The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones

The Cemeteries of Amalo #1-2

by Katherine Addison

The Witness for the Dead

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s 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. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.

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 honestly 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 use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.

Now Celehar’s skills lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness.

The Grief Of Stones

Celehar’s life as the Witness for the Dead of Amalo grows less isolated as his circle of friends grows larger. He has been given an apprentice to teach, and he has stumbled over a scandal of the city—the foundling girls. Orphans with no family to claim them and no funds to buy an apprenticeship. Foundling boys go to the Prelacies; foundling girls are sold into service, or worse.

At once touching and shattering, Celehar’s witnessing for one of these girls will lead him into the depths of his own losses. The love of his friends will lead him out again.

Genres: Fantasy

439 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

A pseudonym of Sarah Monette. Both Sarah and Katherine are on Twitter as @pennyvixen. Katherine reviews nonfiction. Sarah reviews fiction. Fair warning: I read very little fiction these days.

Sarah/Katherine was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project.

She got her B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite being summa cum laude, none of her degrees is of the slightest use to her in either her day job or her writing, which she feels is an object lesson for us all.

She currently lives near Madison, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Graham Dauncey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A return to the courtly drama of The Goblin Emperor, but on a more intimate scale in a more provincial setting. These two shorter novels follow directly on from each other and are dealing on a smaller scale than the palace politics of The Goblin Emperor. Thara Celehar was one of the side characters of the first novel (the Witness for the Dead brought in to investigate the deaths of the Emperor's family), and here we are expanding on his story outside of that. Essentially we get a series of vignettes as to what a Witness for the Dead does, both investigating murders and more mundane things such as will disputes and where a dead person left the petty cash. The two novels flow directly into each other as well - there is no time gap between them, but the various cases that Thara is following do change between the two novels.

Katherine Addison has created an impressive world of etiquette and intrigue - the society presented is full of rules and tradition and because of this it feels more real and lived in. The depth to this world is truly incredible. The themes explored here are fascinating as well - death is a major theme, but it is approached in such a clever way with both sensitivity and purpose. The characters are drawn with wonderful pathos and you can't help but be drawn into their lives and emotions.

This is fantasy on a different pace to most fantasy out there, and as such it feels surprisingly fresh for what could be quite a dry thing.

[Kelvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witness for the Dead 5/5
The Grief of Stones 5/5

There really is nothing like Addison's books. The world is so rich and deep I could simply keep reading for hours I'm so immersed. Hopefully we will see more in the future!

[Mari Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Goblin Emperor and was looking for more of that. This isn’t that, but it’s still a good read. This follows a side character from the first book and feels like a darker x files episode in a fantasy world.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗢 is a spin-off of Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, and follows Thara Celehar, the Witness for the Dead who exposed the culprit of the previous emperor’s assassination as he is assigned to the city of Amalo. There, he encounters a hostile political climate, a lonely personal existence, and a series of murders he must investigate with his capacity to “speak” with the dead.

The books delivers the same understated, slice-of-life quality of storytelling, but not quite as charming. Rather than a court fantasy, this is more of a detective story but with a medium-like clergyman as the investigator. Thara is a bit too meek and with a near pushover personality. Still, I found him quite likable and really wanted him to stand up for himself as much as he does for his principles.

In 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱, there is less of a structured narrative and more of a series of scenes from different story threads weaved together as he investigates the drowning of an opera singer, a contested will, and a possible serial killer murdering his wives. It is slow and steady, if a bit meandering.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 is much richer, with a tighter narrative flow and less of a mishmash feel to it. It is also more exciting and eventful and left implications that I want to read more of. Here, there is far more character development as Thara confronts his own grief caused by his past scandal, the burdens of his power, and the realities and attachment he has built in this Amalo. I really just want to see him finally open up himself up to more and stop being so selfless and self-effacing. And yes, I want him to get together with opera director Iana. Queer joy needs a win here.