
The Witness for the Dead
Book One of the Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy
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Narrated by:
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Liam Gerrard
About this listen
"At once intimate and literally operatic, it's everything I love about Katherine Addison's writing, in ways I didn't know to expect. I loved it." (John Scalzi)
Katherine Addison returns to the glittering world she created for her beloved novel, The Goblin Emperor, in this stand-alone sequel
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 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 use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.
Celehar’s skills now 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.
Katherine Addison has created a fantastic world for these books - wide and deep and true.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books
©2021 Katherine Addison (P)2021 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: Jessica Threet
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy. But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board.
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Bad summary
- By Dawn Marie McLeod on 06-06-24
By: Rebecca Thorne
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The Tainted Cup
- A Novel
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Andrew Fallaize
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible. Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
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Really fun fantasy whodunnit
- By Jay Turton on 03-11-24
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The Blacktongue Thief
- By: Christopher Buehlman
- Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path. But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.
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Outstanding
- By Anne Vaughan on 05-28-21
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City of Stairs
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions - until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself - first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it - stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy. Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani.
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Something Different
- By Scott S. on 10-17-14
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Prince of the Sorrows
- Rowan Blood, Book 1
- By: Kellen Graves
- Narrated by: Christian Leatherman
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. The place he was traded from as a changeling-baby, and a place he is terrified of. And while getting an endorsement shouldn't be impossible, it's hindered by the fact his literacy is self-taught, using books stolen off of Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students.
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Glad I stuck it out!
- By Kerri_Reads on 06-04-23
By: Kellen Graves
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A Taste of Gold and Iron
- By: Alexandra Rowland
- Narrated by: Casey Jones
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court - the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation that results in his humiliation. To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best.
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Excellent, but leaves you wanting more.
- By Anonymous User on 12-19-22
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The Calculating Stars
- A Lady Astronaut Novel
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the East Coast of the US, including Washington, DC. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the Earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space and requires a much-larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York’s drive to become the first lady astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
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Never achieves lift off
- By Richard Bruno on 10-01-18
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Swordcrossed
- By: Freya Marske
- Narrated by: Omari Douglas
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family's wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years. What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.
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loved this book
- By Anonymous User on 11-05-24
By: Freya Marske
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Dragon's Kiss
- Blood & Flame Saga, Book 1
- By: E.A. Winters
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Every month, the great black dragon comes. Every month, a child is snatched. That's all the village of Kalma knows. Semra is one of those children, and she knows the truth: there is a dragonlord in the mountain, raising the children into his personal syndicate of assassins. When seventeen-year-old Semra learns they aren't fighting evil but are in fact evil themselves, she risks everything to expose the dragonlord.
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Great Clean Fantasy Read
- By Gina Weber on 12-31-24
By: E.A. Winters
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Differently Morphous
- By: Yahtzee Croshaw
- Narrated by: Yahtzee Croshaw
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A magical serial killer is on the loose, and gelatinous, otherworldly creatures are infesting the English countryside. Which is making life for the Ministry of Occultism difficult, because magic is supposed to be their best kept secret. After centuries in the shadows, the Ministry is forced to unmask, exposing the country's magical history - and magical citizens - to a brave new world of social media, government scrutiny, and public relations.
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Not for everybody
- By R. MCRACKAN on 09-24-18
By: Yahtzee Croshaw
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The Golem and the Jinni
- A Novel
- By: Helene Wecker
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
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Enchanting Debut Novel - Delicious!
- By Tango on 04-26-13
By: Helene Wecker
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Midnight Riot
- Rivers of London, Book 1
- By: Ben Aaronovitch
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale....
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I LOVE this Book!
- By Nancy J on 02-26-13
By: Ben Aaronovitch
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Lightfall: Book One of The Everlands
- The Everlands Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Ed Crocker
- Narrated by: Shakira Shute
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave. Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood.
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Wow
- By SinnaPomme on 01-21-25
By: Ed Crocker
What listeners say about The Witness for the Dead
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- Shannan Berkbuegler
- 09-11-21
3 Cheers for Thara Celehar!
I could not put this story down! The Goblin Emperor was wonderful, and this was even better. This fantasy world is fresh as well as familiar, the characters are so real. I loved this narrator as he brought great depth & voicing to the different players, but mostly made Celehar sound perfectly… himself. I think his voicing was excellent for this character and was a wise change from the excellent narrator who voiced Maia in The Goblin Emperor— two very different people, very different characters, so the different voices were fitting, in my opinion. I hope the author explores this world more, it’s been a fun ride to see it from a different point of view. Celehar could have his own murder mystery series.
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- Whimsical Dragonette
- 02-22-25
Compelling series of mysteries
This is a very compelling story following a man who does not think much of himself and does not stand up for himself, as he slowly solves mysteries, proves himself better than his superiors, makes friends despite himself, and slowly comes to believe in himself at least a little. The names are hard to keep straight but roll off the tongue nicely. It is an excellent follow up to the Goblin Emperor.
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- Andre Wallace Simonsen
- 07-21-21
An incredible addition to the series!
Taking place in the same wonderful, magical and highly traditional world of "The Goblin Emperor" (TGE), "Witness for the Dead" (WFTD) show us the daily life of Thara Celehar, one of its most honourable and lawful characters, on his routine as a Witness for The Dead, a kind of state cleric/detective wich performs religious rituals and investigates murders using traditional techniques as well as... speaking with the dead (even if just briefly).
For fans of the Witcher 3, wich one can argue is the greatest detective game ever made, the book reads a lot like a Main Quest with a major murder-mystery and several sidequests wich get on the way of its progress but are nevertheless really interesting and flesh out the world established on the first book.*
A lot of the same themes touched upon on TGE appear again on this romance and we get a look on even more traditions and fantasy politics wich mirror real world problems of the 21st century. ai think my world view aligns a lot with the author and I really liked the way she masterfully handles topics such as homosexuality, feminism and other relevant topics.
Katherine Addison has a way of constructing characters that makes you really care about them (be it their personalities or actions) and it's simply joyful to spend time with them and see them achieving their goals.
Being totally honest, I liked the sidequests even more than the main story and since I love Celehar, I'd gladly follow his routine as a witness forever, wich makes me hopeful that we get another title on the future - especially one where he gets a much deserved happily ever after**.
The narrator is great, but sometimes there's a huge dissonance between his reading and Celehar actually speaking with his rough and at the same time kind voice, wich made the experience strike out in a good manner (it feels like you got out of Celehar's mind and into the world).
Reading TGE is obligatory to enjoy and understand everything about this one, but even though it's a different kind of story, I highly recommend it for fans.
*Seriously, there's even a sidequest with ghouls! If there was a lady with a missing pan I would have died laughing!
**He's an absolute treasure of a person that deserves to be happy.
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- colleenish
- 03-18-23
A fantasy murder mystery
Love the continuing adventures of Thara Celehar, whose kindness and courage make him a powerful moral center for this action-packed and spooky sequel. I reread this often.
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- Shay Barnett
- 11-12-23
So good!!
This book is my comfort re-read. The voice acting and story are both fantastic! The world building is really rich and Thora is so relatable and kind. It reads a lot like a collection of short stories about Thora Celehar (who is kind of a detective for the dead), but everything gets tied together in the end!
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- aya knowledgegod
- 06-24-21
very good
so happy to have a continuation of stories in this world. i will admit that i enjoyed the reader for the goblin emporer better, but this reader isn't at all bad. Mer Celehar has a busy and trying life! I always liked him as a character and was pleased to find that this story is about him and right after the events of the first book rather than a completely unrelated story.
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- Will Sexton
- 07-08-21
Just Wonderful
I love Katherine Addison's world of the goblin emperor and this is a great addition.
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- Matt G.
- 03-20-22
Excellent book and inspired performance
The natural and fluent performance of Addison’s richly conceived, wonderfully “human” (well…) story — with remarkable character work for Addison and the performer alike — confidently elevates this tale to the weightiness and authenticity of a sort of slipstream historical narrative. Can this not be a portrait of real cultures of our own world’s past? This fabulous book gains even more in this telling!
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- Dione Basseri
- 07-17-22
A new, fascinating focus in the Goblin Emperor!
Why did I sit on this book so long? Just the crushing weight of my TBR, really....
Now, this book is a thematic departure from the "Goblin Emperor." But in quality, it remains as riveting as the first book in the series! If you loved book 1 and are wondering if you'll like a book that does not focus on Maia/Edrehasivar, do not worry; you'll fall in love with the narrative voice of Thara Celehar as fast as you did with Maia's.
This book is more about mystery, the human (or elf and goblin) psyche, and a world abound in necromantic magics. Celehar, as a Witness for the Dead, is sometimes aided by his ability to summon the spirits of the recently departed for inquiry, but more often, has to solve crimes through deduction and interviews with the still-living. Sadly, no Zone of Truth for this Witness, meaning recognizing that even the most helpful (and handsome) of interviewees might muddle his case with half-truths and outright lies.
The speech of the book is very formal, a lot of "thee" and "thou" and "we" instead of "I," but overall, it's not stultifying. I think that it works great in the audiobook version, where you just get into the groove and accept the narrator's cadence. Addison highlights any slips in grammar (especially slips into less-formal "you" and "I") in a way that adds to the mystery. It's not flavor. It's an actual important part of the story.
All of the book is fantastic, of course, but I particularly love any section where we learn more about the world's fantasy elements. The section on the Hill of Werewolves was such a contemplative and FASCINATING section.
I loved this book so much that I jumped right into the next book when I was done. Thank goodness for ARCs!
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- Dray
- 12-01-24
perfect short story
iv never read any of the other books of the Goblin Emperor, but this book might change that. a great full story with well done characters, beautiful world building, and well thought out pacing and plot. details are always accurate and it never feels like something is done unintentionally. the way the world-building is so complete is so immersive and enjoyable, and as i read i feel like im desperate to know more of every detail its great. the characters were unique and i loved it beginning to end. i usually always read long series such as stormlight archives, the books of the new sun, and more, but getting to get a small story while still in a fully fleshed out world with its own history and lore was amazing!
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