

Books in series

#1
Grave Empire
2025
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 Kings
The Tyranny of Faith
The Trials of Empire
The Great Silence
Grave Empire

#2
Steel Gods
2026
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BECKONS. SPIRITUAL CATASTROPHE LOOMS.
AND THE EMPIRE OF THE WOLF TEETERS ON THE BRINK
The true horror of the Great Silence has been revealed. As nation after nation succumbs to the mind-plague and Sova scrambles to enlist help from across the globe, Ambassador Renata Rainer has been given a simple task: save the world.
While she travels to the Principality of Casimir to enlist the help of the Empire's oldest enemy, Lieutenant Peter Kleist returns to the haunted forests of the New East to search for ancient answers - and finally confront the terrible fate that awaits him. In their wake, a task force of engineers, soldiers, and arcane experts will try and unpick the final secrets of the Great Silence - on both sides of the mortal plane.
But time is running out. Count Lamprecht von Oldenburg has returned to the capital, armed with a terrible vision and enough madness to see it through. Those who stand in his way face a simple choice: join the revolution, or die.
As the world tips towards chaos, all paths converge on the Eye of the Sea, where the fabric of reality wears thin - and where the Empire of the Wolf must confront the most terrible enemy it has ever known.
Steel Gods is the second novel in the Great Silence trilogy from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan - a dark flintlock fantasy filled with epic adventure, arcane mysteries and creeping dread
Praise for the series
'Dazzling and immersive epic fantasy' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'An absolute treat . . . crammed with imagination, horror, epic scale, and characters I simply could not put down' Grimdark Magazine
'A truly remarkable page-turning, flintlock fantasy horror' Fantasy Hive
The Great Silence
Grave Empire
Steel Gods
The Empire of the Wolf
The Justice of Kings
The Tyranny of Faith
The Trials of Empire
Author

Richard Swan
Author · 15 books
Richard Swan is a Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. He was born in North Yorkshire, and, thanks to a childhood spent on RAF bases in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, now has an unhealthy interest in fighter jets. In 2010 he moved to London, where he spent the better part of ten years litigating multi-million pound commercial disputes. He now lives in Sydney with his wonderful wife, Sophie, their two very loud sons, and a very large container of sunscreen. For updates follow him at stonetemplelibrary.com.