The Goblin Emperor
The Details
- Author: Katherine Addison
- Series: The Goblin Emperor 1
- Published: April 1st, 2014
- Page Count: 446 (Hardcover)
Personal
- Reading Start Date: June 30th, 2023
- Reading End Date: July 1st, 2023
- Format: Audiobook
- Rating: 9/10
Quotes
The memories of a thousand separate cruelties mocked him, but no one save Maia himself had ever counted those as wrongs, and it was unjust to have them declared wrongs now, merely because he could.
‘In our inmost and secret heart, which you ask us to bare to you, we wish to banish them as we were banished, to a cold and lonely house, in the charge of a man who hated us. And we wish them trapped there as we were trapped.’
‘You consider that unjust, Serenity?’
‘We consider it cruel,’ Maia said. ‘And we do not think that cruelty is ever just.’
“The reminder that other lives had tragedies without reference to his own was both salutary and painful.”
Awards, Trivia, &
- Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2015)
- Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (2014)
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2015)
Nominations:
- World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2015)
- Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2014)
- RUSA CODES Reading List for Fantasy (2015)
Genre
- Fantasy
- Fiction
- Politics
Trigger Warnings
- Again be specific and precise here
*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.
Summary
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 the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend… and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.
Characters
There are so many… I listened to the audiobook and it was kind of difficult to tell people apart initially.
- Maia Drazhar/ Edrehasivar VII – half-elf half goblin ostracized son of the emperor who finds himself suddenly in a place of power
- Csevet Aisava – A messenger that becomes Maia’s secretary at court.
- Uleris Chavar – The Lord Chancellor of the Elflands.
- Deret Beshelar – One of Maia’s First Nohecharei A lieutenant of the Untheileneise Guard, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the body alongside Cala Athmaza, the guardian of the spirit.
- Cala Athmaza – One of Maia’s First Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the spirit alongside Beshelar, the guardian of the body.
- Csethiro Ceredin – the grand-niece of Arbelan Drazharan, Varenechibel’s first wife, and becomes Maia’s fiancée.
- Dazhis Athmaza – One of Maia’s Second Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, he fulfills the role of guardian of the spirit alongside Telimezh, the guardian of the body.
- Telimezh – One of Maia’s Second Nohecharei. A lieutenant of the Untheileneise Guard, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the body
- Kiru Athmaza – One of Maia’s Second Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, she fulfills the role of guardian of the spirit alongside, Telimezh, the guardian of the body.
- Thara Celehar – A Witness for the Dead and kinsman of Csoru Drazharan, the fifth and final wife of Varenchibel the Fourth. He investigates the crash of the Wisdom of Choharo on Maia’s behalf.
- Prince Nemolis Drazhar – The eldest of Maia’s half siblings and heir apparent to the throne of the Elflands. Dies shortly before the events of the novel alongside his father and two younger half-brothers.
- Prince Idra Drazhar – The first-born child and only son of Prince Nemolis Drazhar, the first-born son of Varenechibel the Fourth. He was to have become Emperor someday if not for the death of his father and grandfather in the crash of the Wisdom of Choharo.
- Sheveän – The mother of Idra, and Maia’s sister-in-law through his eldest brother.
- Lord Berenar – A member of the Corazhas, Eiru Berenar is the Witness for the Treasury.
- Setheris Nelar – A distant cousin of Maia and his guardian from when he was nine years old until he becomes the emperor.
- Nemriän Imaran – The older of Maia’s two half-sisters and last surviving child of Varenechibel’s second marriage, making her Prince Idra’s full aunt.
- Vedero Drazhin – The daughter of the third wife of Maia’s father, and the only surviving child of that union after her two brothers die in the airship explosion
- Eshevis Tethimar – A high-ranking nobleman, the son and heir of the Duke Tethimel and a suitor for the hand of Maia’s sister Vedero.
- Csoru Drazharan – The fifth-wife of the late Varenechibel, who was deeply unhappy during the marriage and not any more pleasant after his death.
- Maru Sevraseched/ The Great Avar – The ruler of Barizhan, and Maia’s maternal grandfather.
- Chenelo Drazharan – Maia’s deceased mother.
- Nemera Drazhar/ Varenechibel IV – The 208th emperor of the elflands. Maia’s distant, abusive father.
- Nurevis Chavar – Chavar’s only child.
- Pashavar – The Witness for the Judiciate, and a prominent Imperial advisor.
- Aina Shulivar – A half-Goblin former apprentice clockmaker turned leader of a society of dissatisfied workers.
- Deshehar – The Witness for the Parliament, and one of Maia’s more progressive advisors. He often argues with Pashavar and Bromar.
- Bromar – The irritating Witness for Foreigners, who is in charge of dealing with the residents of other countries when they don’t warrant an Imperial audience.
- Arbelan Drazharan – Varenechibel’s relegated first wife, who outlived him and returns to court after his death. She’s also Csethiro’s great-aunt.
- Ino and Mirean – Idra’s younger sisters.
- The Edonomee Household – The staff at the Imperial hunting lodge of Edonomee, where Maia grew up in exile after his mother died.
- Verer Orthema – The captain of the guards of the royal court.
Setting
An industrial world populated by elves and goblins, mostly referred to as the Elflands.
Overview
I love the nonsense out of this book. I didn’t know what was coming because to be honest I didn’t even read the summary. I saw a lot of recommendations with nothing but glowing reviews and I just jumped in. Now that I think about it, none of them really said what the book was about either…
The whole book is a wonderful account of Maia and his ascension. He is just so good. That wholesome kind of good where he is just a decent person no matter what is thrown at him. He goes through a lot of hard times and when he is in the position for revenge he continues to be a wonderful person. It’s freaking nice to see with so many other stories being so dark.
Pros
It was weirdly refreshing not to have a fantasy book with crazy high stakes. Don’t get me wrong that is one of the big reasons I like the genre so much but this felt much more like a character study than an adventure.
The writing is spectacular. It has that more classic type feel, going more flowery and poetic with a lot of the speech and even thoughts. Maia’s memories and thoughts stood out to me in particular as he empathized through all his encounters. He learns and grows without losing that core kindness that makes him so lovely to read about.
Maia was hands down the best part of the book. The brutal grim dark fantasy has been wildly popular lately and again I do like the stuff. But this let me feel like I could take a breath. I felt like I could be on Maia’s side and not have to weigh every one of my morals to do it. To be honest I found myself holding my heart back while the story kept going. I’m so used to kindness being a weakness or something that doesn’t last and it kind of breaks my heart. Maia gave my heart new strength though because he turned that kindness into his strength. It was so empowering to see.
The character dynamics were a lot of fun in this. Everyone has to adjust to Maia, an outcast with no real political education not to mention half-goblin. He causes waves by just existing. The best ripple effect though was the instilled loyalty. Maia wins over support by just being good. I freaking love it.
Cons
This is work trying to think of one. Every time I thought I would get bored, or I thought it was going to go in a certain direction I was happily proven wrong. Maia was just so delightful that every moment with him is just so wholesome.
The pacing is a little slower especially when you think of a fantasy novel, so again I felt like I should have been bored but the writing and the characters did a lot of the heavy lifting. There were a lot of politics involved and not a lot of conflict but this kind of stuff doesn’t bother me too much. I like character studies too and this was very much focused on Maia.
I could see the average reader getting bored (I’m serious nothing happens, not really) and letting this one go. It is an excellent study in good government and just being a good person.
I will say after listening to the audiobook the names were rough. They sound very elvish they just all sound very… the same.
Final Thoughts
I had a great time with this. I do think it’s one of those books that are going to be very specific taste wise though.
It has great writing and character development. It was heart warming, getting to know Maia through his unexpected rise in power. He is just such a good person and it’s so refreshing to see.
There is little to no action but it is all about how the characters interplay and the politics fueling them. I noticed the lack of action scenes but I never resented the absence which is a bit strange for a fantasy novel about elves and goblins.
It’s a solid comfort read. It wasn’t what I anticipated but I was happy to see how pure it felt. After all the grim dark that’s taken over the fantasy genre it was sincerely nice to see someone be decent when power was thrust upon them. Maia stayed genuine and while learning the way of the court he implemented his own kindness and good sense.
Ok so overall, to me it was a fantastic read but I could see how there would be a specific audience for a novel like this. Nothing really happens as far as action scenes and the names can be rough to keep track of (especially with the audiobook). If you want a cozy read or just something heartwarming and uplifting this is probably for you.
Outside Links
https://www.katherineaddison.com/Title
Katherine Addison’s Homepage
