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The Goblin Emperor

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The Goblin Emperor

Written by: Katherine Addison
Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
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About this listen

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.

Within THE CHRONICLES OF OSRETH

The Goblin Emperor

The Cemeteries of Amalo trilogy

The Witness for the Dead

The Grief of Stones

The Tomb of Dragons

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2022 Katherine Addison (P)2022 Macmillan Audio Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction

What the critics say

“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)
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The story is a little slow, and it's difficult to follow because of the similar- and unfamiliar-sounding names. it's very creative, though, abd the characters are fabulous.
the narrator is fantastic and I would listen to him read just about anything. He really made the story come alive.

Great worldbuilding, excellent narration

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Amazing world building. An interesting cast of characters and political intrigue galore! I love all the names. Amazing narration.

Love it!

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Good story with memorable characters and impressive worldbuilding. Moreover, the audiobook has a great narrator.

Very good!

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I liked this book. I wasn't sure at first as there's a great deal of world-specific terminology that made the first several chapters pretty thick. I also didn't realize that this would be more about court-affairs and eventual intrigue. I had thought maybe a fantasy setting might have a bit of adventure.

that said, if you enjoy a little politics and royal court-intrigue as I occasionally do, you'll get something from this story. It also spends a great deal of time inside the mind of an individual who's experienced several iterations of bigotry who's now thrust into the highest seat in the lands.

It won't always be pleasant outcomes, but the story is sure to entertain nonetheless.

I'm going to give the author's second book in this world a try.

Very much full of intrigue

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I enjoyed this enormously. If you like immersive worlds that are quite different from our own, a touch of steampunk elegantly applied, characters and dialogue of depth and sensitivity, historical politics and court intrigue as from the Tudor period, and REALLY wanting to know what happens next, you will enjoy. One star knocked off voice due to occasional oddly harsh dialogue, especially of children. Only thing I can think of to quibble at. I’ll be listening to it again!!!

Deliciously Deep Geek

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I chose this book because of all the amazing reviews. I suspect those reviewers were paid. I wasn't and gave the book an honest one star. Possibly the worst book I've ever wasted time on. Unintelligible character names and zero plot. Children's books are more exciting.

Extremely boring

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The writing is well done but not much feels like it happens even when it does. Everyone might as well be a human rather than an elf or goblin, theres really nothing special that they do to differentiate them other than minor mentions of things like goblins having darker skin. Other than that theres conflict but its so passive that u can barely feel any tension or its so short that it feels like it doesnt matter in the long run.


Well voiced though, the different characters were easy to differentiate

Could be better.

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I got halfway through. This fantasy book reminds me of Jane Austin novel but focused solely on the slice-of-life court politics. Brilliant world building but not enough cloak and dagger violence. The stakes don't feel very high. All the noble characters (90% of the characters) don't feel distinct and blur together. I feel like the author has a vision for what they want to do, I simply don't have the patience to wait for it to fully bloom.

Not my cup of tea

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