Hardcover, 902 pages
Published Sept. 21, 2018 by Underhill Books.
An impulsive word can start a war. A timely word can stop one. A simple act of friendship can change the course of history.
Cliopher Mdang is the personal secretary of the Last Emperor of Astandalas, the Lord of Rising Stars, the Lord Magus of Zunidh, the Sun-on-Earth, the god.
He has spent more time with the Emperor of Astandalas than any other person. He has never once touched his lord. He has never called him by name. He has never initiated a conversation.
One day Cliopher invites the Sun-on-Earth home to the proverbially remote Vangavaye-ve for a holiday.
The mere invitation could have seen Cliopher executed for blasphemy. The acceptance upends the world.
This book would be great for people who love behind the scenes extras on dvds. I loved the first half and grit my teeth through the last half. This book could have easily been a five-star 500 pages.
4.5 A very lovely story about a couple of old men discovering their friendships and how to not act unemotional for others' benefits. The one bigger complaint I have is that it is just a little too nice and easy for most of the part. Sure, there are some challenges for Cliopher, the Emperor and their friends, but apart from one section there are few parts where the reader really feels any tension and the new society they're building is just too good, but I guess the latter is kind of the point. Minor quibbles are that the last third is dragging on a little, the editing is bordering on quite bad in parts and the thing is quite literally the heaviest read I had in a while. If you have the paper version you might want to invest in a good lectern.
The undeniable strong points are the depiction …
4.5 A very lovely story about a couple of old men discovering their friendships and how to not act unemotional for others' benefits. The one bigger complaint I have is that it is just a little too nice and easy for most of the part. Sure, there are some challenges for Cliopher, the Emperor and their friends, but apart from one section there are few parts where the reader really feels any tension and the new society they're building is just too good, but I guess the latter is kind of the point. Minor quibbles are that the last third is dragging on a little, the editing is bordering on quite bad in parts and the thing is quite literally the heaviest read I had in a while. If you have the paper version you might want to invest in a good lectern.
The undeniable strong points are the depiction of rich fantasy world that is modern in most ways except for technology, but where PoC are not only the default, but almost the only characters. Of course, there's still racism too, but the story wonderfully shows how the protagonist is learning to stand up for his home culture in even more ways and how difficult it is to reconcile identity and home connections in the face of moving away. This could have used some more challenges, of course, but it is still a topic rarely explored in any detail in fantasy.
Overall I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to anybody who likes their reads less hectic and less dark.
Really loved this, with a few reservations.
This book is so cozy and cute! I loved the characters and their friendships. I identified a lot with the concept of leaving home for the wider world, and the people at home not quite understanding (people at my parents' rural conservative church call me "Berkeley girl"
This book was absolutely incredible. I had a hard time putting it down and kept messaging my friend as I reached certain points in the story. This was a powerful, wholesome story full of vibrant characters and subtle magic. I want to see where the story takes Kip, the Emperor, and their friends next. The characters, their growth, their relationships, and their place in the world is really what drives this story. The setting is also very intriguing with a mix of island culture and a splash of high fantasy.
For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2022/04/book-review-hands-of-emperor-by.html
This book was absolutely incredible. I had a hard time putting it down and kept messaging my friend as I reached certain points in the story. This was a powerful, wholesome story full of vibrant characters and subtle magic. I want to see where the story takes Kip, the Emperor, and their friends next. The characters, their growth, their relationships, and their place in the world is really what drives this story. The setting is also very intriguing with a mix of island culture and a splash of high fantasy.
For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2022/04/book-review-hands-of-emperor-by.html
41% completed, and the promises or hints set early in the book have been swept aside, and instead we read about a bureaucrat slowly gaining power and changing the world for the better.
That sounds great and all, but this isn't the book for me. I don't think it ever will be – I read a review that described it as the book for people who loved The Goblin Emperor, but want 600 pages of that... And given I've tried The Goblin Emperor several times now without further love, I feel safe to put this aside.
Really enjoyed the beginning of this book, but quite annoyed and exasperated by the end. Only Cliopher gets any real fleshing out in the whole book and the book is a real hagiography of that character, complete with sermons from our saint. Confuses status and power and is embarrassingly obsessed with status.
It was gentle and kind, though, and well written enough to carry me through the whole book!
The most surreal aspect of this novel set in a magical empire spanning multiple worlds is the theme that a person spending their life being quietly competent would be universally recognized and celebrated
This is a comfort read. Relationships, good government, respect. And a beautifully realized, magical fantasy world.
(I can't write words without giving stars?! I haven't read this yet…)
Alexandra Rowland described this book (in Goddard's interview/review with Rowland for Tor.com about her beautiful A Taste of Gold and Iron with:
There is slowburn handholding. Like so slowburn that they institute universal basic income before they hold hands. I am feral about it.
and I am SOLD!
(I can't write words without giving stars?! I haven't read this yet…)
Alexandra Rowland described this book (in Goddard's interview/review with Rowland for Tor.com about her beautiful A Taste of Gold and Iron with:
There is slowburn handholding. Like so slowburn that they institute universal basic income before they hold hands. I am feral about it.
