Author: Katherine Addison
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy, Political Fantasy
Year of Publication: 2014
Date of Publication: April 1, 2014
Pages: 448
ISBN-10: 076532699X
ISBN-13: 978-0765326997
Audiobook Narrator: Kyle McCarley
Summary of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The Goblin Emperor follows a half-goblin named Maia. At the start of the book, Maia is on exile in a place called Edonomee and is under the care of his cousin. He has pretty much been forgotten until his father and half-brothers are killed in an air crash. Following their deaths, Maia becomes the new Emperor as all those in line to the throne have passed.
A lot of the story is about how Maia deals with the difficulties he faces as an emperor who many people view as undeserving and how he deals with prejudice.
Main Plot & Characters
The story centers on Maia’s rise to power in an elven court, where he confronts mistrust and complex political plots. Despite inexperience and isolation, he strives to bring integrity and compassion to his rule.
- Maia Drazhar – He is the main character in this story. Maia is the youngest son of the late Emperor Varenechibel IV and his a half-goblin and half-elf. He unexpectedly becomes the emperor after the deaths of his father and half-brothers. His mother was Empress Chenelo.
- Setheris Nelar (Osmer Nelar) – Maia’s abusive guardian and cousin to the late Empress Chenelo. He raised Maia in isolation after his mother’s death.
- Emperor Varenechibel IV – He was Maia’s father and the emperor of the Elflands.
- Empress Chenelo – She was the fourth wife of the late Emperor Varenechibel IV. Empress Chenelo was Maia’s mother. She died when he was eight years old.
- Uleris Chavar – He is the Lord Chancellor. Chavar is a powerful and politically ambitious noble.
- Csevet Aisava – He is the messenger sent to notify Maia of the death of his father and brothers. He later becomes Maia’s secretary.
- Csethiro Ceredin (Dach’ Osmin Csethiro) – She is Maia’s betrothed. Csethiro is a strong and intelligent noblewoman from an influential family. She is the great niece of Arbelan Drazharan.
- Arbelan Drazharan – She is the first wife of the late Emperor Varenechibel IV.
- Cala Athmaza – Maia’s loyal nohecharei (bodyguard) and one of his closest confidants.
- Deret Beshelar – He is a Lieutenant of the Untheileneise Guard. He was appointed to serve as a bodyguard in Maia’s service. He later became his nohecahris (King’s guard) and a trusted member of his household. Beshelar is more rigid and formal but deeply devoted to protecting the Emperor.
- Sheveän Drazharan – She is initially hostile toward him.
- Csoru Drazharan – She is the fifth wife of the late Emperor Varenechibel IV. Csoru is also a kinswoman to Thara Celelehar
- Eshevis Tethimar – He is the heir of the Duke Tethimel, who is one of the wealthiest landowners. He was trying to marry Maia’s sister Vedero.
- Thara Celehar – A Witness for the Dead who assists Maia in uncovering the truth behind the airship crash that killed the Emperor and his sons.
- Vedero Drazhar (Arduchess Vedero) – She is Maia’s half-sister. Vedoro is a scholar and loves astronomy.
- Echelo Esaran – She is the house steward. She is a woman in her mid-forties.
- Archduchess Ebrenean – The late sister of the Emperor.
- Hesero Nelar (Osmerrem Nelaran) – She is Setheris’s wife.
- Clemis Atterezh – He is the emperor’s master of wardrobe.
- Sevraseched, Maru (The Great Avar of Barizhan) – He is Maia’s grandfather and Empress Chenelo’s father.
- Vorzhis Gormened – He is the Barizheise ambassador to the Untheileneise Court. He is also the husband to Nadaro Gormened.
- Nadaro Gormened – She is the wife of Vorzhus Gormend. Nadaro is also a cousin to Maia’s mother.
- Esha, Nemer, and Avis – They are Maia’s edocharei i.e. they help with dressing and getting Maia ready.
- Idra Drazhar – He is Maia’s nephew and his heir. Idra is a son to Nemolis Drazhar and Sheveän Drazharan.
- Mirean Drazhin and Ino Drazhin – They are Idra’s sisters and Sheveän Drazharan’s daughters.
- Nemolis Drazhar, Ciris Drazhar, and Nazhira Drazhar – They are Maia’s half brothers and children of the late Emperor Varenechibel IV. They both died on an aircraft called the Wisdom of Choharo.
- Oshet – He is one of Maia’s gardeners who is familiar with Barizheise customs.
- Telimezh – He is one of the second nohecharis to Edrehasivar VII.
- Adremaza – He is the master of the Athmaz’are i.e. the institution of mazal of the Ethuveraz (the Elflands).
- Ebremis – He is the Kitchen Master.
- Teru Tethimar (the Archprelate) – He is related to Eshevis.
- Stano Bazhevin – She was engaged to Archduke Ciris Drazhar before his death. She is the daughter of Count Bazhevel.
- Count Brazhevin – He is Stano’s father and a Count of Thu-Tetar (a part of the Ethuveraz).
Writing Style
The story is told from Maia’s perspective. Katherine Addison creates a world that is truly believable and feels like it has its own language. Her descriptions of the people, the gods, places, and even the different cultures is simply amazing.
We really loved the fact that the author trusts her readers to understand the world in this book without overexplaining and that is something very difficult to pull off. You quickly get a sense of what life in this kingdom is like and how Maia is perceived.
As a lead character, we just loved Maia! Even though his upbringing was difficult, he still maintained a lot of good qualities and we found ourselves rooting for him from the beginning to the end of the story. We also love when author’s give us not just characters to love but also villains who we can’t tell if they truly are villains or whether their motivations may be different.
Each chapter of the book has a caption/title, which gives you a sense of what the chapter is about or the challenges Maia would face.
With that said, there are a lot of characters in this book! There are also a lot of new terms that you have to understand to truly follow the story. It took us awhile to get used to the forms of addressing people i.e. mer for men, merrem for married women, Min for single women etc. But once we got used to it, it was smooth sailing from there! The author makes this easier by including a list of person, places, thing and gods at the back of the book.
Memorable Quotes
- “…and the hostility was in the air between them like a half-drawn sword.” — Narrator
- “Thou’rt emperor now, not a half-witted rag picker’s child.” — Maia’s reflections
- “Better to build new bridges than to pine after what’s been washed away.” — Maia’s reflections
- “Edrehasivar VII Drazhar.”
- “I love thee still.” — Maia
- “Test every step before you take it, and trust nothing.” — Maia’s reflections
- “Study the stars.” — Maia’s words in his letter to Vedero
- “Between this and Nelozho, they will start calling you Edrehasivar the Bridge-Builder.” — Csevet
- “And he knew that if the rest of his life was spent in building bridges, it would be no bad thing.” — Maia’s reflections
Final Thoughts on The Goblin Emperor
The Goblin Emperor is truly one of our favorite books. We found out the book was actually written by Sarah Monette under the pen-name Katherine Addison. Imagine writing something so wonderful under a pen-name!
Maia’s journey from isolation to leadership is not only heartbreaking but it is also one of hope. Even though Maia is an outsider who never expected power, he learns to lead with kindness and humility in a court filled with politics, prejudice, and deceit.
The author deserves a whole lot of praise for creating this beautiful world and amazing characters. Once you get familiar with the language and titles used in the book, the story flows beautifully. What truly makes this book shine is Maia himself. Maia’s compassion, his uncertainty, and determination to be better than the world expects of him, makes you as a reader truly care for this character.
It’s a story about courage, integrity, and finding strength in gentleness. Sometimes, we read how people say a book lingers long after the final page and roll our eyes, but this book definitely does that. The Goblin Emperor genuinely leaves you reflecting on its world, its people, and the untold stories of the characters who stood beside Maia.
The book received several nominations including Nebula Awards (2014), Hugo (2015), and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (2015). It won the Locus Award in 2015.
Although The Goblin Emperor is a standalone novel, if you enjoyed the world that the author created, you can continue your reading journey in the same world with The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, which follows Thara Celehar, the witness for the dead in The Goblin Emperor.
Celehar’s story continues in The Witness For The Dead (published in 2021), The Grief of Stones (2022), and The Tomb of Dragons, published in 2025.
Rating
Characters ★★★★★ (5/5)
Plot ★★★★★ (5/5)
Writing ★★★★★ (5/5)
Book Cover ★★★★★ (5/5)
Audiobook ★★★★★ (5/5)
Overall ★★★★★ (5/5)
Have you read this book already, or is it on your list? And if you’ve read it, which scene or chapter left the biggest impression on you, and why?
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