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Magic has been a subject of fascination for centuries, captivating the minds and imaginations of people all around the world. The allure of the unknown, the unexplained, and the supernatural has always had a magnetic pull on human curiosity. Secrets abound in the world of magic, with countless tricks and illusions that leave audiences wondering, "How did they do that?" One of the secrets behind the booms of magic lies in the skillful art of misdirection. Magicians are masters of diverting the audience's attention, leading them to look in one direction while the real magic happens elsewhere. Through gestures, eye contact, and verbal cues, magicians artfully guide their spectators, ensuring that they remain enthralled by the illusion unfolding before them. Another secret boom of magic is sleight of hand - the ability to manipulate objects secretly and skillfully.

Another secret boom of magic is sleight of hand - the ability to manipulate objects secretly and skillfully. Magicians spend countless hours honing their dexterity, practicing intricate movements that are imperceptible to the untrained eye. From card tricks to vanishing acts, sleight of hand plays a crucial role in creating the magic that leaves spectators in awe.

Unburning the World: Review of Witch King by Martha Wells

Under Review:
Witch King. Martha Wells. Tordotcom, May 2023.

Witch King is a new fantasy stand-alone novel by Martha Wells. She is most well-known for The Murderbot Diaries, and I was expecting something similar in tone: humorous and irreverent. Instead I found a tragic story of power, betrayal, and genocide — but that’s not to say I was disappointed. If anything, I was thoroughly impressed with Wells’ ability to span the genre gamut, and inspired to read more of her oeuvre. Despite the brutality in this novel, I still found a throughline of hope: a promise that through collective action, we can overcome.

The story follows Kaiiesteron, known as Kai, a demon prince of the underearth. His family of demons once had an agreement with a civilization of grassland clans called the Saredi. When one of the mortal Saredi was dying, a demon would come to inhabit the body. The demon could communicate the deceased’s final thoughts to their loved ones, and in return the demon would get a mortal body that allowed them to walk the Earth and be welcomed into Saredi society. The offspring of demons and mortals would be witches.

Kai’s time with the Saredi in his first mortal body was cut short when an invading group called the Hierarchs slaughtered the entire society, captured the demons and subjugated the witches. The story begins sixty years later, after the fall of the Hierarchs, when Kai finds himself caught in a conspiracy involving the new coalition-turned-empire called the Rising World. The story alternates between two timelines — one in the present in which Kai and his witch companion Ziede search for Ziede’s wife Tahren, who they believe abducted for political reasons, and another in the past, in which Kai and Ziede assist mortal prince Bashasa is his rebellion against the Hierarchs. During these flashbacks, we see everything Kai has done to earn him the title “Witch King.”

At first, I had some difficulty understanding the stakes of the story. If demons are immortal, is Kai ever in any real danger? As I read on, I understood a few key points. One, it is possible to kill a demon, but not easy. Two, a demon can face fates worse than death. But most importantly, three: death is not what Kai fears. Throughout the novel, we see Kai sacrificing himself for the mortals he loves. The stakes are not tied to his survival, but that of the people around him. He saw his people wiped out once, and now he’s willing to martyr himself if it means he can protect the people who have accepted and cared for him. Kai sees himself as part of something bigger — a community of witches and demons that fight to protect each other.

Sanja’s presence also raises the stakes. Sanja is a little girl that Kai rescues from being sacrificed by someone who intended to imprison him in her body and keep him as a familiar. Kai and Ziede take her with them on their quest because there is no one else to protect her. With no knowledge of the world of demons and witches, Sanja serves as a conduit for the audience, asking the questions that we too want answers to. She also adds an extra wrinkle to every situation — Kai, Ziede and crew may have command over magic, but they also have a child to keep out of harm’s way. Every threat increases tenfold. Sanja has been seamlessly accepted as part of Kai and Ziede’s ever-growing witch family, and even right after meeting her, they are already willing to risk their own safety to protect her.

One aspect of the novel that particularly intrigued me was the way that the magic and structure of the story both echoed the themes. The magic system is visceral instead of technical, with an emphasis on how the magic feels instead of how it works. Witches use magic that is connected with nature and ultimately unobtrusive. They befriend natural spirits — like Ziede, who is able to fly using her connection with wind-devils — or use cantrips, which use “words to paint reality into a different shape.” Expositors, on the other hand, are the magicians employed by the Hierarchs. They weave spells called intentions, which are characterized as sticky webs of immaterial threads, powered by pain and death. When Kai gains the ability to cast intentions, he refuses to draw on the great Wells of power the Hierarchs have created by killing mortals. Instead, he hurts himself in order to generate the pain required. The power sources used for magic reflects the values of the people drawing on it — do they value human life? Or do they only value power? Those who draw their power from sources that do not require pain or sacrifice are those who value each other.

The alternating structure of the novel creates a constant sense of tension. We cut away from the characters at the peak of danger and hopelessness, only to jump into the past or back into the present. Even when the circumstances seem impossible, the characters continue to fight and protect each other. The good always prevails. Prince Bashasa is often dismissed by the other mortals, who believe his rebellion is suicide, but his unwavering hope continues. At one point, Kai tells Bashasa that the injustice of the Hierarchs makes him so angry he could burn the world. Bashasa answers, “Unfortunately, someone else has already burned it. We need to unburn it. Will you help me do that, Kai?” In the face of hardship, brutality, and even genocide, the characters still manage to put off the oppressor and fight another day.

Witch King is also replete with representation of groups that are marginalized in our reality. Since demons maintain their gender regardless of the body they inhabit, the story is inherently transgender. We meet multiple characters who use they/them pronouns. Every romantic relationship is queer. The story revolves around wives Ziede and Tahren, but also all of Kai’s love interests are men. Additionally, we meet Tenes, a witch who is mute because an expositor stole her voice. She uses a kind of sign language called Witchspeak. From a disability perspective, it was interesting to see that in this world sign language is something associated with a powerful and magical group of people. The characters, of course, have no concept of queer or trans or disabled. To them, this is all just how the world works, and it’s deeply refreshing to spend some time in a world with such different cultural norms. Intersectionality is particularly important in a story about people from all different walks of life coming together for a collective purpose.

The whole story comes together to form an elegant tapestry of anti-imperialism, queer love, and rebellious spirit. Witch King is a great read for anyone looking for some gripping, fantasy with non-western aesthetics and a lovable, magical cast of characters.

Alex Kingsley is a writer, comedian, and game designer. They are a cofounder of the new media company Strong Branch Productions, and the creator of sci-fi comedy podcast The Stench of Adventure. They are the author of The Strange Garden and Other Weird Tales, and their fiction has appeared in Radon Journal, Sci-Fi Lampoon, Strangely Funny, and more. Their SFF-related nonfiction has appeared in Interstellar Flight Magazine and ASPEC Journal. Their games can be downloaded pay-what-you-will at alexyquest.itch.io. You can find them on Twitter.

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Witch King is also replete with representation of groups that are marginalized in our reality. Since demons maintain their gender regardless of the body they inhabit, the story is inherently transgender. We meet multiple characters who use they/them pronouns. Every romantic relationship is queer. The story revolves around wives Ziede and Tahren, but also all of Kai’s love interests are men. Additionally, we meet Tenes, a witch who is mute because an expositor stole her voice. She uses a kind of sign language called Witchspeak. From a disability perspective, it was interesting to see that in this world sign language is something associated with a powerful and magical group of people. The characters, of course, have no concept of queer or trans or disabled. To them, this is all just how the world works, and it’s deeply refreshing to spend some time in a world with such different cultural norms. Intersectionality is particularly important in a story about people from all different walks of life coming together for a collective purpose.

Technology has also played a significant role in the secret booms of magic. Advances in special effects, props, and devices have allowed magicians to create more elaborate and mind-boggling illusions. From levitating objects to disappearing acts, technology has opened up a world of possibilities for magicians to explore and amaze their audiences. However, perhaps the biggest secret boom of magic lies in the psychology and perception of the audience. Magicians play with our expectations and assumptions, exploiting the flaws in human perception to create illusions that deceive our senses. Our brains are wired to make sense of the world around us, and magicians take advantage of this by manipulating our perceptions and creating a reality that defies logic. In conclusion, the secret booms of magic are multi-faceted and complex. The art of misdirection, sleight of hand, technological advancements, and the psychology of perception all contribute to the world of magic. While magicians may never reveal all of their secrets, the allure and wonder of magic will continue to captivate audiences for generations to come..

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