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As the youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor, Maia has lived his entire life in exile far from the Imperial Court. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an airship “accident,” he’s forced to take his place as the kingdom’s only surviving heir.
Scorned for his mixed blood, Maia is entirely unschooled in the art of court politics. He has no friends, no advisors, and no idea whom to trust. Only one thing is certain: whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment and very few would even care to stop it. Amid a throng of sycophants eager to curry favor with their naive new ruler, a swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and unknown conspirators lurking in the shadows, Maia must learn to adjust quickly to his new life as the Goblin Emperor before losing his throne and his life.
The Goblin Emperor has been described as a modern classic of fantasy. I agree … for more than one reason. Like a classic, this novel can be difficult to get into. It starts with a bunch of characters, all with names you can’t pronounce, and who speak in a complicated and bewildering grammatical syntax. I almost put the book down within the first 50 pages because of this, but I’m really glad I stuck with it. Because suddenly, the book gets a whole lot better. Don’t get me wrong, the names never get easier to pronounce, but it does became easier to appreciate the author’s dedication to language and world building when it’s only a small part of what makes this story stand out.
The Goblin Emperor is full of subtle emotional themes, including the aftereffects of childhood abuse, grief, anxiety, the ache of loneliness, and the strength that comes with empathy. Maia isn’t a strong character in the physical sense, but he’s one who is easy to fall in love with for his relatable struggles and kind nature. He’s easily cemented a place among one of my top favorite and most memorable characters.
Overall, this story is a cozy political fantasy (with a touch of steampunk) that chronicles the struggles of an unprepared boy who must take the throne and stand up for himself. There is no fast action, which many readers may find boring, but there is certainly a lot of court intrigue, growing friendships, and—above all else—heart.
Rate: Moderate. Violence includes some darker themes regarding abuse, prejudice, justice, murder, attempted murder, death, and suicide. These are explored more on an emotional level with very few being witnessed in the act, though at times there can be a few gory details and some blood. Sexual content includes the brief story of a boy who escapes a man’s sexual advances. A man contemplates his loss of privacy, even for sexual activity within marriage. There are six uses of mild language.
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