richard swan – She Happily Reads

In today’s episode, I’m finally talking about one of my most anticipated new releases of 2023–and that is The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan! The Tyranny of Faith is the sequel to 2022’s The Justice of Kings, and it picks up right after the explosive events that occurred at the end of the first book. Sir Vonvalt, Helena, Bressinger, and Sir Radomir all head to the capital city of Sova to get to the bottom of the unrest and treason happening in the city. But before they can really sink their teeth into this endeavor, the emperor’s grandson goes missing, and Vonvalt and his retainers are charged with the task of finding him. Between trying to locate the missing prince, stopping Claver before he gets more powerful, and trying to cure Vonvalt of the mysterious illness that has befallen him, it’s a race against the clock to save the empire. If you love fantasy, and you loved the first book, then you do not want to miss this episode!

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In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, they were still willing to believe that because the Empire was geographically vast, and had armies and a complex bureaucracy and a religion and all the other great institutions that came with it, it would simply…endure. That it was an entity greater than the sum of its parts, rather than a huge collective delusion that required constant maintenance at gigantic expense of treasure and blood.”
–The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

When we think of justice, we often think of balance, of heavy scales finding themselves leveled by the addition or subtraction of weights. But justice is not a concrete, black or white concept. The definition of justice can change based on who is doling it out; for some, a life for a life constitutes as justice, while others think imprisonment is justice enough. Who’s wrong? Who’s right? Well, it all depends on who is in power. And therefore, justice is really more about power than right or wrong, than concrete definitions of fairness. Who holds the power holds justice in the palm of their hands, to do with as they will, and that’s the truth of the matter.

The Justice of Kings, the first novel in a new fantasy series, explores this theme–and does it well, might I add. Although I have some critiques, I’m hopeful that this novel could be the first building block in an explosive series that makes me think a little deeper around the world around me, and the power–and justice–that encapsulates it.

Listen to the latest episode here:

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