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A review by elly29
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a sprawling, masterful work. I initially thought this was a novella (I was entirely wrong about that -- it's some +900 pages). And, I wouldn't say it's terribly exciting. It is about the ordinary life of an ordinary person who does the extraordinary thing of reforming the world's government. And it starts off with the secretary who is essentially in charge of the government inviting his boss on vacation, and treating him (who is like a god, and cannot be touched, and no one knows his true name) like a friend and regular person. It's long, and very bureaucratic, and quite beautiful. I would also point anyone interested in starting this series to https://nineworlds.miraheze.org/wiki/Reading_Order , so you have an idea of what you're committing yourself to, and where you may want to stop.
I want to say that this novel has something for everyone, but I don't think that is true. It deals with themes of hard work, ambition, following's one's dreams, integrity, leaving home behind, adventure, of misunderstandings, of cultural differences and being caught between two of those cultures, of growing up and family understandings and loneliness and friendship and callings/vocations. It's very much a novel that knows it's set against a greater history and mythology. It is an 'in medias res' tale of Cliopher's career that references events and that intermundial mythology (see the Reading Order link above), and you're thrown into it and have to go alone with tidbits and references, until the spiral turns and the story revisits plot points that happened long before the start of "The Hands of the Emperor". This is true of both global events and histories, and Cliopher's personal history. And indeed, I look forward to filling out the mythologies even more by one day reading "The Return of Fitzroy Angursell". And, if you're looking for blood and revenge and sex, this really isn't a novel about that.
In short, I loved it, and though it was long, it had many sweet payoffs. Though, by the end there were so many tirades and speeches that I was getting a little "over it". But still. Highly enjoyable.
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I think I encountered some of the best advice in its pages for someone trying to figure out their career path:
"You said to go through all the things I liked to do, look hard at what I do with my free time, what makes me feel challenged and excited and creative, and how I want to participate in my community -- and when I told Mama what you'd written, she looked at me and said, 'Oh, Gaudy, look at the Service'" (Chapter 17)
I want to say that this novel has something for everyone, but I don't think that is true. It deals with themes of hard work, ambition, following's one's dreams, integrity, leaving home behind, adventure, of misunderstandings, of cultural differences and being caught between two of those cultures, of growing up and family understandings and loneliness and friendship and callings/vocations. It's very much a novel that knows it's set against a greater history and mythology. It is an 'in medias res' tale of Cliopher's career that references events and that intermundial mythology (see the Reading Order link above), and you're thrown into it and have to go alone with tidbits and references, until the spiral turns and the story revisits plot points that happened long before the start of "The Hands of the Emperor". This is true of both global events and histories, and Cliopher's personal history. And indeed, I look forward to filling out the mythologies even more by one day reading "The Return of Fitzroy Angursell". And, if you're looking for blood and revenge and sex, this really isn't a novel about that.
In short, I loved it, and though it was long, it had many sweet payoffs. Though, by the end there were so many tirades and speeches that I was getting a little "over it". But still. Highly enjoyable.
----------
I think I encountered some of the best advice in its pages for someone trying to figure out their career path:
"You said to go through all the things I liked to do, look hard at what I do with my free time, what makes me feel challenged and excited and creative, and how I want to participate in my community -- and when I told Mama what you'd written, she looked at me and said, 'Oh, Gaudy, look at the Service'" (Chapter 17)