/lit/ - Literature

>>22005062
i thought these books were fairly good
would have much better if the mc wasnt a woman

>>21599850
The Tyranny of Faith, Empire of the Wolf #2 - Richard Swan (2023)

In The Justice of Kings I was uncertain about the series having a single POV that was writing a memoir and wasn't the most important character, but in Tyranny of Faith this narrative style is used to great effect. It's similar to what George R.R. Martin does in Games of Thrones in that a less influential character's viewpoint is provided to show how the world sees an important character and how their relationship changes. This also provides for a more detached assessment of a supposed hero's actions, as it can be all too easy for a reader, let alone the characters, to just go along with whatever they do.

The story begins with the party's arrival in Sova, the city at the heart of the Sovan Empire, and with that everything changes. The previous book took place at the fringes of the Empire where its might held less sway. That allowed for a lot of personal agency, but being here strips all of that away to reveal obeisance to institutional authority. The Empire could described as a liberal autocracy in that it has free markets and doesn't discriminate among its citizens. There's also a long tradition of secular common law meant to be applied fairly to all. However, all of that only continues to exist at the pleasure of the Emperor. If civil rights are dictated by the whims of one, or only a few unelected individuals, how much can their continuance be counted upon? Much of the book is in contemplation of the relationship an individual has to their government and the interplay between its estates.

Unraveling the conspiracy that was discovered in the first book is of the utmost concern. There's also a murder mystery, an infiltration, multiple battles, purges, relationship drama, and the occasional horror scene. The action-oriented scenes were nice, though I enjoyed the contemplative ones more. What interested me the most was the questions that are brought up along the way and my consideration of them, especially in terms of contemporary similarities.

The characters are of a decidedly gray morality. There's a clear delineation between being lawful and what many would consider being good. Mostly they're just trying to survive through their trauma and obligations. The utmost priority is the continuation of Empire, despite their reservations about its methods. The Emperor's directives must be obeyed regardless. Many ethical compromises are required to preserve the status quo. How much ought a person sacrifice to ensure the victory of the lesser evil?

The first book set up the world, this one sets up the stakes, and third is assumedly the consequences. I'm quite interested to see what form that takes, specifically whether it's viewed at a distance, as is done with the viewpoint protagonist. The outcome has been already been known since the opening of the first book, so it's only a matter of how they get there. I hope that it's a path less taken.

Rating: 4/5