Martha Wells, best known for her Murderbot series, turns to fantasy for her new novel Witch King. In this book she builds a complex world that is slowly rebuilding itself after a violent takeover and revolution in which many divisions remain. All of this detail and backstory is told through the eyes of a singular, fascinating character.
Kai is a demon. This means he can inhabit bodies of others and while he does so those bodies do not age and can not be killed. But when the book opens Kai is in trouble. He and his friend and witch Kiezi have been captured and imprisoned for an unspecified time. They manage to escape, Kai is in a new body and the two start to search for Kiezi’s wife Tahlen who is also missing. In undertaking this quest they will uncover various plots and conspiracies to undermine a fragile coalition that has pertained since the overthrow of the Hierarchs, a group that had violently taken over the world. As this story plays out, Kai also recalls the series of events that led to that overthrow and about how he formed new alliances to overthrow the Hierarchs regime which cut demons off from their underworld selves.
If that sounds like more than enough world building there is plenty more, including the msgic rules for demons, witches and other beings, a multitude of different tribes and factions within those tribes, and a conspiracy that only really begins to make sense when much of the backstory has been related. And this is a problem. The lack of deep understanding of this world makes the stakes of the current quest completely abstract which drains it of much tension.
There are so many different places and rules and peoples that it is hard to keep straight, or more importantly to care. And while some authors manage to bring readers along into complex and rule-filled worlds do this through the use of engaging characters and situation, Wells struggles in Witch King. Even the title makes no sense given Kai is not only not a witch (he is a demon and other characters are witches) but not really a king either (he gets some authority but many demons do not follow him). So there is never even a “Witch King” which is confusing in itself.
Kai himself is an interesting character but as mentioned, it takes a long time to understand as a reader why we should care about what he is doing and why. There is a kind of found family narrative but again, the story of that group coming together comes too late to make the earlier action seem important.
And the whole endeavour ends with a bit of whimper, making it all seem like scene setting and backstory for something better to come. That is, a 400-odd page introduction to some characters and a world so that readers know why we should care about them next time. But some readers may be too disaffected to want to return.

Previously, I have read Martha Wells's Murderbot Diaries, which I adore, and The Cloud Roads, which I really disliked. As such, I was a little concerned about whether a new book that was a fantasy would work for me, and I'm really pleased to report that it absolutely did.

The world of Witch King is a fully realised one, filled with distinct cultures and political systems (that didn't just feel like rip-offs of real world groups) and distinct magic systems (that didn't just feel like rip-offs of other novels). All of these things interact well, too: the different systems of magic mesh and interact in interesting ways, and the different groups of people had long histories with each other that lent them internal consistency. Wells walks the line well with having characters that are powerful but not boring, intelligent but not infallible.

This had similar vibes to the Foundryside books at some points, as well as The Unspoken Name. It was casually queer, both in the relationships and in the way that characters' genders didn't necessarily match the bodies they inhabited. I came away from this hoping that the plotlines not entirely closed will get addressed in a sequel or two, and though that will of course mean less frequent entries in the Murderbot Diaries, it will be worth it.

The writing of this is super impressive, I just fear it’s not exactly for me. I’m definitely going to try Murderbots, and I think this book was really well done! I’m just not in the right headspace to keep up with the flipping back and forth between past and present, so I got confused a bit as it went on. Emphasis on EPIC fantasy. Really interesting!

Rating: Absolutely Loved It, 5 stars

I think that if this turns into a series, I have the potential to bump it up to all-time favorite status. Or if it's not a series, on reread it has that potential!

Witch King by Martha Wells follows the perspective of Kaiisteron, or Kai. Kai is a prince demon who is the titular Witch King. We join him as he is awakened from a magical trap underwater by a mage attempting to harness his power for their own. It doesn't end well for that mage. Kai has to piece back together how much time has passed since he was last conscious, what has occurred in that time, and where his chosen family, many of them also immortal or long-lived beings, is at.

We also follow Kai in the past, which is used to give his history and help understand the context around the events that are happening in the present, namely a huge war and the toppling of the known world order. Some of the cast in the past are characters we know in the present whom Kai considers to be his family. Some of them are not.

I will say before I get into my main complaint of this book that this book feels like a Martha Wells book, and that I would honestly love it for that alone. She creates a fantastic cast of characters and really excels at creating a found family and making you care about the bonds between the characters. This book is filled with her dry wit and humor, which is a huge selling point for me. More on those pieces later though.

The only thing that didn't work for me as much as I would have liked was the dual timeline. I thought it was a really interesting setup, and I enjoyed the pieces of both the timelines. However, I did have some quibbles with the way that they intertwined. I definitely experienced a strong preference for one over the other as the book progressed, and that actually changed multiple different times. Now this preference usually happens with a dual timeline story for me, but I usually don't flip flop back and forth between them, and I can't decide if that's better or worse. One thing that I think a lot of people won't like is that a lot of the present timeline didn't make sense without all the pieces of the past. I jumped in not having a clue what was happening but being okay with it, to not having a clue what was happening and being frustrated because it seemed like I was supposed to know, then slowly to some understanding and feeling like I had a grip on things, back to being thrown for a loop again. Whereas the past was a pretty linear progression from not knowing anything to having a decent understanding. So that was a bit of an odd experience. However, the positives largely make up for that, and that is why I am rating it 5 stars.

The character work is, as always, excellent. Martha Wells writes perfect characters for me. They are compelling and relatable. Kai fits right in with her other hot mess express main characters that I've read: Moon and Murderbot. He is witty and sarcastic, and perhaps not the most morally sound, but leans towards being a good guy and regardless, I love him anyway. I think that the cast of characters in general is really well written. This is primarily a plot driven book, but you come away with an intimate grasp of the characters and their relationships with each other. That is incredibly well developed, and I suspect will only get better if this continues into a series.

I love Martha Wells' fantasy world building. While it certainly has familiar elements, the world building and the political structures in this book still come off as being very fresh and unique feeling in my opinion. Her prose is clear and straightforward and I think all the better for it.

Overall, if you like Martha Wells' other books, I think you will like this one. I don't 100% know if this is the first entry in a series or a standalone, but I'm leaning towards a series because while it is a complete thought, it just feels like there is a lot more of this world and Kai's story to explore. But regardless, I think it would fare well either way. It's well paced and a compelling read start to finish.

If you have the opportunity to pick up the audiobook, narrated by Eric Mok, I highly recommend it! He was an engaging narrator and captured the tone of the characters perfectly. I will say that there are a lot of names that sound fairly similar, so it would be ideal if you could access the list of characters in the beginning of the story as you follow along, or at least it was ideal for me. I was mixing some of them up between timelines and similar sounding names, but I sorted it out pretty quickly once I was able to see how the names were spelled and who belonged where. 5star audiobook production!

Two quotes that I feel like embody the brand of dry humor that Martha Wells specializes in:
"Kai thought Bashasa was optimistic with that choice of the word 'hiding' rather than 'waiting.'" (said about a potential ambush situation)
"Salatel glanced at Kai, and he realized she was asking his permission. Was he actually in charge of the bridge now? Whose brilliant idea was that?"

Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for access to an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Witch King by Martha Wells releases on May 30, 2023. Be sure to check it out!

Martha Wells paints vivid characters and interesting worlds. That's just how she is. And she nails both of those aspects here. A high fantasy world of demons, magic, and warring groups, the Witch King has it all. The dialog, as should be expected with Wells's work, is great, snappy, and character driven. This is a solid series opener, that introduces us to a large cast and an even larger world. I'm curious about where she'll take us next.

DNF @ 45%. I really wanted to love this fantasy novel, but it just wasn't working for me and I got tired of trying to force it. Nearly halfway into any book, I expect to have a decent understanding of who the main characters are and what is driving the plot, which I did not have at all with Witch King. Maybe it's just me, but I found the story extremely confusing. Though the writing is high quality, I had to go back and re-read several times because I felt like I missed details — turns out they just weren't there. Hopeful that others will love this, but it wasn't the story for me!

I voluntarily read an advanced ebook of Witch King by Martha Wells. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC.

Kai was such a great character, and I loved reading about his journey, both in the past and present. The world-building was elaborate, and through Kai's search for the truth regarding betrayal, we take a deep dive into the politics and cultures of this universe. This is the first book I have read by Martha Wells, and I thought it was great. I give this book a solid 5/5 stars and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Exceptional, entertaining, compelling main characters and a world I don't want to leave all explainwhy I LOVESLD this book. My only criticism is the pacing feels off but frankly I just don't care. Martha Wells has done it again! I'll absolutely be preordering a copy.

Witch King by Martha Wells. Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the ARC. Martha Wells does such a great job creating characters that we would die for. Loved this unique concept and world building. Includes an enemies to lovers lesbian couple. When separated from her wife, Zeide goes feral (as a treat). Obsessed with how Kai and his people see gender and how this contrasts with external forces in the world. The pacing slows towards the end and the plot kind of falls off but you really stay for the characters.

Can’t wait to read more!

Based on the premise I thought Witch King would be right up my alley, but unfortunately it was a bit too dense for me and a struggle to get through

HUGE thanks for access to this galley — it was an honor to review this book 💕
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Well, well, Wells! She's done it again, folks. I ate this one up! One blurb calls this novel "complex," and that's true, but Wells weaves the story in a way that gives you the world building in a constant drip, without being confusing or convoluted. Of course, we also get the classic murderbot snark and sass and ~emotional damage~! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each character, the relationship between demons and witches and magic, and how things came to be the way they are. By the end, I was already dying for (1) fanart and a (2) sequel. I cannot wait for more of Kai, Ziede, Tahren, Dahin, Sanja, and Tenes!

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. Wells is clearly a talented writer, and I liked Kai and the other characters. Kai especially was really well-written. However, this is a very expansive and intricate fantasy world, yet nothing was really explained. I had very little idea of what was going on for most of this book. I also think Wells' writing voice is more suited to science fiction rather than fantasy, so it makes sense that her Murderbot series is so popular. I would definitely give that series a try in the future.

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.

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.

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.