The Witness for the Dead
core novel 2021 The Chronicles of Osreth
Record
| First published | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.09 (13,010 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 240 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780765387424 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
Set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor, this spin-off follows Thara Celehar, a formerly disgraced prelate who now serves as a Witness for the Dead in the city of Amalo, using his ability to hear the final thoughts of the recently deceased to help resolve inheritance disputes and identify the victims of crimes. At the novel's opening he is drawn into several overlapping cases at once, including the drowning death of an opera singer whose history of theft and blackmail leaves her with numerous possible enemies, and the disappearance of a woman he suspects may have been murdered by her husband. As Celehar pursues both investigations through the city's neighborhoods and social strata, further complications, including a disputed will, add to the mysteries he must untangle.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Chronicles of Osreth
- Series: Cemeteries of Amalo core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Katherine Addison
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Fantasy Novel), 2022: nominated; Placed 4th in the Locus poll.
Notes
- From the series record (Cemeteries of Amalo): Set after The Goblin Emperor, following Thara Celehar (a minor character in the original novel) relocated to the city of Amalo.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Cemeteries of Amalo: position 1 of 3: next The Grief of Stones (2022)
- Internal chronology, within The Chronicles of Osreth: position 2 of 4: previous The Goblin Emperor (2014) · next The Grief of Stones (2022)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witness_for_the_Dead
- Katherine Addison, official site
- sfadb, Locus Awards All Nominees
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