Martha Wells knows how to grab a reader by the throat right at the beginning. We meet Kai, the Witch King, in a moment of confusion. His body has been murdered and he has awakened in a tomb designed to keep him trapped. One friend is trapped with him, but not others.

Who betrayed him, and where are the other members of his family?

Kai is a demon prince, invited to inhabit the body of a dying human girl. The life above ground that he expects to lead is shattered by the conquest of the Hierarchs. The pieces of Kai’s story unfold, in the present and in the past. To Kai, it’s all one story. To some of the people he is dealing with, the past is disconnected from the present. Because history has been forgotten or obfuscated, people make poor choices.

I loved this. The world is gorgeous. I felt like I was watching the landscape flow by. I’m so bad at talking about emotions, but I did have some very big feelings while I read.

I loved this so much that I have struggled with how to review it without excitedly recapping the plot, or sounding like I’m writing a college paper on structure and theme. I loved Kai. I loved his found family and the new members he picked up along the way. By 45% in, I was also ready to take the world apart to find Tahren. I am definitely going to end up owning Witch King in every format available.

I don’t think everyone who loves The Murderbot Diaries is going to love Witch King. The world of Murderbot feels like a potential future for the world we live in now and SecUnit’s alienation, depression, and anxiety feel quite contemporary. As a character, Kai is more of a challenge. I don’t see a direct line between myself and him. That said, there are common themes, the most significant being – value those who respect your autonomy and be wary of those who treat others as tools, no matter how they treat you.

I don’t know if this is the beginning of a new series, or a stand alone. I think it would work either way. There are more stories to tell here, but Kai and family end the book in a good place.

CW: There is no graphic violence on page, but it is referenced and implied, genocide, grief, loss, murder, torture, war, betrayal, revenge.

I received this as an advance reader copy from tordotcom and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this novel by Martha Wells. Her characters are always a delight to follow, and her world-building is top-notch. I loved how the reader is dropped into the middle of, not one, but two different plotlines and expected to figure out what's going on. I found the past plotline a little more interesting, mostly because we know how it ends and I was curious as to how the characters achieve their goal. The present plotline was the more stressful one to read, as we are fumbling around just as much as Kai and his companions in trying to figure out the numerous conspiracies and plots that are swirling around.

I don't know if this is a standalone or the first novel set in this world, as the ending could go either way, but I thought it was a great way to end the story and reawaken parts of Kai's characterization from the past plotline.

What's the worst way to wake up?

Kai is having a really bad day. Mostly because he just realized he and his friend Ziede had been dead for a bit...and someone is coming to get their power from them. Just a great way to wake up.

Martha Wells hits us with some fantasy in "Witch King" (out May 30). Trust the process and dive right into the story. We are treated to a smart story and characters who are competent at what they do.

Thank you Netgalley, Tor, and Macmillan Audio for the ARCs!

Narrated by Eric Mok, the jocular to serious switch in tones just land.

Reasons to read:
-Competent protagonists
-A story that wants you to put things together, but will still give context later
-Banter between long time cohorts
-Multi-factioned conflict with a backstory we don't fully know
-Death as an inconvenience for some people but not others
-Kinda want to reread it with my current context to dig out more things I might have missed

Cons:
-It's going to be a little confusing but trust it

THE WITCH KING by Martha Wells is a well-written, engaging fantasy set in an evocative new world. I enjoyed this book, but I can't say that I loved it - after being swept away by Wells's MURDERBOT books, I found myself having a hard time connecting with Kai. I enjoyed the story, but I didn't find any of the characters particularly gripping or compelling.

After about a year trapped in an underwater prison, Kaiisteron, known as Kai to his friends and Witch King to his enemies, surfaces to find an overconfident enemy spellcaster (called an expositor) trying to enslave his mind and will. However, Kai is by no means defenseless. As a demon from the underearth, he has the power to drain life through touch, inhabit dead—and occasionally, living—bodies, and heal himself. Over his long life of more than fifty years, he’s also had training in two other magic disciplines: cantrips, commonly used by Witches, and intentions, commonly used by expositors. Kai quickly dispatches his enemies, saving a little girl and former slave named Sanja. Sanja trails along behind as he saves his best friend Ziede, who was entombed with him. The three embark on a quest to learn more about their captors, understand the changing political landscape of their world, and save Ziede’s wife, Tahren Starguard. Tahren is a former member of a group of powerful, cult-like magic users that call themselves Immortal Blessed, so her capture is mysterious and unnerving, implicating that some Immortal Blessed might be involved in the plot.

The story is told in two timelines, in which Kai's present-day quest is interspersed with scenes from an important historical event that occurred approximately 50 years previously: Kai’s defeat of a group of genocidal conquerors called the Hierarchs. The two timelines allow us to understand Kai’s past: his childhood among the nomadic Saredi, his traumatic capture and imprisonment by the Hierarchs, and his fight, led by the enigmatic nobleman Bashasa, to overthrow them. After overthrowing the Hierarchs and building a coalition/empire called the Rising World in its place, it’s implied that Bashasa and Kai became lovers. Unfortunately, Bashasa dies in between the timelines, so we readers don’t get to learn more about this queer relationship.

Summarized here, the plot and world of Wells’ Witch King seem simple enough to grasp. But—as is typical in the fantasy genre—the influx of new names, nations, and historical references feels almost nonstop. Of course, hand-holding readers when it comes to worldbuilding is a drawback. However, while some novels do a great job of thrusting readers headfirst into new worlds, crafting storylines and plots that turn unfamiliar terminologies into exciting mysteries, the readers’ lack of knowledge about the world and Rising World politics makes the story cumbersome rather than engaging. Wells describes a vivid world full of exciting mythical creatures and cultivates a real sense of culture: each region has its own fashion, architecture, and scenery. However, between navigating two timelines every other chapter, being served a low-stakes plot, and having to flip back pages to remind oneself, “what are Imperial Marshals again?,” only serves to drag the pacing of the book to a slog.

The overall lack of suspense in the novel is attributable largely to this inclusion of a two-timeline structure. The constant skips means that we are never afforded time to grow to love our cast of characters, including Kai and his found family. Given that the present day timeline also establishes the convenient resolution to the stakes in the past, it is hard to be invested in either plotline. The Hierarchs are established as the Big Bad, but we enter the novel in the present day with the understanding that Kai has already defeated them—negating any tension involving the Hierarchs that Wells crafts in the past timeline. Alongside the resolved tensions with the Hierarchs, an already-established Rising World, and coexistence between demons, witches, and Immortal Blessed, it feels as though the alternating present day timeline is set in, arguably, the least interesting time.

Kai is a typical fantasy book protagonist; though he doesn’t literally fulfill a prophecy, he attains every type of magical power, and with it, the ability to fight his way out of any situation through grit and self-sacrifice. Witch King uses a soft magic system (i.e. it doesn’t focus on the rules of its magic, instead opting to just describe its effects), which generally serves the storyline well, allowing for a lot of dramatic magical destruction and escapes. However, one aspect of the magic system disturbed us: in order to avoid drawing on the same source of power that the Hierarchs use for their intentions, Kai uses his own (often self-inflicted) pain as a source of power. In battle, combined with his magical healing, he’s nigh unbeatable—after all, if he needs more magic, he can just stab himself. It’s clear that this repeated self-harm is a problem, but it is a problem that is never really addressed. Wells simply frames it as a necessity and leaves it at that. Kai’s friends express sympathy and distress, but they merely stand by while he does it again and again.

Kai is straight out of a YA novel: in the present timeline, he’s a sensitive, dark-haired man who can’t stop hurting himself. Someone should really teach him to love himself and find other solutions to his problems that don’t involve self-harm, but nobody does. This is, at best, a wasted opportunity for character growth, and at worst, an endorsement of an uncomfortably capitalist and competitive mindset—the idea that punishing our bodies is the path to success.

We’ve mentioned previously that Kai has a queer love interest, Bashasa, in the past timeline, though we don’t get to see whether they actually get together. The present day timeline also features a love interest for Kai: Ramad, a Rising World diplomat (called a vanguarder) who resembles Bashasa (possibly a distant relative). Ramad, an amateur historian, is very curious about Kai’s past, and Kai does find that he is attracted to him. However, after almost fifteen chapters of small gestures and tension, their relationship doesn’t go any further. Meanwhile, Zeide’s relationship with her wife is sidelined throughout the book. In the past timeline, Zeide and Tahren go from being reluctant, wary allies to suddenly caring for each other in between chapters. There is very little transition or buildup, and certainly no scenes of intimacy. In the present-day timeline, Zeide’s reunion with her wife at the end of the book is offscreen. For those looking for explicitly romantic or sexual queer relationships, this is not the book for you. There are some heartwarming scenes with Kai and Bashasa, as they first meet and find a connection, and Zeide’s fierce love for her wife is clear throughout. However, neither relationship is explored further.

Martha Wells’s bestselling Murderbot series has been lauded for its aromantic and asexual representation, but coming off that series, she struggles to depict queer relationships that are romantic (and, presumably, sexual). The queer relationships in this novel are more repressed than celebrated; despite being openly gay or lesbian, her characters aren’t ever given an opportunity to show their feelings openly on the page. There is definitely a place in queer SFF for crushes and pining and weird awkward friendships that could be something more. There are also great books that depict the flip side of the coin, in which characters feel uncomfortable being openly gay because of systemic or social repression. These are also important parts of queer life. However, Martha Wells doesn’t successfully write either of those scenarios. It’s unclear whether either of Kai’s relationships could be something more, or even if they should be. Moreover, even if she did write a kind of rom-com story line, would an epic fantasy about mature, immortal adults be the right place for it? One advantage of the two timelines is that we get to see Kai grow from a lost, grieving teenager to a decisive and jaded adult. In the past timeline, he is unsure of his place in the Rising World alliance and yearning for Bashasa’s approval, but by the present-day timeline, he is easily able to think up complex plans on the spot and kill his enemies without hesitation. We don’t get nearly the same amount of character development for Zeide, but she certainly develops a fearsome reputation between timelines. It’s disappointing to see powerful, capable queer adults in such superficial relationships. In 2023, with a burgeoning market for queer literature and representation, we expected more.

4.5 stars

I loved the leads in this one and the unique world Wells created! I have to say, when I turned to the Dramatis Personae page at the beginning, I was a little worried about keeping all the names straight. I recommend skipping over it and starting the book, using it only as a reference as needed. I'm hoping there's a map when the book comes out. I would have found that very helpful, with all the traveling and references to different parts of the world.

I liked that the chapters switched back and forth between past and present. It worked well for this story, and it was neat to see the place descriptions change, depending on where in time the characters were. Normally, I get a little frustrated with this type of storytelling because inevitably I'm more interested in one of the two timelines. In this book, I cared equally about both, and it was a good way to establish Kai and Ziede's backstories.

This isn't marked on Goodreads as the start of a series, but I hope it is. I love the characters and the sense of humor that's always present no matter what genre Wells is writing in. Some of the traveling from point A to point B felt a little over-described, which is why I didn't rate this s solid 5.

This is a book about what happens after the revolution. When all of the actors have passed on, and all we have are the words written about them, who can know for sure what they would want their new world order to look like? Well, in the world of Witch King, the core group of revolutionaries is still around - immortal demon prince Kai, Blessed Tahren, and witch Ziede all have lifespans far longer than the average human. Even though these primary sources are still alive and kicking, the current leadership has its own ideas about what political system should be in control, and they're not listening to anyone - especially not Kai.

The book starts in the middle of the action, as Kai is resurrected from a death-like stasis. He and his allies have been out of commission for a while (they're not sure how long), so a lot of the novel takes place as they are trying to survive and to figure out just why exactly they were betrayed. The book is told in a dual timeline, and succeeds pretty well. Each flashback illuminates a little bit more of Kai's present motivations and choices. While the book follows a pretty traditional fantasy structure - Kai gathers a small troupe of loyal friends while they undertake a traveling quest - it rejects the traditional "Good vs. Evil" fantasy theme. Although it is slow-moving, the world building expands to fit, so the reader is never bored.

Full disclosure: yes, I came to Martha Wells via Murderbot. This is very different, but it was fun to read the SecUnit speech below some of the epic fantasy dialogue!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Martha Wells delivers her signature, unforgettable and impossibly lovable killer characters. It was such a pleasure to experience her writing in an epic fantasy setting, as opposed to the sci-Fi setting of Murderbot that was my introduction to her books. That said, I think my enjoyment of this reading suffered from the eARC format. I need the tangible book for this kind of fantasy, for easy reference to the character sheets and to be able to skip back to chapter beginnings to check timelines, if needed. And I did need to do both, several times. I’ll withhold my social reviews of the book until I can read the hard copy and see if my lack of investment in the plot was due to format or the book itself.

3.5 stars

I'm really torn on this one. I wanted to like it, and there's a lot in here that I like in a fantasy book. But something just didn't click with me, and I felt disconnected with the story and the characters.

The worldbuilding is really well done. However, the reader is thrust into this world and has to struggle to figure out exactly what is going on and how the world works and how the various magics work and how demons work and so on.

There are also two timelines. I didn't find it challenging to distinguish between the timelines, but it meant twice as much information to figure out for the setup of the world (who is allied with whom, who is conquering whom, etc.).

The characters are great. I enjoyed the various aspects of them. And I would consider Kai and his friends to be a found family. Yet, there was something flat about them and I just didn't connect with the characters.

All this said, I do think there's a lot of potential here, and I would consider reading the next book in the series to see if that connection gets made.

I absolutely adored this, but I couldn't help but have mixed feelings about it as soon as I finished.
Let me explain.

I read this because I'm a huge fan of The Murderbot Diaries, and also enjoyed of of the author's other fantasy novels. Writing wise I knew what I was in for, and the writing style is in line with her other works. Similarly, the characters are wonderful. I grew to adore the mismatched cast of unlikely allies, and Kai, the protagonist, in particular - who happens to have quite a few similarities to murderbot. Powerful? Loyal and protective of someone they'd never thought they would be? More behind the scenes acting and leaving the talking to someone else? Feared by many? Sounds familiar, and I'm certainly not complaining because it's done so well.

What however wasn't as well done was the worldbuilding. It's rich and interesting, but direly lacks exposition. I can appreciate that it's incredibly hard to convey the story and political situation and all its power players in an organic way, while also introducing a bunch of characters and plot. But I as the reader shouldn't still be confused who is who and what faction is what and what these names even mean well past 50% of the book.

By the time I fully began to understand the depth and richness of the world of Witch King, I had one chapter left to read.
And this is one of my biggest gripes with the book. It felt like a long introduction, and by the time things get rolling and I felt comfortable and immersed, it was already over. It felt like there was no pay-off.

The plot is divided into two time-lines: the present, where Kai and his friends try to figure out who imprisoned them, and go on a journey to find another missing friend; and the past, detailling Kai's early days and how he met the group that are later his friends, in front of a backdrop of fighting the overwhelming forces of the hierarchs, who brutally took over the world and destroyed it as it was.

I personally enjoyed the past-plotline more, as I enjoy seeing character dynamics develop from the very start rather than being thrown into an existing dynamic. That plotline also felt a bit more linear and easier to follow, at least after the first couple chapters.

Generally I'd say that the plot was... not the strongest point of the book. I liked it, I was engaged, but for a long time I couldn't really see its bigger picture. It felt sort of aimless, especially in front of the big backdrop of worldbuilding that was very intransparent.

Ultimately, for me the book lacked payoff. It was building and building, just to go nowhere. I was disappointed when the book ended because it felt like I had just gotten to know these characters, there was so much more to explore, the dynamics had only just started, but now its already over. It truly felt frustrating!

Right now the book is listed as standalone in the sources I could find, but I for one really hope there will be more books coming. I want to see more of Kai and Ziede and Tahren and Dahin, I want to see Bashasa lead the war against the Hierarchs, I want to see all the little side plotlines that were picked up and then not used at all. In the very beginning Kai and Ziede save an orphan girl, Sanja, and free an witch, Tenes, but the two are just kind of there for the rest of the book without any bigger roles or attentiont paid to them.

Overall I really want to rate this 5 stars based on how much I began to adore the characters. But based on the plot, pacing and (lack of proper) introduction of the worldbuilding, I feel like I have to reduct a star.

I'd heard a lot of good things about this book, and was excited to receive a copy from the publisher. It started off well, pulling us straight into an intriguing scene.

I enjoyed the first 20% or so, with the chapters about the past adding more depth to the story. But, although it was well written and the world building was solid, it slowed down and, for me, never really picked up again.

Many thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

As a fan of Martha Wells' Murderbot series, I was extremely eager to read her upcoming novel Witch King and was excited to receive an advanced e-copy of the book before it's release! I was definitely not disappointed and found myself hooked from the very beginning! We're introduced to Kai who has been murdered and placed in enclosure that keeps his consciousness trapped inside. His counterpart Ziede, has also been entombed close by. Once they escape they set out to find why they were placed there as well as what happened to the world while their consciousness' laid dormant. If you're a fan of found family and impressive character/world building this book is for you! I will be honest and say that this book was a bit long and some parts stretched on longer than I would've liked. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters!

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.


You‘d have thought I’d love this book given the author, genre, queer norm world with a character driven story, but I didn’t. I technically DNFd this book with only 40 pages to go.


The positives
Most of this book happens around some body of water. There's ocean crossings, river travel, flooded buildings, and even diving for treasure. YAY! I love water. That was great, awesome.

The world is queer norm, The MCs bestie is in a sapphic marriage. No one bats an eye when the MC is possessing a female body and uses he/him pronouns (he also uses male bodies throughout the book).

The bad
I feel like I was dropped into the middle of a sequel. I struggled to follow along and had no idea where they were half the time. It’s told via two timelines, so some relationships are new in one timeline and established in others. Sometimes I’d forget which time line we were in and wonder why characters were acting certain ways. I dissociated so much while reading this book that once I got towards the end I had to stop reading with 40 pages to go. I didn’t care how it ended and doubt I ever will.

I tried, I really tried to like this book, but its just not for me.

Witch King has two timelines: in the present, the infamous demon Witch King Kai wakes from an aspiration attempt to find himself and his closest friends trapped and in mortal danger. In the past, we begin to see what brought them to this point.

I usually love dual timeline books, but this one just didn't work for me. I never felt connected enough to either timeline to care a lot about what was happening, and I found myself struggling to differentiate between the two.

This is one of those fantasy books that drops you into the world with no explanation. It begins with a long cast of characters and then throws you right into the world and expects you to either figure it out or be happy being confused. I did neither.

From what I read, the characters were well-rounded and each had their own motivations. There was some entertaining banter and it's clear that these characters have a long history together.

While this book wasn't for me, if you love to be confused while reading or you like complicated worlds that don't get explained quickly (think Gideon the Ninth & The Fifth Season) you might really enjoy this book.

I loved this book. It’s the type of story that really does dump you in the deep end from the get go but it leaves a wonderful trail of breadcrumbs and tidbits for you to build the world in your mind as you go, alongside some really fun characters.

Kai was a wonderful protagonist. He’s dark and ruthless but I couldn’t help but love him. I love the way that the relationships are written and I could really feel the connection between him, Ziede, Tahren and the rest of the crew. The found family feeling was strong and the camaraderie was wonderful.

The magic system and world building are slowly unravelled as you go and I found it all really fascinating. The world building can be a bit complicated but I never found it too hard to follow. The history is given a lot of time, which makes sense given the age of Kai and co. The concept of demons inhabiting the bodies of humans and the heart pearls (I think that’s what they are called…) were a lot of fun to read about.

The story is told both in the present and with flashbacks throughout telling you more about who these characters are and where they came from. I loved the two intertwining narratives. The author did a great job of keeping you invested in both and I found myself itching to get back to the other story when it switched as I really wanted to see what would happen.

Very different to Murderbot but you can see the same skill and care with the writing. There are moments where the humour is similar and those really made me smile. Other than that this story is very, very different to Murderbot, and it would be a shame for readers to compare the two too closely as it’s like comparing apples and eggs. This book is a great example of everything I love in fantasy and I really enjoyed it.

My only negatives would be wanting a bit more time given to certain specific relationships and characters but it’s nothing that took away from my overall enjoyment.

4.5 stars.

Witch King
By Martha Wells

Wells is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. And this hasn’t changed my mind. She has an amazing way of really pulling you into her world. And even if you only glimpse a bit of it through the characters, you can tell it’s part of a rich universe.

Our main characters were really interesting to follow. And I loved learning about the magic system(s) involved as we went along. I will admit to being confused a few times but I think that may have been since I started it, got distracted, and then picked it back up again.

This doesn’t pull me in quite so thoroughly as Raksura does, but I’m very much invested in this new world already!

Thanks to @netgalley and @tordotcompub for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book read like a sequel, where you already know what the world and its inhabitants look like. The first 20% I kept turning back, because I thought I had missed something. Then I just went with it, still thinking I needed more information. It took way past the middle of the book until the magic system was "explained".And although the dual timeline gives some background it was not enough to make up for the missing world-building.

I missed the connection to the characters that the Murderbot Diaries gave me.

Martha Wells has the uncanny knack of developing worlds that are so different from our own, but yet seem similar enough that we can fall in love with this new world and the characters that inhabit them in just a few pages. With Witch King you hit the ground running and don’t stop until the end. There was so much to love about this book, but I did have one tiny little issue.

I loved the characters, all of them. This is nice little band that comes together to help Kai solve the mystery of why he was killed and who was behind it. Kai especially won over my heart quite quickly from the start of the story. He just has a manner about him, that makes you trust and like him immediately. I also really liked Ziede, his witch friend, who always has his back, just like he always has hers. Even though the story is told from Kai’s point of view, I really felt that we got to know the other characters quite well.

The magical system was fascinating and well thought out. The best thing about Well’s writing style is that she shows you how it works rather than tells you. There is no info dumping here. It might make things confusing at first, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.

The world building was marvelous. This world does sound very similar to ours with all of the political shenanigans and constant fighting between nations. But there are a lot of differences as well. You learn about this world’s different cultures through the people who belong to them which is wonderful. The writing is also superbly done with the pacing being mostly fast paced, there was a slow section in the middle, and does a great job of exploring the themes of betrayal, loyalty, friendship and grief.

My one small issue, and I think this is entirely on me, was the dual timeline. I usually don’t mind them, but this time it felt a bit cumbersome and at times confusing. But I think I might be in the minority here, like I said it was just a me thing this time.

This is a standalone, but there is certainly room for this world to be expanded upon. There were a few unanswered questions at the end of the book that makes me hopeful that the story will continue at some point.

Witch King is a classically structured fantasy with an interesting and well developed set of characters. As with most of Well’s work, the characters are the reason to show up and enjoy. Well’s not only provides us with characters that are LGBTQ+, but she writes them as the complex, powerful and flawed characters that aren’t always experienced in fantasy. These characters range in age and ideologies, and are allowed to grow or fail like real people.

The story revolves around a journey to discover a missing past, and reveals itself as is. Its a perfectly solid fantasy story, but does not really carve new territory or build exciting new worlds. The main character is even named Kai… I’m not sure where I missed the memo, but this is at least the 3rd or 4th fantasy I’ve read lately with a Kai in it…

I am a huge fan of Well’s Murderbot Diaries, but I’m new to her fantasy work. Maybe it is because this is written in the 3rd person while Murderbot is in the first person, but this novel just wasn’t quite as engaging as her Sci-Fi. Don’t get me wrong, this is a solid fantasy offering, but if you are hoping for the campy, funny and engaging inner dialog of Murderbot, that isn’t here. So Murderbot-heads need to temper their expectations to a more traditionally structured fantasy.

I had really high hopes for Witch King because I have enjoyed Martha Wells's other books. This was extremely well written and has a really cool magic system and excellent world-building. My problem with it was that it felt like this was book two in a series and I was missing some key information the entire time I was reading. I wish that it had been a bit more linear.