Queen Demon
Martha Wells
Kai into the breach!
Queen Demon is the second book in Martha Wells‘s Rising World series. It is currently the final book, but according to a quick Google search, Wells plans more. Like Witch King, Queen Demon is a dual timeline book. Chapters set in the Past alternate with chapters set in the Present. I found this less confusing in Queen Demon than in Witch King, perhaps only because I knew what to expect. This time I didn’t try to follow either plot in detail. I just kept in mind which battle was currently being fought in each timeline, and that was good enough to cause the story to mostly make sense. It also helped that I quickly realized that the Present is a major spoiler for the Past, so I knew where the Past plot was headed.
If you are the kind of reader who makes detailed notes and keeps a spreadsheet to help you understand complex plots, you will find plenty here to keep you busy. It was not, however, necessary.
If you’re a fan of Murderbot (and who isn’t?) you will find the Rising World rather different. Murderbot is a lighter read. The Rising World requires more engagement.
There is a similarity, however. Each series is about a central character and is told in the voice of that character. Kai is not a lot like Murderbot. He’s not as funny, for one thing, and he’s not revolted by the thought of friendship with humans. They do, however, have this in common: if there’s a battle you need to win, send Kai in, or send Murderbot in, and they’ll get the job done.
I was puzzled by the title Witch King. Kai is the “Witch King” -- we know this because it says so in the Dramatis Personae -- even though Kai is neither a witch, nor a king. But I am even more puzzled by the title Queen Demon. For sure, Kai is a demon, but he is not a queen, nor is any other character. The word “queen” appears nowhere in the book, outside of the title -- I did a text search. My only hope is that in the course of time Wells‘s book-naming scheme will become clear.
So, I enjoyed this. And I’m engaged -- I want to know what happens to Kai and Ziede and Tahren. I will continue with the series when more novels come out.