Witch King
#7503.76 adjusted 3.77 for sample size in the official ranking · 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. Witch King (2023) opens with Kaiisteron waking from magical imprisonment centuries after his apparent death, forcing the narrative to move between his present search for who betrayed and imprisoned him and flashbacks to the original war that shaped the world he wakes into; the duology concludes with Queen Demon (2025). Wells builds the setting's demon hierarchies and political factions with the same careful systemic logic she is known for elsewhere in her science fiction, giving the dual-timeline structure a mystery-plot momentum alongside its worldbuilding.
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? #750 in this site's official ranking, based on 32,740 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #750?
Ranked #750 in the official ranking.
- 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 #749, The Changeling (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 33k ratings · Ranks #750 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)
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.