Witch King (The Rising World) (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
Enter a fantastical new world of witches, wars, and demons of Martha Wells’ creation in the riveting new epic Witch King. Kai is a body-possessing demon prince, war hero, and Witch King, but he wasn’t always as infamous as he is now. When the war of generations passed was just starting, he was a simple nomad of the grassland people. Told in alternating chapters, the story follows Kai in the present as he unravels a conspiracy against him and the peace of the new coalition, and Kai in the past as he finds himself starting a rebellion against the power-hungry Hierarchs with the Prince Bashasa, and inadvertently changing the world. With witty dialogue and fast paced action, you will finish this book and be begging Wells for another set in this intricately layered world!
— Margaret KennedyJune 2023 Indie Next List
“Martha Wells’ specialty is charming antiheroes who triumph with violence and ample dark humor. Witch King centers on a demon prince and a powerful witch as they escape captivity and search for the witch’s missing wife. Highly recommend!”
— Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books (Okemos), Okemos, MI
Description
From the breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes a remarkable story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.
"I didn't know you were a... demon."
"You idiot. I'm the demon."
Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' WITCH KING....
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers.
WITCH KING is Martha Wells’s first new fantasy in over a decade, drawing together her signature ability to create characters we adore and identify with, alongside breathtaking action and adventure, and the wit and charm we’ve come to expect from one of the leading writers of her generation.
About the Author
MARTHA WELLS has written many novels, including the million-selling New York Times and USA Today-bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, which has won multiple Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards. Other titles include Witch King, City of Bones, The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, the Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads and ending with The Harbors of the Sun), and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer, as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, and nonfiction.
Praise For…
A USA Today Bestseller!
A Sunday Times Bestseller!
A 2023 American Booksellers Pick!
A LibraryReads Pick!
A New York Times Best Fantasy of 2023!
“Wells is working at the height of her powers here, and it’s relaxing to be carried along for a ride in the company of such a phenomenal storyteller.” —The New York Times
“A wonderfully original world, sympathetic characters and a solid quest make Witch King the satisfying fantasy you yearn for when named swords and cursed rings begin to grow stale.” —The Wall Street Journal
“A wildly original and complex fantasy exploring how revolutions are won through trust, and destroyed through selfishness. Wells excels at brooding, powerful inhuman protagonists who just need a little kindness to be their badass best.” —N. K. Jemisin
“Unlike anything I've ever read. A layered and complex novel that delivers on the promise of epic fantasy.” —Zoraida Córdova
“Fantasy readers looking for new worlds and characters to explore will be enthralled.” —Library Journal
