Book Club Guide

Witch King

by Martha Wells · 2023 · Literary Fiction

Key themes

Waking into a changed world — and the mystery of betrayal
Demons and humans as genuinely different kinds of beings — not human-with-powers
Friendship and loyalty across very long timescales

About this book

Kai, a demon who has been imprisoned and left for dead, wakes to find years have passed and the world he knew has changed — and sets out with his allies to discover who betrayed him and why. Wells's Locus Award-winning standalone fantasy moves between past and present to tell a story of magic, politics and friendship in a richly imagined world built on systems of power that aren't human-centred.

Published in 2023, Witch King won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It was Wells's first major standalone fantasy novel since her early Fall of Ile-Rien series, following the success of the Murderbot Diaries.

Discussion questions

Kai wakes after being imprisoned for years to find the world has changed and he must discover who betrayed him. How does Wells use this structure — alternating between the present investigation and the past that explains it?
Kai is a demon, and Wells develops a worldview that isn't centred on human experience or human ethics. How does this affect how the story is told — and what does a genuinely non-human protagonist allow?
The novel is a standalone, departing from the Murderbot series Wells is best known for. What carries over from Murderbot — voice, structure, concerns — and what is different?
The political systems in the novel are complex — multiple factions, histories of conquest and resistance. How does Wells convey this complexity without overwhelming the reader?
Witch King won the Locus Award. What does it do that distinguishes it within fantasy — and how does Wells's worldbuilding compare across her different series?