/lit/ - Literature

>>18508840
The Witness For The Dead, The Goblin Emperor #2 - Katherine Addison (2021)
Although this is the second in this world, they have only two things in common, a character and the setting. There aren't really any notable goblins in this one, it's almost all elves all the time. There's very little that distinguishes elves from humans in this setting, though the only races presented are elves and goblins, of which there are less difference between them than you may assume.
The protagonist is a melancholy gay elf in a steampunk setting that includes magic. He is a witness for the dead, which means he communes with the dead with the hope of bringing them solace, which can lessen the chance of them rising as a ghoul. This often leads him to investigate the circumstances of troubled deaths, not to bring anyone to justice, but to allow the dead to literally rest in peace.
Though the book is relatively short it has multiple plotlines from a single continuous perspective that isn't separated by chapters. There are slight gaps of continuity separated by a line which serves as the closest semblance of chapter breaks.
While the plot is about resolving the circumstances of deaths, that's only what happens and isn't what the book is about. This is a naturalistic character study detailing his daily life as a disgraced priest who found some redemption but who isn't yet ready to move on with his life, assuming he'd even know how to, let alone want to.
I found it to be a comfortable read, though it wasn't notable in any way for better or worse. I would read more from this setting if there was more. Almost none of this issues I had with the first book are present.
Rating: 3.5/5