Reading Order
Goblin EmperorThe Goblin Emperor Reading Order
Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor (2014) is largely a standalone novel. Addison has also written The Witness for the Dead (2021), a companion novel set in the same world with a minor character from The Goblin Emperor as the protagonist, and its sequel The Grief of Stones (2022). The Goblin Emperor can be read entirely alone; the companions add to the world but don't continue Maia's story.
Where to start
The Goblin Emperor
Complete Goblin Emperor Book List
- 1Buy
The Goblin Emperor
Katherine Addison·2014·Standalone — half-goblin Maia unexpectedly becomes emperor and must learn to rule while everyone around him expects him to fail - 2Buy
The Witness for the Dead
Katherine Addison·2021·Companion — set in the same world; Thara Celehar investigates deaths using his gift for communing with the recently dead - 3Buy
The Grief of Stones
Katherine Addison·2022·Sequel to Witness for the Dead; continues Thara's story
Goblin Emperor — Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Goblin Emperor a series?
The Goblin Emperor is largely a standalone novel. Katherine Addison has written two companion books set in the same world — The Witness for the Dead (2021) and its sequel The Grief of Stones (2022) — which follow a different character, Thara Celehar. These companions can be read independently of The Goblin Emperor.
Do I need to read The Goblin Emperor before The Witness for the Dead?
You do not need to read The Goblin Emperor before The Witness for the Dead — they follow different protagonists and different plots in the same world. However, many readers find The Goblin Emperor enriches the world and its history in a way that makes the companion books more rewarding.
What is The Goblin Emperor about?
Maia is the half-goblin, half-elf fourth son of the Emperor of the Elflands — raised by an abusive caretaker in a remote estate, never expected to inherit anything. When the Emperor and his three other sons die in an airship accident, Maia becomes Emperor. He knows nothing about court, has no allies, and nearly everyone in the palace wanted someone else on the throne. The novel follows his first months trying to rule by being kind in a system built around cruelty.
Is The Goblin Emperor cozy fantasy?
The Goblin Emperor is often cited as one of the founding texts of cozy fantasy, alongside The House in the Cerulean Sea — though it was published before that term was coined. The novel is notable for its almost complete absence of violence, its focus on political problem-solving through kindness and coalition-building, and its deeply empathetic protagonist who refuses to become cruel despite every pressure to do so.
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