Retro Review: The Goblin Emperor
/When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.
5 stars. In this quietly epic political fantasy, an unprepared half-goblin named Maia inherits the throne as the rightful heir to his father's kingdom. Thrown into a world of political intrigue, Maia struggles to evaluate his court, thwart assassination attempts, and learn who to trust.
So, I really liked this. I liked the writing, the characters, the setting (as envisioned by my imagination, I guess), and the plot. It was refreshing to read from the perspective of a personality that is complex but reliable. By reliable, I mean reliably good. Is Maia perfect? Absolutely not. Does he make mistakes? Frequently. But ultimately, he is a strong, admirable hero who listens to his instincts and does not succumb to temptation or corruption. So many times I open a book and cringe at the actions of the protagonist - which isn't a bad thing, because that technique keeps things interesting and is there anything better than an antihero? - but this book provided the break from epic fantasy darkness that I didn't know I needed.
I truly admire successful world-building, as indicated in my reading interests and habits. Sometimes I get frustrated, though, when authors get too caught up in the building - and essentially neglect the storytelling. Yes, it's impressive that you constructed a society, developed a language, and thought through so many details. You know what's even more impressive? Effectively including those details in a narrative. This book just barely achieved that balance (just barely), and while at times the language and naming system was confusing, the point of the story came across strong.
It didn't rip me apart from the inside. I wasn't beside myself with anxiety for the characters. I wasn't totally moved. But I was absolutely captivated. This little story is CREATIVE, gripping, fun, well-written, and includes tremendously important themes to consider in today's age of social unrest. There's something for everyone and I highly recommend.