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  • The Justice of Kings

  • Written by: Richard Swan
  • Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
  • Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)

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The Justice of Kings

Written by: Richard Swan
Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
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Publisher's Summary

Action, intrigue, and magic collide in this epic fantasy following Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor's Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one—but with rebellion and unrest building, these are dangerous times to be a Justice . . .

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 talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire. 

When the pair investigates 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?

"Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." –  Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger

“A fantastic debut.” – Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

©2022 Richard Swan (P)2022 Orbit

What the critics say

"A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing." (RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships)

"A marvelously detailed world with an engrossing adventure from a unique perspective." (K. S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro)

What listeners say about The Justice of Kings

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Taylor Ascher
  • 2022-03-13

Give it a try. Doubtful you'll regret it.

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. The pacing was a slow build, but done really well. The choice of using the clerk as narrator gave a good twist to the styling of the story. The magic system applied is well thought out, well used, and maintains a decent balance as to not become an overpowering factor in the story. Small applications of magic go a long way in making a good story into a great story.

We only touch on a portion of the world being built in this story, but the narrative has given us a glimpse at something with a lot of potential. As a reader, the learning style is more of a show than tell which is also a plus in my opinion. The voice of the story isn't treated like she just came out of a coma and knows nothing of what's going on in the world.

It may take a bit to invest yourself into the characters, but there will be a point when it does happen and the story will be that much better for it.

The narrator is on point with her voicing. She does a great job at keeping characters distinct from one another and really gives the story life.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Josh Hall
  • 2023-09-22

The most enthusiastic 5-star i've given in years.

Swan, with this book, becomes a must read author for me. I wasn't prepared for how much i enjoyed this story. So glad book 2 is out already.

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  • Jean Samberg
  • 2023-04-28

fresh and engaging

took a chance on this as it was suggested by another author i enjoy - i read a lot of fantasy, so its hard to find stuff that seems "fresh" - somehow, this seems like a fresh approach--- the main characters, if i gave a quick description of them would be mistaken for typical, but i assure you, they come across and fully formed and layered. what is most unique is the STORY. we're basically following a guy who's job it is to solve crimes, along with his young female clerk and his wisecracking buddy--- and it's never, ever boring. believe me, i am a sucker for the bloody action of joe abercrombie, yet this has me engaged non-stop.

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  • Anne Vaughan
  • 2023-03-22

Enjoyable Story, Mediocre(at best) Narration

The writing is quite enjoyable and I very much enjoyed the story. However, I was consistently pulled out of it by the rather low quality of the narration. I don’t mind the way she voiced the characters, but I do take issue with her lack of ability to properly(or even consistently) pronounce words. Did no one listen to her recording prior to uploading it? This feels like laziness on the part of the narrator and of the audio editor.

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  • Mioly
  • 2022-03-08

Great Start to a New Grimdark series

I don't usually like first person retrospective narrators but there is a real feeling of regret and youth that is gone in this book that makes the tale very bittersweet. The narrator is excellent and the story itself is first class. The world feels like a late dark ages in Europe setting with intrigues and plots galore. Each main character is believable and interesting and the author does not hold your hand with paragraphs of exposition.

My one small gripe is that there are several decisions made by main characters that feel unduly stupid - that feel not believable in t he context of the story.

Overall a great listen.

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  • EL Montague
  • 2023-11-02

Medieval Procedural

This was not what I expected, but it was quite good. What amounted to a courtroom and police procedural. Good story. Great characters.

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  • Tfacciola
  • 2023-08-27

A Fantasy detective drama

This story was fine. While I enjoyed elements of all aspects of the story, I found that the whole was ultimately less than the sum of its parts. That is a rare thing. Usually I find it is the other way around. I found the narrative choice of perspective, while interesting, distancing and limiting. I found the characters, while nuanced, were each forgettable in their own right. Thematically, while I see what the author was intending, it didn’t land as strongly as I hoped. The magic system is cool if not under utilized, perhaps it is expanded upon in the latter installments of the series. Overall, It is absolutely worth a read, I’m glad I read it, but I will be quick to move on and likely forget about it. I have not yet decided if I will continue with the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • John BS
  • 2023-03-04

Great story, though the worldbuilding is lacking

The plot was interesting an engaging, and I liked the characters. The climax of the book was one of the most exciting ones I've read. The worldbuilding was lacking, taking place in a European medieval sort of setting, but the rest of the book made up for it! Looking forward to the sequel.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • dante
  • 2023-02-24

the narrator killed this story

the voices the narrator used were awful. I think just buying the book would be better. I could not tell whi was male and who was female.

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  • D. Fyler
  • 2023-02-05

Wonderful fantasy

The finely drawn characters and philosophical bent of this fantasy helps to overcome the usual unoriginal Sword and Mail, European medieval setting.

The narrator was wonderful as well.

Great debut novel and well worth a credit. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series.

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