Are there any characters in particular who stand out to you as being the most potentially troublesome? And on the other hand, who catches your attention as being unusually (potentially) helpful? Too many cooks spoil the political broth, or so it seems. Is he too gentle a character for the machinations of court life? I feel like he’s got steel in him too, but just as I don’t want him to fail, I also don’t want him to turn into a coldly calculating politician. The path he has to walk is feeling more and more like a tightrope, and I’m feeling very concerned for his chances right now. Despite (or because of) how he has been living up to his ascendancy he has a big heart and a great deal of compassion, even for those who don’t deserve it. Of course, it helps enormously that Maia is an incredibly likeable character. We learn along with him as the need arises, and we share in his slow dawning to various situations.

It works well here both as a way for Addison to impart information without info-dumping and as a way of increasing our fellow-feeling for Maia.

I enjoy being thrown into books and having to puzzle things out as I go along. How do you feel about this approach to the story? Does it help you to empathise with the newly ascended Emperor? The reader, much like Maia in his newfound role, is given very little time to get comfortable before being thrown in at the deep end. We feel it lends us an air of … *waves hand vaguely* … distinction that has been lacking in our blog up ‘til now. And I love the use of the majestic plural, mostly because I want to use it myself. It enforces the feeling of this very formalised society in which people don’t speak plainly. I will admit that the first couple of thy, thou and thee had me worried – it’s been a long time since I read a fantasy that employed this sort of language – but actually, it’s kind of working for me. What do you think of this style? Do you enjoy it? Week 1 – Beginning to Chapter 9 inclusive The first thing that struck me about this book is the formality in the way the characters speak. I am a ridiculously lucky person sometimes. I have been stupidly excited about this year’s read-along since my husband, Thumbs, ordered The Goblin Emperor for me so that I could take part. I should also warn – there will be SPOILERS! Yay! It’s the Wyrd and Wonder read-along! Each week’s prompts are being provided by the most awesome Lisa of Dear Geek Place and can be found every Wednesday on this Goodreads group page here.

The goblin emperor goodreads