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  • The Justice of Kings

  • Empire of the Wolf, Book 1
  • By: Richard Swan
  • Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
  • Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (95 ratings)
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The Justice of Kings

By: Richard Swan
Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
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Summary

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

No man is above the law.

The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the imperial throne. 

Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his clerk and protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the empire.

When the pair investigate the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: will they abandon the laws they've sworn to uphold in order to protect the empire?

Introducing an unforgettable protagonist destined to become a fantasy icon, The Justice of Kings is an unmissable debut where action, intrigue and magic collide.

©2022 Richard Swan (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing." (RJ Barker)

"A fantastic debut." (Peter McLean)

"Totally addictive. A truly riveting tale about law, war, morality and justice." (Novel Notions)

What listeners say about The Justice of Kings

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent book.

it was gripping from end to end. I can't wait for the series to be completed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

Really enjoyed this book. An interesting character development and a different soft magical system. The narration was very good and easy to listen to.
So after obtaining this first book for free I have no hesitation spending a credit for the second in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Very Enjoyable

Good story, great characters. Narration great. Looking forward to next one in series.
Can’t wait.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

it was fine

plenty of intirgue, and interesting story, good writing, however, there was a lot of spoiling of the story, and it was hard to feel any passion in the characters.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Justifiably Great Stoty

The Justice of Kings successfully interweaves politics, mysteries, magic and law keeping into a wonderfully written story.

Richard Swan tells the story through our main character rewriting her previous experiences as form of diary entry, similar to how Patrick Rothfuss wrote the Name of Wind. It allows for a fascinating reflection of the events from our main perspective.

I am interested to see how the story trilogy plays out, Richard Swann has left a great cliff-hanger to want to see how book 2 unfolds. This novel is definitely worth the read, would advice to anyone interested in fantasy

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very impressive debut novel.

This is a modern take on fantasy, were a murder investigation works as a kind of backdrop for political machinations in a low fantasy, low magic world. Not gory or grimdark, but definitely not YA either. I specially liked the atmosphere through the whole book. Can't wait for the follow-up

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing performance

Loved it! The book was really good but it was made great by Lucy Paterson's incredible performance!

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Can't wait to read the next

Fresh feeling fantasy with an interesting cast of characters and an addictive story. Looking forward to continuing in this world and see where it all goes next. Hard to believe this is a debut novel!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing

Expected so much more from this novel, a slow and ponderous debut. Can't believe the brilliant reviews.

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