For the last meeting of the Chicago Nerd Social Club, we discussed “The Goblin Emperor” (2014) by
Katherine Addison. The novel is currently nominated for the Hugo
Award and, if you've been following the whole kerfuffle this year,
is one of the non-Puppy nominees.
“The Goblin Emperor” takes place in
an alternate world—not Earth-related—in which the dominant
civilizations seem to be in the steam age. There are at least two
races—goblins and elves—which seem to be more like human races
than your typical fantasy species-like races: relatively cosmetic
differences, not reproductively distinct, with many characters of
mixed heritage and racial “purity” more of a construct than a
reality. There is some magic, of a very practical and effective
nature, but it is totally in the backseat to a slightly
steampunky/clockworky technology (airships and Industrial-Era-type
factories loom large). Our titular character, Maia, is the youngest,
essentially exiled son of the emperor of the Elflands, to whom the
succession rather precipitously shifts. So we follow a young and
largely-unprepared character thrust into the highest level of court
intrigues, where he must find his way.
THOUGHTS and, just possibly, SPOILERS
BELOW:
