Tagged: elves
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
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.
This exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Can I just say wow?
That one word pretty much sums up my whole experience with The Goblin Emperor. Really, it does. The world-building was unique and three dimensional, the characters were memorable, the political intrigue was constant and the plot was fascinating. I’ll start with my favourite part of the whole novel, though: the world-building.
This world of goblins and elves is amazing; there are no other words for it. At first it seemed like a traditional nobody-becoming-king story, but then I realized that Katherine Addison had put her own unique twist on it. This isn’t your typical fantasy world, oh no! It’s set in a society where airships are used, where technology is slowly being more and more relied upon but there are people trying to hold back progress. The monarchy is still around and I like how the court was infused with a more Eastern flavour. If you’re familiar with the Chinese and Japanese forms of monarchy you’ll be able to pick out where Katherine Addison borrowed from those cultures to create her world. It’s honestly refreshing to see a writer take old elements from Western fantasy (elves and goblins) and put them in an entirely new setting.
Maia, our confused protagonist, was wonderful. He was the fourth half-goblin, half-elf son of the former Emperor, who died in an accident that took out the three in line for the throne ahead of him. Maia was never raised to be Emperor, in fact he was abused physically and mentally by Setheris, the exile sent to look after him. Seeing him suddenly in a position of supreme power over everyone is quite a jarring change but it feels like he deserves it. Except that the position of Emperor isn’t all its cracked up to be: there are plots against his life, he has no friends at court and he has absolutely no privacy. It’s stressful for him but I love how he learns to navigate the politics and set himself apart from his father as a just Emperor.
The only thing that could have used a little work was the plot. Don’t get me wrong, though. It was fascinating, very intense at times and I couldn’t put the book down. But it would have been nice for Katherine Addison to reveal a little more information to her readers just a little sooner. She did a good job avoiding info-dumps but I would have definitely preferred a little more information about her fascinating fantasy world sooner. The names were a little confusing and extremely hard on my poor English-speaking tongue, but once you immerse yourself in her fantasy world you start to get the hang of them and the formal vs. informal pronouns and titles.
If you like fantasy or steampunk (or both!) you’ll love this book. Go out and pre-order it immediately because it comes out on April 1.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer
(Cover picture courtesy of Fantastic Fiction.)
Jack is amazed to have caused an earthquake. He is thirteen, after all, and only a bard-in-training. But his sister, Lucy, has been stolen by the Lady of the Lake; stolen a second time in her young life, as he learns to his terror. Caught between belief in the old gods and Christianity (AD 790, Britain), Jack calls upon his ash wood staff to subdue a passel of unruly monks, and, for his daring, ends up in a knucker hole. It is unforgettable—for the boy and for readers—as are the magical reappearance of the berserker Thorgil from a burial by moss; new characters Pega, a slave girl from Jack’s village, and the eager-to-marry-her Bugaboo (a hobgoblin king); kelpies; yarthkins; and elves (not the enchanted sprites one would expect but the fallen angels of legend). Rarely does a sequel enlarge so brilliantly the world of the first story.
First off, let me say that the ‘AD 790, Britain’ part of this blurb is complete nonsense. If you’ll recall, the first book apparently takes place in 793 AD. So either the blurb writer is confused about the timeline or does not know that AD goes forward while BC goes backward. If you’re really picky, let’s just say that this book takes place 3 years later, in 796 AD.
I love this book because we finally learn why Lucy is such a brat. That may seem like a lame reason to like a book, but I really, truly hated her in the first book and she’s even more obnoxious in this book. But Nancy Farmer has an excellent reason for adding what seemed like the token cute character at first and a seemingly unimportant event sets off a series of events in motion that will change Jack’s future forever.
Of course old favourite characters like the Bard, Thorgil and Lucy reappear, but we’re introduced to many new ones: the slave girl Pega; Brutus, a descendant of Lancelot himself; the Bugaboo, king of the hobgoblins; Ethne, a Christian half-elf and many others. My personal favourite characters include the charming and unpredictable Brutus, the Bugaboo and the Nemesis, who is a hobgoblin whose duty is to keep the Bugaboo from getting an inflated head. Now if only all leaders had someone like the Nemesis…
With amazing characters, a fast-paced plot and extraordinary world-building, The Land of the Silver Apples is a fitting sequel to The Sea of Trolls. readers will lose themselves in Nancy Farmer’s fascinating world where the old religion collides with the new rising religion, Christianity. I can’t think of an author who puts a better spin on old fantasy clichés than Nancy Farmer while still staying true to the time period.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
(Cover picture courtesy of Gil T.’s Pleasures.)
Darkness falls…
Swords clash…
Evil reigns.
Eragon and his dragon Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn and Eragon isn’t sure whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall—one that puts Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life.
Oh dear, where do I begin with this book?
First, let’s start with the many clichés, shall we? The farm boy with secret powers/a special destiny is already as old as dirt, but what really annoys me is all of the races in Christopher Paolini’s world. The elves are fair, powerful and are forest-dwelling agnostics/atheists. The dwarves are shot, good stonemasons and are mountain-dwelling polytheists. What bothers me is not the religion (which is a mark of good world-building), but the fact that these elves and dwarves are exactly the same as all of the other elves and dwarves in high fantasy. They’re all based off elves and dwarves in Norse mythology, which is fine, but I’d like to see a bit more variety. Why not use races from African or Asian mythologies?
Second, the plot drags on and on, rotating between Eragon and Roran. This would be okay if either character was sufficiently developed so they could hold my attention for more than a page. But they aren’t, which makes the changes seem like head-hopping. The entire plot of Eldest is pretty much Eragon travelling to or spending time with the elves and Roran pulling a Julius Caesar. Of course, Paolini adds in a quick battle at the end with a ‘plot twist’ most Star Wars fans could see coming a mile away. Roran and all of Carvahall come in one ship and completely turn the tide of the battle, which almost—but not quite—a Deus ex Machina.
Third, Paolini still uses way too much description. I love vivid imagery, but my patience (and attention span) has a limit. If Eldest had been written by someone like Conn Iggulden or Michael Scott, who have just the right amount of description, it would have been pared down to less than 300 pages.
I give this book 1/5 stars.