Overall this was a good book. It was fairly straightforward in its plot and characters, which allowed it to have a more personal feel to the main character. The setting is hindered a little by aspects of the language which, while they add some depth, they also add a great amount of complexity. I can certainly see the similarities to The Hands of the Emperor, though I prefer that book for its broader story and the focus on the secretary rather than the emperor himself.
I’ve put off reading Addison’s Goblin Emperor a long time; I had heard it was lovely, but also disjointed and inconclusive. It’s taken the book’s inclusion in a list of Becky Chamberesque “novels where people are nice to each other” for me to finally take the plunge, and the only thing I regret is I didn’t do so much earlier.
I can see how people have a hard time adjusting to this novel: the intricate, Elven steampunk world it builds and the high stakes court setting seem to promise things the novel never tries to hold itself to. Instead, we are treated to the story of a young man who, motherless at an early age, despised by his cold and all powerful father who banished him to the shticks at the hands of a violently abusive tutor, finds himself on the throne. Faced with the barely hidden contempt of the …
I’ve put off reading Addison’s Goblin Emperor a long time; I had heard it was lovely, but also disjointed and inconclusive. It’s taken the book’s inclusion in a list of Becky Chamberesque “novels where people are nice to each other” for me to finally take the plunge, and the only thing I regret is I didn’t do so much earlier.
I can see how people have a hard time adjusting to this novel: the intricate, Elven steampunk world it builds and the high stakes court setting seem to promise things the novel never tries to hold itself to. Instead, we are treated to the story of a young man who, motherless at an early age, despised by his cold and all powerful father who banished him to the shticks at the hands of a violently abusive tutor, finds himself on the throne. Faced with the barely hidden contempt of the court, ridiculed for his mixed ethnic origin, alienated from simple social contact by his exalted position, the new emperor slowly, quietly turns things around by repaying contempt with empathy, hate with forgiveness, coldness with kindness.
If you do not like your Fantasy to suggest people might not be unconditional products of the world they live in; if you prefer characters to have no moral autonomy; if, simply put, the idea that people, even the most powerful ones, might aspire to do better, is one you disagree with, stay away from the Goblin Emperor. I, for one, know that, of the things I heard about the novel, only “lovely” is true, and that is selling it short.
The Gobblin' Emperor, amiright? (not really, there's not much eating)
4 stars
Content warning
maybe general story details
I enjoyed this, i like the world Addison builds and the complex social milieu. my critique would be that the stakes are never very high. it's essentially a fish out of water fairy tale. all the characters are good or evil without much complexity and every crisis is resolved as quickly as it arises, so there isn't much time for tension or suspense. I wished that a few of the characters were more fleshed out; Maia's fiancé, for instance....
i loved the style of the narrative, avoiding forced plot events in preference of exploring the social setting and all of the (inner) world-building. exactly the kind of depth i was hoping for after going exiting an extended period of adrian tchaikovski novels—sorry adrian! yv'e got great ideas, but surface-level treatment at times
really enjoyed the general premise (growing into unwanted power), the character interactions, and the confusion i felt regarding all the courtiers and their names and origins.
I liked the book. I'd read even more if there was more to read. I found the names to be a bit obstructive to reading. They are too similar, too numerous and could have just as well done without them in many cases.
