Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Those Above | 2015 | Daniel Polansky | Buy |
| 2 | Those Below | 2016 | Daniel Polansky | Buy |
The Empty Throne is Daniel Polansky’s entry into large-scale epic fantasy, a departure from the street-level crime fiction of his Low Town books. The duology is set in a world where a long-dominant elder race rules from above, literally living in a city in the sky, while humans toil in the lower territories below. The first book, Those Above, introduces several point-of-view characters caught up in the growing tensions between species.
Those Below picks up the threads and drives them toward a full-scale conflict. Polansky handles multiple perspectives across different social classes, from aristocrats to soldiers to revolutionaries. Readers who enjoy the political maneuvering of Joe Abercrombie or the world-building of Brian McClellan will find a lot to like here.