The Goblin Emperor

Synopsis

Maia, the only son of the fourth wife of the Emperor of the Elflands and of mixed Elven and Goblin heritage, unexpectedly ascends to the throne after his father and half-brothers are killed in an airship crash. Having been brought up, looked down upon by his father, in the household of an exiled, abusive cousin, the court is alien to him and his social awkwardness makes him struggle with his new responsibilities even more.

In the course of the first few months of his reign, Maia agrees to marry the noblewoman Csethiro, is seized by a crush on the opera singer Vechin, is visited by his grandfather, the ruler of the Goblins, and slowly comes to terms with the loss of privacy that comes with being accompanied by bodyguards and retainers in every minute of his life. He survives an attempted coup by his half-brother's widow and his lord chancellor because his young cousin Idra refuses to usurp the throne; his investigation into the death of his father uncovers a conspiracy by disaffected noblemen that had been using a group of worker revolutionaries to kill the Emperor.

The end of the novel sees Maia survive an assassination attempt by the conspiracy's ringleader, and push through a controversial project to bridge the realm's principal river. An epithet accorded to him by a courtier, "the bridgebuilder", represents his efforts to connect emotionally with the people surrounding him slowly coming to fruition.

Critical reception

The Goblin Emperor received positive reviews. At io9, Michael Ann Dobbs appreciated that the strong characterization made the novel "remarkably compelling and fascinating" despite consisting almost exclusively of court intrigue and not having the protagonist really do anything: the novel, according to Dobbs, "mostly eschews plot-heavy histrionics in favor of warmth, psychological depth, and hope". Liz Bourke, writing an enthusiastic review for Tor.com, noted the "compelling attractiveness of Maia’s character" as a fundamentally decent person, as well as the author's detailed worldbuilding.

In Strange Horizons, Foz Meadows wrote that in addition to the novel's "elegant prose, intricate worldbuilding, compelling politics and (...) poignantly sympathetic protagonist", its appeal was as much thematic as structural in that it successfully joined the trappings of high fantasy to those of steampunk. She also appreciated the novel's handling "issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality in subtle but important ways", and noted that, as "a novel about abuse and power", it did not personify either as a "cackling overlord" but as institutionalized, internalized practices of entitlement, pride, and callousness, while ending not in triumph but with a muted, steady sense of progress, trust and healing.

Writing for Pornokitsch, Jared Shurin felt that the novel should not be classified as "grimdark" because the protagonist Maia Drazhar more closely fits a high fantasy style in which characters are driven by destiny, rather than a "fantasy Protestantism" in which they choose between good and evil. Addison herself says that her protagonist turned the story "in a defiantly non-grimdark direction". Shurin was disappointed that the "subtle, characterful and deeply emotive" novel was packaged in alienating genre clichés, including an excess of invented language, a "heavy-handed morality", and a "too-perfect protagonist". In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews recommended the novel unreservedly as a "spellbinding and genuinely affecting drama", noting its "powerful character studies". Publishers Weekly described the work as "less a novel than a series of anecdotes", but considered that it was "carried by the strength of atmosphere and Maia’s resonant good-heartedness".

Awards

The Goblin Emperor received the 2015 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It was nominated for the 2014 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2015 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.