Witch King (The Rising World, 1)

Name: Witch King (The Rising World, 1)
Rating: 6.94 (36 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250826794

Winner of the Locus Award!

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.

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Published May 30, 2023

432 pages

Average rating: 6.94

36 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say the book offers a richly imagined world with intriguing politics, diverse magic, and complex characters. Many appreciate Martha Wells’ inv...

Mishteh

Apr 04, 2026

10/10 stars

I adore this book. I read it again after "Queen Demon" was released, and I was reminded of how well the past and present are interwoven together. The magic system is consistent and interesting. "Witch King" has basically everything I personally look for in a fantasy book. A lot of people are saying it's confusing, which I understand. My second read was definitely more enjoyable than the first. I genuinely do think it's worth the time though. I don't really mind having a book where I have to re-read a chapter. Also in regards to the names being confusing, the audio book was very helpful and I quite like the reader.

CatLass007

Nov 10, 2025

7/10 stars

I think the most interesting thing about this book was the use of so many different pronouns, pronouns that we fumble all the time today, but which in the authors world are spoken with ease. I look forward to a future like this. The author has literally turned the world upside down with the hierarchs “the villains” coming down from the south. In our day, it would be just the opposite. Another thing I find extremely interesting is that men wear skirts and women wear pants but there’s no sexism in this world.

JT Penguin

Oct 03, 2025

1/10 star

I DNF'd at pg. 87. I wanted to badly to love this book because I love Martha Wells' writing style but its just too much for me. The names are too long and confusing and the jumping between past and present as well with such confusing similar names in both, too much.

LG6191972

Apr 18, 2025

1/10 star

Where do I even begin with how badly this book was written and how totally confusing it was? Absolutely no background about this world until you get half way through so you're totally confused. Going back and forth between past and present. Multiple characters whose names change as they change bodies and status in the community. Fluid genders where male demons inhabit female bodies and vice versa. (I don't care about gender fluidity but it makes it damn hard to follow what each character is doing at any given time since names are little clue and pronouns can switch.) No idea why they need to find the missing character and why she is so important to this world until more than half-way through the book. My complaints go on.

blewballoon

Nov 21, 2024

8/10 stars

If you're in the mood for a basic fantasy story, this will suit. It's got a lot of different races of people and styles of magic. The story has some elements of being a political fantasy and a mystery. The main characters are pretty likable, and the villains are pretty easy to dislike. I never got super invested in the story, I never felt like I had a complete understanding of the world, and I never connected fully with the main characters, but I also didn't have any real issues and the reading experience was pleasant. Unrelated to the plot, it became a bit of an inside joke with myself how often the author described what people were wearing. The context is totally different, but I found it amusing because it reminded me of reading YA romance novels.