it was hard to tell who was speaking which made these chapters hard to follow at times.

Regardless of that, I'd be delighted to listen again.