Witch King (The Rising World)
We hadn't read any of Martha Wells' fantasy books, just the Murderbot Diaries, but Dan was reading a library book edition of Witch King and strongly recommended it. So we bought the kindle edition. The writing was excellent (as I knew it would be) and the characters (especially Kai and Ziede) and story interesting. The sections set 60 years ago in the past provided background to what had happened in the present, and it felt like a real world with a very deep history.
I liked that most of the soldiers were women.
Highlights:
- Mother and Grandmother sat nearby, having tea out of the skulls of favored ancestors.
- Kai convincing a wrecked barge to reconstitute itself from its memory: Down on the flat beside the rotting docks, their new barge had rebuilt itself inside the cantrip, floating a pace or so above the muddy ground. It was semi-transparent, woven out of the memories of its former self and Orintukk’s death well. It was a long boat with a narrow, curved prow and a broad stern. Mostly open, the sides were low to make it easier to lift cargo in, and a faded blue and white striped canopy sheltered the mid portion.
Ziede to Sanja: It’ll work, Sanja. It doesn’t know it’s not a real boat. - Kai to Ziede at the end of the book, remembering his conversation with Bashasa, about where to go next: To find something to unburn.