The Great Socially Distant Read of The Goblin Emperor kicked off last Wednesday with fantastic results! We shared a vibrant conversation with readers on Twitter, while maintaining a safe and healthy distance. You can look back at the whole discussion (and join this week’s!) at #TorDotReads, and in the meantime, we’ve rounded up some of the highlights of last week’s conversation.
Beginning
While there are plenty of deep topics we’ll discuss as we get further into the story, the important thing at the outset is to say, again, and I can’t stress this enough, MAIA IS THE BEST. We were all excited to see that a lot of readers popped into the conversation just to squee about our favorite Goblin. For instance:
I love that Addison is able to paint such a clear picture of Maia's personality very quickly and make him so compelling right out of the gate.
— 💀Amber Troska💀 (@atroskity) March 25, 2020
And this, which actually made us tear up a little:
And then there’s this assertion, which is cool and all but implies that there are angels other than Maia himself?
Every time Maia surprises Csevet (& then after ch3, Cala & Beshelar) by being decent an angel gets its wings #TorDotReads
— Kylie Owens (@kylielowens) March 25, 2020
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The Goblin Emperor
The Goblin…Cinnamon Roll?
Language!
A few readers dug into Katherine Addison’s wonderful use of language, which conveys so much so quickly:
One of my favorite lines in the book, from Chapter four: "Maia…had left Edonomee centuries ago that morning." What an amazing economy of words from @pennyvixen, using one short phrase to convey the subjective and objective time for Maia's upheaval. #TorDotReads
— Kim Lloyd, PhD (@KimJ721) March 25, 2020
…while also taking the time to be pretty:
“The airship Radiance of Cairado hung ominously beside her mooring mast like an isolated thundercloud against the predawn sky.” 😍
— Tor.com (@tordotcom) March 25, 2020
A few readers also commented on the complex formalities of Maia’s world can make the first chapters a little bumpy as you get used to the style.
This is my second time reading this book & I remember 1st time through it took me a little bit to get a hold of the language, naming conventions, worldbuilding, but picking it up again & jumping right in felt really comforting& familiar. i missed maia so much 😭
— Kylie Owens (@kylielowens) March 25, 2020
Have you found the different forms of address difficult so far? Or have they become clearer as the book continues?
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The Angel of the Crows
Fun with Tropes!
One reader pointed out Addison’s deft subversion of tropes:
The Question of Setheris
We asked what readers thought of Maia’s Cousin Setheris, the foul-tempered man who raised Maia under a regime of sarcasm, insults, and even physical violence. The responses were as complex as Setheris himself, with one finding a Harry Potter connection:
And another focusing on how laser-sharp Addison’s depiction of an abusive situation truly is:
And of course some of us just want #JusticeForMaia.
Poisonous Pleasure
And while Setheris certainly can’t be seen as an ally of Maia’s, his harsh instruction, coupled with his father’s indifference, has forced Maia to learn how to draw certain lines when it comes to his family and his hostile court:
Reading in Isolation
And finally, a few readers picked up on why this particular book made for such an appealing read right now:
Thanks to all the readers for your thoughts! We’re so excited to check in again on Twitter at #TorDotReads, Wednesday at 2:00pm, where we’ll be discussing Chapters 5-10, “The Emperor’s Household,” “The Widow Empress,” “The Tomb of the Empress Chenelo,” “The Coronation of Edrehasivar VII,” “The Report of the Witnesses for The Wisdom of Choharo,” and “The Witness for the Dead.” We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
