Twenty years. That is a long time for a book to stay relevant in a genre as fickle as urban fantasy. Honestly, when Kim Harrison first dropped Dead Witch Walking back in 2004, the landscape was a bit different. We had Buffy reruns and the early days of The Dresden Files. Then came Rachel Morgan. She wasn't a brooding detective in a trench coat; she was a frustrated bounty hunter with a bad haircut and a serious problem with authority.
People often forget how weird the world of The Hollows actually is. We’re talking about an alternate history where bioengineered tomatoes—yes, tomatoes—mutated and wiped out a massive chunk of the human population. This "T-Tomato" virus didn't touch the "Inderlanders" (witches, vampires, werewolves), so they basically had to come out of the closet to keep society from collapsing. It’s a wild premise. It’s also why Dead Witch Walking remains a foundational text for anyone who likes their magic mixed with a healthy dose of grit and realistic consequences.
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The Messy Reality of Rachel Morgan
If you’re looking for a perfect hero, Rachel isn't it. She’s a "white" witch working for Inderland Security (I.S.), and she’s miserable. The I.S. treats her like a glorified intern, sending her on "runs" to bust leprechauns for tax evasion. When she finally decides to quit, she finds out the hard way that you don't just put in two weeks' notice at a magical police force. They put a hit on her. A literal death bounty.
That’s where the story actually starts. Rachel has to survive long enough to find a way to pay off her contract. She teams up with Ivy Tamwood, a living vampire who is as elegant as Rachel is clumsy, and Jenks, a four-inch-tall pixie with a massive family and an even bigger mouth.
This trio is the heart of the series. They move into an old, de-sanctified church, which is such a vibe for an urban fantasy base of operations. But it isn't all cozy. The tension between Rachel and Ivy is thick from page one. Ivy is fighting her predatory instincts, and Rachel is constantly tripping over her own insecurities. It’s messy. It’s human.
Why the World-Building Actually Works
Harrison did something clever here. She didn't just dump a bunch of lore on us; she built a Cincinnati that feels lived-in. You have the "Hollows," the area where the Inderlanders mostly congregate, across the river from the human side of town.
- Ley Lines: Magic isn't just a "feeling." It’s an energy source tied to the earth. Rachel uses it to craft charms and spells, but it's dangerous.
- The Ever-After: This is the demonic realm where the truly scary stuff lives. We get our first taste of it in this book, and it sets the stakes for the next seventeen (and counting) novels.
- Inderlander Politics: The I.S. isn't necessarily the "good guys." They’re just the law. This nuance makes the conflict with the main antagonist, Trent Kalamack, much more interesting.
Trent is a billionaire businessman who everyone suspects is involved in the illegal "brimstone" drug trade. Rachel spends a good chunk of Dead Witch Walking trying to pin something on him to buy her freedom. But Trent isn't a cardboard-cutout villain. He’s an elf, and in this world, elves are a dying, desperate race.
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The "Problematic" Legacy and Evolution
Let’s be real for a second. Reading Dead Witch Walking in 2026 feels a little different than it did in 2004. Some of the language used to describe Ivy’s ethnicity or the way bisexuality is framed through "predatory" vampire tropes has aged... poorly. Critics and fans have pointed out that the early books can be a bit clumsy with these themes.
However, many long-term fans argue that this is part of the "growing pains" of the series. Rachel herself starts off incredibly narrow-minded. She’s judgmental and often makes "stupid decisions"—as one Goodreads reviewer bluntly put it. But that’s the point. The Hollows is a series about growth. If Rachel were perfect in book one, there would be nowhere to go in book eighteen.
Key Moments You Probably Forgot
- The Mink Transformation: Rachel turns herself into a mink to spy on Trent Kalamack. It goes about as well as you’d expect—she ends up in a cage.
- The Rat Fight: One of the grimmest scenes in the early series involves Rachel being forced into an underground rodent fighting ring. It’s visceral and shows just how far she has to fall before she can climb back up.
- The First Demon Summoning: When Rachel accidentally pulls a demon (Algaliarept) into our world, it changes the trajectory of her life forever. It’s a "be careful what you wish for" moment that has repercussions for the next decade of storytelling.
How to Approach The Hollows Today
If you’re new to Kim Harrison, starting with Dead Witch Walking is the only way to go. Don't skip to the newer stuff like American Demon or Demon’s Bluff. You need the foundation.
Basically, you have to treat it like a time capsule. It’s a 2004 take on a supernatural world. The pacing in the first half can be a little slow because Harrison is busy explaining how the "Turn" happened and how ley lines work. Stick with it. Once the bounty hunters start showing up at Rachel’s door, the pace picks up and doesn't really stop until the end of the series.
The series is currently eighteen books long, plus novellas and graphic novels. It’s a commitment. But there’s a reason people still talk about Rachel Morgan. She’s the underdog we actually like to root for because she’s constantly failing forward.
Actionable Steps for New Readers
- Check the Reading Order: While you start with Dead Witch Walking, there are novellas like The Turn (a prequel) that are better read after you’ve finished at least the first few main books.
- Look for the "Hollows Insider": If you get deep into the lore, this companion book is a goldmine of world-building details, from maps of Cincinnati to spell recipes.
- Embrace the Flaws: Don't expect Rachel to be a superhero. Expect her to be a person who makes mistakes, gets hurt, and eventually finds a way to survive.
The world of the Inderlanders is dangerous, but honestly, it’s the relationships between a witch, a vampire, and a pixie that keep us coming back. It’s about found family in a world that wants you dead. That never goes out of style.
Next Steps for Your Reading Journey:
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To truly appreciate the evolution of the urban fantasy genre, compare Dead Witch Walking to modern contemporaries. Start by grabbing a copy of the 20th-anniversary editions if you can find them; they often contain updated author notes that provide context on how the world of the Hollows was originally conceived. Once you finish the first book, move immediately to The Good, the Bad, and the Undead to see how the partnership between Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks truly solidifies. If you're a fan of audiobooks, Marguerite Gavin's narration is widely considered the definitive way to experience Rachel's snarky, high-stakes internal monologue.