CBR15Bingo — Relation “ship” — This is a very relationship focused book and they spend time on two different ships as well.
My first Martha Wells! And a nice way to start, as I fully enjoyed this book and am glad I went ahead and bought it at full price after dithering over it at the bookstore two days in a row. I got the B&N signed edition, which is a sturdy hardcover with her signature embossed in gold on the inside cover. I thought that was a classy touch and a nice surprise when I took the dust jacket off. I’m not someone who seeks out signed editions, but I do like thoughtful touches that make me feel good for spending $28.99 instead of waiting two years for this to come out in paperback. Besides the packaging, the story itself was very well written, thoughtful, and moving. It made me want to finally give in and read the Murderbot series after all this time.
Witch King has a dual narrative structure where the chapters alternate between the past and present. I really like this sort of narrative technique because it makes me feel like I’m uncovering a mystery and it’s slowly unfolding before me. It also gives a lot of insight into the characters in a book that’s largely about trauma and the impact of history. Kai is the eponymous Witch King and the book opens with him coming back to consciousness after being murdered and trapped in a situation designed to keep him out of commission. The thrust of the book is him trying to figure out who killed and trapped while also tracking down his found family. This is an interesting exploration of what it is like to be basically immortal and remember the history that is being misremembered and turned into legend. That gap between what is very personal and raw for Kai but is a source of historical interest for others was really well done. I appreciated how Wells delved into the impact of trauma, racism, and genocide in a very deft and thoughtful way. I also liked the queer characters and the found family banding together. The whole book was really a delight and I love well-written fantasy like this that makes me reconnect with why I love the genre. Sometimes it’s good to take a chance and splurge a little on something that makes you happy, and this made me happy. I see that her other fantasy series is getting re-issued with a new cover as the definitive text, so I might pick that up soon as well.
Warnings for: fantasy racism, genocide, mass murder, torture, kidnap, murder