Witch King
#5723.76 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2023–present Reading commitment Low Martha Wells Last reviewed 2026-08-19
Overview
Martha Wells's first fantasy admission to this canon (her Murderbot Diaries is science fiction and out of scope here). "The Rising World" is Wells's return to secondary-world fantasy after roughly a decade focused on science fiction: a duology following Kaiisteron, a demon-sorcerer known as the Witch King, told across two interwoven timelines.
Epic fantasy, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Rising World Martha Wells
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Witch King | 2023 | 1 | core | 3.70 (28,329 ratings) |
 | Queen Demon | 2025 | 2 | core | 4.14 (4,411 ratings) |
Martha Wells's return to secondary-world fantasy after a decade focused on the science-fiction Murderbot Diaries; unrelated to her earlier Ile-Rien fantasy novels (The Element of Fire, The Death of the Necromancer, the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, City of Bones), a separate continuity not researched or admitted. No third book has been announced as of the latest update.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Witch King? Witch King's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Witch King? Publication order, starting with Witch King. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Witch King finished? Ongoing (2023–present).
- How much reading does Witch King take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~814 pages).
- How is Witch King ranked? #572 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 32,740 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #572?
Ranked #572 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.76 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (32,740 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.70 to 4.14.
- Less than 0.01 behind #571, The Isle in the Silver Sea (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 33k ratings · Ranks #572 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Witch King (2023)
- Queen Demon (2025)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2024: won: Witch King
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2024: finalist: Witch King
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2024: finalist: Witch King; 59th Annual Nebula Awards (ceremony 2024, for 2023-published work).
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2024: finalist: Witch King
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Suggestions computed from what Witch King and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Saga of the Unfated Romantasy / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.90
- Godkiller (The Fallen Gods Trilogy) Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.89
- Empire of Sand / Realm of Ash Epic fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.86
- The Poison Wars Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.83
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.76 across 32,740 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Witch King (Martha Wells) as a new universe accepted 2026-08-19
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Tordotcom (publisher) Tier 1
- Wikipedia (English) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-19
Rule: Core Canon = both published Rising World novels, Witch King (2023) and Queen Demon (2025). No third book has been announced.