From the get-go, Witch King manages to grab the reader for what promises to be an enjoyable ride. The reader follows as the protagonist, a demon named Kai (short for Kaiisteron, among other names) wakes up trapped in a water tomb… turns out, he’s dead. The novel deftly switches between past and present perspectives, crafting a narrative that slowly unravels some of the central mysteries marching along with the plot. Accompanying Kai are not only his dearest friend, Ziede, but also a young sacrificial child, as well as others known from his past and new acquaintances.

Wells doesn’t hold your hand—she immerses you in the worldbuilding from the get-go, and you slowly begin to unravel the history and context of the characters as you go along; however, the worldbuilding is almost beside the point—we never get encyclopedia-style explanations, just enough to move on and help the narrative flow smoothly. The characters and plot are both important aspects here, which is perhaps why I enjoyed it so much, even though the worldbuilding was not the strongest. It was kind of like the inverse of The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie, which has some pretty neat worldbuilding, but whose characters and plot feel secondary to the former. Both novels worked well for me, so I guess it is mostly dependent on the author’s skill.

Perhaps in a different mood I would have demanded more worldbuilding, or more in-depth examinations of the characters’ relationships; but here, I was content to get lost in the mystery of the world. Though the plot was nothing too complicated, it was still enjoyable watching Wells unravel the knotted threads and bring them to a restored whole at the end. The pacing could have been executed better at times; the back-and-forth of present vs. past could get repetitive; sometimes I just wanted to stay in a particular moment. This is a self-contained narrative, and I don’t necessarily think it would have worked if it were drawn out into a series, but something about the length feels off—perhaps it could’ve been more concise.

I did quite enjoy the focus on themes like found family, memory, and perhaps a hint of what we owe others (especially those we consider friends). The exploration of these themes could have been deeper, but I also wasn’t expecting it to be; the novel just works as an enjoyable standalone fantasy. I’m definitely hoping to read more from Martha Wells—and I’m very excited that Murderbot is a series of shorter novellas.