Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 38 reviews.
I am totally addicted to this series! Recommended by my daughter, who has never let me down. The depth of characterisation, the details of clashing cultures, and the journey, at times moving, many times hilarious, of a person finding themselves both rooted in their old culture, and learning how to use old knowledge to transform their new culture, is totally engrossing. I'm hating the thought of finishing the series... What will I do without these delightful people?!
Super easy to purchase and send to my kindle! Haven’t finished it yet but the formatting is perfect for e-readers and the story is incredible too obviously!
“The Hands of the Emperor” is m a fantasy story about an amazing activist bureaucrat from the “hinterlands” of the empire and his beautiful relationship with his Emperor, and with his family and his culture and how those things grow and change in some truly wonderful ways .
Absolutely love this book and I'm so glad I got a copy in print!
Fun book with excellent character eork and interesting worldbuilding in a setting you don’t often encounter (set partially in a setting inspired by Pacific Islander culture). Really liked the first half of it, but felt a bit overlong and repetitive in the end, particularly the final volume. Still a good read overall
A very special book, one of those extremely rare books that changes your life. Thankfully it's also one of the very rare books that I can re-read, and one of the books that I read when I'm really struggling with life.
Amazing book, quick delivery. Only good thing to maybe tell people is that declaration costs may apply when importing to Europe. But very good delivery overall, book was in perfect order!
I'm so excited to have one of my favorite books in print so I can shove it at my friends and yell READ THIS IMMEDIATELY
I would give The Hands of the Emperor 10 out of 5 if I could. I didn't know very much about the book before I started it, just that it came up in people's top 10 so often in the Fantasy-Faction Facebook group. Someone described it as "competency porn" and I think that's about spot-on as far as descriptions go. What would happen if someone incredibly self-effacing but holding revolutionary ideas about how society could be made better for everyone got the chance to change how a whole planet was governed? This is essentially the story of that self-effacing civil servant who is promoted to work for the Emperor as his secretary and becomes his confidante and eventually friend. This is an absolutely beautiful story. It made me so happy because it's so good to read about successful idealism in government (especially in the hellhole that is 2026). What also stands out above all is the beautiful platonic friendships between the main protagonists. It's so rare to see men's friendships and fraternal love written about outside of military scenarios. The friendships between Cliopher, the Emperor and his other close confidents were so refreshing to read. This is an example of perfectly non-toxic masculinity. What I also love about the book is the racial diversity of characters. Cliopher is from an island culture which apparently draws heavily upon the Polynesian island societies in the Pacific Ocean. The world building behind the descriptions of Vangavaye-ve and its people is so deep, that one feels like their lives are going on out of sight of the books right now. Going back to diversity, what is really interesting is that someone with blonde hair is so unusual that Cliopher forgot the word for it and called the hair "crystallised honey colour" instead. The book made me laugh and cry at different points. Goddard's writing is wonderful. Her descriptions build perfect pictures in my head of the characters and the places in the book. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to read a better book this year and it's only January. Read it, you really won't regret it. And I read this again less than a month after reading it for the first time. I never, ever do that, but I got so much out of a second read. There is something so incredibly beautiful and very addictive about Goddard's writing and the wonderful characters she has created.
I love that I was able to get a print copy of what has become my favourite book of the year! The copy is immaculate, the cover and printing is of excellent quality and it was with me within 10 days and was worth waiting for as I much prefer buying direct from the author
This is my desert island book.
Couldn’t put it down
So glad to finally own a print copy of this book, it’s hefty and gorgeous
This is my favorite book by Victoria Goddard, and one of my all-time favorites. I'm very picky, too - I have a degree in English Lit and have very high standards for what I read.
Fantastic book. Bought it in trade paperback. Quality printing and binding. Very satisfied.
Loved it! The packaging wasn't quite as secure as when I ordered At the Feet of the Sun, but it arrived undamaged. I love this story so much, I'm already re-reading it.
It's a great story. Slow at some parts, but relaxing slow and not boring slow. Very engaging at other parts. With a very deep background story, that slowly encompasses the reader.
My absolute favorite book. I already have a physical copy, but decided to pick up an ebook version as well just to always have it on hand.
Love this book
I guess I need to be thankful to Amazon for suggesting Victoria Goddard's books to me. I downloaded the free sample of The Hands of the Emperor (a very generous sample it was, too), and I dove headfirst into a wonderfully richly imagined, detailed, vivid world. It stayed with me long after I'd finished the sample, so I got the book, and resumed my acquaintance with Cliopher, His Radiancy, and the rest of the cast. I loved it as much as I thought I would. It's very much character-driven, with a main cast of complex and sympathetic characters. The plot is not fast-paced, but it never felt too slow to me. A thread of quiet humour runs through the book, but there's no effort made to be witty at all costs and at all times. The world building is phenomenal - it all feels very real indeed, it's coherent, it makes sense. There was no instance where I felt jerked out of the story by some silly contradiction. I felt sorry to end it, but at least I know I've just scratched the surface of this universe. I'm looking forward to reading everything else!
My daughter was so happy she cried when I handed her this hard cover of her favorite book!
I really enjoyed this book! It's a very comforting read. It's aways nice to read stories about the power of good people and there ability to enact positive change. Also, rhe digital version of the book was well formatted and easy to read.
Great book. Ebook worked.
This book is a slow-moving study in how a lifetime can shape a person, a relationship, and an entire world. It took me a while to warm up to the characters at first, but once I got to the vacation section I was absolutely hooked and suddenly couldn't put it down. (So if you're not sure at first, keep going at least through then!) I also adore that our main characters are mature adults at the heights of their careers! It's not just teens that can change the world, they just do it differently. At a time when many fail to see the value of people who've devoted their lives to the functioning of government, this book matters even more.
One of my favorites, purchased as a gift for a friend.
Hands of the Emperor is, without a doubt, one of my favourite books ever, and I cannot speak highly enough of it.
There are not words for how much I love this book! The slow process of how to build a better government out of one that has been built on and relied on corruption, abuse, and violence for so long! The relationships, and the fact that they’re all platonic and aren’t viewed as lesser because they’re not romantic! The character development, the world building, the amazing moments where someone gives a great speech and you feel so vindicated! One of my all time favorite books! I've read this book multiple times, and it continues to be an incredible, hopeful, earnest, amazing book - one of the best I’ve read, and it's so satisfying!
I can't count the nights I've stayed up far too late reading and re-reading this book. Even when I know what's going to happen and I have places to be early the next morning, I can't force myself away. It's beautiful, funny, compelling, thought-provoking, comforting, and it's impossible for me to express how much this book means to me. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Ahhhh, the book that started the journey. An unusual Fantasy story, in that its primary focus is on friendship, family, and social justice. It's also more interesting and enjoyable than that probably makes it sound. We're introduced to this 'cozy'-verse through Clip, assistant to the God-Emperor. He's trying to balance his work and his growing friendship with the Emperor with being separated from his home and family (who have not really figured out the position he holds). We meet lots of people, visit exotic locations, and learn more about this world (or worlds). There are no battles, no quests for a magic gewgah. And I couldn't stop reading. It's a tome, but it's a great introduction to the different series, and the reading experience is best started here.
This is the finest novel of any kind that I've read in many years. It's profound, compelling, and as (or even more) magical and inventive as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It's also deeply moving on a personal level. With the Hands of the Emperor, Goddard has more than earned her place among the great fantasies of the last century.
Arrived quickly with no damage to the corners. I have the book already as an ebook and loved it and wanted a print version for a friend's Christmas gift!
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It arrived promptly and in perfect condition. Can't wait to reread!
“The world changes one person and one decision at a time. None of us know what decision, precisely, is the telling one.” I have found a new author to love. How is this book even possible, and how does Victoria Goddard make it work? Welcome to one thousand pages of… - Humanity and hope, yet this is not a naïve book (not AT ALL). - People who did not know they were friends, finding out that they are. - People being very good at what they do, slowly changing a tyrannical system from within. - Cliopher being himself, and I love this so much. - Gorgeous details, from everyday simplicity to imperial spendour. - Hints and tales of darker things, of a larger world, of catastrophes and deadly politics. - Gentle humour. - Assumptions we make about other people, the roles we stick them and ourselves in, family dynamics with love and resentment and old hurts so intertwined that there is not much distinction between them. - Scenes and dialogues so emotionally intense I had to stop reading to recover. - Meeting prejudice, bigotry and trying to reconcile the cultures you belong to. - Not compromising with your dreams. - A fantasy novel that seriously talks about universal income and ecology. - The reader wanting to know even more about everything and everyone. - Vangavaye-ve, which is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful - in every way imaginable. - Coming home. Am I doing the book justice? I have no idea, but at least I tried. P.S. Don’t be put off by the page count. I mean it. It took me a week and a half to finish this (yes, I am a fast reader, but still…) and I thought the book was over much too quickly.
I lack the words to succintly tell how fitting the book was for me. Let me just praise the incredible worldbuilding, softly brought piece by piece to your attention as a huge puzzle. I think it may be very confusing, given the sheer length of the book, for less used to fantasy worldbuilding readers (or readers with a preference for action, as this book takes its own, comfy time to tell its story), but to me, easily annoyed by artificial expositions, it was a wonder and pleasure. Let me also get excited at how the book kept surprising me, adding new deep themes, new scenes that were out of the usual tropes, describing characters in a way that was totally not what my decades of reading got me to expect from this kind of setting. Finally, let me marvel at the genre of the book, this unexpected cosy political fantasy of a socialist utopia, with a great focus on characters emotions and powerful themes of culture, tradition, vocation and family. It was amazing, it was smart and funny, it was a breath of air, and it was cosy, so cosy and heartwarming, all along. I loved the world, and I loved the characters. I will now proceed to read the sequel and all short stories I can lay my hands on and I'm DELIGHTED at this reading perpective.
The Hands of the Emperor is a wonderful warm hug of a novel, rich in characterization and gentle affirmation of community trust. It’s rare for a 900-page fantasy tome to feel so cozy, let alone to forgo any significant romance or acts of violence throughout its duration. But this self-published 2019 work is remarkable in any number of ways, each more endearingly quaint than the last. I am honestly not even sure that I would say it has a plot, although events do gradually unfold in support of the central character arc: a quietly effective middle-aged civil servant belatedly earning (or realizing he already has) the love and admiration of his colleagues, his far-off relatives, and his boss. It’s an incredibly slow unveiling. Cliopher Mdang, private secretary to the ruler of the entire world, spends the first quarter of the text escorting his liege on an incognito holiday, the result of a breach-of-protocol invitation blurted out upon a stroke of insight about how lonely the other man must be in his peerless existence under elaborate courtly taboos, unable to be touched or looked directly in the eye. The two have known each other for decades — or possibly even millennia, as time has fractured in the cataclysmic backstory and now passes slower in some parts of the realm than others — but their relationship has previously only ever been professional. We essentially get to meet His Radiancy the individual as Kip does, whilst simultaneously getting a feel for the viewpoint protagonist himself and the dazzlingly intricate worldbuilding details that author Victoria Goddard has devised for the various cultures of the setting. The tone here is something like The Goblin Emperor crossed with The West Wing. Or the musical Hamilton, if it weren’t a tragedy and showed its title figure as more in touch with his island origins like Disney’s Moana. It turns out that in his rise through the levels of government, our hero has been subtly reworking that system, pushing for law and policy changes that will contribute to a more equitable society. Inspired by his distant egalitarian homeland, he’s rooted out corruption, instituted a universal basic income, improved the postal and transportation services, and implemented countless further such ideas that in an aggregation of incremental steps have functionally revolutionized the empire. It’s a rejection of grimdark cynicism, a hopepunk ode to the fundamental principle of good governance’s ability to help people, and it’s absolutely riveting to see in action, especially once its unassuming architect starts being openly acknowledged and rewarded for it. This is also a story about cultural conflicts: about coming from a small backwater province to the capital of the known universe and facing misunderstanding and scorn for the customs of home. About keeping those folkways kindled inside as a guiding beacon, and ultimately proving that oral traditions are not primitive but lavish and meaningful and preserved over generations as a powerful representation of identity. About finding a way to make Kip’s family understand why he left and everything he’s accomplished in the wider civilization, and about his personal journey to realize how he needs to be a better advocate for himself in their eyes. Above all, I would say that this is a book about being seen and accepted and loved for who you are. The evolving dynamic between Cliopher and the Last Emperor is not romantic — and I’ve heard that in the sequel, the diligent bureaucrat is more explicitly characterized as asexual — but it is deeply intimate and a model of trusting fealty as the lord and his loyal aide come to reveal more and more of themselves to one another. The meaning of the title is twofold: Kip both serves as the metaphorical hands of the Emperor in interpreting and enacting his will across the kingdom and yearns to be able to grasp His Radiancy’s actual hands in friendship. The catharsis of when he finally does, along with several other key moments in the long path there, is emotional and soothing and genuinely heartfelt. Adults being competent at their jobs and earnestly decent to the fellow souls in their lives! Is that what people mean when they describe genre fiction as wish-fulfillment? There is some periodic darkness, on the margins. The trauma of the Fall that most characters lived through continues to affect them, and the protagonist feels intense isolation and survivor’s guilt that has to be carefully unpacked and confronted, with the occasional panic attack along the way. The possibility of suicide is raised obliquely in passing, and we learn that his former superiors used to torture their political enemies, in the old days before his reforms. One minor character comes from a tribe that engages in sacred ritualistic cannibalism, while another gets casually deadnamed at first mention, although there’s no indication of any transphobia that would give that act the same violent impact it carries in our world. (“Clia was [__] originally, but she changed her name when she was of age to declare herself a woman.”) I raise these issues to respect reader sensitivities, but in general, I’d say that they only cause the pervasive spirit of humanitarian acceptance that powers the novel to stand out more clearly. This was my initial introduction to both Goddard as a writer and her broader Nine Worlds saga, and having subsequently now read eleven of the other titles in that continuity before circling back around to this one — everything but At the Feet of the Sun and the Greenwing and Dart, Tales from Ysthar, and The Red Company Reformed subseries — I still think it’s probably the best entry point for newcomers. The rest have generally been great as well, though, and they’ve definitely added delightful further background context for me on this reread. Like Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, the Nine Worlds series is less of a single unfolding narrative and more of a loose configuration of smaller contained stories that’s forgiving of practically any reading order but builds in enjoyment the deeper you go and the more connections you start to spot. Nevertheless, my personal recommendation would be to begin right here, with a thoughtful islander striking up an unprecedented conversation with his lord.
I absolutely ADORE this book. The characterization between both Kip and the Emperor drives every moment and it's absolutely incredible how much that drives the emotion and that turn-the-page feeling in a (740 page!!) book that really doesn't have an enormous amount of plot-based action. The action that really grips you is in their relationship and it works so well! Also, OMG the worldbuilding. I have no words for the sheet incredulity I am in at the detailed fantasy world that is created in this series. Seriously, just wordless with awe. The Hands of the Emperor is one of my two favorite fiction books ever, it is that good. 11/10 would recommend!
This is (with ATFOTS) my favourite book in the entire world. It's 900 pages long and as I was rereading it, I went "Oooh I love this bit!!" on every one of them. I wish I was exaggerating except I don't - what wonderful luck, what an absurd privilege to have found a book like this at a point in my life when it resonates the most.
A really lovely book! The slow exploration of Cliopher's work is strangely riveting.
