Scan barcode
A review by trilbynorton
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
5.0
This book creeps up on you. The first half is a bewildering procession of nouns, concepts, and characters (made only slightly less mystifying by a short cultural primer and long and somewhat esoteric glossary), which well serves to reflect the disorientation felt by protagonist Maia, a half-goblin son of an Elven emperor suddenly dropped on to the throne after the death of his father. But it also means that the first half feels like a series of loosely connected events with little direction, the only common thread being Maia's efforts to disentangle the obscure knot of manners and protocol that is the Elven court. It is all beautifully written, but doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
Then, in the second half of the book, the threads begin to come together. More importantly, though, it reveals a sweetness that is genuinely and sometimes heartbreakingly affecting. Maia finds himself changed by the Elven court, in good and bad ways, but we also find the cold and distant court changed by Maia in mostly good ways, by his compassion and innocence. Come the end of the book, I found that I didn't want to leave Maia, the Untheileneise Court, or Addison's sparse yet evocative worldbuilding.
Then, in the second half of the book, the threads begin to come together. More importantly, though, it reveals a sweetness that is genuinely and sometimes heartbreakingly affecting. Maia finds himself changed by the Elven court, in good and bad ways, but we also find the cold and distant court changed by Maia in mostly good ways, by his compassion and innocence. Come the end of the book, I found that I didn't want to leave Maia, the Untheileneise Court, or Addison's sparse yet evocative worldbuilding.