The Goblin EmperorThe Goblin Emperor
Score Modern
What it's about
Maia is the youngest, half-goblin son of the elf emperor, unloved and exiled to a remote house with a cruel guardian. Then his father and brothers die in an airship crash, and the eighteen-year-old suddenly becomes emperor of a court he doesn't know, full of people who despise him. With no allies and no training, he has to rule, and he tries above all to be kind.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Hugo and the Nebula and won the Locus Award. It's a gentle, unusual fantasy about decency and politics that readers find deeply comforting.
You'll love it if you liked
The Curse of Chalion
Uprooted
The Tainted CupGood to know
There's very little action; it's all court life and conversation. The invented names and forms of address are complex, and there's a glossary.
By the numbers
- Readers55 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller33 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz3 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #81 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #182 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #662 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1251 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
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Scythe
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Thief of Time
The Sword of Kaigen
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Quick answers
Is The Goblin Emperor worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Hugo and the Nebula and won the Locus Award. It ranks #1,251 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Goblin Emperor about?
Maia is the youngest, half-goblin son of the elf emperor, unloved and exiled to a remote house with a cruel guardian. Then his father and brothers die in an airship crash, and the eighteen-year-old suddenly becomes emperor of a court he doesn't know, full of people who despise him. With no allies and no training, he has to rule, and he tries above all to be kind.
How long does it take to read The Goblin Emperor?
About 11 hours (447 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Goblin Emperor?
If you liked it, try The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, Uprooted by Naomi Novik or The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett.