The Justice of Kings: the Sunday Times bestseller (Book One of the Empire of the Wolf)

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We sat in silence as Sir Otmar summoned the terrified maid with a trembling hand and wheezed for some ale. She left and reappeared a moment later, handing him a tankard. Sir Otmar drained it greedily. All may be judged by the law, so all may uphold it; but all those who uphold the law may not judge it.”

Brand, Paul (2004). "Oxford DNB article: Saham, William (subscription needed)". Oxford University Press . Retrieved 7 August 2010. The Justice of Kings is equal parts heroic fantasy and murder mystery . . . Richard Swan’s sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more’Sebastien de CastellI have to admit, "The Justice of Kings" caught me completely off guard when it came to the story's structure. Initially, I thought I was diving into a series of unrelated legal puzzles, but it didn't take long for me to realize that there was a grander game at play. A seemingly minor case began to unravel, and suddenly, the entire empire's stability felt like it hung in the balance. A lot of people are going to really dig this book. A lot of people are going to find in this the exact sort of thing they read fantasy for, with all the character archetypes and plot twists and cool moments and fantasy worldbuilding they want to see in their stories. For me, however, there are several fundamentals of a good fantasy novel that are missing from this one, and I need to talk about them before I start talking about anything else:

Bothwell, J. S. "Oxford DNB article: Malbethorpe, Sir Robert (subscription needed)" . Retrieved 16 August 2010. La primera será sólo para algunos lectores y es que es una historia que se va cociendo a fuego lento, la limitada acción está contada al igual que la magia, aparece, sí. Es lento. What follows from then is a journey to Galen’s Vale where Vonvalt, Helena and Bressinger take on an investigation into the murder of a noblewoman, and furthermore where Konrad Vonvalt consequently finds his authority doesn’t quite hold the ultimate sway it once had. You see, this murder may take place in one close-knit setting but as the novel progresses we discover it has far bigger implications throughout the Sovan Empire.

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Sir Konrad Vonvalt, served and fought during the war and because of this, he has a firm belief in people following the law. Without laws, there is chaos but with a rebellion brewing, everything he stands for is about to get tested. While it was a compelling read, I found the plot more engaging than the characters. I felt no connection to any of our characters for the majority of the book and it was towards the end that I started to care about them but by then I felt that it was too late. Still, I eagerly await the sequel and between you and me, I can’t wait for Vonvalt to go feral. Este libro lo vi el año pasado a una booktube de fantasía de la que me fío enormemente y de la que he encontrado verdaderas joyitas (al menos para mí), y lo recomendaba encarecidamente. Justo cuando iba a darle una oportunidad me di cuenta que lo habían sacado en español. As Vonvalt starts to dig deeper into the underbelly of the town, he soon realises that this murder is not an isolated incident, and something much more sinister and rebellious lurks in the shadows…

This is the third book I have read this year that uses the conflict between religious leaders wanting to usurp control over the Empire opposed to mages or other power users. The magic used in the book was only teased, but it felt unique in its own right. These are good folk here,” Sir Otmar said, alarmed. “Good, law-abiding folk. They work the land and they pay their tithes. We’ve never been a burden on the Autun.” Finally, what really sent me over the moon with this book was the incredibly intense intrigue and hateful conflict between the Empire's servants and the religious faction on the opposing side. That central conflict is truly what made this a magnificent read that I couldn't put down. The Justices on one side believe in abiding by the laws of man while those faithful to the Neman religion believe that all laws spring from her and her alone. So you can see where something has to give here, yeah? That tension carries on throughout this mesmerizing story and made for some truly heart-pounding moments for sure. Para mi como podéis ver por el resultado y mis palabras, ninguna de las dos cosas ha supuesto un problema, es un thriller de fantasía a fuego lento, con los ingredientes precisos para ser una lectura de 5 estrellas.The official premise may lead you into thinking that this is Justice Konrad Vonvalt’s story, and in a way, it is true. However, Vonvalt is not the main POV character; he doesn’t even have any POV chapter. The entire story in The Justice of Kings is told through the first-person perspective of Helena Sedanka. We’re reading Helena’s writing and recount of the past. This storytelling style is akin to reading Fitz’s narration in The Farseer trilogy mixed with Akil’s narration in The Bloodsounder’s Arc trilogy by Jeff Salyards; more similar to the latter. In The Bloodsounder’s Arc, we follow the tale of Akil as he writes his journey as he follows Braylar Killcoin. In The Justice of Kings, we’re reading Helena Sedanka’s intertwining lives with Konrad Vonvalt and many other individuals. The murder mystery element in a fantasy world filled with great character development, plus the thought-provoking discussions regarding law—whether it’s better to absolutely uphold the law or neglect it—and the decline in morality made The Justice of Kings a compelling read. The religion of the empire reminded me of Judaism and early Christianity in how some books would borrow stories and characters from religions in the surrounding areas (like Samson and other parables, as well as naming demons after Sumerian deities). One Sentence Summary: Sir Konrad, one of the Emperor’s Justices, and his two companions are in Galen’s Vale to solve a murder, but unrest within the empire is about to catch up with him. Overall