From the Bookshelf of Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"…

The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)

Katherine Addison

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* February - March Groupreads - Anthologies
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What Members Thought

Apr 07, 2014 Michael rated it really liked it

I actually finished this some time ago - not sure when. I really enjoyed it. Will write a full review shortly.

34 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2021 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: goblins, fantasy

The last book I started in 2020 and the first I finish in 2021.

Maia a half goblin and has lived most of his life basically in exile from the Untheileneise Court, living under guardian care after the death of his mother. He has no friends, no contact with his father the Emperor, who has never cared for him at all. The story opens with him receiving word that the airship that his father and all his brothers were on has crashed and all have died. Now it is he who is next in line.

He knows nothing of ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2021 [Name Redacted] rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, politics, mystery, society

A sweet, gentle tale -- there is no real tension, no real threats or action. In many respects it is exactly the sort of fantasy tale you'd suspect a woman (and only a woman) would or could write. This is a book about politics, society, relationships, power, abuse, trauma, family but with no real sense of stakes outside of the personal. It is an almost peaceful book. And it's largely a delight.

The only criticisms I have are:
A) the book is surprisingly spare in terms of visuals, and the few that A sweet, gentle tale -- there is no real tension, no real threats or action. In many respects it is exactly the sort of fantasy tale you'd suspect a woman (and only a woman) would or could write. This is a book about politics, society, relationships, power, abuse, trauma, family but with no real sense of stakes outside of the personal. It is an almost peaceful book. And it's largely a delight.

The only criticisms I have are:
A) the book is surprisingly spare in terms of visuals, and the few that are encountered are notable precisely for being so uncharacteristic. I could not tell you anything other than the vaguest sketches of the main cast's appearance, nothing of the buildings or scenery, zilch in terms of the weather other than an outfit the protagonist wears for a winter festival. It's not a deal-breaker, but it does make the world feel oddly bare and empty.
and B) by the end of the book there are more gay (m/m) relationships discussed/encountered in this world than heterosexual, despite one prominent scene in which the characters discuss their (and their different civilizations') disapproval of such "unnatural" unions. Oh, and there's one lesbian relationship at least, though it's breezed over pretty quickly. This overemphasis of homosexual male relationships is pretty typical of women (especially white straight or bi women) and their fetishization of male/male gay relationships. Just look at the plethora of gay YA books that have flooded the market recently... Just look at the primary audiences of Yaoi manga/anime... You can tell by the graphics, by the covers, by the art styles, by the pacing, by the characters & relationship dynamics, and by the very nature of their construction that they are almost without exception by gals for gals. And it results in the odd concomitant DE-EMPHASIS of female characters to the point that most of them become paper-thin cut-outs existing almost solely "because plot." Almost all of the female characters in this novel likewise suffer from being either interchangeable, unmemorable or blithely stereotypical. The entire issue of the protagonist's arranged marriage is more about the disagreements among male characters over the suitability of various matches than the women themselves, which would be fine in a contextual cultural sense if not for the fact that it doesn't really "go" anywhere. Female characters are routinely introduced, then discarded after they have served their purpose in the narrative, but such is not the case with the males. One woman dies simply so a man can feel tormented over the affair he was having with her husband. It's frustrating and disappointing, and that -- coupled with the lack of visuals -- is why i couldn't give this that 5th star. Ladies, stop fetishizing gay men and start giving your female characters flaws + depth. ...more

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