Also by this author: The Justice of Kings, The Tyranny of Faith, The Trials of Empire
Series: The Great Silence #1
Published by Orbit on February 4, 2025
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
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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 . . .
Grave Empire is the first novel in an unmissable new epic fantasy series from Sunday Times bestseling author Rich Swan, packed full of action, intrigue and adventure
Praise for Richard Swan
'A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing' RJ Barker
'Utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing and written with skilful assurance' Nicholas Eames
'Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more' Sebastien de Castell
'Great characters, compelling and wonderfully written. A brilliant debut and fantastic start to the series' James Islington
Books by Richard Swan
Empire of the Wolf The Justice of KingsThe Tyranny of FaithThe Trials of Empire
The Great SilenceGrave Empire
I immediately downloaded Grave Empire by Richard Swan as soon as I possibly could. His last trilogy, “Empire of the Wolf”, was one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. I did not read the description; quite frankly, I didn’t care. When I opened to the first page, it thrilled me to discover Swan took us back to his epic world except two hundred years into the future. I couldn’t keep the grin from my face as once again, Swan demanded my attention from the beginning and didn’t let it go. Grave Empire fulfilled my imagination’s every desire. I couldn’t get enough.
Do not read these novels if you don’t like world-building. Grave Empire’s setting is complicated and intricate; the map demonstrates it. But on top of the geography, we have tense political relations between peoples and kingdoms that can be difficult to follow. I sometimes had to pause to recall what had happened even three chapters previously, partly because the story features three different viewpoints: Renata Rainer, Peter Kleist, and Lamprecht von Oldenburg. Each character has unique motivations, unique personalities and histories, and unique journeys. They don’t always make the right choices, which makes them resonate with readers all the more.
Sova banned the practice of magic. Two monks admit their sect broke that law, reporting they can no longer communicate with the dead. The merfolk are still deeply connected to magic. Renata and her supervisor are the Sovan ambassadors to the mer, and they are driven to discover the reason why the spirits have suddenly gone silent.
Peter Kleist never wanted to be a soldier, but he finds himself deployed to a Far East outpost, plagued by mysterious screams. His major tasks him with finding out the cause and venturing into the unknown regions. It doesn’t take long for his mantra to become, “I want to go home.”
Von Oldenburg has also broken the law by collecting books and studying the magical arts. He, too, knows of the plague and the warring parties in far-off lands. Maybe magic could offer a solution. His motivations may be in the right place, but he spirals into darkness, and his work may doom the world.
Richard Swan’s newest work features spectacular character-driven storytelling, delicate and thought-out worldbuilding, and slow—but appropriate—pacing. Grave Empire by Richard Swan is easily my favorite book thus far in 2025. Bravo, sir. Thank you for taking me back to Sova. For introducing me to brand new characters in a world I never realized how much I missed. I can’t wait to return for the next book, which will not come soon enough.
Warning: Grave Empire does have sex and swearing. F-bombs galore.