Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an excellent and compelling upcoming fantasy book from an author I have been meaning to try for some time, with Witch King by Martha Wells.

Amazon     Book Depository

One of the sad realities of being a reader/reviewer is that it is pretty impossible to read every single amazing novel that is released, no matter how much you want to.  As such, I currently have a huge backlog of books that I desperately want to read, including a ton from some highly regarded authors whose voice I have never had a chance to enjoy before.  Despite my best efforts, I have never had a chance to truly check some great authors out, which is something I deeply regret.  However, in 2023, I am going to make a real effort to finally read something from one author whose name I keep hearing about, Martha Wells.

Martha Wells is an impressive author who has been writing since 1993, producing a range of compelling fantasy and science fiction novels.  Wells current has a huge catalogue of books to her name, including a range of great standalone novels, her Ille-Rien and Books of the Raksura series, as well as some intriguing tie-in novels.  However, the books that I constantly hear people talking about is the cool science fiction series, The Murderbot Diaries, which follows a murderous robot who gains sentience and attempts to discover its humanity.  I have heard some really good things about The Murderbot Diaries series, and it seems at times like every reviewer I follow has something positive to say about it.  I am also quite keen on checking out Well’s Star Wars tie-in novel, Razor’s Edge, which has a great story to it, and which I currently have a copy of sitting on my phone.  As good as all these Wells’ books sound, I doubt I’m going to get around to reading them anytime soon, especially with all the awesome new books coming out in 2023.  However, I think I will make time to read Wells’ next upcoming book, especially as it is separate from any of her previous work.

This new book is Witch King, which is currently set for release in late May 2023.  A compelling and unique fantasy book, Witch King will apparently follow a powerful demon who attempts to find out why he was killed and imprisoned, while also working with a lesser mage who is attempting to steal his powers.  This sounds like it is going to be a pretty impressive read, and I love the potential story that Wells has laid out below.  Combine this with Wells’ well established writing skill and the huge appreciation she has garnered from a lot of other reviewers, I am highly confident that this is going to be a pretty exceptional read, and I cannot wait to try it out.  Honestly, Witch King has so much damn potential and I cannot wait to try it, and Wells’ writing, out in 2023.

Synopsis:

“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.