The Goblin Emperor (audiobook)

Cover art for the audiobook of "The Goblin Emperor". Artist unknown.

The current English **audiobook** for ***The Goblin Emperor*** (novel) was published on June 22, 2021, and is narrated by Kyle McCarley, with production by Macmillan Audio.

## Summary

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 favor 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 specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

## Details

*See: Articles relating to The Goblin Emperor*

*The Goblin Emperor* includes a wide cast of characters, peoples, multiple belief systems, locations, and associations.

## The 2014 vs 2021 US English audiobooks

The US English audiobook was originally published in June 2014 by St. Martin's Press and Tantor Media Incorporated, also narrated by McCarley. This version used a counterfeit copy of the first edition US English *The Goblin Emperor* cover art, which was sold on physical CD and digital download via Audible, iOS, and Kobo, and distributed in libraries through Overdrive and Libby. The Balbusso Twins, the artists of the first edition book art, discovered the counterfeit on May 26th, 2021. It seems that at some point between the discovery and June 22nd, 2021, Macmillan Publishers, the parent company of St. Martin's Press, and/or Tor Books, had McCarley re-record the entire audiobook as a co-production of Macmillan Audio and Tor Books, with new pronunciations, timings, and copyright information, entirely excluding Tantor Media, and using the second edition US English book cover (2019), which was then released on June 22nd, 2021 on iOS, Audible, Kobo, and Overdrive. At some point near to this, the 2014 audiobook was de-listed from storefronts and otherwise made unpurchasable, though it is still available to a limited degree through Overdrive and Libby.

Both editions of the US English audiobook appear to use the original first edition hardcover US English text.

## Trivia

* The 2021 English audiobook for *The Goblin Emperor* was published on the release day for *The Witness for the Dead* and its English audiobook.
* The current US and UK English audiobooks have different times: the 2021 US English audiobook is 17 hours and **53** minutes, while the UK version is 17 hours and **38** minutes, possibly due to McCarley re-recording the book for the 2021 US English release.