Summary
Rating: 5 stars!
The Hands of the Emperor is a stunningly wrought tale of mythic friendship, set in a world of wild magic and serendipity, featuring rich diversity, epic cultural traditions, and tear-inducing moments of truth between family.
Synopsis
A magical cataclysm devastated the 5 worlds bound into the Empire of Astandalas, ending the 4000 year reign of the lion-eyed god Emperors. Upon the world of Zunidh, the last Emperor of Astandalas, now reduced merely to the lord magus of Zunidh, attempts to piece back together the magic and order of the world on which he was raised. At his right hand, Cliopher Mdang of the Wide Sea Islanders dismantles the lingering corruption of the Empire, establishing a new government and ushering in an era of peace and prosperity.
He loves his lord dearly, but magical and ritual taboos prevent them from truly being friends. Until Cliopher (Kip), seeing the deep loneliness and despair his lord has buried in his heart, invites him on a vacation to his home in the Wide Seas. His gesture, as simple as it is treasonous, changes the course of their lives and that of their world.
Characters
5/5 stars!
The characters are truly where this book shines! Most of the cast is composed of middle-aged characters, which is such a treat given the preponderance of 17-year-old heroes and heroines out on a bildungsroman. These characters know who they are, are solid in their positions in the world, and yet have half a life of choices and regrets behind them, and a whole world of unfulfilled goals before them. There are more and more layers to peel back as the story continues. Cliopher and the Emperor are the twin stars around which this story orbits, but there is a larger cast of strongly developed characters, including Cliopher’s (widely!) extended family and hometown friends and the other members of the Emperor’s household.
Kip is wicked smart, idealistic, and deeply passionate about his culture’s traditions. He’s one of those people that will-powered himself to the top through audacity and stubbornness, in addition to raw talent. In many ways, though, he’s a man at war with himself. He’s desperate for his family to understand why he’s worked so hard to improve the world but is also terrified of letting the prejudiced see what his heritage truly means to him. I related so deeply to his desperate desire to be asked about himself! His family says things like, “why didn’t you let us know how important you were,” and he says, “Because you told me I was boasting every time I mentioned something I cared deeply about!” I resonated with his deep urge to be seen and accepted for all parts of himself, but unsure of how to claim them all. Above all, he is a loyal friend who will do anything to see his Emperor smile, which is why some people have referred to this as a cozy fantasy, though I would call it a low-stakes political & mythic fantasy.
The Emperor, hereafter known as His Radiancy, as that is the title by which his personal household endearingly refers to him, is traumatized both physically, magically, and mentally due to the isolation and other side effects of his power. It’s heartbreaking to see and so rewarding to learn more about him throughout the story. Even Kip didn’t know him fully, despite spending half their lives together. In this way, it almost reads as a mystery (and there is one – if you know, you know, haha), as we piece together both his and Kip’s personal pasts, and their work to reshape the remnants of an empire.
I absolutely love the humor in this book! All these characters rib each other, often in the most subtle ways (satin anyone?).
“‘Come now, I hear you called him a soft-spoken hypocrite. What did he call you to prompt that?’
The Hands of the Emperor
Cliopher bit his lip. ‘A reasonable man.’
‘A strike to the heart! My dear Kip, do not look so mulish. I would never stoop so low as to call you reasonable. You are quite the most radical idealist I have ever known-or at least, the only sane one.’”
Plot
4.5/5 stars
Some people have complained that this book has a rather meandering plot. I didn’t mind that, since it is decidedly a character-driven story, not a plot-driven one. I wouldn’t even call it straight political fantasy, since while Kip is essentially the Secretary of State of his whole planet, we mostly see his big picture ideas for changing the world, rather than the nitty gritty day-to-day details. All scenes and actions circle around the relationships between Kip and the Emperor, and Kip and his family. In some ways it can almost feel like slice-of-life.
I’d put it this way: the plot felt unpredictable, yet not unplanned. It feels true to life – surprises happen and throw a wrench in your plans, you have a fight with your oldest friends, get an unexpected visitor, nearly lose someone to an illness, and yet still push forward each day in service to others. And yet all of the mini conflicts and revelations propel the characters toward a unified resolution at the end, which is incredibly emotionally rewarding.
Some of Kip’s later accomplishments stretched my suspension of disbelief (establishing a universal income for an entire planet in about 5 years… and there were no major problems?). But because the story was truly about Kip and His Radiancy’s promises to each other, I pushed such doubts aside. However, the vagueness of the explanations (“Kip had contingency plans in place if things did go wrong”) would likely frustrate readers that are more interested in plot and worldbuilding than bromance.
“I have been fortunate beyond the lot of many men that not only can I, do I, admire and respect my lord and my master, but that I could, that I do, also love him.
The Hands of the Emperor
My lord, my… Tor… if you were my brother or my cousin I could not love you more.
When you are no longer sitting on the Lion Throne, I would like to know the man behind the Serenity. As a friend.”
Worldbuilding
5/5 stars!
What absolutely phenomenal worldbuilding! How rare to find a book that is so incredibly character-focused, yet has such intricately spun magic systems, cultures, traditions, and history! There is so much here, and yet I kept wanting to learn more. Kip’s culture is based around our world’s Pacific Islander culture. I’ve never read a fantasy book like that! So refreshing. There are many uniquely invented cultures too!
The Upper Aristocracy of Astandales feels somewhat like a mix between Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese governance systems, and yet in many ways entirely unique. The rulers are black, descended from both the Sun and Moon, only marry close relatives, and enact a strictly hierarchical system of taboos, blessings, and curses. They conquered and bound their empire together with wild magic yet now employ a rigid schooled magic system. What a delicious set of contradictions and delightfully tormented family history!
I did initially find discussion of “The Fall,” the cataclysmic event which broke the magical connections of the multi-world Empire, to be confusing. The main characters are all intimately familiar with the event, and no one in the world likes talking about it – it was deeply traumatic for everyone. There’s hardly a person who didn’t lose multiple family members and friends in the event, and even time was distorted, causing strange effects on the mind and body in ways even master magicians don’t understand. So basically, the characters are still confused about it, which made me kind of confused about it. The author would mention things like, 100 years ago, or 1000 years ago, so-and-so who’s still alive did x, which had me lost before I realized that time literally broke and who knows why aging didn’t happen.
I was also a bit confused about the world’s level of technology, and which world was which. Characters mention trains, universities, healthcare, and instant mail, but still carry around spears and swords and wear grass skirts if they want. I guess they feel like a 20th century society achieved through magic. The different worlds are essentially planets connected by magic “portals”in-between places,” which wasn’t explicitly stated, so at first I thought the names mentioned were other countries, not entirely separate worlds! But that’s kind of par for the course when it comes to learning about not just one world, and one prior Empire of many worlds, but also about what all those worlds are like after everything broke.
Writing
4/5 stars
Victoria Goddard’s prose is artful in some places, and surprisingly dense in others. One moment feels like a fairy tale or scene from an old myth, where the gods materialize and issue a challenge in a voice of thunder. Then other scenes felt rather bloated with description, like a pages-long explanation of the structure of the Palace’s throne room. Kip is one of the loremasters of his culture’s oral tradition and lives out their poetry through his actions! He will absolutely walk into a room and declare, “I sing the Wide Seas!” or respond gleefully to the challenge, “Who is this who comes out of the sunrise?” So, in many ways the dialogue of the story is what’s the most artful. His Radiancy also enjoys songs and stories and can be poetic in speech (he is so into it when Kip gets into it, which is utterly adorable).
But at times I felt frustrated that Goddard didn’t go “all in” with the lyrical style and that some passages almost felt journalistic in the way information was conveyed. Yet I also think this was a complex attempt to marry two styles into one, which reflected the character’s personal journey perfectly. After all, Kip is a bureaucrat who has “elevated the report to an art form.” We see him wandering the beach under the full moon, calling upon a goddess’ blessings, and we also see him corralling politicians and writing memos in his office. It would feel strange if the latter scenes were written in a way worthy of an epic. In the second book (minimal spoilers ahead), the plot leans much more toward the mythical, so in turn, so does the writing itself. But I do find myself skipping over some chunks of description when I reread this.
Impact
5/5 stars!
Sometimes, the greater the impact a story has on you, the harder it is to write a book review. It’s a matter of exposing the sticky webs that have woven themselves around your heart and laying them out in order. I fell in love with The Hands of the Emperor on my first read and immediately went on to devour the next 4 books (plus several short stories) in her world! Then I went back and reread my favorite parts of The Hands of the Emperor. Then I fully reread both it and its sequel At the Feet of the Sun.
Each new time, I feel like my heart grows larger as these characters fill my imagination with passion, beauty, and joy. They’re the type of books that richen with each read, revealing more layers to Goddard’s world, the inner lives of these characters, and the philosophies and cultures which define them. The more books you read in life, the harder it is to find a book that truly lights a new spark in your heart (metaphor intended). This is one of those!
“I suppose we always hope that those closest to us can see into our hearts—but unless we invite them, or show them in words or deeds, how can they?”
The Hands of the Emperor
Conclusion
If you enjoy character-driven stories, diverse, sprawling worlds packed with history and magic, deep friendships and found family, and emotional and philosophical conversations, then you will love The Hands of the Emperor! Warning: you will become addicted. Writing this got me all fired up. I need to go read it a fourth time!
You can find books set in the rest of Victoria’s universe on her website! And buying books directly from her site will allow the majority of profits to go to her, not to retailers!
But if, like me, you find it hard to pass up the convenience of Prime, here you go.
P.S. I always advocate supporting authors by buying their books! But for those of you who can’t, I found almost all of Goddard’s books on Hoopla. If your library doesn’t carry them, there is a Discord fan server called the HoTE Support Group and you can request that someone gift you a copy (sub-channel: Crowdfunding the Nine Worlds)! Such a gem of a fandom!
Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
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