The Witness for the Dead

Locations
Call Number: Fantasy / Addison, Katherine, Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Addison, Katherine
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Addison, Katherine	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Addison, Katherine	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Addison, Katherine	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Addison, Katherine	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2024

"A Tor book."
Sequel to: The Goblin Emperor.
"When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly"-- Provided by publisher.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

More than a murder mystery submitted by srlorand on August 12, 2021, 9:34pm A thoughtful, moving, and complex murder mystery that is also a meditation on the protagonist's complicated grief (which gets revealed bit by bit in the course of the story). Katherine Addison depicts her fantasy world's social and political hierarchies, economic inequality, history, and religious diversity in just the right amount of detail; none of the world-building overshadows the sensitively drawn characters.
I hope for more stories set in this world, and that a future edition might provide a cast of characters along with a glossary of the elvish and goblin vocabulary not translated in the text.

impressive submitted by ssands on July 14, 2022, 2:29pm This is a sequel to "The Goblin Emperor," but really is the story of a peripheral character in that book, taking place in a different region of the same world. They were both excellent. There is a real depth to this book. It combines a mystery with fantasy elements and somehow manages to do that without being annoying or twee.

Surprising submitted by mowjac on June 13, 2023, 8:59pm This story follows Celehar as he goes about his duties witnessing for the dead in the detailed complicated city of Amalo. Slow paced yet mesmerizing with excellent characterization of Celehar and the minor characters in the opera. My only complaint is the internalized homophobia of the character, whose past is related in the first book, The Goblin Emperor.