The Goblin Emperor (novel)

## The Goblin Emperor

Original cover art for the first American English version of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by Anna and Elena Balbusso https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/balbotwins/the-goblin-emperor/

### Publisher

Tor Books

***The Goblin Emperor*** is the first novel in *The Chronicles of Osreth*. It was first published in English on April 1st, 2014. The novel was also officially published in German, Hungarian, Spanish, Turkish, and Japanese.

The novel was later adapted into an audiobook narrated by Kyle McCarley, first in June 2014, and then re-recorded and released on June 22, 2021, along with the release of *The Witness for the Dead* and its audiobook.

## 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.

## Version Differences

There are a variety of changes in the US English editions of *The Goblin Emperor* that seem to have been sporadically edited across editions, all seemingly minor word changes, or otherwise just the copyright changes for each edition. The most commonly used version of the novel appears to be the original April 1st, 2014 edition, published in hardcover, which is also seemingly the edition used for the US ebooks, and both US audiobooks (see the audiobook page for more information on version differences).

The mass market paperback US English edition was published in 2015, with notable changes like Maia calling Prince Orchenis Clunethar the "brother-in-law" of Paru Tethimin and her sisters, rather than "uncle by marriage" in the original publication. The change seems to have been reversed for the second print edition, US ebooks, and US audiobooks. As Orchenis married Paru's sister, it makes sense he would be her brother-in-law, not her uncle.

The first edition hardcover US English edition also seems to have a typo in the Table of Contents for chapter 32: Shul**e**var, Bralchenar, and Narchanezhen, which misspelled Aina Shul**i**var's last name, but the body of the book has the correct chapter title. This was seemingly corrected for the second edition US English print paperback edition.

## Translations

* Deutsch/German: October 13th, 2016, Fischer Tor, translation by Petra Huber
* 日本語/Japanese: June 30th, 2016, 東京創元社, translation by 和爾桃子
* Español/Spanish: November 6th, 2018, Alethé, translation by Juan Pascual Martínez Fernández
* Magyar/Hungarian: November 10th, 2016, GABO, translation by Miks-Rédai Viktória
* Türk/Turkish: March 24th, 2017, Ithaki Yayinlari, translated by A. Orçun Can

## Other Trivia

* "Lora Selezh" is a short story focusing on Vineän Brenhazin coming to Thara Celehar with a problem.
* "Min Zemerin’s Plan" is a short story prequel to "The Witness for the Dead", which would be an earlier chronological follow-up to "The Goblin Emperor", but "The Cemeteries of Amalo" series is a spin-off series from "The Goblin Emperor", not a direct sequel, though it does take place afterward.
* The novel was adapted into an audiobook narrated by Kyle McCarley.

## External Articles

* "My Favorite Moments Writing *The Goblin Emperor"* by Katherine Addison (Tor, February 21st, 2019)

## Image Gallery

Cover for the Spanish edition of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by Libertad Delgado (November 6, 2018) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/A9o9QVCover for the United Kingdom edition of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by James Jones (2019) https://jamespauljones.tumblr.com/post/184297386139The cover of volume 1 of the Japanese edition of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by Yamada Akihiro, design by Lisa OhnoThe cover for the Japanese edition of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by Yamada Akihiro, design by Lisa OhnoCover for the Turkish edition of "The Goblin Emperor". Artist unknown.Cover for the German edition of "The Goblin Emperor" as it appears in print with art by Jorge Jacinto (2016) https://www.tor-online.de/katherine-addison-der-winterkaiser/Full cover art for the German edition of "The Goblin Emperor", with art by Jorge Jacinto (2016) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rZeLGCover for a re-release of the American English edition of "The Goblin Emperor". Artist unknown.Cover for the special edition of "The Goblin Emperor" with art by Tom CantyCover for the special edition of "The Goblin Emperor" with the full art by Tom Canty
## References

1. ↑ “Der Winterkaiser.” *Goodreads*, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31341835-der-winterkaiser.
2. ↑ “El emperador goblin.” *Goodreads*, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42408142-el-emperador-goblin.
3. ↑ “A koboldcsászár.” *Goodreads*, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32795050-a-koboldcs-sz-r.
4. ↑ “Goblin Kral.” *Goodreads*, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34603097-goblin-kral.