Book Review: Is ‘The Justice of Kings’ + ‘The Tyranny of Faith’ the Grimdark Fantasy You Need?
One of my book friends showed a few of us The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan as part of her recent book haul on a Marco Polo chat. I’d see the cover around on Booktok here and there, and thought it looked amazing, but it hasn’t really been talked about a lot. When she went through the synopsis, I was like, oohhhh this one sounds right up my alley. An apprentice with a powerful master who’s trying to protect the empire from evil? Battles and political machinations? Sign me up. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but if grimdark traditional fantasy is your thing, this is definitely a series I’d recommend. It’s extremely well written—I was shocked to find out it’s from a debut author—and I whipped through both of the currently released books quickly.
Things to Know:
An incomplete trilogy
Grimdark fantasy vibes
Mentor/Mentee relationship
Political intrigue
Murder mystery
Fourth wall breaking
Character recounting the past to the reader
Book One: The Justice of Kings
I thoroughly enjoyed book one. While it does have a slow start, we begin getting the lay of the land, and rather than hear directly from the main character himself, or through the author, the story is told in first person through Helena, his Clerk. She shares a unique perspective as Apprentice of imperial Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Helena breaks the fourth wall fairly often as she’s recounting her story (she’s telling it as an older woman), and at times gives us spoilers about the future. It’s an interesting choice by the author, and I believe it lends the story a complexity and depth you wouldn’t have otherwise. Vonvalt’s choices and decisions directly affect Helena, and seeing how it impacts her life as she’s reflecting on it is quite fascinating.
“A small, involuntary moan escaped my lips. It was the helpless, hapless wail of the doomed. Unless you, reader, have been somewhere you are not supposed to be—and your very life is at stake, or at least you believe it to be—then I cannot convey to you effectively the terror of such a situation.”
On page one, I was convinced it was going to be like The Witcher, but I immediately recanted that. While Vonvalt is a warrior Justice dispatched by the Emperor to investigate and prosecute heretics and evildoers on the fringes of civilization, we find there’s a lot of sympathy to be had for people wanting to continue practicing their old ways after being annexed into the Empire, which has been conquering territories for many years. When a murder surfaces that may or may not be connected to a larger conspiracy, the story picks up steam.
We do indeed have two plots going at the same time: the murder mystery they’re trying to solve in a small frontier town, and the larger threat to take down the Empire of the Wolf. While I don’t think I was surprised by any reveals, I wasn’t expecting the shocking gore. This is definitely not a book for the squeamish. Battles and skirmishes are fought in close quarters and described in detail. I will say, the author writes descriptions so vividly, I felt like I was watching a movie in my mind with this book. In fact, it probably would make a great movie. Mads Mikkelsen would make a great Sir Konrad.
“I wish I could convey with my quill and ink the awesome figure Vonvalt cut at that moment. He was power incarnate, a wrathful god, as unstoppable as the rising of the sun.”
While Helena doesn’t always approve of Sir Konrad’s methods, she feels a strong sense of loyalty. Bressinger, one of Vonvalt’s retinue, is another side character we just begin to peel the layers away on, and in his case blindly follows Sir Konrad. You won’t find out why until book two. While the main characters Swan delves into are incredibly complex, I do wish we had more depth to some of the side characters.
Overall, this was a fantastically dark and thrilling read, and I’d recommend it to any veterans of Fantasy.
“‘It is impossible to impress upon a man the severity of a situation until the point of its remedy is long past. ‘Tis something to do with the nature of a human being, that ingrained idiocy. The gods must shake their heads at us in disbelief.’ —Justice Sophia Juras”
Some minor spoilers ahead for book two:
Book Two: The Tyranny of Faith
There’s a very brief time jump leading into book two—but it’s explained by Helena and we mostly carry on where we left off in book one. We begin to see the lines of justice and vengeance cross, and Helena’s warring emotions about it and her future. We’re also thrown right into the larger conspiracy and political maneuverings in the capital city of Sova. I loved being in a new setting, and learning more about how the magic of the Justices works. Like book one, there’s a secondary challenge to solve—this time a royal kidnapping.
Sir Radomir, a minor character from book one joins their retinue, and quickly became a favorite character. One thing I would have liked more development on is the villain. Don’t get me wrong, I loathe him, but I also feel like he doesn’t have a lot of depth. He’s just your average power hungry bigot. But is that all? Why does he feel the way he does? I would have liked to see more about his motivations.
“Stupidity loves company, whilst wisdom must prepare for a lifetime of solitude.”
While I did enjoy this second installment, one of the things pretty early on that was super disappointing to me was the sexual tension out of nowhere between Sir Konrad and Helena. Why did we turn this incredible father/daughter kind of relationship into this weird, never acted upon tension?! Especially after what happened in book one?! He’s been such a supportive benefactor and father figure for her, and is so much older than her, it felt gross. It did kind of ruin book two for me, and I got annoyed with Helena’s somewhat immature internal monologues.
I do appreciate an author who isn’t afraid to kill a favorite character. As a reader it’s still heartbreaking, but gives weight to the story. Without any spoilers, Swan broke my heart a couple times. Side note: as a fan of any creature sidekicks, I also loved the dog.
As shared above, there were definitely some things that disappointed me in book two, but it was still a solidly written read, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out in book three.
The final installment, The Trials of Empire releases on February 6th, 2024.
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