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.
