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Queen Demon: A Review

The sequel to Martha Wells’ phenomenal Witch King is here!

In the distant past, the Hierarchs entered the world and seized power. They killed indiscriminately, razing city-states, exerting control over everything, and turning families against themselves. Many tried to stand against them and failed, and for a time, they were believed to be unstoppable. That changed with the arrival of Kaiisteron, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth, the one who would come to be known as the Witch King. Kai was a demon inhabiting a human body, and when his host’s people were overrun by the Hierarchs, he was captured. Soon, however, he was taken in by a local nobleman named Bashasa. Bashasa had been preparing to launch a revolution, and befriending Kai forces him to accelerate the plans, as together they manage to kill a pair of Hierarchs.

Decades later, Kai and his allies were split up and imprisoned, left for dead by a group of conspirators who sought to seize control of the Rising World and establish a new empire. They underestimated him. During the events of Witch King, Kai took a new host body, rescued his best friend Ziede, and set off to find out who had betrayed them and why. Classic revenge quest.

Now, reunited with his friends and found family, Kai has a new goal: investigate the origins of the Hierarchs and ensure that they can return to threaten the Rising World again. At the end of Witch King, Dahin, Ziede’s brother-in-law, was hot on the trail of the origin of the Hierarchs. Now he may have proof that those origins are not what everyone believed, and that the Hierarchs are not as fully gone as everyone would like.

Kai must still grapple with the past in Queen Demon, with chapters alternating the early days of the rebellion against the Hierarchs and the modern day struggle for the mysterious Well that powered their abilities. Both timelines see the Fourth Prince navigating the complexities of human relationships, war, and politics. Kai’s growth as a character is evident, largely due to the death of his rescuer, Bashasa, at some point in the past. The legacy he left behind is clearly still serving as Kai’s guiding star as he navigates through his relationships with humans, witches, and other demons.

Martha Wells has been a favorite author for years, since I first picked up a copy of All Systems Red. I love the setting of the Rising World novels, and I will happily return any time we get the opportunity.

Queen Demon is out in the world as of Tuesday, 10/7/25. Go get it.

My utmost thanks, as always, to Netgalley and Tor for an advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

Witch King: A Review

Kaiisteron, the Witch King, has awoken and claimed a new sacrificial mortal body to serve as his own. He has escaped his imprisonment in an underwater tomb and regained much of his power, but now he must seek answers. Which of his loyal friends and followers betrayed him, allowing him to be trapped in the first place?

Kai is a demon, eating the life force of others to power his magic. Now he’s gathering the allies he believes he can trust in order to solve the mystery of his captivity. Interspersed throughout his reawakened life are chapters relating one of his past mortal lives, and his rise to claim the title of Witch King.

Martha Wells is one of my favorite contemporary writers of science fiction novellas (honestly, who doesn’t love Murderbot?) and so when I found out that she had a new fantasy novel coming out this year, I knew that I had to read it as soon as possible. Witch King is a phenomenal journey through Kai’s past and present, finding family and friends and seeking revenge. It’s out in the world as of yesterday, so you can enjoy it too.

My utmost thanks to NetGalley and Tor.com for the eARC of Witch King in exchange for a fair review.