The Goblin Emperor

My favorite book of all time, and I do not say that lightly. Maia is the fourth, forgotten son of the emperor and never expects to be on the throne. A tragedy changes that and throws Maia headfirst into a world of Court. My favorite aspect of this book is the kindness that Maia clings to despite the difficulty of his circumstances.

Also, yes, there are way too many names and they all look the same but there is a very thorough list of persons in the beginning and the rest of the book more than makes up for it.

This book seems to have turned into a comfort read.

My new favorite book. I've learned something important about myself and other people from reading it and various reviews. When someone says “Maia, yuck! He's just too nice. I hate him.” That person – don't trust them one inch. Maia is the person I want to be. Addison does an amazing job of revealing the personal struggles of a real person who intends to be good and do the right thing. It is not an easy attempt, not dull and static, but a fluid and difficult grind.

I listened to the audiobook read by Kyle McCarley, and I will never know if I love the book more for the writing or for his perfect voice. I do not normally listen to books, but I am so glad I did this time.

Goblin politics in a steampunkish fantasy world, where the protagonist is too good for this world, too pure. I just want him to have FRIENDS ;A;

An interesting piece of fantasy. It's atypical of most fantasy novels because of the lack of violence and sword play, but the political realm Addison builds is worth visiting.

I've read that she wasn't planning any sequels for this book, but may revisit the world she created for a different book. I hope she does more. It's worth it.

Världens bästa bok.

Good story, but not totally my thing

There was a lot I liked about this book; Maia himself, the relationships he built and the struggles he faced were well told and kept my interest. Unfortunately there was also a lot I didn't like; the overly complicated language (I had to read some sentences multiple times and still not understand what was being said), the plethora of names that all sounded like each other and that entirely blurred together and the way Maia immediately knew how to be an emperor despite having been kept away from court all his life.  There were also some plot points that I did not understand at all, maybe because the story was relying on the reader being able to read nuance that I'd did not grasp, which is frustrating as in a lot of other things l found the writing to be telling way more that showing.

It's really not an usual book in it's construction, there was no great final battle, but the end felt satisfying all the same. I don't know if there's continuation to the story but I would happily read any there was.

Really enjoyed this, the world building is well done and fun. The fourth son of the emporer finds himself unexpectedly on the throne. As he's learning the ropes, so are we.

The character names are an absolute bear to learn and get used to. I finally had the Wiki opened on the phone to keep everyone straight. Found at the 3/4 mark I was rarely cross checking. I will probably reread this at some point.

I tend to really dislike High Fantasy (LOTR) And prefer it with plenty of sarcasm or wit (Abercrombie, Buehlman on the more lugubrious side). or definitely light (Becky Chambers, Travis Baltree, somewhat Pratchett) and this one falls definitely in the latter category. Use the Kindle version the names are the most truly annoying aspect of the book.

3.5 stars, rounding to 4? This was a fine, single-POV character-focused story about Maia, fourth in line and who no one thought would become emperor. I liked Maia and some of the politicking, but some things were amiss for me that I can't put my finger on. I would say this is a lighter book and I can see this being a comfort read for some because Maia is so likable and you see people liking him for who he is, except Maia does receive bigotry because he is mixed goblin-elf and there are references to being raised with mental and physical abuse by his alcoholic cousin.

I DNF'ed this book at about 129 pages. The writing style is different and it took me a minute to get used to it. I realized this book wasn't for me when I started drifting off while I was reading it. Finally, I just stopped caring. I'm sad I didn't enjoy this.

Stunning book! Why not 5 stars then? Mostly because the words, titles and names are so difficult to understand and remember. There is a glossary at the back but this is not easy to use in an ebook.

I have found that I love character based books without complex (or even any) significant plot. This is slow but beautiful and the character development is lovely. Not quite cozy fiction but not far off it. I heard about this on a podcast and was sceptical but went for it. Others have claimed this as their best book of the year and it might well come close for me too.

Maia is the youngest son of the Emperor and was never meant to lead, let alone see the Imperial Court again. He's been long exiled due to his heritage. His mother, the third and regretted Empress, was a goblin.  When a crash kills the Emperor and three older sons, Maia finds himself the unexpected (and unwanted) Emperor.

I thought this story was beautiful. I felt so much for Maia due to his childhood abuse and the gentle manner in which he took on each challenge before him. I loved him for not becoming the monsters who raised him once he had the power to do so. 

Probably 4.5. the writing is extremely formal and I simply want MORE of these characters. I had some trouble getting through it due to the formality but I just really loved Maia and cared very much about everything that happened to and for him.

4.5. Wholesome for a book about political intrigue. I really liked Maia, but I had a heck of a time trying to remember who was who, even with the cast list in the beginning. Csevet and the nohecharei were best boys (and gal).

Deeply political maneuverings during a troubled dynastic succession. Don't be deceived by the somewhat dry elevator pitch, this is a gripping story. Part Machiavellian machinations, part murder mystery, part coming of age for a forgotten scion of a royal family. The world building is deeply impressive, with a complex hierarchy and political system which can be a bit overwhelming. Once you get your head around the terminology (which is vast and confusing) there is a rich tapestry of court life and the isolation of power. The confusing terminology in many ways serves to enhance the sense of confusion of the titular Goblin Emperor.

This is political fantasy at its best and highly recommended

I totally enjoyed this story. It does take some time to find your way in this world as the speech and language used is a little confusing. Once you get used to the world it's difficult to put this book down.

The first 3 hours of the book were pretty much the same. I kept expecting for a plot, it didn't happen.

This is a very tame history. A teenager boy who is the last in line to the throne becomes the king as his father and his ~3 brothers die in an accident.

Everybody hates him because he is half goblin in an elven court. His father had married his mother for political reasons, and never expected her to get pregnant.

The book narrates in details the process of him becoming a king, in the same way I'd describe in many hours the process of tying my shoes.

read 3:05 / 16:25 19%

Oh, the names, the names! (There's a guide in the back of the book) What a great novel. It moved quickly, though there wasn't a lot of action. The story was gripping as our protagonist stumbles his way to learning how to be an emperor. I'd love to know exactly how Addison pulled it off.

I'm waffling between a 4 and 4.5 stars for this one. I enjoyed this book a lot but this isn't going to be for everyone. This book goes pretty ham with its world, its lore, and its court politics, so if you're not into that then probably give this one a miss. But if you enjoy that, then this one has it in spades, but also in a fairly digestible format.

The biggest hurdle for someone just getting into the story would be the crazy names: Untheileneise'meire and Dach'osmerrem Tethimada, for example. I'm not even sure if I've spelt that right. Even now, I probably wouldn't be able to remember, pronounce, or spell most of the names I encountered in this book, but you'll be fine as long as you've found a way to digest and tell apart the names.

Our protagonist Maia (who has the easiest name of the lot) is an 18 year old half-elf, half-goblin prince who unexpectedly ascends to the imperial throne of the Elflands after his father the Emperor and all his half-brothers die in an airship crash. Having been born to a goblin empress who was not favoured by his father, Maia has been pretty much shut out from the court for his entire life so he makes a pretty good lens through which us the readers can experience the Untheileian (Elflands) court. He is just ignorant enough to require the explanations on how things work, but also just smart enough that he doesn't make annoyingly daft decisions even though he's a complete newbie to court machinations.

There is a central mystery to this but the author is clearly more interested in establishing the world and the court of the story, so the mystery and action seemed more like a “by the way” thing. If you're looking for fast-paced plots, then this is not the place you'd find it. The resolution to the mystery also felt a little anticlimactic - it just clearly wasn't a focus of this book much, except as a vehicle through which Maia can gain a firmer footing in his new position as Emperor.

I also felt the story ended a little too neatly. The good people win, the bad people die or are exiled. Maia wins the love of his future empress and solves all the conflicts he had had. He is always a little queasy at the thought of people having to be executed even if it's for their crime of nearly having him killed. His niece and nephews, children of his traitorous sister-in-law, are immediately taken to him from the very first moment. Everything just seems a bit too peachy keen by the end.

Overall, a great book and a series I wouldn't mind continuing. I truly appreciated the effort the author put in to the world building. You know a book's got that when there's a whole section at the end of the book on how names are pronounced and how titles work.

This book is marvelous. The goblin emperor ended so beautifully with building bridges literally and figuratively

The Elven Emperor and three of his sons die in a tragic airship accident, leaving the throne to his exiled half-Goblin son.

Probably not a good idea to put yourself and three of your potential heirs all on the same ship.

This is a fantasy book without all the usual adventuring. It's mostly just meetings, balls and politics. But somehow it's never boring, and I really enjoyed it.

Easily in the top 3 audiobook narrators I've heard; he really brought the story to life

Definitely the best book I've read this year. Even better than [b:The Way of Kings 7235533 The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) Brandon Sanderson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388184640l/7235533.SY75.jpg 8134945]So, there's this boy, only 18, who is awakened to find out his father had died. His father, the emperor of the Fairyland. Together with his other three sons. So Maia is the emperor. He has been sorely prepared for the job, but he isn't stupid and he is wise and compassionate. And he gets help. This reminds me much of Queen Victoria's ascend to the throne, I assume that was the inspiration for this book. I love how we learn about the society with Maia. The world building is fascinating. I love the characters. I love some of the scenes as much as I can love scenes in a book. I cried quite a lot reading this book, simply because it was so touching and beautiful. I look forward to read the next book.