The Trials of Empire

The Trials of Empire is the epic conclusion to the bestselling Empire of the Wolf series, where Sir Konrad Vonvalt - the most powerful and feared of the Emperor's Justices - must finally face the dark powers that seek to detroy the Empire. THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet. To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova. Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane - but such allegiances carry a heavy price. As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny. Praise for the Empire of the Wolf series 'A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing' RJ Barker 'Utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing and written with such skilful assurance I could barely put it down' Nicholas Eames 'A fantastic debut' Peter McLean 'Equal parts heroic fantasy and murder mystery . . . 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 'Totally addictive' Novel Notions 'A brilliant book, with intrigue, excellent character arcs, a brutal magic system and a story I just could not put down' Grimdark Magazine 'An absorbing fantasy murder mystery . . . I have been thoroughly hooked by this series and cannot wait for the next helping of political upheaval' Fantasy Book Critic 'Fantasy, mystery, drama, intrigue, action - The Justice of Kings has it all' Bibliosanctum 'One of those utterly compelling and believable books that begs to be read in one sitting. This is going to be one of the standouts of the year' British Fantasy Society 'Swan's debut is a thrilling epic fantasy with a murder mystery and supernatural twist that will delight fans of Sherlock Holmes. It certainly delighted me' Fantasy Hive 'Swan has built a dark and gritty world, filled it with beautifully written characters and lays out a master-crafted story to create an incredible book that you can't put down' FanFiAddict The Empire of the Wolf trilogy The Justice of Kings The Tyranny of Faith The Trials of Empire

Richard Swan is a critically acclaimed British genre writer. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Empire of the Wolf and Great Silence trilogies, as well as fiction for Black Library and Grimdark Magazine. His work has been translated into nine languages. Richard is a qualified lawyer, and before writing full-time spent ten years litigating multi-million-pound commercial disputes in London. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and three young sons.