Review: The Tyranny of Faith

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richard Swan’s The Tyranny of Faith begins right on the heels of the first Empire of the Wolf book, and I found myself drawn back into this world where the law is always brushing up against magic, with the two never quite settling comfortably together. We follow a magistrate summoned to Sova, the imperial capital, just as everything is turning precarious; pressure is mounting, and the cracks in old power are starting to widen. There are so many conspiracies and shifting alliances that it feels like the ground is always moving underfoot. The tension stays taut most of the way, even if the political manoeuvring sometimes pulls the pace back a touch.

There is a heaviness to the setting, a sense that the city itself is weighed down by its own secrets. Walking these halls, I could almost feel the past pressing in, every decision feeling brittle under the weight of what has come before. Swan’s descriptions make it clear the empire is more fragile than anyone wants to admit.

In terms of grimdark fantasy, this story gets it right. Swan leans into courtroom scenes and brings in the supernatural, exploring what happens when faith begins to take precedence over reason. It is not a sweeping adventure in the usual sense; instead, we have sharp questions about justice and power, all muddied by religious fervour. The story keeps circling around whether faith binds people together or only serves to drive them apart. There is a real tension between personal loyalty and the demands of institutions, and I could not help thinking of how close this can feel to what we see in our own world.

The characters are growing as well. The narrator’s voice feels even more assured, their journey well earned. Vonvalt stands out in particular; he has authority, but Swan lets us see where he is vulnerable too. What gives this book its own flavour, though, is the way necromancy threads through everything. It is more than just another bit of magic; it opens questions about truth and mortality that linger beneath the surface.

I appreciated the balance between action and quieter moments. When the story shifted to a siege, after so much wandering in the first book, it caught me off guard a little. Still, it worked, and I found myself thinking about how dangerous unquestioning belief can be, and how empires so often rot from within rather than being toppled from outside.

For those who enjoyed the intricate plotting of The Poppy War or Mistborn: The Final Empire, there is plenty here to savour. The story is layered, the morality is full of shades of grey, and there is much to consider about the nature of power and corruption. It can feel heavy at times, and perhaps not the book to pick up for a light diversion, but for me it only left me eager to see where Swan takes us next.

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