That is my first experience with Richard Swan. I heard a lot of great things about his “Empire of the Wolf” trilogy, but have never read it myself. Grave Empire is somehow connected to the original trilogy, the events in it happen in the same world, but 200 years after the trilogy. All I knew before starting the book that it has armored sharks! ARMORED SHARKS? Count me in!
But it has more, much more. Wolfmen, mermen, indigenous population, colonialists, necromancers, zombies… I can continue, but I don’t want to spoil the fun for future readers.
And I enjoyed the book a lot. It has dark and hopeless mood, its characters are very grey, the world looks and feels like something tangible and real. I was involved in the plot development and intrigued by its mysteries and riddles. I enjoyed the intertwining plot lines of ancient prophecy, political intriguing and a villain origin. Different parts of the world felt different, were described differently, and had their own atmosphere. Different cultures have separate languages and world views. The air was soaked with the feeling of dying and forbidden magic as well as an influence of dangerous and inevitable prophecy. Add cosmic horror and flintlock guns with bayonets and you will get the world of Grave Empire.
Now let’s talk about pacing. First quarter of the book I wasn’t that much invested in the story, it unwound slowly and steadily, fleshing out characters, world, and their interactions. The book started with the light-hearted story of a wannabe diplomat from the rich family and ended with a promise of doomed and hopeless world. And after some time I just couldn’t stop reading. Plot twists happen when you least (or don’t at all) expect them. The book doesn’t stop to surprise you till the last line. I was so invested, so interested and excited that my real-world activities were shoved to background in a very blunt manner. No regrets about that. The novel is worth it.
The story is told through three POVs and they all are very different in mood and, I’d say, even genre. Peter’s story is grimdark fantasy with horror elements, Renata’s story is high political fantasy, and von Oldenburg’s story is… I can’t really tell, it’s has elements of both, but leans to none of them. All three main characters are relatable and believable. Each of them has their own style and behavior. Character work and development is done on a very high level.
The overall conclusion is short and simple. The book is great. If you enjoy dark and slow-paced stories with grey and controvercial (and diverse) characters, then you’ll enjoy this novel a lot. I will try to squeeze more Richard Swan into my 2026 TBR. At least I will put in it Steel Gods, the second book. it is planned to release in March 2026.
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