Book Review: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

This book has been on my to-read for a long time and I had heard it was very similar to The Hands of the Emperor, which remains one my favorite books to date. I finally decided to give it a try. Here is the Goodreads blurb:

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.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression

This book had a bit of a learning curve, more so than the typical fantasy novel. The character names are somewhat complex and there is a section at the start about naming conjugations and the sort. Once you get over that initial hurdle, though, the novel becomes enjoyable. The character scope is narrow, but personal and the plot feels a bit like a slice-of-life story, though focusing on the life of the new Emperor. The setting ties it all together neatly, but leaving much open to the imagination.

Plot

The story focuses exclusively on Maia, the Goblin Emperor. We see the world entirely through their eyes and the plot is all about how he comes to be emperor. It feels like a slice-of-life story since we're always following the same character throughout their day, through breakfast, meetings, luncheons, gatherings, and more. The life of an emperor is very busy with no privacy and no friends. Despite the fantasy setting, it feels very personal as Maia's emotions and feelings are front and center. There is a bit of a natural progression for the story, though, as various characters act or react to Maia's decisions, but it otherwise is fairly unstructured. This almost screams for a sequel of some sorts to see how Maia's reign changes as he matures, marries, and starts taking more of a proactive role.

Characters

Maia, the Goblin Emperor, is the main character and the single point of view for the whole story. He is aided by other characters like Csevet, Cala, Beshalar, and hindered by many more. We get glimpses at some of the other's lives, but very briefly- the focus is Maia. He does undergo a bit of a journey as he is initially unprepared and overwhelmed by what he now has to do, while at the same time trying to be just and fair and find friendship in his new life. As a half-goblin, there are undercurrents of racism and prejudice from others in the court as well.

Setting / World Building

The setting of this book is particularly interesting. The empire that Maia comes to rule is apparently predominantly populated by elves. Some, like Maia are half goblin, and a few are pure goblin, but the impression I got was that elves were considered the desired race. A neighboring country is much the reverse- predominantly goblin. There are some subtle and not so subtle prejudices thrown about from certain characters to this aspect. 

This is a fantasy setting with some magic, though we see very little of it. More than that we see some forays into steampunk-type technology. There are airships that help cross the empire, and one of the elements in the story revolves around a powered draw-bridge. Just how much magic or technology exists is not something we get to see due to the focus of this novel, though.

My only drawback for this story, though, is the language. Initially there are lots of thous and thees in Maia's internal thoughts and those are jarring compared to the rest of the story. Fortunately these go away after a bit. The other aspect are the many language aspects when addressing people. There is a whole section before the book about when it's appropriate to use min or mer or merrem or osmerrem or dach'osmerrem. For a sample, see Forms_of_Address. In addition to this the house names serve as surnames but are conjugated based on their gender as far as I understood and you also have rather complex place names like Untheileneise'meire. I ended up glossing over much of these details, though I picked up on some aspects and similarities towards the end of the book. They do add some depth to the story, but are not strictly needed to enjoy it.

Final Thoughts

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.