The House of Sacrifice

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By Anna Smith Spark

Publisher Description

A powerhouse grimdark fantasy of bloodshed, ambition, and fate, The House of Sacrifice is the thunderous conclusion to Anna Smith Spark's Empires of Dust trilogy, which began with The Court of Broken Knives.

Marith Altrersyr has won. He cut a path of blood and vengeance and needless violence around the world and now he rules. It is time for Marith to put down his sword, to send home his armies, to grow a beard and become fat. It is time to look to his own house, and to produce an heir. The King of Death must now learn to live.

But some things cannot be learnt.

The spoils of war turn to ash in the mouths of the Amrath Army and soon they are on the move again. But Marith, lord of lies, dragon-killer, father-killer, has begun to falter and his mind decays. How long can a warlord rotting from within continue to win?

As the Army marches on to Sorlost, Thalia's thoughts turn to home and to the future: a life grows inside her and it is a precious thing - but it grows weak.

Why must the sins of the father curse the child?

Empires of Dust

The Court of Broken Knives

The Tower of Living and Dying

The House of Sacrifice

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22 Reviews

3.5

RohtheReader

Created 4 months ago

“This one is hard to put in words. Was a 5⭐️, but then the ending almost dropped it to 1⭐️, but in the end the writing and story is still a good book. The villain you don't want to see die, know he has to die, then he dies in such a pathetic way that it makes you almost regret all 1,600 pages you read. Just can't, it plot wise makes sense as the story comes full circle, but it's just a loss of words. Best i can say would be if lord of the rings was written as it was, but the ending changed with Frodo and Gollum walking hand in hand and toss the ring in as friends. All that build up to how massive the ending is to, ah F* it, the ring gets tossed in, hope you enjoyed the story. I'm still after a day honestly without words how a story can tie up all loose ends, yet just let you down. His fake death at the 50% mark had more impact. Beautifully written, yet oh lord I don't know.”

Change and grow Multilayered Action-packed Unsatisfying conclusion Dark Beautifully-written Original

Jay

Created 4 months ago

“The *Empire of Dust* trilogy by Anna Smith Spark (comprising *The Court of Broken Knives*, *The Tower of Living and Dying*, and *The House of Sacrifice*) is a brutal, poetic, and gut-wrenching masterpiece in grimdark fantasy. It’s a story that blends profound beauty with horrific destruction, delving into the darkest aspects of ambition, love, and the cost of power. Marith and Thalia, two of its central characters, embody the devastating intersection of humanity and monstrosity, driving the trilogy’s descent into chaos akin to a hallucinatory warzone that spirals out of conMarith Altrersyr is the epitome of a tragic antihero, a would-be king plagued by ancestral curses, nihilistic despair, and an insatiable hunger for conquest. His character evolves—or devolves—through the series as he begins as a haunted mercenary with royal blood and grows into a tyrant both worshipped and feared. Marith’s madness is palpable, painted with vivid, almost hallucinogenic prose that captures his increasing disconnection from reality. His rise feels inevitable, as if destiny itself wills him toward an apocalypse of his own making. Marith is like a war god on PCP, his ambition an uncontrollable force that sweeps everything in its path. The battlefield scenes where he leads his armies are grotesque symphonies of violence, reflecting his internal state. Yet, what makes Marith compelling is his human fragility—his desire for love, his need for Thalia, and his deep self-loathing. The series builds the expectation that he might redeem himself, only to crush that hope under the weight of his growing atrocities. Thalia: Priestess Turned Queen Thalia is a striking counterpoint to Marith. A high priestess of the death god Anrath, she is bound by duty and sacred rituals, yet her life changes irrevocably when she meets Marith. At first, she is drawn to him by a mix of pity, fascination, and love. However, her own choices and complicity in Marith’s path make her a tragic figure. She transitions from a woman of faith and principle into a queen who embraces the horrors of power for the sake of love. Thalia's arc is a slow erosion of self, as she mirrors Marith’s descent in quieter, more intimate ways. The build-up of her transformation highlights the push and pull between expectation—her role as a priestess of peace—and the reality of her participation in a war-driven empire. Her relationship with Marith is the beating, broken heart of the trilogy, filled with moments of tenderness that are overshadowed by the inevitable destruction they bring to themselves and the world. ### The Insanity of a War-Driven World The trilogy’s atmosphere is akin to a fever dream, where each chapter feels like stepping deeper into a surreal nightmare. Smith Spark’s prose is jagged and lyrical, evoking both beauty and terror. The wars Marith wages grow increasingly unhinged, like escalating stages of a drug trip where reality frays, and the violence becomes incomprehensibly vast. Comparisons to World War III feel apt—not in scale alone but in the sheer absurdity of its devastation. Kingdoms fall, cities burn, and the blood never dries, all described in poetic detail that makes the horror almost sublime. What stands out is the trilogy’s commitment to showing the cost of these events, not just on the landscape but on its characters. Every victory is hollow, every ambition poisoned by its fulfillment. Even minor characters are drawn with care, their expectations of loyalty, honor, or survival often crushed under the weight of reality. Some shine briefly as sparks of resistance against Marith’s insanity, but none are immune to the overwhelming tide of ruin he brings. Expectation vs. Reality One of the trilogy’s most powerful themes is the dissonance between what characters seek and what they achieve. Marith wants peace through power but brings only chaos. Thalia desires love but loses herself in the process. The great generals and rulers who oppose Marith believe in their cause, yet their ideals crumble under the grimdark truth that power is inherently destructive. This tension creates a series that defies traditional fantasy tropes—there are no heroes, only survivors, and even survival feels like a curse. The *Empire of Dust* trilogy is not for the faint-hearted. Its characters are deeply flawed, its world steeped in blood, and its prose unapologetically raw. Yet, for readers who can stomach its relentless descent into madness, it offers a uniquely visceral experience. It’s a story of ambition gone horribly wrong, where beauty and horror are inseparable, and the cost of power is everything.”

Toomuchcoffy

Created 7 months ago

Legacysiren

Created 8 months ago

Marie Wallace

Created 8 months ago

About Anna Smith Spark

Anna Smith Spark lives in London, UK. She loves grimdark and epic fantasy and historical military fiction. Anna has a BA in Classics, an MA in history and a PhD in English Literature. She has previously been published in the Fortean Times and the poetry website www.greatworks.org.