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“The world of Witch King is one of demons and witches, and visceral spell-like magic that draws on pain for its power. There’s a chilling, water-logged atmosphere to the whole story, and the explanation of the magic is understated so that the world feels awe-inspiring, rather than pseudo-scientific. The story itself is pacey, following a political resistance across two timelines – before and after their victory.” Read more...
“This is another rich world, but it’s carefully underexplained. The effect is evocatively murky – quite literally sometimes, with dark scenes underwater and one in the ominous underearth. We are following a demon who is embodied in the human world now, but has origins in the underearth; he is pitted against Hierarchs, who use the magic of expositors; witches are present, on the side of the heroes; and the Immortal Blessed are a powerful and morally divided group. Magic is fuelled by pain, inflicted on the self or others. This makes for some chilling scenes.” Read more...
“Witch King is dripping in atmosphere: this is a world of flooded stone halls, captured boats and bespelled whales. There are some especially striking scenes in the metaphysically-mysterious underearth, true home of the demons; and a memorably claustrophobic hunt. The magic is underexplained, to good effect. Expect cantrips and intentions wielded by expositors and witches and the Immortal Blessed, and magic that draws on pain and death for its power – but don’t expect to know exactly what all of these are.” Read more...
New Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels: The 2024 Nebula Awards Shortlist
