This book fills the CBR18 Bingo square “versus,” in the sense of “person versus society.” Or, in this case, “half-goblin versus society of pure-blood elves.”
Maia is the half-goblin in question. He’s in line for the imperial throne, but VERY far down. Like, so far down, the emperor has him living way out in the middle of nowhere. So far down that the only way Maia could possibly become emperor is if the entire lineage were to die in an airship crash, which, pffbt, never going to happen, right?
Except that it does happen. What were the odds? Far too low for it to have been an accident.
That thought doesn’t occur to Maia at first. He’s too busy trying to navigate the fact that he is now the Emperor, a fact that nobody likes, but everyone will tolerate because in this world, rules, tradition, and manners are more important than anything else. Luckily Maia has SOME court training, so he doesn’t make a complete fool of himself, but he’s a fish out of water here, and everyone knows it. On top of that, someone–certainly a someone who would engineer an airship crash–wants Maia’s term as emperor to be very, very short.
“‘The Goblin Emperor’” by tillwe is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 
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This is one of those books that starts with a glossary and pronunciation guide, so if that lights up your face, you’ll probably enjoy reading it. Maia does try to unpack the mystery of his family’s murder, but the bulk of the novel is him trying to navigate the political headwinds, wrap his head around what’s expected of him, and make some friends, for pity’s sake. That last one is the most difficult task of all: an emperor has many advisors and protectors, but few friends.
The pacing is slow and stately. Court details are very intricate, so readers for whom setting is important will enjoy it greatly. Not a lot happens though, and when it does, it happens. Very. Slowly. Not a complaint, just a heads-up for folks who like zippier prose.
There’s also no romance in this whatsoever, which is refreshing. As emperor, Maia must marry, but it’s an arranged marriage, and he outright states that if he didn’t have to, he wouldn’t, because he just doesn’t want to. His interactions with his fiancee revolve around befriending her so they’ll have at least a tolerable political union. There is one case of physical attraction / crush, but it goes nowhere, and mellows into a potential friendship.
Primarily, though, this is a book about racism. Elves are unabashedly and openly racist about goblins. Goblins could mostly care less, as they have their own kingdom, but Maia’s ascension to the throne gives some of them hope for reconciliation between the two courts. Obviously Maia can’t solve racism all on his own, but as emperor he actually has the power and status to do something, and do things he does, with mixed results.
I was rooting for the kid–and he’s technically just a kid, only eighteen–the whole time, because he’s just. So. Darned. NICE. He really wants to do the right thing, in a world where most folks are only out for themselves. That’s a nice thing to read in these fractious times, so if you’re a fantasy person, and you haven’t already, now is the time to try it.
