Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIf I could give this one seventeen stars, I would.
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2021
If I could give this one seventeen stars, I would.
I have been a fan of Addison’s work for ages, and WITNESS FOR THE DEAD justifies that appreciation in stellar fashion. A gem-like combination of intriguing murder mystery and fascinating world building, WITNESS is a rewarding book on many levels.
Othala Celehar is a Witness for the dead, a priest of the god of dreams, moonlight, and death, whose purpose is to bring peace to the unquiet dead, whether by laying hungry ghouls to rest, by passing on last messages to their heirs, or by discovering their murderers and bringing them to justice. He is also a deeply wounded man, still recovering from being forced by his own sense of justice to bear witness against the man he loved for murder, and condemning him to death. He wants nothing more than to perform his calling, to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
In this book, he finds himself entangled in webs of murder, blackmail, and political intrigue, guided through the maze only by his keen wits, priestly skills, and unfailing kindness and compassion. It’s rare to find a protagonist these days whose defining characteristic is decency and compassion, and even rarer to find a tale that allows them to persevere and triumph specifically BECAUSE of that decency and compassion. And that is one of the things I come to Katherine Addison’s Goblin Emperor books for and am never disappointed in, the idea that someone can win by being a good person, that kindness is not weakness, and that it is possible to do the right thing and not be beaten down by a world designed to allow only the cruel and hard to thrive.
I really need to hear that, lately, and I think a lot of folks do. Enjoy.
