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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We weren't sure what to expect when our book club selected The Goblin Emperor as its monthly read but we are grateful for having read it and see how long we can keep up the use of the formal 'we' in the review.
The book opens on the youngest, half-goblin son of the emperor, relegated to a derelict country estate under the tutelage of a cousin that scorns him and far from the circles of high society that revolve around his emperor father. After a most tragic airship accident, our fair hero finds himself catapulted into a role he was not born for and a court rife with intrigue and split in twain between welcoming arms of a select few of his servants and courtiers and and the gentry that see him as an upstart and a threat. We found the novel made intricate work of the intrigue and ennui of court life and to wrap that around Maia's development as emperor and his coming of age was a breath of fresh air. While we found the conspiracies and coup attempts became a bit predictable at time, these were forgivable for what glimpses we were allowed of Maia unpacking the abuse, neglect, and poverty of his upbringing at Edonomee, which we found most cathartic in dealing with the similarities of our own upbringing. We look forward to the sequel that has been confirmed so we can follow the prosperous reign of Edrehasivar Zhas, Seventh of His Name, and see what new journeys the Untheileneise Court holds.
The book opens on the youngest, half-goblin son of the emperor, relegated to a derelict country estate under the tutelage of a cousin that scorns him and far from the circles of high society that revolve around his emperor father. After a most tragic airship accident, our fair hero finds himself catapulted into a role he was not born for and a court rife with intrigue and split in twain between welcoming arms of a select few of his servants and courtiers and and the gentry that see him as an upstart and a threat. We found the novel made intricate work of the intrigue and ennui of court life and to wrap that around Maia's development as emperor and his coming of age was a breath of fresh air. While we found the conspiracies and coup attempts became a bit predictable at time, these were forgivable for what glimpses we were allowed of Maia unpacking the abuse, neglect, and poverty of his upbringing at Edonomee, which we found most cathartic in dealing with the similarities of our own upbringing. We look forward to the sequel that has been confirmed so we can follow the prosperous reign of Edrehasivar Zhas, Seventh of His Name, and see what new journeys the Untheileneise Court holds.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I can see why many feel this is a masterpiece of worldbuilding. I enjoyed it, especially Maia, but can't give it five stars because the "on ramp" to understanding was the entire fucking book. I admired it but I never felt as if I actually became fully oriented into the world.
That's partly due to the glossary being woefully incomplete and confusing. It was already a longer glossary than any I've ever encountered in decades of SFF reading, but I was continuously paging back to it to look up a name or term and NOT being able to find anything, even when I tried searching under other possible versions. (It took me over half the book to finally realize the honorifics weren't names themselves.) I almost wish I'd kept a list of what was missing, but it was already a cognitively challenging book. I actually was in the mood for something sense that could fully arrest my attention, so I was predisposed to keep giving it the effort it needed. But I still came close to giving up multiple times. Part of what kept me going was the certainty that if I stopped or even paused, there'd be no way in hell I'd be able to remember any of it and would have to start from the beginning again.
I should also mention, I started this as an audiobook and ended up getting the hardcopy so that I could access the glossary. I ended going back and forth a lot, even *reading the hardcopy while listening to the audiobook,* which I have never had to do before. As frustrating as I found the glossary, it was still vital for me and I can't imagine reading just the audiobook. The narrator deserves ALL the awards for navigating all the conlang terms with such confidence and finesse, I am in awe of his performance.
I know I'm griping a lot for a book I gave 4.5 stars. The characters and the story were well done, if you enjoy political intrigues. (I often don't, whoops.) I still managed to enjoy it enough that I'm on the hold list for the trilogy that comes after Goblin Emperor, but if it takes more than a month I have little hope of being able to understand it. Wish me luck!
That's partly due to the glossary being woefully incomplete and confusing. It was already a longer glossary than any I've ever encountered in decades of SFF reading, but I was continuously paging back to it to look up a name or term and NOT being able to find anything, even when I tried searching under other possible versions. (It took me over half the book to finally realize the honorifics weren't names themselves.) I almost wish I'd kept a list of what was missing, but it was already a cognitively challenging book. I actually was in the mood for something sense that could fully arrest my attention, so I was predisposed to keep giving it the effort it needed. But I still came close to giving up multiple times. Part of what kept me going was the certainty that if I stopped or even paused, there'd be no way in hell I'd be able to remember any of it and would have to start from the beginning again.
I should also mention, I started this as an audiobook and ended up getting the hardcopy so that I could access the glossary. I ended going back and forth a lot, even *reading the hardcopy while listening to the audiobook,* which I have never had to do before. As frustrating as I found the glossary, it was still vital for me and I can't imagine reading just the audiobook. The narrator deserves ALL the awards for navigating all the conlang terms with such confidence and finesse, I am in awe of his performance.
I know I'm griping a lot for a book I gave 4.5 stars. The characters and the story were well done, if you enjoy political intrigues. (I often don't, whoops.) I still managed to enjoy it enough that I'm on the hold list for the trilogy that comes after Goblin Emperor, but if it takes more than a month I have little hope of being able to understand it. Wish me luck!
I enjoyed this book, wholeheartedly rec it to fans of slow-paced fantasy, and appreciate the linguistics and worldbuilding. Many reviewers call this a comfort read/feel good book — I can’t relate, but not in a negative way. Maia’s distance from the people he hoped to be friends with hit me harder than the beginnings of true friendships toward the end of the book, which felt gratifying but not as genuine as the distance imposed by his rank.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I took an extra-long time to read this book, as I had a number of audiobooks that jumped the queue and some book club books with quicker timelines. One of the reasons it was so easily bumped was because this started out rather slow-paced, but it was compelling enough that it kept drawing me back. I'd like to give this 3 1/2 stars, but as that isn't an option, I'm rounding up to 4 because I'm feeling generous.
The Good - It's a fascinating universe, with layers upon layers of potential sub-plots and interesting characters. One of the reviews I read referred to it as steampunkeque, and I agree. In fact, one of the main inventions, an important retractable bridge, even seemed steam powered. The visit from Maia's goblin grandfather in all of his regalia was fascinating.
The Bad - The characters were very interesting, but the choice of names was unnecessarily confusing. Many of the names sound very similar, and most of the characters were called multiple things. There is a list of characters in the back, but even that is not entirely helpful, as characters are only listed by their "main" names, and many references are to some honorific title or other so you really don't know who they are talking about.
The Verdict - The tie breaker is Maia. He's so likeable, while vulnerable, and also trying to do his best while riddled with self-doubts. Maia is wonderful. The turning point in the point to me was in Chapter 22 when Maia first exerted his authority in a dispute in deciding to do what was right rather than what would most please all of the involved parties. Maia's complex relationships with distant relatives who had nothing to do with him until he became emperor were so expertly drawn, that this book is definitely a keeper.
If you are looking for wave after wave of action, you probably will find this too slow. If you're looking for an interesting universe, courtly political intrigue, and character driven drama, then give it a shot.
The Good - It's a fascinating universe, with layers upon layers of potential sub-plots and interesting characters. One of the reviews I read referred to it as steampunkeque, and I agree. In fact, one of the main inventions, an important retractable bridge, even seemed steam powered. The visit from Maia's goblin grandfather in all of his regalia was fascinating.
The Bad - The characters were very interesting, but the choice of names was unnecessarily confusing. Many of the names sound very similar, and most of the characters were called multiple things. There is a list of characters in the back, but even that is not entirely helpful, as characters are only listed by their "main" names, and many references are to some honorific title or other so you really don't know who they are talking about.
The Verdict - The tie breaker is Maia. He's so likeable, while vulnerable, and also trying to do his best while riddled with self-doubts. Maia is wonderful. The turning point in the point to me was in Chapter 22 when Maia first exerted his authority in a dispute in deciding to do what was right rather than what would most please all of the involved parties. Maia's complex relationships with distant relatives who had nothing to do with him until he became emperor were so expertly drawn, that this book is definitely a keeper.
If you are looking for wave after wave of action, you probably will find this too slow. If you're looking for an interesting universe, courtly political intrigue, and character driven drama, then give it a shot.
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes