The Goblin Emperor

, #1

Hardcover, 446 pages

English language

Published April 2014 by Tor.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-2699-7
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OCLC Number:
853664403
ISFDB ID:
1708190

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4 stars (18 reviews)

A vividly imagined fantasy of court intrigue and dark magics in a steampunk-inflected world, by a brilliant young talent

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and …

6 editions

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Beautifully sentimental, but a bit less engrossing than I’d like

4 stars

I think for someone who likes political machinations more than me this might be more compelling. I loved Maia and how he was written, I loved many of the characters, I loved the arc. I just didn’t get as spirited away on the journey as I would have liked, and some of that might have been due to not having an audiobook cast list, or brain fog, or what have you.

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Intriga palaciega con fina textura

4 stars

Despiertas y plaf te toca encabezar un imperio, tú el cuarto hijo, el relegado, cuasi-exiliado. Nadie esperaba que te tocaría, cualquiera de los otros iba antes, pero así es cuando se mueren todos en un accidente.

Por lo tanto todo es duda y sorpresa, pero cual diplomático japonés te toca ocultar todo estado emocional, ser ilegible conviene a los intereses del imperio. No ayuda que tienes orejas, pues eres un goblin, una raza más oscura de elfo.

En esto ayuda tu inocencia: el imperio no te interesa más que como estructura de poder para ayudar a tu gente. Pronto se nota que no eres como el previo emperador, como los previos: tienes otra sensibilidad, te interesas por todos.

Es que tu guardián hasta ayer era tu primo que te odiaba y maltrataba. Por eso tu capacidad refinada de sentir el dolor ajeno. Por eso serás otro tipo de emperador, nomás …

A personal story of a reluctant emperor

4 stars

Overall this was a good book. It was fairly straightforward in its plot and characters, which allowed it to have a more personal feel to the main character. The setting is hindered a little by aspects of the language which, while they add some depth, they also add a great amount of complexity. I can certainly see the similarities to The Hands of the Emperor, though I prefer that book for its broader story and the focus on the secretary rather than the emperor himself.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2023/07/book-review-goblin-emperor-by-katherine.html

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

The power of kindness

3 stars

I’ve put off reading Addison’s Goblin Emperor a long time; I had heard it was lovely, but also disjointed and inconclusive. It’s taken the book’s inclusion in a list of Becky Chamberesque “novels where people are nice to each other” for me to finally take the plunge, and the only thing I regret is I didn’t do so much earlier.

I can see how people have a hard time adjusting to this novel: the intricate, Elven steampunk world it builds and the high stakes court setting seem to promise things the novel never tries to hold itself to. Instead, we are treated to the story of a young man who, motherless at an early age, despised by his cold and all powerful father who banished him to the shticks at the hands of a violently abusive tutor, finds himself on the throne. Faced with the barely hidden contempt of the …

The Gobblin' Emperor, amiright? (not really, there's not much eating)

4 stars

Content warning maybe general story details

Review

5 stars

Content warning mild spoilies on general theme

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Review of 'The Goblin Emperor' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

To be clear this was a re-read because I was planning to get into 'Witness for the Dead' soon. Now, I know I read this but when I did it must not have made a clear impression and would have been in a period when I was not logging reading to Goodreads. This book has extremely positive reviews and word of mouth that I kept banging into, adding to my confusion as to why I did not have a strong recollection of it.
Let me just state right now this is deserving of all it's praise and is an outstanding book. Why I do not recall that impression from the previous read I have no idea.
It is a simple premise, what happens when a gentle soul is thrust into feudal power. Unlike most fantasy this book is not interested in long (and often tedious) discourses about the world or …

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Review of 'The Goblin Emperor' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is a nice wholesome book, reminds me of the more cheerful Mercedes Lackey books, where it starts crap (for the protagonist) and gets better in a fairly linear progression. There is little drama, but a lot of tea. The language of the goblins is a bit of a blocker though; you'll need to use the glossary or take notes.

On a second reading I find it a bit convenient that the people who are most annoying have an arc. Life isn't like that, some people are just annoying!

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Review of 'The Goblin Emperor (The Goblin Emperor, #1)' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

The fact that this is more or less a straightforward story of an unlikely youngest son from a persecuted ethnic minority unexpectedly being elevated to emperor and having to reconcile with the sort of ruler his father was and he wants to be is in no way to its detriment. That elves and goblins and magic and steampunk machinery are involved just makes it even better. This is definitely a character drama, with characters relatable or detestable in skilled measure. It takes a little work to keep straight the many unfamiliar names that get thrown at you, but I'm sure our protagonist is feeling the same way.

Perfect for fans of court politics, mysteries, and fantasy affectations - did you like Jo Walton's "Tooth and Claw"? Then this one's for you.

reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)

Review of 'The Goblin Emperor' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I'm going to repeat what almost every other reviewer has already said: This is a great book, and it does some things really well, including staying away from the "grimdark" genre. There is hardly any action, most of the book takes place inside a palace, there are elves and goblins, and no one is inherently bad.

I finished Farseer trilogy recently, and it gets quite dark at times, and has some entirely evil characters (their motivations might be explained later, but they appear entirely evil for no reason for most of the book). On the other hand, here the characters are all trying their best to do good.

Not just personal good, which is what you expect from the characters (like in A Song of Ice and Fire), but "Good" in general. And navigating this labyrinth is our main character. There are a lot of excellent character studies in the …

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  • Fiction, fantasy, general

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