A complex, high-fantasy that asks a lot of the reader.

I loved Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, and was so excited that the first two chapters of Witch King were available through Kindle as a sneak peek. Those two chapters were fascinating. We were introduced to Kai, a demon, who is trapped in an abandoned fortress with no memory of how he got there or where he is. The rest of the book feels like a bait and switch from the character exploration and character building of the first two chapters to the sprawling political epic with a nonlinear timeline.

The book opens with a long character sheet, but that doesn't work well for audiobook listeners because I couldn't flip easily back and forth between the character sheet and my part in the chapter. I was constantly guessing which character was which, especially since the names are difficult to remember. Because of this I found the story a challenge to follow, and to connect emotionally to characters.

I like soft worldbuilding, where the author doesn't spoon-feed the reader about how and why the magic or political systems work; but here I would have benefited with a little more information. Because of the complexity of the world building and the numerous characters, the reader needs to be paying close attention. I got to 50 percent, and realized this book just wasn’t for me.

However, I am obsessed with the narrator Eric Mok. I think a big reason I stayed with the book so long was his amazing narration skills. I wished the book was written in first person from Kai's POV because his voice is exactly what I would assume Kai's voice was. I hope to hear him in many other recordings soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook.

I ADORE the premise of this book. We open to foolhardy adventurers accidentally awakening the ancient, all-powerful Dark Lord -- the Witch King, from his tomb where he has been imprisoned. Our narrator is that Witch King. We get to follow his grumpy awakening, and and quest for the world that violently threw him out.

The disappointing thing is that none of that really turns out to be true. He is not the king of the witches, as they have no real hierarchy. He has never been the Dark Lord. He's not some Ancient Evil; he's only been imprisoned a year, and all of his friends are still active in politics. He isn't even, it turns out, Evil at all. The only true part of that premise (disappointingly) is all-powerful. He is very over-powered, to the point where he has a magic spell to solve every problem they come across.

I did enjoy our protagonist. He's bitter and fiercely loyal to his friends, and you bet I was cheering every time he vanquished an enemy. Getting his past in flashback chapters was also a delight.

This book is fine. But it fails to have an interesting plot -- most of the storyline is just traveling and side quests. It also fails to have well-realized side characters (mostly because there are so many that they kind of drown each other out). The book tries to get us to care about the politics of the kingdom, but fails to explain those politics enough.

The audiobook is well-performed. Sometimes, I struggled to understand the thick British accent combined with the new fantasy words, but that's more of a Me problem.

A video review will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Tordotcom for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

As of recently, new fan of Martha Wells, murder bought series, I was excited to try this new fantasy Witch King.

As far as fantasies go, wells creates a very developed world, full of witches, demons, and other entities in their own hierarchy. This was a very politically minded story and world.

With so many moving parts, and characters, I did find for myself, who is not a regular fantasy reader, the story, a little difficult to follow. I only listen to the audio, so I wonder if I was actually reading a paper version if I might’ve had more attachment to the character names, and their hierarchy within the story.

That said, I did really enjoy listening to this book. Did I understand what was happening the whole time? No. Was narrator Eric Moc easy to listen to, and provided a comfortable sound story to get lost in? Yes.

His narrating style was very comfortable, and really carried the emotion of the story. As a non-fantasy reader, the narration was so enjoyable to listen to that it did help me keep on with the story and continue to the end.

Overall, this was a very well done audiobook and created a very good listening experience. I think fans of the fantasy genre. Will get a lot out of this book and enjoy Martha Wells return to pure fantasy.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for my advance listening copy.

#WitchKing #MarthaWells

I’m a big fan of Wells’ Murderbot Diaries and Books of the Raksura series so I was really eager to read Witch King. I hate to say it but I didn’t enjoy this one. This is a fairly standard anti-imperial power story with various magic using factions.

The book opens with a long character sheet. Normally I skip over those since they’re meaningless without context and you can often pick up the same information organically in the story. That wasn’t the case with this one, the story assumes you have that information and since I was listening to the audiobook, it wasn’t practical to jump between the character sheet and and my spot in the story. The narrative also follows a nonlinear timeline that I think starts jumping back and forth too early. Some of the initial flashbacks show very emotionally charged scenes in Kai’s life but since we barely know him as a character when they start it lacks any emotional punch for the reader.

The book began strong and the first chapter was engaging but I quickly lost the thread (and interest) as characters and magic systems were rapidly introduced and I was left floundering without easy access to the character sheet. For that reason I’d only suggest reading this, it doesn’t work well in audiobook form without the character sheet on hand. I never became absorbed in the story or reacted emotionally to the characters so I wasn’t invested in what was happening.

(Review has already been posted on Goodreads)

I think this book is definitely better enjoyed in text versus audiobook just because the jumps back and forth in timelines became a bit confusing and unclear. Overall the magic system is neat and the concept of body jumping is super cool. I think the book is a little long for what it is but overall is enjoyable.

If you love an epic fantasy that is heavy on the world-building and filled with fully-developed, complex characters, this is absolutely a read for you! I feel like this story accomplished in 400 pages what a lot of other similar fantasies do in 800+ pages. It's full of action, and I loved the characters. The world-building is pretty complex, and I wouldn't recommend this book for someone who's a beginner to fantasy because even as a person who loves fantasy I was confused at times, but I do think this was a fun read and totally worth it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

While I loved the fantasy aspect of this book. The actual writing came off as a text book.

I didn’t emotionally connect to any of the characters. The characters themselves are hard to keep up with as there are so many names and people to keep up with, it can be confusing. Unlike other books I’ve read, where characters pop up naturally and are easy to remember. This one felt unnatural and almost like a history lesson.

The timeline is also confusing. The reader switches back and forth from current to past without much explanation in between.

This isn’t a book to pick up and casually read, it is a book where the reader almost needs to take notes to keep up, not get distracted, and refer to the glossary of names included in the front on a consistent basis. I, unfortunately, do not have the patience to finish this book. I got to 50 percent, and realized this book just wasn’t for me.

I did get a copy from Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity.

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 really enjoyed this audiobook. I'm a fan of sci fi romance and while this isn't romance, I had heard this author was really good, so I had to try her. I will definitely check out more of her books. I will admit I had a hard time remember each side character. There was just a lot to learn in this book and I think I need to listen to it again to see what I missed, but that won't be a hardship. I felt like Kai, the main character was such an interesting character. There was so much he could do and I loved learning all about him. I also really enjoyed the narrator. His accent was very easy to listen too and he did a great job of bringing this story to life. I'm sure I will come back to this audiobook for re-listen often.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook. At this time my review will not be as comprehensive as I normally like to give. There are several compelling aspects of this book that I am still extremely excited about seeing in a print copy.

This type of story is one that often has a disconnect from its potential impact on readers when taken into audiobook form. The level of attention needed for compartmentalizing names and places and the world building is extremely difficult to only listen to. I have no doubt that should I give a review on how I felt about the audiobook it would not match how I felt about the book itself. I do not wish to disparage this work without giving it the chance of being read. I won’t be posting this to Goodreads but I fully plan to update my review and post once I can read actually read it.

As a huge fan of Martha Wells from well before her Murderbot sensation, I was excited to see her debuting a new fantasy series (although Murderbot has a hold on at least 78.8% of my heart). This is undoubtedly a Wells fantasy; it blends found friendships, magic, and a reluctant quest along with multiple unique locations. Her worldbuilding is, as always, delightful. Fans of Murderbot will miss the quippy, sarcastic voice of those works. The Witch King is far more reminiscent of her Raksura novels than of the Ile-Rien stories; although there is Well's distinctive wry humour, it is not at the forefront of the book. Readers are dropped immediately into the story, and information is provided as we go; though there is a lot of background needed it doesn't feel too burdensome or heavy, and still lets the story and characters breathe.

I really loved the writing style, plot and the characters of this book. However, I received an ARC of the audiobook, which is my literal only problem with the book that made me incapable of finishing it. Although the narration was still good, the audiobook did not clarify when the book switched between different timelines, or even that it did that at all. I tend to get a bit confused with audiobooks in general as well.
I am more than likely going to update this review in a few weeks when I end up receiving my physical copy of the book, which I will most likely understand much more, and which will probably end up being one of my favorite books of this year, if not an overall favorite, because I really do love practically everything about it that I can understand, the problem (which is partially on me) is that I can’t really understand it in full due to the formatting.

Witch King by Martha Wells book review.
⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review.

I love Martha Wells and this was not a great time to find out that I dont like epic/high fantasy.
I like our MC, Kai, and his magick abilities are unique. He starts the story entombed in water, breaks free, and sets out to find out who did it and why. He is very good at killing, and he can inhabit different mortal bodies, he can drain lifeforce.

But the plot, political intrigue, betrayal was all boring to me.

The audiobook narrator, Eric Mok, did a fantastical job!

If you like epic/high fantasy you will probably love this one more than I did.

Genre: Fantasy

Kai, Witch King and Fourth Prince of the demons, wakes up in someone else’s body. This isn’t exactly uncommon - demons can transfer to another body when the old one they inhabit dies. He’s been trapped in this new body, a body far too young for death, by a mage trying to seize his power. But Kai hasn’t lived for generations without knowing how to master his own power, drawn from reserves of his own pain. The Witch King seesaws between present and past, as Kai unravels political threats and fights against the injustice imposed by the Rising World Coalition.

Witch King is my very favorite kind of worldbuilding, where you find yourself in the middle of the story, and the middle of a character’s psyche, and yet nothing feels underdeveloped because as the storyline progresses, the relevant parts of the fantasy world are revealed. You don’t find out everything you need to know about demons all at once, but Wells reveals the information we need when we need it. This style of worldbuilding isn’t for everyone, but for those of us who grew up with the winding epics of the 90s and 00s, Wells’s writing feels like a homecoming. Just in a 400-page package with gender inclusive themes, rather than an 800-page meandering story from a colonial or male perspective.

For those who came to Martha Wells via Murderbot, this will have an entirely different flavor, which clearly demonstrates Wells’s versatility as a writer. Kai and his companion Ziede are a vibrant pair on page, bickering and adventuring… but in a very different manner from Murderbot and ART. While the past versus present timelines in Witch King can be difficult to follow, it allows us to see aspects from Kai’s past that contribute directly to his current situation. Some books have a past timeline that feels stagnant compared to the present action, but these blend smoothly, with character and plot progression happening simultaneously in both.

If you are looking for a quick hit of snark (like Murderbot), this isn’t it. It’s a meaty and compelling fantasy world that we are only getting a narrow glimpse of, and it leaves us wanting more.

Thank you to Tordotcom and MacMillan Audio for an eARC and ALC for review - it was a perfect multiformat experience for me. Witch King is out 5/30/23.

I'm very torn on this book. The story is good. Not VERY good but engaging and interesting, the world is interesting and makes me think. But. There was no point where I really lost myself in it at all.

I don't LOVE the MC, I think he is a good MC, on paper (as it were) I think the other characters are too. But overall, it just never really gelled for me. I kept stopping, and thinking how much I WANTED to love this book (I absolutely adored the authors Murderbot books) and I think it was mostly loyalty to the author and curiosity about what timeline I was even on and hope I'd figure out the overall lay of the land that kept me going.

Again, the story is GOOD.... BUT... I think there are two things keeping this book from being great. One, there's no humor, and in a book like this a little goes a long way. Two, the way the timeline is laid out is confusing. I am still not exactly sure what happened. At the beginning, I thought we were having flashbacks hundreds of years but it seems like it was maybe just everything leading up to where the book started which I usually love as a mechanic, but somehow it just wasn't clear to me until the end and even then I'm still only about 85% sure I'm right about it.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator is absolutely lovely. I would listen to him again any time, I think he was perfectly chosen for this role, even though I did not gel with the character, if he had been more likable I think this narrator absolutely would have done him justice. He did an excellent job.

Overall, I think this book will stick with me a bit because of the magic system which was clever and interesting, and that's about it. I wanted to LOVE this book. I REALLY REALLY did, I have been anticipating this book for a while and I think what I'm most sad about is how ultimately, I didn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book.

I will be completely honest: I was totally intrigued and totally confused in the beginning of this book. I would like to think that I have plenty of experience in the fantasy/science fiction genre, but this was hard to swim through the world. But saying that, I appreciated that the author did not hold your hand. It made the uncovering of both the world and the characters' pasts made it that much more satisfying. The beginning has a long of world and character building, but man, when things got rolling, they didn't stop! Highly recommend (just don't expect Murder Bot...)

This was everything I wanted. I fell in love with Martha Wells while reading her MurderBot diaries series. This book was just as amazing (if not better). She always has a way of writing her characters that makes them feel so real. I was invested in these characters and their journey from page one. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and I cannot wait to be able to snag a physical copy for myself

WOW. Martha Wells knocked this out of the park!! Such an incredible world and magic system. Overall just a joy to read, I have to say I’m actually really sad to see it end!

I was so impressed by the storytelling in this book. Usually a fantasy this intricate is a much denser read, but I flew through this much faster than I was expecting to. I’ve never read any Martha Wells before (despite knowing that the murderbot series is supposed to be immaculate.) Let me tell you that I will be rectifying that ASAP. The world building is gorgeous and the plot gripping. More than anything though I really got attached to the characters and their makeshift family. I’d love to see more in this world!

Audio - 4/5

The names are a LOT to grasp right away.
That’s certainly not a point against the audio in any way, just a warning if you’re like me and can have a hard time mixing up names. Actually, I’d like to give the narrator props for consistent pronunciation and relatively smooth integration of a fair amount of unique language.
This in my opinion was certainly not an easy listen but definitely an enjoyable one!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a free ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was disappointing for me. I loved Murderbot, so I stuck it out and finished it, but I wish I had DNFed it. It's not that this book is BAD; it's just that I felt myself not caring about anything that was happening or any of the characters. The only character I felt I "knew" or had any emotional investment in was Kai. I appreciated the nonbinary worldbuilding and having a gay MC and some worldbuilding elements, like the whale. But again, I felt very disconnected from the story.

The first thing that was a problem for me was the extremely long list of characters given to us before the story even begins. I feel that this is lazy. I don't want to have to memorize tons of characters before I even read a story in order to know what's going on. Because of this list, I felt that characters were not introduced well in the actual story. It's the writer's job to integrate character introductions into the story; giving the readers homework to do was a poor choice in my opinion. Because of this, I felt like I was in the dark for a lot of the story and I had a hard time concentrating and understanding what was happening in the plot.

Again, this book isn't BAD - It's a creative fantasy. It just wasn't well executed.

Very excited to see how this series progresses!
4⭐️!
Super interesting premise & very much high fantasy. The first book in a high fantasy series is always a slower read for me because of the info dumping. But once I got immersed in the world building the story really picked up! My reading experience was reminiscent of The Goblin Emperor (which I absolutely love!) and I already can’t wait for the next book!

*Eric Mok did a fantastic job narrating and bringing the story to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.