Bingo Square: Culture (it’s a fictional culture but so much of what drives and explains Kai is his cultural background and his status as one of the last remainders of his culture after they were victims of genocide/mass murder – he is the one who remembers the traditions and beliefs that have been lost) – also, 2nd Bingo (5th column).
I absolutely adored Witch King when I read it two years ago and was excited to read this sequel. While I remembered the broad strokes of the dual timelines, I had forgotten some of the details about the characters that weren’t Kai, and Wells doesn’t hold the reader’s hand on this one (which has been my struggle with some of the later Murderbot books). I’d say it took me about 10-15% of the novel to get my bearings in this world again, but I quite liked it.
Still, this is very much a middle book – while I enjoyed the story and additional context shared, it’s one of those where it is a bit hard to specifically pinpoint the plot per se because it’s more of journey book – getting us from where the last novel ended to where the next one will begin. Witch King had a more pressing plot/momentum because you want to know how did they get trapped, and what is the background of this world? In this one, yes, there is the big question of “is the threat truly gone” but it feels a bit less pressing and more academic.
The novel takes up right where the last one ended, in both timelines. In the past, the novel focuses on the extended campaign against the Hierarchs and their followers that started after Kai and his friends’ actions in the last novel. We also get to see more of Kai and Bashasa’s relationship, and it explores how Kai became the witch king.
In the present, Kai and his friends are still dealing with the political situation that led to their betrayal and imprisonment while trying to stay out of it. More important than politics is their concern that they missed something 60 years ago and the Hierarchs may come back. This leads to a research expedition, which results in a climatic ending.
I will absolutely keep reading this series but next time, I might have to do a reread of this and Witch King before the new one, whenever that comes out – Wells has created such a detailed and unique world that I absolutely want to explore more but it does need extra attention to be fully appreciated.