The Goblin Emperor

How it reads

The Goblin Emperor is fantasy (court fantasy, specifically), and its dominant mood is heartwarming. It's kind, generous and emotionally satisfying. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in an invented world, in the historical past, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are identity, class and society and friendship. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.