Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Císařovy čepele | 2014 | Brian Staveley | N/A |
| 2 | The Emperor’s Blades | 2014 | Brian Staveley | Buy |
| 3 | The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan | 2015 | Brian Staveley | N/A |
| 4 | The Providence of Fire | 2015 | Brian Staveley | Buy |
| 5 | The Last Mortal Bond | 2016 | Brian Staveley | Buy |
| 6 | Thron der Götter | 2016 | Brian Staveley | N/A |
| 7 | Skullsworn | 2017 | Brian Staveley | Buy |
| 8 | The Empire’s Ruin | 2021 | Brian Staveley | N/A |
The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne begins with an assassination and splits into three storylines. Brian Staveley gives each of the emperor’s children a distinct path: Kaden trains in a remote monastery seeking enlightenment, Valyn fights to survive among elite soldiers, and Adare navigates courtly politics as the empire fractures. The structure lets Staveley explore very different flavors of fantasy — contemplative, martial, and political — within a single story.
The series grew beyond its original trilogy to include The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan (a novella), Skullsworn (a standalone novel focused on an assassin), and translated editions. The eight entries create a richly detailed world where gods are real and dangerous, and the price of power is measured in human lives.