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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There were lots of things I liked about this book, primarily the worldbuilding and the language. I liked seeing Maia grow as a character. I wasn't overfond of the assumption that a fantasy world would be cruel to queer people.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the political intrigue of this book! Maia as a main character was also surprisingly charming; it's interesting to have the POV character be genuinely kind and use that kindness to their own advantage.
However, what knocks off stars is the naming systems for the characters, titles, and locations. The overly complicated and similarly-sounding names just made the story difficult to follow rather than adding to the worldbuilding.
However, what knocks off stars is the naming systems for the characters, titles, and locations. The overly complicated and similarly-sounding names just made the story difficult to follow rather than adding to the worldbuilding.
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have bounced off this story a few times, but it was finally the right time and place for long fantasy names and isolated friendless exiled princes to become isolated emperors.
Honestly I like this book more as a concept piece rather than in execution - I think it's a genuinely fascinating example of how a book can mostly take place in like, three rooms (a bedroom, a receiving room (there are, I think, three receiving rooms but they are just about degrees of formality and comfort) and a ballroom. Maia is the Emperor, which means he can make decisions but he can't do things. He visits a sick woman who was kind to him; he asks his secretary to procure more coal for the household and reflects that that's what it means to be emperor, you just ask other people to put themselves out for you. It's a novel that is a series of meetings; Maia wakes up dreading them, and you sympathize about burnout.
He is very goodhearted, and it's nice to watch his treacherous court bloom around him in loyalty as he tries his best to learn as quickly as possible. I do think it's a genuinely fascinating take on the "farmboy becomes king" story, given that it's a lot about The Harsh Realities of Bureaucracy (so many meetings); I also like that the emotional culmination is a bit sideways from standard
it's weird but different! I admire the swing, and it will undoubtedly influence how I think about fantasy politics forever.
Thing I really liked: TWITCHY EARS!!!!
Honestly I like this book more as a concept piece rather than in execution - I think it's a genuinely fascinating example of how a book can mostly take place in like, three rooms (a bedroom, a receiving room (there are, I think, three receiving rooms but they are just about degrees of formality and comfort) and a ballroom. Maia is the Emperor, which means he can make decisions but he can't do things. He visits a sick woman who was kind to him; he asks his secretary to procure more coal for the household and reflects that that's what it means to be emperor, you just ask other people to put themselves out for you. It's a novel that is a series of meetings; Maia wakes up dreading them, and you sympathize about burnout.
He is very goodhearted, and it's nice to watch his treacherous court bloom around him in loyalty as he tries his best to learn as quickly as possible. I do think it's a genuinely fascinating take on the "farmboy becomes king" story, given that it's a lot about The Harsh Realities of Bureaucracy (so many meetings); I also like that the emotional culmination is a bit sideways from standard
Spoiler
(there's no epic friendships here, just an epically competent secretary and alliances and like, warm working relationships; the victory is in scoring time in your schedule for self-care, and is much less about surviving an assassination attempt.)it's weird but different! I admire the swing, and it will undoubtedly influence how I think about fantasy politics forever.
Thing I really liked: TWITCHY EARS!!!!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me until I was a bit more than halfway through to feel confident that I liked this book. While this is not my ideal cup of tea, I can't deny that it is well-written, thorough without being exhaustive in its world-building, and in the end I'm happy I powered through the sluggish beginning.
Some things that hampered my own enjoyment:
Some things that hampered my own enjoyment:
- I was under a false impression that this was cozy fantasy-adjacent, which I would say is incorrect.
- I find political intrigue to be both dull and stressful to read.
- I find it hard to feel invested in characters who are so powerful.
- It was hard to keep track of all the names, terms, and grammar of the fantasy world.
emotional
fast-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:
No
This review was originally posted on www.giantsquidbooks.com.
I’ve talked a pretty big game on this blog about how much I love high fantasy, but I have to say, The Goblin Emperor put me to the test. I’m having some feelings about admitting this publicly. The thing is, The Goblin Emperor is one of the most fully imagined and unique fantasy novels I’ve read in years. But I’m just not sure it was for me.
Here’s the publisher’s 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.
-
I struggled so much with this book because I WANTED to love it, but I found it overwhelmingly dense. On the one hand, I appreciated the formal language and slow-moving plot: Addison’s commitment to the tone of the world doesn’t break, so the reader becomes assimilated into Maia’s perspective. And I think she does a wonderful job of capturing what it would really be like for a teenager to unexpectedly become emperor–which is, unfortunately, confusing and exhausting.
There was a point pretty early into the book where I felt like I would never get all of the names and terms and formalities straight. And that feeling never completely went away. It was at least halfway through the book before I remembered enough of the terminology to get into the story and really enjoy it.
(As a sidenote, I think this is in part because I read the book on my e-reader, which made it difficult to consult the glossary at the back as often as I should have. If you choose to read it, I highly recommend a hard copy.)
I wanted to love this book because I am so in awe of the depth of the world that Addison created. I can’t remember the last time I read anything so thoroughly detailed. I think there are a lot of people who will love learning the intricacies of Ethuvarez culture and language. I’m sad to say that I just had a hard time enjoying it.
There are some things that I did honestly love. In contrast to a lot of high fantasy that’s all about conquering and war and pillaging, Maia’s perspective was refreshingly innocent. He worries, when urged by his councillors to pick an empress, that he won’t know what to do on his wedding night. He feels socially awkward at parties, and wonders if the emperor will ever be allowed to have friends. These details did so much for me.
And I couldn’t help but appreciate, while reading this in the midst of #WeNeedDiverseBooks, that Addison does a really nice job making Maia’s story racially aware. Part goblin, Maia is darker skinned than most of the court (predominantly elves), and along with everything else, he faces some subtle and not-so subtle racism from councillors, rivals, and even family members. This was woven into the story really well and I think this makes a great example of a high fantasy book that succeeds at being diverse, even when none of the characters are human.
Usually when I write an ambivalent review what I’m really saying is, “Here are some things you could have done better.” But that’s not the case here. I think Katherine Addison wrote the book she wanted to write, and I think she succeeded–I’m just not the right reader.
Who is the right reader? If you have a head for keeping dozens of disparate characters straight, if you like learning the intricacies of fantasy worlds and don’t get impatient with new vocabulary terms, you’ll probably love this. I haven’t even mentioned that there’s an entire grammatical system in place, which I can’t help but respect. (When speaking to the emperor, you talk in the plural: “We ask you…”) I suspect if you were motivated to read and/or liked The Silmarillion (which I have not read) or if you remember all of the minor houses of Westeros (which I do not), you would like The Goblin Emperor.
-
3/5 stars for characters — Maia is really wonderful and relatable, and so are many of the supporting characters (his empress-to-be, who knows how to duel and intimidates Maia, is one of my favorites). But there were so many characters that it was almost impossible to keep them all straight. And the villains didn’t seem to have believable motivations.
5/5 stars for world building — This is a steampunk fantasy where the Clockbuilder’s Guild basically saves the day. Um, yes. From the intricacies of the Ethuvarez court, from the visit to the ruler of neighboring goblin country Barizhan, to a million other details, this is a fully realized world.
3/5 stars for prose — The prose is stunning almost consistently, but I think it took away from readability. My complaint is in the difficulty of digesting the information–if it had been written a little clearer it might have been easier to process. I also think a lot of the scenes went on far too long without furthering the story.
4/5 for themes — At first I was irritated that almost all of the characters were men and that the society had to be so patriarchal, but many of the characters break from traditional gender roles (including Maia). And the book deals with race in a really subtle and interesting way, especially for a fantasy novel.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison — 3/5 stars
I’ve talked a pretty big game on this blog about how much I love high fantasy, but I have to say, The Goblin Emperor put me to the test. I’m having some feelings about admitting this publicly. The thing is, The Goblin Emperor is one of the most fully imagined and unique fantasy novels I’ve read in years. But I’m just not sure it was for me.
Here’s the publisher’s 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.
-
I struggled so much with this book because I WANTED to love it, but I found it overwhelmingly dense. On the one hand, I appreciated the formal language and slow-moving plot: Addison’s commitment to the tone of the world doesn’t break, so the reader becomes assimilated into Maia’s perspective. And I think she does a wonderful job of capturing what it would really be like for a teenager to unexpectedly become emperor–which is, unfortunately, confusing and exhausting.
There was a point pretty early into the book where I felt like I would never get all of the names and terms and formalities straight. And that feeling never completely went away. It was at least halfway through the book before I remembered enough of the terminology to get into the story and really enjoy it.
(As a sidenote, I think this is in part because I read the book on my e-reader, which made it difficult to consult the glossary at the back as often as I should have. If you choose to read it, I highly recommend a hard copy.)
I wanted to love this book because I am so in awe of the depth of the world that Addison created. I can’t remember the last time I read anything so thoroughly detailed. I think there are a lot of people who will love learning the intricacies of Ethuvarez culture and language. I’m sad to say that I just had a hard time enjoying it.
There are some things that I did honestly love. In contrast to a lot of high fantasy that’s all about conquering and war and pillaging, Maia’s perspective was refreshingly innocent. He worries, when urged by his councillors to pick an empress, that he won’t know what to do on his wedding night. He feels socially awkward at parties, and wonders if the emperor will ever be allowed to have friends. These details did so much for me.
And I couldn’t help but appreciate, while reading this in the midst of #WeNeedDiverseBooks, that Addison does a really nice job making Maia’s story racially aware. Part goblin, Maia is darker skinned than most of the court (predominantly elves), and along with everything else, he faces some subtle and not-so subtle racism from councillors, rivals, and even family members. This was woven into the story really well and I think this makes a great example of a high fantasy book that succeeds at being diverse, even when none of the characters are human.
Usually when I write an ambivalent review what I’m really saying is, “Here are some things you could have done better.” But that’s not the case here. I think Katherine Addison wrote the book she wanted to write, and I think she succeeded–I’m just not the right reader.
Who is the right reader? If you have a head for keeping dozens of disparate characters straight, if you like learning the intricacies of fantasy worlds and don’t get impatient with new vocabulary terms, you’ll probably love this. I haven’t even mentioned that there’s an entire grammatical system in place, which I can’t help but respect. (When speaking to the emperor, you talk in the plural: “We ask you…”) I suspect if you were motivated to read and/or liked The Silmarillion (which I have not read) or if you remember all of the minor houses of Westeros (which I do not), you would like The Goblin Emperor.
-
3/5 stars for characters — Maia is really wonderful and relatable, and so are many of the supporting characters (his empress-to-be, who knows how to duel and intimidates Maia, is one of my favorites). But there were so many characters that it was almost impossible to keep them all straight. And the villains didn’t seem to have believable motivations.
5/5 stars for world building — This is a steampunk fantasy where the Clockbuilder’s Guild basically saves the day. Um, yes. From the intricacies of the Ethuvarez court, from the visit to the ruler of neighboring goblin country Barizhan, to a million other details, this is a fully realized world.
3/5 stars for prose — The prose is stunning almost consistently, but I think it took away from readability. My complaint is in the difficulty of digesting the information–if it had been written a little clearer it might have been easier to process. I also think a lot of the scenes went on far too long without furthering the story.
4/5 for themes — At first I was irritated that almost all of the characters were men and that the society had to be so patriarchal, but many of the characters break from traditional gender roles (including Maia). And the book deals with race in a really subtle and interesting way, especially for a fantasy novel.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison — 3/5 stars
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
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:
Complicated