The Witness for the Dead
- Downloads：3362
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-21 00:16:10
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Katherine Addison
- ISBN：0765387425
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Katherine Addison returns at last to the world of The Goblin Emperor with this stand-alone sequel。
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。
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。
Reviews
Jill Heather
，
The ending was a bit rushed， and we didn't get quite the character growth I would have wished for。 The ending was a bit rushed， and we didn't get quite the character growth I would have wished for。 。。。more
Sifa Poulton
，
When I read THE GOBLIN EMPEROR in the winter， I was so glad to discover there was another book coming set in the same world。 It's such a fun， intricate world full of complex social structures and more religious sects than anyone knows how to manage。 The main religious groups try to maintain their order while those left dealing with the dead - Witness but also mortuary workers and cemetery labourers - worry about getting the rites correct。It is perfectly possible to read THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD When I read THE GOBLIN EMPEROR in the winter， I was so glad to discover there was another book coming set in the same world。 It's such a fun， intricate world full of complex social structures and more religious sects than anyone knows how to manage。 The main religious groups try to maintain their order while those left dealing with the dead - Witness but also mortuary workers and cemetery labourers - worry about getting the rites correct。It is perfectly possible to read THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD without reading THE GOBLIN EMPEROR。 They are companion books， and all reading in publication order will do for this book is to explain why Celehar has a bit of a reputation。 Plus it will give you a different viewpoint on the world。 This book is about the working class people， a more down to earth side of the world， while THE GOBLIN EMPEROR is about the nobility。It's a really nice way to expand the world， and it's the side you often don't see in fantasy。 Commoners are often forgotten about in favour of the glittering courts （and the power and effect they can have on the world at large。） This is not a book about the fate of nations， but the lives of ordinary people。 If Celehar wasn't around， then the world at large would keep turning， but these people would not have justice。Having now read all three books published under the pen name of Katherine Addison， I think one of characteristics of the author's books is the way disparate stories are woven together linked only by the main character being involved in them all。 Most stories weave all the elements into the finale， because it's often more satisfying that way。 It doesn't feel like the a bunch of short stories popped into one package。 However， the real strength in Addison's work like in her ability to unite them into feeling cohesive and satisfying， despite the different elements not being linked。For me， a part of that is how she uses the stories to build a sense of world， rather than using them to build scope and threat。 Fast pacing and high tension is not her way - the various stories are not here to up the tension to cover for any pacing issues elsewhere。 And， because the books can be read as， there is no sense that things are being set up for a later series instalment （which can feel cheap and like a waste of space。） That does not happen here。I would like to think they we might get more books in this world， but I expect there might be a long wait， if at all。 。。。more
Jason Snell
，
I loved this book。 It's a detective story set in the world of The Goblin Emperor。 That said， as a mystery I feel like it sort of falls apart at the end with one coincidence too many。 But it was such an enjoyable ride that it doesn't bother me that much。 I loved this book。 It's a detective story set in the world of The Goblin Emperor。 That said， as a mystery I feel like it sort of falls apart at the end with one coincidence too many。 But it was such an enjoyable ride that it doesn't bother me that much。 。。。more
Avery Rose
，
I love Celehar。 So much。 Please， I beg。 A side story to the side novel of， perhaps， an accidental date at an opera house and a Witness for the Dead working on moving on。
Anne
，
I liked this story more than the Goblin Emperor。。 Probably because I was already a little more famiiar with the world building。 Still had some "issues" following the specific language of the world。 But I loved the detective story line of the Witness for the Dead。 I liked this story more than the Goblin Emperor。。 Probably because I was already a little more famiiar with the world building。 Still had some "issues" following the specific language of the world。 But I loved the detective story line of the Witness for the Dead。 。。。more
MaryMargaret Norton
，
This is a fun world to get lost in。 I really enjoyed the character development。 I did not think this book was as interesting as the first。 I am not sure if it was because I liked the main characters in the first book or the plot line better。 I felt that this book lacked much of the action and intrigue that the first book had。 But it was still well written and a good read。
Emily Ann
，
I was a little unsure how much I would enjoy this follow-up to the Goblin Emperor given （1） how much I loved the political intrigue of the first and （2） how I've never considered myself a fan of the mystery genre。 I thought I would miss Maia too much to get invested in Celehar， but it turns out this was the perfect sequel after all。What I love about both books is how they mainly focus on the day-to-day business of a single character in a cozy， fantasy world。 I love how no detail that is brought I was a little unsure how much I would enjoy this follow-up to the Goblin Emperor given （1） how much I loved the political intrigue of the first and （2） how I've never considered myself a fan of the mystery genre。 I thought I would miss Maia too much to get invested in Celehar， but it turns out this was the perfect sequel after all。What I love about both books is how they mainly focus on the day-to-day business of a single character in a cozy， fantasy world。 I love how no detail that is brought up is ever left hanging。 Here， I thoroughly enjoyed how the steampunk setting was expanded on; it feels so real with its varying philosophers， sects， bureaucracies， lore， et cetera。 While I sincerely hope there will be more to this universe even if we have to wait another seven years， I'm pleased that these books are incredibly re-readable。 I think this is because even when the central plot is a mystery， what makes these books so great is not any particular reveal or twist， but the simple joy of being there with an interesting character in an interesting world。 It's cozy， it's authentic， and these two books are probably some of my all-time favorites。 。。。more
Giovanna Conte
，
When I arrived on Netgalley， one of the very first reviews was about a book by Katherine Addison， The Angel of the Crows。 I wasn't very enthusiastic about the first book， the author's way of writing didn't grab me right away， as well as the story and， although there is a bit of evolution between the previous book and this one， alas I have to say I found the same problems here。 I'm sorry to give a negative opinion on a book， but if I don't feel involved with the story and if I'm not in tune with When I arrived on Netgalley， one of the very first reviews was about a book by Katherine Addison， The Angel of the Crows。 I wasn't very enthusiastic about the first book， the author's way of writing didn't grab me right away， as well as the story and， although there is a bit of evolution between the previous book and this one， alas I have to say I found the same problems here。 I'm sorry to give a negative opinion on a book， but if I don't feel involved with the story and if I'm not in tune with the protagonists， it's a lost game from the start。ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review 。。。more
Doctor Science
，
I enjoyed it very much， and I believe it's a setup for series which makes me even happier。 I'll write a real review after I've re-read it。 I enjoyed it very much， and I believe it's a setup for series which makes me even happier。 I'll write a real review after I've re-read it。 。。。more
Colin
，
Katherine Addison is one of my absolutely favorite writers and I will read every book she ever writes。 And yet I sometimes find myself perplexed about what makes me such a fan of hers。 I generally love a good adventure yarn with break neck action and tales of derring do， where the good guys win against steep odds。 You don't really get that with her works， instead you get amazingly well written stories that are soothing， interesting， and a balm to the soul。 She writes charming stories of decent， Katherine Addison is one of my absolutely favorite writers and I will read every book she ever writes。 And yet I sometimes find myself perplexed about what makes me such a fan of hers。 I generally love a good adventure yarn with break neck action and tales of derring do， where the good guys win against steep odds。 You don't really get that with her works， instead you get amazingly well written stories that are soothing， interesting， and a balm to the soul。 She writes charming stories of decent， earnest， good people/creatures， trying to make the best of their situations， do the right thing， and create the best outcome for those around them。 Their antagonists are generally the rich， powerful， selfish， self-absorbed， and bureacratic。。。。。kind of like reality。 And since， like many of us， I read to escape reality and visit worlds where I can vicariously wreak violence upon， or at least best， the rich， powerful， selfish， self-absorbed， and bureacratic antagonists， I am a bit befuddled when I visit one of her worlds and ride along with her protagonists and we don't get to do that。 Instead we just have to suffer the slings and arrows， wrest small victories where possible， and try to become a better person every day。 Maybe enjoy some tea。 But her stories are so beautifully wrought and her characters so deeply sympathetic I find myself delightfully transported by her prose。 I'm doing an execrable job of trying to explain why she is one of my favorite writers， so let me just say I adore her characters， her books make me happy， and they're always my favorite read of the year or very close to it。 She is absolutely worth reading。 。。。more
Mikhail
，
Call it a 3。75。 World-building is top-notch， the use of language is likewise lovely， but。。。 hmm。。。 the plot lacks a certain spark。 It's essentially a slice-of-life narrative， tracing Thara Celehar's life in the city of Amalo， as he deals with being both a priest and a sort of detective。The issue， I think， is that Thara just doesn't have quite as strong a narrative arc as Maia does。 Maia was very much someone who was growing up and looking to become a person， while Thara's more about letting go， Call it a 3。75。 World-building is top-notch， the use of language is likewise lovely， but。。。 hmm。。。 the plot lacks a certain spark。 It's essentially a slice-of-life narrative， tracing Thara Celehar's life in the city of Amalo， as he deals with being both a priest and a sort of detective。The issue， I think， is that Thara just doesn't have quite as strong a narrative arc as Maia does。 Maia was very much someone who was growing up and looking to become a person， while Thara's more about letting go， but the connections of character arc and plot （mysteries） are generally looser。 It also doesn't quite land the mysteries， which are solved not so much by Thara's investigation at times as by lucky breaks from other sources。So， not bad， and I can definitely see myself rereading it， but it's just not got the spark that The Goblin Emperor did。 。。。more
Kerry
，
Katherine Addison's work is always a breath of fresh air--no unnecessary gore， no overwrought romances。 Instead， we have nuanced characters with integrity working together--in this case， in sort of a murder mystery。 It's a kinder， subtler， and sophisticated take on fantasy。 And mastering the first-person narrative is hard， but she's done it to the point where you sink into it without even knowing。 The care she takes with her characters is obvious; she likes them， so we like them， too。 Katherine Addison's work is always a breath of fresh air--no unnecessary gore， no overwrought romances。 Instead， we have nuanced characters with integrity working together--in this case， in sort of a murder mystery。 It's a kinder， subtler， and sophisticated take on fantasy。 And mastering the first-person narrative is hard， but she's done it to the point where you sink into it without even knowing。 The care she takes with her characters is obvious; she likes them， so we like them， too。 。。。more
Matt Carl
，
Much anticipated sequel/spin-off to The Goblin Emperor。 It did not disappoint。
Suz
，
3。5 leaning to 4 for the return to the interesting world， and the beautiful way Addison turns a phrase。I have to agree with many others that this wasn't as engaging as the first。 While I liked the main character， I didn't feel as connected with him as I did with the little Goblin Emperor。 I think the mystery was a lovely framework to discover more of the world， but the characters weren't as rich as the first book。It read a bit like a cozy。 3。5 leaning to 4 for the return to the interesting world， and the beautiful way Addison turns a phrase。I have to agree with many others that this wasn't as engaging as the first。 While I liked the main character， I didn't feel as connected with him as I did with the little Goblin Emperor。 I think the mystery was a lovely framework to discover more of the world， but the characters weren't as rich as the first book。It read a bit like a cozy。 。。。more
Emily
，
Review of The Goblin Emperor: "Reads like the first book in a really great series。。。 more please？"Review of the second book in the series: "Maybe this is the less good second book in a series before the third great book？ 。。。more maybe？" Review of The Goblin Emperor: "Reads like the first book in a really great series。。。 more please？"Review of the second book in the series: "Maybe this is the less good second book in a series before the third great book？ 。。。more maybe？" 。。。more
Gordon
，
Not quite as charming as The Goblin Emperor， but still a plenty good read， full of warmth and humanity。 And goblins。 It’s essentially an episode of Columbo， but with magic and stuff。
Sarah
，
Very good。 This was a surprise to read because the previous book in this works was more of a political saga and this was a mystery。 It is still beautifully written and the characters are interesting and fully developed。 However， it is definitely not a sequel to The Goblin Emperor， and it isn’t advertised as such， but just be aware of the fact when reading reviews。
Doug
，
This is the sequel to 'The Goblin Emperor" （which I quite enjoyed。） This story follows one of the key characters from that first novel。 I was looking forward to more of the main character in the first novel， so the focus on this key but less important character took me by surprise。 That said， I did enjoy the story。 The world the author has created is an easy one to like - with depth and history enough to provide some nice background as well as room to grow。 The language & culture can be a bit of This is the sequel to 'The Goblin Emperor" （which I quite enjoyed。） This story follows one of the key characters from that first novel。 I was looking forward to more of the main character in the first novel， so the focus on this key but less important character took me by surprise。 That said， I did enjoy the story。 The world the author has created is an easy one to like - with depth and history enough to provide some nice background as well as room to grow。 The language & culture can be a bit of a stumbling block， but perhaps only if you are reading as quickly as me :） 。。。more
Matt
，
I adored getting to spend more time with this character， and the story is well-built。 Because the language and forms of address in this world are so specific， I kept tripping over half-remembering ways the words should be said， and what the various forms of address mean。 Including the language information from Goblin Emperor would have been welcome， and is enough of a stumbling block that I cannot recommend picking this book up if you've not already read The Goblin Emperor。This story also has a I adored getting to spend more time with this character， and the story is well-built。 Because the language and forms of address in this world are so specific， I kept tripping over half-remembering ways the words should be said， and what the various forms of address mean。 Including the language information from Goblin Emperor would have been welcome， and is enough of a stumbling block that I cannot recommend picking this book up if you've not already read The Goblin Emperor。This story also has a very significant use of the "bury your gays" trope， that doesn't feel terribly earned。 The tragic backstory is always hinted at， never revealed， and the homophobia of the world at large is never really examined or explained。 The 4 star rating is for Othala Celehar's largely delightful inner monologue， and the quality of interlacing mystery plots。 If this world is revisited a third time， I hope more of the inherent prejudices are examined and challenged by the characters。 。。。more
Louise
，
I probably would not have persevered if it hadn't been in the Goblin Emperor world， but it ended better than I anticipated。 Probably 3。5 stars。 I probably would not have persevered if it hadn't been in the Goblin Emperor world， but it ended better than I anticipated。 Probably 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Kim
，
Very disappointed。 Not nearly as good as The Goblin Emperor， which I loved。 The story is slowed by the complexity of the names of people and places （to fit with the world， I guess）。 Despite being a short book， not a lot happens - or it seems like not a lot happens because of the way the story is told。 The information is laid out for the reader， with no heart or excitement。 Other 2 and 3 star reviews do a better job of clarifying why this book is so much less than The Goblin Emperor。
Mark Redman
，
Thara Celehar， the Witness for the Dead， is a middle-aged cleric in a kind of self-imposed exile from the Elven capital as a result of the enemies he made solving the previous emperor's assassination。 Welcome to the world of The Goblin Emperor！ Celehar now 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 de Thara Celehar， the Witness for the Dead， is a middle-aged cleric in a kind of self-imposed exile from the Elven capital as a result of the enemies he made solving the previous emperor's assassination。 Welcome to the world of The Goblin Emperor！ Celehar now 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。 As a Witness for the Dead， he can， sometimes， speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw， know the last thought they had， experience the last thing they felt。 It is his duty to use that ability to resolve disputes， to ascertain the intent of the dead， to find the killers of the murdered。Celehar， investigates the drowning of an opera diva and the poisoning of a mother-to-be。 This is the second exposure to the world of The Goblin Emperor。 The world-building offered is considerably rich with a depth of characterisation you come to expect from Katherine Addison。 Witness for the Dead， is an immersive world full of complexities。 Above all， it is brimming with atmosphere。 In terms of the plot， it is a straightforward mystery in the vein of Sherlock Holmes。 Full of the webs of murder， blackmail， and political intrigue as you are guided through this world by Celehar。 And much like Holmes， using only his keen wits， his persistent Columbo like questioning skills， but most of all Celehar’s unfailing kindness and compassion， insecurity， and low self-esteem wins you over and shines throughout the story。 This is a superb and delightful reading experience。 A beautifully crafted world。 It’s comfortable and completely lush and gentle in a good way。 It is a highly enjoyable read， one of my best books of 2021。 My thanks to both NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for the opportunity to review an e-arc。 。。。more
Kiwi Carlisle
，
I loved this book。 As a fan of Katherine Addison as Sarah Monette， I was delighted by the parallels I saw here to her brilliant Doctrine of Labyrinths series。 It was also a pleasure to return to the world of The Goblin Emperor。 There were phrases and descriptions in this book that made me pause and repeat them aloud for pure joy。 More， please！
D
，
3。5。 I love the characters and the world。 Sometimes the linguistics， mostly the naming conventions， make it unnecessarily dense。
Sarah Soper
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is not very much like The Goblin Emperor， a book I truly loved。 It's a very conventional detective story packed with detective novel tropes--the solitary detective with a tragic past， an antagonistic boss， grisly autopsies， and of course the mysterious murder。 Less conventionally， the detective can converse with the dead and ghouls are a thing。 Probably I should not have been surprised from the author of the Angel of the Crows--another fantasy detective story。 I binged this book over t This book is not very much like The Goblin Emperor， a book I truly loved。 It's a very conventional detective story packed with detective novel tropes--the solitary detective with a tragic past， an antagonistic boss， grisly autopsies， and of course the mysterious murder。 Less conventionally， the detective can converse with the dead and ghouls are a thing。 Probably I should not have been surprised from the author of the Angel of the Crows--another fantasy detective story。 I binged this book over the course of a day。 Could not put it down。 Fours stars because it's a murder mystery， and I'm only meh on that concept in general。 But in most ways it's exactly what I want to be reading these days--engrossing， transporting， and the main character is very， very gentle。 。。。more
Thomas Kingston
，
A definite break from it's predecessor but not lacking any of the richness and complexity that made that work stand out。It's definitely worth bearing in mind that this is a stand alone work and lacks anything other than a few strands of connection to the Goblin Emperor。 It is also quite different in style， with a focus on relatively mundane but intricate crimes that are explored/solved by the eponymous Witness of the Dead。 These crimes/incidents and the people involved are brought to life （no pu A definite break from it's predecessor but not lacking any of the richness and complexity that made that work stand out。It's definitely worth bearing in mind that this is a stand alone work and lacks anything other than a few strands of connection to the Goblin Emperor。 It is also quite different in style， with a focus on relatively mundane but intricate crimes that are explored/solved by the eponymous Witness of the Dead。 These crimes/incidents and the people involved are brought to life （no pun intended） in a deep and engaging way and at times it almost felt like an RPG with sometimes surly NPCs， different faction attitudes and random annoying quests （annoying for the character -not the reader） being thrown into the main story as part of a change of scenery。 This， I hasten to add is a big complement and I really enjoyed that aspect， however the conclusion felt like it was almost rushed and left me feeling slightly underwhelmed。 Most detective finales I'm used to seem to either go for a dramatic twist with a surprise culprit exposed or the guy you've been hating and hoping gets caught brought to justice but this was a lot more mundane - which might be attractive to some， breaking as it does from tropes but left me feeling like it was missing a more solid outcome。 That said it was a great book and I'm eager to learn more about the rich world the author has created。 。。。more
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
，
A society of elves and goblins mixed with a murder mystery/detective story， investigated by a shy， gay， and humble elven prelate。Final review！ First posted on FantasyLiterature。com:The Witness for the Dead is the long-hoped-for sequel to Katherine Addison’s marvelous and unusual 2014 fantasy， The Goblin Emperor， in which we met Maia， a half-goblin， half-elf young man who unexpectedly inherited the throne of the elf kingdom when his father， the emperor， was killed along with his brothers in an ai A society of elves and goblins mixed with a murder mystery/detective story， investigated by a shy， gay， and humble elven prelate。Final review！ First posted on FantasyLiterature。com:The Witness for the Dead is the long-hoped-for sequel to Katherine Addison’s marvelous and unusual 2014 fantasy， The Goblin Emperor， in which we met Maia， a half-goblin， half-elf young man who unexpectedly inherited the throne of the elf kingdom when his father， the emperor， was killed along with his brothers in an airship explosion。 Thara Celehar， an elven prelate and a Witness for the Dead， was a minor character in that novel who investigated the airship accident at Maia’s request and eventually was able to unearth the truth of why it occurred。The Witness for the Dead is more of a companion novel set in the same world， rather than a direct sequel， so it can be read as a stand-alone book， but it’ll give you a better grounding in this world if you read The Goblin Emperor first。 This book picks up with Thara’s life some time after he has left the elven court， leaving behind a slight cloud of scandal — Thara is gay， and his married lover was executed for murdering his own wife。 Thara has now moved to the city of Amalo and taken up his calling again as a Witness for the Dead。A Witness for the Dead wears several hats， including murder investigator， priest and funeral director， but Thara also has the unusual magical ability to touch a dead body and sense memories and impressions from the spirit of the person who died。 When a woman’s body is pulled out of the canal in Amalo， Celehar is asked to investigate to find out who she is — which doesn’t take too long — and who killed her and why， which is far more difficult to determine。 For one thing， her bones aren’t telling Thara anything really useful， so he has to rely on other， more mundane investigative methods。 For another， the woman was an opera singer who had an unfortunate habit of making an enemy of nearly everyone around her。 One of her enemies is the in-house composer for the Vermilion Opera， Mer Pel-Thenhior， to whom Celehar is rather reluctantly attracted。There are a couple of other interesting subplots that help to liven up this murder mystery novel。 One involves a missing pregnant woman whose family believes that her husband killed her， eventually leading to a trail of questionable deaths。 The other subplot concerns the wealthy Duhalin family whose patriarch has died， leaving behind some greedy heirs who are disputing which of two wills is the real one and which is the forgery。 When Celehar announces his finding， based on touching the grandfather’s cremated ashes， it has repercussions for him as well as for the Duhalin family members。To try to avoid the resulting trouble， Celehar is packed out of town and told to take care of a ghoul problem in a small mining town two days’ journey away。 Ghouls start out eating dead meat but sooner or later switch to killing and eating the living。 Celehar’s talents include the ability to quiet and rebury ghouls （more permanently the second time around）， but the journey turns out far more exciting and dangerous than he expected。Actually I found both of these subplots more intriguing than the main plotline。 The opera singer’s scandalous ways couldn’t quite make up for the plodding nature of Celahar’s investigation。 The main beauty of The Witness for the Dead isn’t in the main murder mystery plot， which is serviceable but not particularly memorable， but in Addison’s extraordinarily fine world- and character-building。Like The Goblin Emperor， The Witness for the Dead is somewhat slow-paced but lovely in its detailed world-building。 Addison has created a richly-imagined， steampunk-flavored fantasy world， slightly touched by magic， and brimful with vivid， realistic details， like stray cats that impatiently wait for handouts and teahouses with fragrant， exotic offerings。 There’s a wide variety of skin tones and eye colors， especially due to the mixing between goblins and elves， which is far more prevalent here than in Maia’s court。Addison’s characters are well-rounded and realistic。 Thara Celehar is a particularly complex soul: he’s humble and shy， tending toward melancholy and isolation， and on the edge of poverty。 At the same time， he’s a decent， kindhearted man who’s resolutely determined to be honest and to do his duty， even in the face of daunting opposition。 He’s also rather awkward and ill-at-ease with others， even with the charming part-goblin Pel-Thenhior … who is， unfortunately for Thara， one of the chief suspects in the opera singer’s murder。The Witness for the Dead isn’t as brilliant or delightful as The Goblin Emperor （few books are）， but it’s still well worth reading if you were a fan of that book and have been longing to return to that world。 If Addison writes more stories or novels set in this world， I’ll definitely be there for them。Thanks to the publisher for the ARC！ 。。。more
Rhode
，
The core of what I think many of us most loved about Goblin Emperor is present in this book - a genuine-feeling lead character who is a deeply decent， intelligent， kind and humble person who is braving ugliness to do his duty and creating friends and found family along the way。 In this case， there’s the added lure of an urban setting。 This book was written by an author who loves old cities that are packed with life， cafes and mazes of streets。 Despite being a shorter book than the first， this on The core of what I think many of us most loved about Goblin Emperor is present in this book - a genuine-feeling lead character who is a deeply decent， intelligent， kind and humble person who is braving ugliness to do his duty and creating friends and found family along the way。 In this case， there’s the added lure of an urban setting。 This book was written by an author who loves old cities that are packed with life， cafes and mazes of streets。 Despite being a shorter book than the first， this one has sooooo much going on。 In another author’s hands it would be too much。 But here it’s ok， maybe because the lead character has a feeling of being a calm lodestone in the midst of drama。 This is a tour de force and one with such heart。 I’m thrilled more are apparently coming in the series。 。。。more
Sheridan
，
I really enjoyed this novella。 It brought me back into the world of The Goblin Emperor and followed another character whose kindness is so refreshing and heart warming to read about。 It didn’t impact me quite as deeply as The Goblin Emperor did， but it was still worth the read。
Ruth
，
This was actually really lovely。 Same world as The Goblin Emperor， but following the life of a minor side character， Thara Celehar， a prelate of the god of death and dreams who was involved in unraveling the conspiracy in the first book。 I'm not sure it's necessarily a better book， but it definitely fits my tastes as they are five years later。 Whereas Maia was unrelentingly optimistic as a protagonist， with his good faith being ultimately rewarded， Celehar feels older， more exhausted， and less c This was actually really lovely。 Same world as The Goblin Emperor， but following the life of a minor side character， Thara Celehar， a prelate of the god of death and dreams who was involved in unraveling the conspiracy in the first book。 I'm not sure it's necessarily a better book， but it definitely fits my tastes as they are five years later。 Whereas Maia was unrelentingly optimistic as a protagonist， with his good faith being ultimately rewarded， Celehar feels older， more exhausted， and less convinced in the fundamental goodness of people （er， elves/goblins）。 He's definitely an unambiguously good person， but that goodness is more expressed via his indefatigable devotion towards doing his job and doing right by his petitioners， despite the humiliations of bureaucracy， politics， and fraud。 There's a central plot here - a murder mystery - but the structure has an almost Witcher-esque quality， as Celehar takes on smaller tasks for hire which overlap as the novel progresses。 Some of these are additional mysteries， but others are family dramas， disaster stories， and even gothic horror。 The result is a really compelling portrait of a man and his professional life， striving to do his job well， not burn out， and find connections with the people around him。 As in the first novel， I continue to love the world Addison has made， with its intricate religion， politics， and aesthetics， with a tiny hint of fairy tale。 The multi-threaded nature of the plot sadly means that the book ended a bit more abruptly than I'd like， so it's not a perfect novel， but I really enjoyed my time here。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Witness for the Dead
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Witness for the Dead&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft