I was first introduced to Martha Wells through the reviews of Emmalita – it still took me too long to get there, but once I started the series, I read each book in very quick succession. So, when I was travelling for work and ran out of book, I was so pleased to see Wells’ Witch King at my favourite bookstore. It was on sale! Hardcover! Reasonably sized for carry on!
Our protagonist is Kaiiesteron, known as Kai, a demon whose spirit/soul lives in the dying bodies of people on the surface of the world, with his original body left behind in the underneath. Kai is a powerful magic wielder, as are many of the other characters – Ziede is a witch, her wife Tahren is a Immortal Blessed, etc. Different groups draw on different sources of power and use magic differently, and there is a generally deep division between those who crave power and those who choose compassion and connection. The story alternates between the present and past events, separated by about sixty years. The story begins with Kai waking up trapped and uncertain about what has happened; his primary instinct is to find his loved ones and to always protect the expanding group of people who fall under his care. As is to be expected, politics and betrayal are ever present and Kai spends much of his life learning to navigate those treacherous waters.
Published in 2023, The Witch King is a short-ish fantasy novel. Like other of Wells’ novels, she doesn’t spend much time introducing you to the characters or the setting, expecting the reader to just pick things up quickly along the way. I generally enjoy this, but I do I wish we had known more about the supporting characters – they all felt a little slight but also very interesting. Like with Murderbot, it’s a relief in many ways to spend time in this world – there are non-binary characters, queer relationships, folks with disabilities, and it always just feels natural. Also similar to Murderbot, there are always marginalized people at risk, and that can be a little stressful. I enjoyed this novel overall – the ending of the present section maybe felt a little anti-climatic for me, but I definitely stayed engaged and curious throughout with both the storyline and the characters.