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The Goblin Emperor

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The Goblin Emperor

By: Katherine Addison
Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Maia, 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 favour 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 spectre of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor.

©2021 Katherine Addison (P)2021 Penguin Audio and Rebellion Publishing Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Challenging, invigorating and unique." (Scott Lynch, bestselling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora)
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Why on earth does the narrator insist on pronouncing every other o as oh. It sounds utterly ridiculous and as if he is trying (and failing) to sound upper class.

Maybe this is a good story but the narration is so off putting and the names so strange that after
Struggling through a few chapters I find I simply don't care what is going on.

Can't get past the narration

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I’ve read this and listened to the audiobook version so many times I’ve lost count. The story builds a wonderful world and fills it with believable characters and great plots. It’s a perfect read for a bit of escapism.

Fabulous

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ah i love this book so so much - ive read it about 3 times and it was so fun to experience it as an audiobook - it felt like i was reading it for the first time again! kyle mcCarley does SUCH a good job with the narration - all the different voices he does for the characters really brought them all to life, and he conveys such rich emotion in his speaking as well. by far one of the best audiobooks ive ever listened to!! :)

love!!!

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there were some odd echos in this recording, with lines repeating quietly in the background as the reading continued. other than that, the book and the performance are wonderful

fantastic book and good reading

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I read it, and then read it again and then the audiobook was finally available and I listened. I'm so happy!

Katherine Addison builds a rich, compelling world with a brilliant assortment of personalities. We follow the story with Maia, a very likeable young man who is totally out of his depths. Or is he? He navigates a world he was never even supposed to be a part of, and through chance and tragic circumstances, he's now at the head.

Maia is a true outsider and through him we unravel the intrigues, lies, and corruption of the Elvish court.

Incredible world build, wonderful writing, and my only complaint is that I want more. Much more....

Can I have more please?

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One of my all time favourites, brilliantly read! Maia and the rest of the cast linger long in the memory, hopeful without ever becoming saccharine.

A beautiful modern classic of SFF

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I greatly enjoyed this book which was a thoughtful and creative meditation on the nature of ethical leadership.

It did all this whilst building a thoroughly immersive fantasy setting. Others have bemoaned a lack of ‘action’ but I found the shifting politics, alliances and betrayals gripping throughout.

Performance was a bit of a shame and might be a problem for Brits. The ‘received pronunciation’ accent is off. He hasn’t quite nailed all of his vowels. Fans of the Adam and Joe podcast will be muttering ‘hot cougheeee’ to themselves for days afterwards.

Don’t let this out you off downloading though, I loved it.

A fantasy West Wing: an optimistic vision of leadership

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Enjoyed the story but the character names we're confusing as place names.
Narration was annoying.

Engaging story line.

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Great performance, beautiful story but unfortunately there are some technical issues with the audiobook, like missing the very important last part of chapter 30.

Great story & performance but parts are missing

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The faux British accent really takes you out of it, and if you listen to this, do yourself a favour and keep a notebook to keep track of all the names, titles etc.
And last thing is that the Elves really have nothing to distinguish them from Human except in name, and the Goblins are really just a bit foreign instead of being a different race. It’s just a bit of a gimmick.
Otherwise this is a really enjoyable story with a good resolution

Really good, but…

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