Please note this review contains spoilers for the former book in this series, Witch King, and contains references to some of the events in this sequel.
Kaiisteron, Demon Prince of the Fourth House and the Witch King, survived a conspiracy that left him close to death and his companions scattered across a continent. If not for Kai’s careful planning many years prior it would have aided in the rise of an empire from within the Rising World Coalition. Now, their companion Dahin believes he has uncovered the precise location of the Hierarchs Well. Kai and his family will do anything to prevent the return of the Hierarchs and the well that grants untold power. Knowing Dahin isn’t telling them everything, but trusting in his judgement, they quickly travel to the University of Ancartre in Belith where a conspiracy is brewing. Meanwhile, in the past, Kai works alongside Bashasa and his allies to continue to wage war against the Hierarchs and wrest control back to the allied territories. The mysterious dustwitches who claim allegiance to no one but their own are causing problems on the road, and it is Kai who is called to fix the problem and bring them into the fold. Past and present contrast and in both timelines Kaiisteron must step into the mantle as leader and Witch King to unite his allies and stop the rise of the hierarchs—before more are corrupted by the allure of their forbidden power.
After the radiant triumph that was Witch King, Martha Wells returns with a sequel decidedly more world spanning that sees Kai and his crew on the road to the Hierarchs’ Well. Kaiisteron, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth, the Witch King, initially endeared me with his demonic nature and violent tendencies. From that first chapter of Witch King, as Kai awakes to his murdered body and a mage trying to control his magic to the “I’m the demon” line, I knew he was going to be one of my all time favorite fantasy protagonists. Uncovering a sinister conspiracy and facing a dark power that would see him enslaved, it is Kai’s inner goodness that manages to shine through the various betrayals, deaths, and even the loss of his family. Martha Wells reassembles our unconventional crew and family in the next installment to her Rising World series, this time embarking on a mission of academic research with disastrous consequences. In this sequel, the dynamics shine and the inner workings of the Rising Coalition and Bashasa’s rebellion are finally unveiled. Queen Demon takes a leap back in time and a step forward in the present, confronting the issues of empire and whether or not true power can be willingly destroyed before it is corrupted.
Where Witch King very much throws readers into a bottomless well, Queen Demon steps back to view the creation of long established alliances and relationships we saw present in book one. The mystery of the hierarchs comes to a head as Dahin enlists his family to travel to Sun-Ar where he believes the true fount of the hierarchs’ power to be located. So much of what I love about this sequel is getting to peek behind the curtain—to the hierarchs, the issues present in the Rising World Coalition, and the intricacies to our main character, Kaiisteron himself. An enigmatic figure no matter where we intersect his journey, I eagerly consumed everything Martha Wells elected to reveal about Kai in this sequel. Confounding the expectations of many even as he stays true to his roots, Queen Demon challenges Kai as a leader to his fellow witches and the bonds to his family. As Wells shifts back to the past, detailing the revolution against the hierarchs she furthers Kai’s endless desire to protect, especially in the present where those who once met the call to war have long since passed.
Stepping back to the conspiracy that involved Bashat, foremost of the Rising World Coalition, kidnapping Kai and his allies so they could not vote in an upcoming council meeting that would have granted him an empire, Kai wishes only to leave the past behind and move forward. Yet, in essence, Queen Demon is about how much he cannot. As long as there exists power to be gained, whether through the Well of the Hierarchs or the creation of an empire, someone will try to take it. Shaped by his experiences of war and genocide, Kai is unwilling to entertain a situation that would usher in an empire—especially after fighting for years to wrest back territories from the hierarchs and establish the coalition. The strength in his character rests entirely in his reservations and his commitment to toil for a better world, of which empire has no part. My favorite moment in this sequel is when Kai comes face to face with Bashat and tells him exactly why he foiled his plans within the coalition. A big part of why I love morally grey characters so much is how throughout their conflicting choices, their desire to protect shines through. Kai has undeniably been shaped by his experiences and his journey hinges entirely around preventing further injustice. If he kills a few people in the middle of that it’s all part of his demonic charm.
Queen Demon continues Martha Wells’ seamless narrative structure of past and present. Witnessing the various successes and pitfalls of the war against the hierarchs alongside Kai and Bashasa is a long time coming after the effort at the Summer Palace in book one. As the center of focus for the past here in its sequel, I loved getting in deep with Bashasa’s plans, especially knowing Kai’s connection to Bashasa whom he mourns in the present. Alongside this, Martha Wells examines the difficulties of mobilizing a fight against an oppressive force, with differing cultures and peoples that have unique costs to fighting back. Kai’s bonds to others are the real star of the show here. His connection to Ziede and Tahren, her brother Dahin, Tenes and the orphan Sanja serve that unconventional found family aspect I crave in fantasy. There is a core of goodness to Kai represented in all of his endeavors, especially in regards to his family. This culminates in an ingenious final act at the Hierarchs Well, where Martha Wells once again demonstrates her proclivity for cliffhangers—and we’ll just have to wait until book three to see how it’s all resolved.
If you fell in love with Witch King prepare to surrender all the more in this sequel. Queen Demon is everything I wanted after I finished book one, expanding on the world we were initially introduced to, its unique peoples, and struggles. Once a fledgling demon, Kai is now fully instilled in Bashasa’s rebellion against the hierarchs at his right hand and in the present, he faces the dangerous power that fueled their conquest. With all of our characters reunited, Wells is able to further expand upon character dynamics and relationships in an entirely new environment. The found family element is at its height with our characters on the path to destroying the Hierarchs’ Well. Queen Demon is not without its twists, particularly as our crew uncovers a sinister plot amid the hidden well of the Hierarchs. I never put it past Martha Wells to leave you stranded in uncertain territory and Queen Demon frames that in an entirely new light. The Rising World is certainly one of the best new high fantasy series and if nothing else, read it for a demon witch main character on a quest of revenge & academic inquiry with his chaotic found family.
Thank you to Tor Books for providing me with an advance copy to review.
Trigger warnings: death, blood, violence, war, slavery, genocide
Literaryrobin 