Note to self: Stop waiting several weeks to write reviews because you will undoubtedly forget everything…

Once again, I was easily drawn into Addison’s fantasy worldbuilding and deft story-telling. This short novel also focuses on one of my favorite characters from the world of the The Goblin Emperor, and that is the ‘investigative cleric’ with a dark and mysterious past, Thara Celehar. I remembered his story being rather bittersweet and sympathetic in the previous book, so I was excited to see him developed further and featured in his own volume.

The Witness for the Dead sees Thara in his element as an othala in Amalo, a small backwater type of town where he has been placed by the archprelate of Amalo, I believe, seeing him uncover the stories behind some unfortunate murders that have occurred. Full disclosure, I got confused (and still am slightly) on the distinctions between the prelacies of Ulis and Amalo with respect to the strict hierarchy and overlapping power squabbles. As with the previous book in this world, Addison is quite inventive with language and terminology, which helps the world feel authentic and lived-in; however, it also makes things difficult when you’re a reader trying to place what’s going on.

The narrative is formatted like a standard murder mystery, with Celehar investigating some recent murders. This part is fairly formulaic, but it does decently introduce some important secondary characters and demonstrate Celehar’s approach to his work. The secondary characters do add a lot to the novel; not only does it fill in the world, but it is fascinating watching Celehar interact with various types of people—which also gives the reader some insight into his own state of mind. The characters are also fairly well-developed, with their own personalities, and in some cases provide a good contrast to our protagonist.

Above all, the book is incredibly atmospheric; Addison’s strength seems to be in crafting the world and its inhabitants. The story exists almost as a backdrop to the worldbuilding, though that is not to say that the plot is lacking in any way. The plot is there and plods along, but its purpose isn’t to amaze. Rather, it feels like accompanying Thara Celehar in almost a slice-of-life way, but with more significant stakes. I appreciated the chance to be back in the world of Ethuveraz and learn more about the various strata of its society. Also—let’s be honest, Thara is a delightful character, and it is impossible not to enjoy reading about him.