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The Goblin Emperor  By  cover art

The Goblin Emperor

By: Katherine Addison
Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
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Publisher's summary

Locus Awards—Nominee, 2014

Long-listed, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Guide to the 100 Best Books of the Year, 2014

Long-listed, Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2014

Locus Awards—Winner, 2015

World Fantasy Award—Finalist, 2015

Hugo Award—Nominee, 2015

Nebula Awards—Nominee, 2015

The Goblin Emperor is a vividly imagined fantasy of court intrigue and dark magics in a steampunk-inflected world, by a brilliant young talent, Katherine Addison.

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.

Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor is an exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2022 Katherine Addison (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Challenging, invigorating, and unique. If courtly intrigue is your wine of choice, The Goblin Emperor is the headiest vintage I've come across in years.” (Scott Lynch, best-selling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora)

“I enjoyed The Goblin Emperor a great deal. I was sucked right into her world of goblins, elves, and airships, and was anxious to the very end to find out how Maia, the unwanted halfblood son of the Emperor, who finds himself unexpectedly on the throne, learns to navigate the intrigues and danger of the imperial court. An engrossing read!” (Kristen Britain, New York Times best-selling author of Blackveil)

What listeners say about The Goblin Emperor

Average customer ratings
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This book is extremely sensitive

While the fantasy words might be a bit confusing for some, I felt it easy to follow. This book is really sensitive and quiet. I loved listening to it.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Very good story filled with impenetrable names

I truly enjoyed this book, despite not being able the figure out who was who for more than half the book. I actually had to find a wiki-like site to see the names in writing and read their descriptions before I could really understand what was happening. It ended up being worth the effort.

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1 person found this helpful

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even better than I thought I would be

The book came highly recommended and I went in mostly blind and it was SO delightful and I came out with way more visceral emotional reactions to every turning point in this novel.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Terrific Writer and Narrator

The writing is sophisticated and extremely well crafted. The narrator does a terrific job - the voices helped me sort through the complex names and relationships (but the children’s voices are a little creepy). The world is rich, complex, believable (for fantasy fiction) and ingesting. The story is compelling with some interesting twists. My only real complaint is that the main character starts out as a principled but needy young man and he remains that at the end.l - just a bit more self confident. I really enjoyed it and will likely listen to more from both the writer and narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Definable a good read

This was an excellent book, the intrigue and perspective were refreshing. The only con I can think of is that there is only one story/book available. The technology and magic are very specific to the story rather than being full systems that are elaborated on, but that is also kind of refreshing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Delightful

Such a sweet story. Great narration and I loved all the names and places of the characters

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Fantastic

I love this series and the narration is fantastic. I come back to this one again and again!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Just okay

I'm sure there are people who enjoy this style of story but its not for me. While it's clearly well written the abundance of invented but unexplained words, cultural references, and locations create a pretty but uneventful story.

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1 person found this helpful

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Compelling, nuanced story with wonderful narration

If you are looking for classic fantasy or an action-packed story, then this isn't it. What it is, though, is a beautifully told story of a compelling character navigating extraordinary circumstances. The plot is rich, and the characterization is intimate and nuanced. The names can be difficult to follow, but, if you let the narrative move forward, the context either becomes clear or you find that recognizing a particular character is not required. By the end, you have run the gauntlet with Maia to arrive at a wholly satisfying and enjoyable conclusion.

The narration is simply wonderful in all respects. In particular, the voices are distinct and consistent, which helps immensely with keeping the characters straight.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great story.Great Performance.

Such an amazing story. However in chapter 15 at 23:18 there's a bit of an overlap in audio.

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