by Richard Swan
Part of Empire of the Wolf
First published 2024
The Empire of the Wolf is breaking apart. Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor's Justice who carries the authority to investigate, judge, and execute, has watched the institutions he serves crumble under the weight of war and betrayal. Now he and Helena ride beyond the empire's borders in search of allies willing to fight for what remains. To the south live the wolfmen of the plains. To the north, pagan clans with long memories and little love for Sova. Both groups have reasons to let the empire die, and Vonvalt must convince them otherwise. Back in Sova, the zealot Bartholomew Claver grows stronger. He draws power from a demonic patron, and no army of the living may be enough to stop him. Vonvalt and Helena will need to reach across the boundary between the living and the dead, and those bargains come with costs neither of them may survive. This is the third and final book in Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf trilogy, and it brings every unresolved debt to the table at once.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, dark-fantasy, epic-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, epic, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, found-family, high-stakes-quest, supernatural-bargains
Setting: Empire of the Wolf, Sova, Plains of the Wolfmen, Northern Pagan Clans
496 pages · Hardcover · Orbit
Content warnings: death, gore, violence