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  • Steel Gods

Steel Gods

The Great Silence #2 / 3
by Richard Swan
Steel Gods (The Great Silence #2) by Richard Swan
⧗ 8.00 / 1
1234567189★10★
Steel Gods is the second novel in the Great Silence trilogy, which began with Grave Empire, from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan - a dark flintlock fantasy filled with epic adventure, arcane mysteries and creeping dread.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BECKONS.
SPIRITUAL CATASTROPHE LOOMS. 
AND THE EMPIRE OF THE WOLF TEETERS ON THE BRINK

The true horror of the Great Silence has been revealed. As nation after nation succumbs to the mind-plague and Sova scrambles to enlist help from across the globe, Ambassador Renata Rainer has been given a simple task: save the world.

While she travels to the Principality of Casimir to enlist the help of the Empire’s oldest enemy, Lieutenant Peter Kleist returns to the haunted forests of the New East to search for ancient answers—and finally confront the terrible fate that awaits him. In their wake, a task force of engineers, soldiers, and arcane experts will try and unpick the final secrets of the Great Silence—on both sides of the mortal plane.

But time is running out. Count Lamprecht von Oldenburg has returned to the capital, armed with a terrible vision and enough madness to see it through. Those who stand in his way face a simple choice: join the revolution, or die.

As the world tips towards chaos, all paths converge on the Eye of the Sea, where the fabric of reality wears thin – and where the Empire of the Wolf must confront the most terrible enemy it has ever known.
 

Also known as Grave Empire Book 2.
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FantasyHigh Fantasy
Release date: March 31, 2026

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Richard Swan

Richard Swan

Before turning to fiction, Richard Swan spent years navigating the intricacies of the British legal system as a commercial barrister. That legal precision—meticulous, methodical, and relentless—now pulses through his dark, politically charged fantasy epics. Readers often come to his Empire of the Wolf trilogy expecting swordfights and magic; they stay for the crumbling empires, courtroom intrigue, and the slow-burn unravelling of truth in a world where justice is as fragile as memory.

Read more ...

Born in North Yorkshire, Swan grew up surrounded by the stark beauty of the English countryside—an early lesson in the contrast between stillness and storm that now echoes in his writing. His storytelling draws heavily from his legal background, but it also leans into the moral gray areas often left untouched by traditional high fantasy. In Swan’s world, heroes are not destined; they are made, broken, and sometimes lost entirely.

His breakout novel, The Justice of Kings, was a quiet revolution in the fantasy genre—a sharp, philosophical debut that placed a legal investigator at the heart of an empire's fall. With its brooding tone, introspective narration, and moral complexity, the book carved out a niche between grimdark and classic epic fantasy. It’s less about the clash of armies and more about the erosion of ideals, making it a compelling read for fans of authors like Joe Abercrombie and C.J. Sansom.

Themes of authority, power, and faith run deep through his work, often explored through characters who are painfully aware of their own fallibility. Swan doesn’t write for escapism; he writes to ask uncomfortable questions—and to let those questions linger long after the final chapter.

Now residing in London with his family, Richard Swan continues to expand his imagined worlds, building stories that challenge genre boundaries and reader expectations alike. With a voice that blends legal precision and philosophical weight, his novels stand as stark, intelligent reflections on the cost of power in every form it takes.

The Great Silence

Trilogy.

The Great Silence consists of one book and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Grave Empire (The Great Silence #1)
Unrated
Steel Gods (The Great Silence #2)
⧗ 8.00 / 1
The Great Silence Book 3 (The Great Silence #3)
⧗ 8.00 / 1


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