I love a good fantasy and I love a good whodunit but mixing genres doesn't always work. It does here mainly because of the atmosphere and the world the characters inhabit. For me The Justice Of Kings skipped, fairly deftly, from The Name of The Rose to Assassins Creed. My abiding memory of the book, however, will be the mud. And that's a good thing. The places felt real and lived in as did the characters. A good read, one worth recommending.

I have posted this on Goodreads and Black Dragon Books.

The Justice of Kings is the first book in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy by Richard Swan and is certainly a page-turner! We follow Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice—a person who travels the empire, investigates investigating crimes and upholds the law—as he uncovers a complex web of criminal activity while investigating the murder of a noblewoman.
Vonvalt is accompanied by Dubine, a friend from Vonvalt’s time in the war who has his demons, and Helena, Vovalt’s clerk who battles her conscience regarding the life she wants to lead and what she owes to Vonvalt, who rescued her from the streets.
Typically, we’d expect the POV to be that of Vonvalt, however, Swan tells the story from Helena’s POV, and it works very well as she ties the three together and their history together has subtle complexities. By telling the story through the eyes of Helena, Swan is able to tackle the balance between justice and morality, which he would not be able to do with Vonvalt, given his pure dedication to the law. Essentially, though Vonvalt is the main character we are told his story through the critical eye of Helena.
The world Swan has created isn’t your typical fantastical world of mythical creatures and magic, though Vonvalt, and other Justices, possess an interesting variety of abilities. Vonvalt has both The Emperor’s Voice—a booming voice which pushes the target to tell the truth—and the ability to reanimate and speak to the recently deceased. There is plenty of lore in the world, which is dripped throughout and I’m excited to see where this leads in book 2.
I don’t want to discuss the progress of events as these are best unveiled when you read The Justice of Kings. However, you can expect plenty of mystery that will have you guessing at people’s motivations and who may have done what. I also found myself very much in Helena’s position and asking the same questions, particularly as The Justice of Kings reached its culmination—one where things really take a turn for the worst for the empire.

Oooft, it appears that I am stuck in the boat of viewing a book differently from other readers. I struggled supremely with this one. I felt like the start was slow, the middle was forgettable, and the ending was just meh. It didn't leave a lasting impression on me at all. Sir Konrad didn't have that pizazz of memorable protagonists that the book billed him to be. This type of fantasy usually hits all the right spots for me, but this just failed to be a book for me.

I love a book to draw all the feelings out of me but strangely, I didn’t get invested or feel anything towards the characters or the plot. I also felt that the worldbuilding wasn’t as strong as it could have been. I imagined a tale of political intrigue, a danger hidden just out of sight, and a protagonist that would have my imagination running wild but I really struggled to get on side with it.

Grimdark style fantasy murder mystery is the vibe The Justice of Kings gives off from it's blurb; and considerable hype built up around this novel as it came up to release time. A lot of big names in the fantasy community have praised this debut as excellent. It takes a good 20% to get going and to get into it properly but after that the world and story come together spectacularly.

Swan has decided not to tell the story from his protagonist's point of view but that of his assistant, which is a interesting twist on the narrative that works very well. The book starts feeling more like the thriller genre but brings in more fantastical elements as it progresses in a smooth manner. The book looks at themes of law, order and beliefs and what holds these all together in a functioning society. The characters are deep and complex, leaving you wanting to know more.

An excellent debut that deserves the praise it's been receiving.

I LOVED this book!

ARC of #TheJusticeOfKings provided by the publisher Orbit through #NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

And the fact that I kept coming back to this story while in a bit of a reading slump, is testament of how good this story really is.
The combination of crime solving, politics and high stakes make for a enjoyable ride.

I especially appraised the fact that the story is written from the perspective of an old woman, Helena Sedanka, many years after the described events. It is as if you are reading a memoir. You read how she developed during her time with the Justice, and also how she witnessed the slow deterioration of the goodness of the emporers justice, Konrad Vonvalt, and how she chose to stay with him anyway,

I cannot wait for a sequel to be published!

4.5/5

An intresting read with a mystery elements towards it. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 starts are probably because of my own expectations cause critics have praised this book left and right I automatically had my expectations real high. I wasn't saying it was an Ok read. It's truly an amazing read and the prose is excellent and the reveals were done in a surprising way. Maybe my rating would change if i re-read it. Let's hope so.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

And I’ll be honest: I’d asked for this ARC because I’d anticipated the ambivalent relationship between Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena Sedanka, the two main characters of The Justice of Kings. This had been the key factor for me, the thing that I was most excited about in this book. Yes, folks, it wasn’t the depiction of law and the question of ethics of modern SFF for me, or the veneer of epic fantasy over a television courtroom drama or police procedural that the novel’s description on NetGalley conveyed. I’d wanted to read about a girl who’s in such a close, yet guarded relationship with a powerful, charismatic man that she’d be forced to interrogate herself almost constantly about the nature of her feelings for that man. I’d wanted to see that theme done well. And in this matter, the book didn’t disappoint me. But, for the longest time, I’ve been as ambivalent about this book as I’ve always been ambivalent about the subject of law. I couldn’t decide if I really liked this book or if it left me cold, even though I was assured that the writing is really, really good.

And it’s plain to see how good the writing is. From the get-go, the very first chapter, the sheer atmosphere of the setting caught me. There was the lawless, muddy, freezing countryside with that northern European bleak charm, and there was the travelling party of law people, determined to bring the rule of universal morality into this dark terrain. There was the fact that I was reading a story set in a fantasy German Empire-esque world, which was such a startlingly refreshing choice. There was also the fact that the story takes place from the POV of Helena Sedanka, a not-so-usual narrative choice that other readers have commented on as well. There was plenty of space for yassification; but I’m not just glad that Swan stuck to a realistic, grounded frame of character for Helena, I also admire how that stylistic choice let the character reflect upon her motivations and thoughts in a way modern SFF protagonists rarely do. The aged Helena in control of the narrative has the power of hindsight, and this allows her to imbue her narrative with a sense of irony and awe, while also approaching the young-adult component of the story from a novel perspective. For instance, there’s a teenage sex scene that's quite lovely for my asexual eyes — funny and warm, without being too… naked.

What didn’t appeal to me so much about the book is the characters’ good faith in the law. Coming from a Third World country, it’s difficult for me to muster the same good faith in a system of law that’s frequently colonial, patriarchal, ableist, and given to guarding the interests of the ruling elite. My natural apathy towards the core tenet of The Justice of Kings comes from the fact that I cannot connect with the idea of a system of law that’s said to be completely fair and equitably distributed, and reading it in today’s global scenario. I’m sorry, it just seems too unrealistic. I understand that’s the entire point of a fantasy, but I simply cannot relate. With this kind of perspective, Vonvalt’s naivete seemed all too apparent, and Helena’s hindsight in this regard didn’t help. Even Helena’s growing wariness of Vonvalt’s loosening moral compass towards the end of the story seemed simple to me, too predictable. To put it bluntly, without intending any offence, the novel came across as too White to my constantly evolving tastes.

The redeeming factor in all this is Swan's obvious skill as a fantasy writer, and the tremendous job the editors and beta-readers seem to have done on this book. Without getting too spoilery, the pacing picks up from a steady plod to a marching song about two-thirds of the book in, exactly the right time for the speed to be picking up in an otherwise kinda slow-burn development. But it doesn't feel too apparent beforehand, and I presume it must've been easy to err with the plot details around that area while drafting. Instead, the book controls the plot development smoothly, and the twist before the climax was a welcome change in what would've otherwise become really boring. It's the details such as this that makes this book a pleasant read, and makes me optimistic for the latter instalments in the trilogy. And I hope we'll see Helena having a more intimate and conflicted relationship with her own social status and political power.

This was brilliant, very hard to believe it is a debut fantasy novel. A refreshing, interesting perspective and fantasy world. Political intrigue isn't always compelling in my opinion but it was definitely done right in this book. I also adored the camaraderie between the main trio. One of my favorite books this year and Vonvalt is a new fav character of all time!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story is so captivating and page-turner. Vonvalt's characterization is full of power and command. Reading this new book by Richard Swan gave an astounding fresh take on political machinations and especially the court justice aspect. I love court justice stories, especially watching these types of shows kindled the fire in me to know and uphold morals and despise injustices within society.

Vonvalt stands as a moral compass in which people should revere and fear the law.

Can't wait for the next sequel!

What can I say other than I loved this book?

I love a good political fantasy and necromancy is my favourite magic type so this book was always going to be a winner for me.

I already have the second book preordered

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Book cover for The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, #1)
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The Justice of Kings
(Empire of the Wolf #1)
by Richard Swan (Goodreads Author)
4.18 769 ratings 341 reviews
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The Justice of Kings, the first in a new epic fantasy trilogy, follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice – a detective, judge and executioner all in one. As he unravels a web of secrets and lies, Vonvalt discovers a plot that might... More
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Average rating4.18 · 769 ratings · 341 reviews

English ‎(334)
Petrik
Petrik rated it it was amazing
30 days ago
Shelves: arcs-and-review-copies , favorites
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

The Justice of Kings was totally addictive. A truly riveting tale about law, war, morality, and justice.

“Empires are built and maintained with words. Swords are a mere precedent to the q
...more
Like Likes:407
Holly (Holly Hearts Books)
Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it it was amazing
3 months ago
Shelves: own , review-copies , 2022-releases , favorites
All you need to know for now is that I stayed up until 3 AM to finish this..
Full review to come on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks ...more
Like Likes:122
Allen Walker
Allen Walker rated it it was amazing
3 months ago
Full review here: https://youtu.be/TCsWHx3rfqw

Holy crap, I loved this book.

Thanks to Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, the entirety of which will be up soon.

Pre-order this book immediately. ...more
Like Likes:75
Klaus
Klaus rated it really liked it
about 2 months ago
Shelves: netgalley , grimdark , 2022-new-releases
7.6/10; 4 stars.
Grimdark Fantasy in an Eastern European/Holy Roman Empire inspired setting.
Booktube review: https://youtu.be/KRGaBZcQpBg

The last novel I've finished in 2021 is a very impressive debut by Richard Swan that reminded me of such different works as The Witcher, The Name of the Rose, and C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series. Through the eyes of his clerk Helena, the reader follows an Imperial Justice who's busy doing what his profession demands: bringing the Emperor's law to the hinterland of the quickly expanding Sovan Empire. Swan's novel is a Grimdark Low Fantasy book - there is magic, or rather magick, in this world, but it's not at the heart of the narrative. Instead, it focuses on humans and what they do to each other - and what the things they do to each other do to themselves. It's a book about justice and vengeance, about law and chaos, about honesty and corruption. It's a book that I enjoyed reading a lot, but while all of its ingredients are fine enough, none of them completely blew my mind - so I really liked reading this, but it's not an all-time favourite for me (yet?).

This first novel in The Empire of the Wolf trilogy serves as a very remarkable entry that sets up future books perfectly. The big themes and conflicts (Justice vs Law, Church vs Magisterium) are well-constructed and broken down into smaller conflicts that show how these grand conflicts influence the everyday life of the smallfolk. A book about the law and about situations where the law just isn't enough, with an interesting set of characters - I'll definitely pick up the sequel.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital advanced reading copy in return for an honest review

"No man is above the law"

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan is probably the most interesting epic fantasy book I've ever read in terms of worldbuilding and its plot.

Basically, we follow a Justice, someone who enforces the laws, second only to the emperor in power. I love how it started as like, a small town mystery. That's how the world is slowly being built up, and mind you, it's not even a heavy info-dumping. It's just enough to keep the reader interested with the over-all and not feeling bored with the pacing.

Though it is told in only one perspective, you get to observe how the characters grow in terms of their beliefs and morality. I would like to include here that I like how nuanced the character of Vonvalt is (the Justice). I do really believe those who do not seek power are the best suited for it. This is also reflected with our storyteller, who's an apprentice. She knows how privileged she is to apprentuce under a Justice, yet she does not want that privilege.

Another thing I want to mention is that this book was so unpredictable, and I love that. That's why I kept flipping pages because I am excited to know what will happen next.

Over-all, a thought-provoking pageturner, this gets a 4 stars from me. Thanks to Orbit for an e-arc through Netgalley in exchance for a review. Rest assured, all thoughts here are my own and not influenced by it.

The Justice of Kings was released last February 22, 2022, so check it out if it's your thing!

If you're a fan of murder mysteries, but in a fantasy medevial setting, you may enjoy The justice of kings.

The story follows Sir Konrad Vonvalt, who is a Justice, as he investigates the murder of a nobelwoman, through the point of view of Helena, his clerk.

I'll start off by saying that this is not a character driven story, but rather a plot driven one which had failed to keep my interest. I was quite bored. Had there been more compelling characters, I probably would have enjoyed this more, however they weren't memorable and pretty generic. I particularly disliked the "historically accurate" sexism and sexual assault, and Helena's instalove which added absolutely nothing to the story (nor was the romance enjoyable). The pacing was too slow and in addition to nothing interesting happening, I struggled to finish this book.

Thank you so much Orbit!!

I loved this book. Wow. The prose, the story, the talent! It is told from the pov of Helena, clerk to the Justice (now an old lady, she is basically narrating the story to us) as she travels with the Imperial Justice Sir Conrad Vanvalt and his taskman Dubine. I loved Dubine. I think he is my favorite. As they investigate a murder mystery they swiftly get pulled into much bigger conflict that will torn the empire apart.

The interactions between these three characters is awesome even if they are a bit unpredictable. I cannot wait for the next book and honesty I have no idea about what is going to happen next. I am eagerly waiting to see more of the characters.

(actual rating - 3.5/5)

I had seen this book floating around on bookstagram and having read the description I thought that this would be the book for me as I know that I like the concept of travelling justices - having read “The Greatcoats” by Sebastien de Castell - and I am currently really into books with the mercenary vibe, so I was expecting great things.

I liked this book. There were a couple of characters I adored, the conflict in both ideologies and in the more standard sense was good, the moral waverings of characters and the powers of the justices were brilliant and I am always going to love it if you give little phrases in the languages spoken by the characters. However, I did not like our Narrator, Helena. She was often quite petulant and we just didn’t really see eye to eye. Though I am aware if it wasn’t told from her point of view we may not have seen the personalities and failings of the other characters, whom I adored for these reasons, in the same way.

I was not a fan of the insta-love romantic sub-sub-plot nor was I a fan of the fact that we were told whether she thought every man she came across was attractive or not and an explanation of the complicated relationships she had with them. It was just kinda unnecessary.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow to begin with (especially the first 12 chapters or so where nothing gripping happened) however about chapter 20 it did start to pick up and had a lot of action and engaging plot up till the epilogue; which in my opinion was too concluded, especially after the excitement of everything that had happened before, it was too neat.

Overall it was a pretty good read, it managed to play a little with my emotions, and I will be reading the next book when it is released, because I want to see the repercussions of some of the things that happened play out, especially in regard to Vonvalt and Dubine since they are my favourite characters

Thank you to the publisher, netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this eARC, I feel so blessed to be able to have critical conversations about great books and recommend books to my book club.

This is a great piece of modern fantasy writing, the cover is beautiful and the writing style is perfect. I have not read from him before but I would recommend his work.

I don't know it there's something in the air but I was lucky to read the start of some exciting and brilliant fantasy series.
This book is one of them and I loved it as it's gripping and riveting.
Excellent world building, fascinating characters, good storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a stunning debut, and was filled with elements of epic fantasy that I know and love, with new twists on tropes and classic themes. With a prosaic writing style, I feel in love with The Justice of Kings, and I’m intrigued to see where this story goes next!

Sir Konrad Vonvalt is an Emperor's Justice. That means he rides the length and breadth of an empire, bringing the promise of truth, and law, to a fractious and diverse populace. It means investigating murder, it means dabbling in dark powers, and sometimes, just sometimes, it means digging into the truth behind treason. Vonvalt is someone willing to serve the law, to dive into those depths, to follow a trail of evidence wherever it might lead, confident in himself, his team, and the primacy of the law.
Vonvalt isn't the voice we hear from here though; It's his clerk, Helena, looking back on events with an eye on future triumphs and tragedies, judging herself, her employer, and his associates, through the more jaded lens of history. The Justice of Kings is one part fantasy, one part political intrigue, one part murder investigaiton, and laced through with loss, tragedy, and shared humanity. It is, in sum, a wonderfully well crafted work, and one I want to recommend before diving into some of the detail.

The world that Vonvalt seeks to keep in order is an unstable one. An Empire slowly being bound together over generations, but still at the stage where those most recently conquered are quickly pressed into conquering their neighbours. It's a patchwork of people who, a few years before, were burning each other's cities to the ground, reaching out and finding the next people ot incorporate. An expansionist machine, with a human cost. And it's an engine of religious orthodoxy, cycling in existing religions and superstitions, and capturing them in its own insitutions, for its own ends. It's driving forward a single cutlure at the point of a sword, and calling it peace.

But it's also, well, peace. Inside the borders, trade goes forward, life goes on, and people don't seme to kill each other, well, not in large numbers, usually. Religions are absorbed, not destroyed, cultures synthesised rather than obliterated. Small comfort to the recently conquered, but they can have a bath and sometimes a functional sewage system for their trouble, and be fairly sure that nobody's going to steal their things at swordpoint. At least not without a trial.

In the end, the Empire is a fascinating, complex place, a world balanced on precarious politics and progressive but troubling policies. It carries shades of early Imperial Rome in its ancestry, and shades of Rome's successors in the possibility of its decline. Still, for now, the Empire stands tall - a scintillatingly imagined tapestry of a million lights. Or, perhaps more fittingly, a rich gumbo, each flavour something new.

And swimming in that gumbo are Vonvalt and his team. Helena we come to know well. Young, incisive, with a past that's less troubled and more horrific, she provides the lens through which we see the others. But her older self, looking back, is willing to probe at her own mistakes and victories, at the trail of decisions that leads forward into her now. Helena is passionate, thoughtful, perhaps unsure of herself and who dhe wants to be. Guarded, wrapped in her own emotional armour, and not quite sure how to extricate herself from it - but also able to look through clouds of smoke to the heart of a case, or see what must be done.

Then there's Bressinger, a veteran of the wars (well, aren't they all, in one way or another), Vonvalt's hard right arm and body-man. At first glance, someone living a long life of slow decline, an attack dog occasionally let off the chain - but Bressinger's loyalties, and history, are more complex than one might expect (though I shan't spoil them here).

And of course, Vonvalt. A man who, like Bressinger, survived occupation and went on to perpetuate it. A man with a keen sword arm and a keener mind. A man with a zealotry for the law, and the intelligence to exercise that law finely. A man given absolute power of life and death, the power to issue judgments in the Emperor's name - and the ability to use other, less savoury, less natural powers to make sure those judgments are correct. Vonvalt is cultured, clever, morose, difficult, and genuinely entertaining to read. All of their choices matter, but his, perhaps, are the most impactful - as he struggles to make the law work in a society which isn't always ready to accept it, or is in fact actively hostile to the idea of anything other than naked power backed by a blade. Vonvalt has drive, and focus and determination, and a certain flexibility within his bounds, but is perhaps ill placed to believe in any serious shifts to the social order.

In any event, they are all fascinating characters, and my simple summary does them a disservice; as readers, we gain a view on all their richly textured lives a the story progresses. But at least go in knowing that these, your cor eprotagonists, are not ciphers. if they are not always likable, then nor are people. if they are prone to sympathy and empathy, blind rage and revenge, that makes them all the more human, the more like us. They are the angels and demons on their own shoulders.

The story - well, I won't spoil it. But there's a murder investigation to dig your teeth into, one that is fair to the reader in what it reveals and when. perhaps you'll guess how things happenned before it comes onto the page, but perhaps not - I was always a few delighted steps behind the revelations. There's some cracking twists and turns there, enough to keep you intrigued. Then there's the dense, low fantasy politics, with knights on the march, and questions of canon law versus secular authority, and a sense of things fraying at the edges. Where we see the less-than-normal, it has a n impact; snd ewhere we do not, the politics are still dleightfully byzantine whilst also making clear the high stakes in the game. There's blood and death aplenty if that's your thing, breakneck chases, sweeping battles that end in blood and fire, and queit moments of reflection in the eye of the storm. The story, I think, sometimes wants to show us more than it has time for, but what it does give us is an excellent read.

That's a good note to end on actually: this is an excellent read, thoroughly enjoyable, and I suggest you give it a try.

i requested this wanting to explore something different to what i would usually read and it definitely did not disappoint. i loved this book so fricken much.