Fantasy

The Hands of the Emperor

The Hands of the Emperor

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  • Create Date：2022-10-09 09:52:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Victoria Goddard
  • ISBN：1988908655
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Liz C ，

I have yet to meet a book over 600 pages that couldn't have easily been either cut or split up and this book is no exception but honestly that's the only reason I'm deducting a star I have yet to meet a book over 600 pages that couldn't have easily been either cut or split up and this book is no exception but honestly that's the only reason I'm deducting a star 。。。more

Tenny ，

This is one of those books I have no idea how to rate。 Some of the parts are 5* or even more， absolutely heartwrenching and magnificent。 Some of them。。。 I kinda had to skip。Especially the first half of the book is a truly awestrucking piece of writing。 I felt numerous emotions and the world that the author introduces is simply stunning。 The most important piece is the relationship between the main hero Cliopher/Kip and his Emperor。 I struggle to put the actually relationship into words。 Its deep This is one of those books I have no idea how to rate。 Some of the parts are 5* or even more， absolutely heartwrenching and magnificent。 Some of them。。。 I kinda had to skip。Especially the first half of the book is a truly awestrucking piece of writing。 I felt numerous emotions and the world that the author introduces is simply stunning。 The most important piece is the relationship between the main hero Cliopher/Kip and his Emperor。 I struggle to put the actually relationship into words。 Its deepest love you can imagine - they are literally soulmates。 However， I am not sure if its of romantic kind （after all， the exes they mention are all women and MC himself denies its that sort of relationship） or just platonic。 Queerplatonic？ Either way， its the strongest point of the book。Which is why the second half feels weaker， because emperor plays much smaller role and its mostly about Kip。 I liked the parts about his journey and his connection to traditions of his people， but I found myself annoyed with the weird family drama that was going on。 It felt repetitive after certain point - someone doesnt realize who Kip is and/or how important he is， someone or Kip himself tears him a new one。 It was fun the first time， but these scenes kept repeating。 Yes， we get it， Kip is awesome and sucks at talking about his accomplishments。 I am not sure we need 500 pages about it。 I think those pieces could have used more editing。But overall， I really enjoyed the read and it made profound impact on me。 So 4*， the one knocked down for the second half and I look forward reading the sequel。 Kip seems to be known and acknowledged by his family now so hopefully we wont get more pages of this there xD 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

I do not understand how enthralled I was by this book。 There are significant problems with it and yet I unreservedly give it 5 stars。The Plot - there really isn't one。 This is a character study that goes on for a gabillion pages。 And yet it works。The Characters - a very legitimate criticism of Dickens is that he has two different character types。 One is complex， nuanced and goes on a moral journey through the book。 The other is paper-thin and embodies all that is good but is boring as #$@#。 The I do not understand how enthralled I was by this book。 There are significant problems with it and yet I unreservedly give it 5 stars。The Plot - there really isn't one。 This is a character study that goes on for a gabillion pages。 And yet it works。The Characters - a very legitimate criticism of Dickens is that he has two different character types。 One is complex， nuanced and goes on a moral journey through the book。 The other is paper-thin and embodies all that is good but is boring as #$@#。 The main character in this book by all reason should be the second type of Dickensian character。 He is the most intelligent， the most insightful， the most masterful， the kindest， the most thoughtful， the most everything and yet he holds this book together as its strongest element。The Setting - this world is confusing。 There are parts of it that I still do not understand。 It doesn't matter。 The parts that are explained are done so well。The Magic - I have no idea what the magic system is except that there is one and that it has rules and is complex and there's two different types。 Again， it didn't matter。 Our hero has no magic。Inclusivity - in same ways， this book is amazingly inclusive。 Except that are no major women characters。 None。 The mother and sister serve more as contrasts for problems in the protagonist's life。 There are women in power but they are background characters。 This is a book populated heavily by men。 This actively bothered me throughout the story yet I still gave it 5 stars。 I don't get it。The Length - this book is almost 900 frickin pages。 Maybe 10 or 20 of them should be cut because there's repetition in the end as Kit tells his family about his life several times in different settings with different members of his family in the scenes。 I did not even begrudge this repetition though。 There's no significant part of it that I would cut。 And yet very little happens。 How does this happen？ Is the author a magician？ Was I hypnotized？ Did I stay up two nights in a row into the wee hours of the morning because I did not feel at all tired while reading this book？ Was I in an alternate dimension where everything I understood about the world was upside down and wrong side up？ What has happened to me？ 。。。more

Meenu ，

It was perhaps a quarter of the way in to this book that I knew that this would be a book I would never forget， one that will stay on the shelf of my mind for more reason that one。I didnt expect this book， it contained multitudes。 The deep abiding love between friends， respect and love for ones duty， to both yourself， family and what you stand for。It covered portions very relevant to someone with a very asian POC background in some areas*Spoilery ahead*Parts where I understand in depth where one It was perhaps a quarter of the way in to this book that I knew that this would be a book I would never forget， one that will stay on the shelf of my mind for more reason that one。I didnt expect this book， it contained multitudes。 The deep abiding love between friends， respect and love for ones duty， to both yourself， family and what you stand for。It covered portions very relevant to someone with a very asian POC background in some areas*Spoilery ahead*Parts where I understand in depth where ones culture and family clash with duty and how no matter how much you do， someone is going to try and measure you against a cloth that you never meant to wear。* Spoiler end*To say this book is good， is reductive， this book it magnificent。 when Kip accepted his names and sang his song， it did bring a tear to my eye。Please read this， it deserves everything 。。。more

rowan ，

ough！！ i would say this book is def not for everyone - i can image some people finding this very boring。 its basically a 900 page character study。 if u like fantasy politics and like exploration of cultures i would give this a go！！ even though it is a long read i very much enjoyed it， and look forward to the second book！

Owen Blacker ，

（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。 and I am SOLD！ 。。。more

Blind Mapmaker ，

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。 M 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。 。。。more

Kevin Hill ，

an exquisite novel This was a beautifully written book with a gloriously inventive world。 Who could’ve thought that a book about bureaucracy and court etiquette could be so captivating？

Gillian ，

4 starsThis definitely would've been a 5 star read had the last part of the book （1/3rd maybe？） been edited for brevity。 Maybe that way， it wouldn't have had to hammer the point in quite so thoroughly and repetitively to the point I was skimming pages。 Having said that， this is a great， big， enjoyable read about a small town guy that makes it in the big city。 More or less anyway， just with all the fantasy elements。 There are other reviews that will do this book justice， so I'll just say that if 4 starsThis definitely would've been a 5 star read had the last part of the book （1/3rd maybe？） been edited for brevity。 Maybe that way， it wouldn't have had to hammer the point in quite so thoroughly and repetitively to the point I was skimming pages。 Having said that， this is a great， big， enjoyable read about a small town guy that makes it in the big city。 More or less anyway， just with all the fantasy elements。 There are other reviews that will do this book justice， so I'll just say that if you are looking for a book you can really sink your teeth into， and you are a fan of work related competence porn， AND you love fantasy， I can highly recommend。 。。。more

Barbara Howe ，

3 stars: a compromise between 5 stars （It’s wonderful！ You have to read it！） and 2 （meh）。Let’s start with the part I loved。 This fantasy novel contains a beautiful， riveting story about a man—His Radiancy， Lord Artorin Damara， the Last Emperor of the Astandalas， a god come to Earth—who is trapped by responsibilities and ritual， and slowly dying in the gilded cage of his position。 It is strictly taboo for anyone to touch him; if or when the strictures protecting him are violated， people die。 In a 3 stars: a compromise between 5 stars （It’s wonderful！ You have to read it！） and 2 （meh）。Let’s start with the part I loved。 This fantasy novel contains a beautiful， riveting story about a man—His Radiancy， Lord Artorin Damara， the Last Emperor of the Astandalas， a god come to Earth—who is trapped by responsibilities and ritual， and slowly dying in the gilded cage of his position。 It is strictly taboo for anyone to touch him; if or when the strictures protecting him are violated， people die。 In all the years he has been emperor he has not felt the comforting touch of another human being。 Even the Royal Physician and the people who dress him have magical instruments to assist them in doing their jobs from a respectful distance。Cliopher （Kip） Mdang—His Radiancy’s secretary， the man who sees that things get done—realises that His Radiancy needs a vacation， and organises a trip away from the capital city。 The subsequent voyage across the South Seas。。，er， Wide Seas and holiday in a beach house near Kip’s hometown set in motion cascading events that lead to hard choices His Radiancy must make， and a possible way out。 They also lead to deepening friendships between and among His Radiancy and his senior attendants。His Radiancy is a terrific character， exuding compassion， empathy， and gravitas， mixed with frustration and an impeccable sense of humour。 I enjoyed nearly every scene in which he was the central character。 Unfortunately， he isn’t the book’s main character; Kip Mdang is。 His Radiancy makes his momentous decision less than a third of the way into this long book， and then the focus shifts to Kip and his problems with his family and the civil service。 Except for one health crisis （chapters 36 through 49， out of 80）， His Radiancy fades into the background in the rest of the book。 The longer it went on， the more irritated with it I became， and it’s a very long book indeed。Kip is the book’s biggest problem。 At the beginning he comes across as a self-effacing civil servant， a workaholic policy wonk in late middle age who reads all the reports that come across his desk and has an encyclopaedic memory for detail。 He appears set on a course headed for either burnout or a heart attack from overwork。 Although the first chapter says he is head of the Imperial Bureaucratic Service， he seems more comfortable with massaging data than in dealing with actual people。 So far， so good。 This is someone I can understand， and accept as a real person。But then it gradually becomes clearer that Kip really is the Secretary in Chief: a capable administrator of a large bureaucracy， and the second most important person in the empire’s government， after only His Radiancy himself。 This is where he started to bother me。 In my view （admittedly making sweeping generalisations here）， detail-oriented bureaucrats and people-savvy， politically-adept executives tend not to appear in the same person， and people who climb to the highest levels of government service tend to have inflated egos， but hey， extraordinary people do appear occasionally。 I was willing to accept this version of him， too， for the sake of the story。Unfortunately， the author wasn’t done building up Kip， and the longer the book went on the less I liked him。 By the end， he was the most glaring example I have see in years of a Gary Stu—a character whose existence deforms the universe around them to show how wonderful they are。 Goddard lays an unbelievable list of accomplishments on him—reform of the postal service， implementation of a progressive tax system and a universal basic income， hospitals， … a liberal’s dream agenda—until at the end he is being lauded as the most important person in the history of the Astandalan government， and I’m ready to heave the book across the room。That brings us to the second problem: Kip doesn’t seem to have encountered any serious friction in implementing his reforms。 People and governments just don’t work like that。 People don’t like change， even when it’s good for them， and the societal changes Kip is credited with would have been massive。 After the aforementioned crisis， I kept waiting for blowback from Kip’s assault on the religious hierarchy， but it was never mentioned again。 Seriously？ Besides the priests， there are the nobles。 They wouldn’t all be stupid; somebody would have grasped how he was undercutting them and would be pushing back。 （Not to mention that any one of those reforms would be a life’s work for a normal person; reformers don’t often get things right on the first try。）Kip’s problems with his family aren’t believable either。 Yes， I understand that， at the start of the book， the provincial islanders he comes from might not understand that “Secretary in Chief” is a different beast from a secretary/clerk assisting his boss with his correspondence and calendar， but they should have gotten the message after he was promoted to Lord Chancellor。 We are told over and over again what gossips the members of his huge family are， and how he’s related to half the population of Gorjo City， so why is it that they don’t talk about him？ Half a dozen members of his family are visiting him when His Radiancy’s health crisis occurs， but a few years later Kip’s best friend from childhood， living only two or three blocks from his mother and sister and seeing them on a regular basis， hasn’t heard any of the details of that visit？ Not credible。 Just， not。Did I mention that this is a long book？ At 900 pages （hardcover） and 319K words （according to Kobo）， it’s a doorstopper。 （For comparison， Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell—another doorstopper—is 332K words。 For the Nebula Awards， the dividing line between novella and novel is 40K words。） Most of the second half of The Hands of the Emperor is either Kip losing his temper and telling someone off， or some wide-eyed relative being reminded of how important he is。 （They seem to forget that with astonishing regularity。） One or two of these scenes can feel satisfying， even cathartic。 After that， the repetition gets tedious。 I skimmed a lot of the second half， looking for His Radiancy’s appearances。 I would have liked this book twice as much at half the length， and at 160K words， it still would have been a long book。On looking back at what I’ve written， I realise it turned into a rant。 （And I didn’t even get into the cultural appropriation， or the time slippage inconsistencies。） So why have I bothered to write about it？ Because the beauty of some parts of it make the disappointments of the rest harder to bear。 As I said earlier， there are parts of it I loved: His Radiancy’s vacation; the emphasis on kindness， empathy， friendship， and respect; the image of a communist islander in a grass skirt and shell necklace winning his case before the assembled nobles; middle-aged protagonists; Kip’s story of his voyage across the Wide Seas in a boat he built himself; great world building; …I would happily read other stories Goddard has written about His Radiancy。 I’m just not interested in hearing any more about Kip。 （And if Kip is so brilliant， why did it take him so [insert-your-favourite-expletive] long to realise His Radiancy needed a holiday？ Oof。）If you want to read His Radiancy’s story， I suggest you read chapters 1 through 20， 36 through 49， and skim or skip most of the rest。Trigger warnings: a brief discussion of cannibalism， and one also brief incidence of violence。 Otherwise， nothing。 No sex， no bad language。 People behave themselves and are polite to each other。 How refreshing。 。。。more

Ananya ，

3。5 starsI enjoyed reading this book。 It dragged， slightly， at first as I was waiting for something to happen， but once it picked up， I found it really hard to put down the book！ I loved Kip， his friends， and the Emperor most of all。 It was very much character-centred though。 A lot happens within the 1000 pages of the book， but unfortunately， most of it is。。。not written at all！ The world changes in the gaps between the pages。 And not even the proper section gaps。。。 suddenly in the next chapter， 3。5 starsI enjoyed reading this book。 It dragged， slightly， at first as I was waiting for something to happen， but once it picked up， I found it really hard to put down the book！ I loved Kip， his friends， and the Emperor most of all。 It was very much character-centred though。 A lot happens within the 1000 pages of the book， but unfortunately， most of it is。。。not written at all！ The world changes in the gaps between the pages。 And not even the proper section gaps。。。 suddenly in the next chapter， it's Five Years Later and the world is almost （very nearly） a utopia！ The first half sets the scene for a change in the political order of the world and I expected （hoped！） to see those changes actually taking place; the challenges faced in bringing about the changes; the politics around it all。 But what I actually saw was a very large bunch of scenes which were basically either Kip putting arrogant fools in their place or people praising Kip in front of his family， who have no clue that their son/nephew/cousin is an Important Man。 While that is， of course， satisfying， and indeed， what kept me feeling soft and happy inside as I devoured the book， I would have loved something significant to actually happen on-page rather than time-skips of 5 or more years between chapters when we're supposed to assume the politics happened and the Good Guys succeeded magnificently。 （view spoiler）[ And just what is up with everyone just accepting and sympathising with cannibalism， of all things？？ The far-off secretary from somewhere really remote turns out to be a cannibal， and rather than talking to him about the trauma of actually EATING OTHER PEOPLE， everyone just。。。cries sympathetically？？ And tells him "oh， I'm sorry everyone is so judgemental and stereotypes your culture which， by the way， is exactly what the rumours say？" If they only ate their already-dead， I would still understand the sympathy。 But I find it really weird that they're okay with people actually going and killing their friends for some sort of coming-of-age ritual。 It was a tiny part of the book， but I feel like some things in some cultures need an overhaul rather than empathy。 （hide spoiler）]All this doesn't mean I won't wait with bated breath for book 2， and read that in a single weekend once it comes out， of course。 Let's hope we actually get to see *some* of the Big Political Games this time！ 。。。more

Elizabeth Lovegrove ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I don’t like long books。 I firmly believe almost anything good can be done even better in fewer pages。 This book is over 900 pages and I wanted it to keep going forever。 It’s a fantasy political epic， sort of， which is cosy and soothing and features a very competent civil servant as its protagonist， alongside a sardonic eyebrow-raising emperor， and a lot of assorted cousins and friends and courtiers。 The worst thing that happens is two people we haven’t really met before do something monumentall I don’t like long books。 I firmly believe almost anything good can be done even better in fewer pages。 This book is over 900 pages and I wanted it to keep going forever。 It’s a fantasy political epic， sort of， which is cosy and soothing and features a very competent civil servant as its protagonist， alongside a sardonic eyebrow-raising emperor， and a lot of assorted cousins and friends and courtiers。 The worst thing that happens is two people we haven’t really met before do something monumentally stupid and mean which leads to one of them being accidentally killed。 There are some well meaning people trying very hard to be nice and loving and respectful of each other through a massive misunderstanding which anyone else would see as a cause for just giving up on each other。 There is a delightful slow burn romantic friendship， and a glorious island setting， and swimming， and the institution of a universal basic income and many other social justice projects。 I’m seriously considering just starting it again at the beginning。 。。。more

Hanna ，

I am quite literally at a loss for words。 This book was magnificent and I loved every page。 I don’t know how to leave this beautiful world and the beautiful people in it。 1000/5 stars。

Gary Pennington ，

Unfinished。

Marquise ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A strong starting third， which I adored， tailing off just before the halfway point for me。 Within 20 pages I happily proclaimed this 'an entire 900 pages about Vetinari and Drumknott！' from Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld。 Although of course there are similarities （benevolent， bright， sarcastic ruler and his excessively loyal， dedicated and hardworking secretary） this is evidently a different creature。 The character-driven story in the first third is exquisitely crafted， and I found myself often A strong starting third， which I adored， tailing off just before the halfway point for me。 Within 20 pages I happily proclaimed this 'an entire 900 pages about Vetinari and Drumknott！' from Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld。 Although of course there are similarities （benevolent， bright， sarcastic ruler and his excessively loyal， dedicated and hardworking secretary） this is evidently a different creature。 The character-driven story in the first third is exquisitely crafted， and I found myself often wondering where 20 pages just went。 The aforementioned lord and secretary's relationship is a work of art: based not on romance but on their deep knowledge and understanding of each other。 It's truly beautiful。 I also loved the world-building - although we are thrown right in at the deep end， the character-driven nature of the book means that the names and places aren't immediately vital; it develops organically。However， from p380 onwards the focus changed， and unfortunately with it my enjoyment。 The section relating to Cliopher's battle between work and family duty and the constant misunderstandings between them （made worse by the implicit Understanding already detailed between him and his lord） made me feel Excruciatingly anxious， which admittedly may have been the point。 But it did affect my enjoyment from p380- 476， which is， although not much of this book， a fairly sizable novella of anxiety。 The remainder of the book was just OK for me， never quite regaining the shine of the earlier chapters。 I found myself repeatedly wondering how Cliopher's friends had retained that moniker when all they seem to do is judge him， fail to communicate， and roll their eyes， but！ Of course eventually misunderstandings were ironed out but it didn't make for a particularly /enjoyable/ or relaxing read up to that point。I will almost definitely be reading the accompanying novellas and the sequel when it comes， however; I do love the set of four household staff and his radiancy's relationships。 。。。more

Hannah Cohen ，

One of the best books I have ever read。 A fantasy where the main character wants to change the absolute monarchy of a government into a socialist government with the help of the Emperor。 All the characters are so developed and they all just want to improve the world they live in。 What an amazing book。

Anne ，

This book is so strange and I do not know if it’s actually a good book。 Very little happens and this author is a master of repeating herself over and over again。 But if I spend the last 150 pages sobbing because of sheer cuteness and finish 1000+ pages thinking “awww， I could’ve read more of that” you get 5 stars from me。

Sadie Slater ，

I think I first heard about Victoria Goddard's The Hands of the Emperor from the Be The Serpent podcast。 I bought the Kindle edition on their recommendation and spotted it last week when I was flicking through my unread books （of which there are。。。A Lot） trying to decide what to read next。My goodness， I adored this。The Hands of the Emperor is a huge， slightly rambling fantasy about a middle-aged bureaucrat who passionately longs to make the world a better place。 Cliopher Mdang is the first perso I think I first heard about Victoria Goddard's The Hands of the Emperor from the Be The Serpent podcast。 I bought the Kindle edition on their recommendation and spotted it last week when I was flicking through my unread books （of which there are。。。A Lot） trying to decide what to read next。My goodness， I adored this。The Hands of the Emperor is a huge， slightly rambling fantasy about a middle-aged bureaucrat who passionately longs to make the world a better place。 Cliopher Mdang is the first person from his remote archipelago ever to enter the civil service in an empire spanning multiple world; his hard work and complete integrity have enabled him to rise to become the Emperor's personal secretary and head of the civil service。 When he returns from a visit home and suggests that the Emperor takes a holiday， he finds that he has set in motion a chain of events that will fundamentally change both his relationship with the Emperor and， ultimately， the entire world。This isn't a perfect book - it's very long， and， as I said， rambles a bit。 Some things end up coming up multiple times， and the pacing is odd - a single evening can have multiple chapters， and the next one glosses over years almost without acknowledgement。 Despite that， I loved it。 The characters feel utterly real and likeable， the world they live in is fascinating （Goddard throws us in at the deep end， and the novel is full of references to earlier events that we only find out the details of later）。 As an administrator myself， I adored reading about another thoroughly competent administrator （and occasionally found myself wincing in sympathy at the pressures of Cliopher's job）。 And more than anything， I loved that this is 900-odd pages of people being kind and thoughtful and trying to make the world a better place。 Wonderful， utterly absorbing comfort reading。 。。。more

Laura ，

I'm truly surprised to not be leaving a better review for this book （and for such a LONG book， that's a crying shame）The first half is great！ It's a delicately positioned fantasy-of-manners， of the Emperor's staff trying to take care of him without crossing an inappropriate threshold of intimacy; it's well-told and has strong Pacific Island influence， which I adore; an a cast of many different people all with slightly different perspectives and roles to play， and all wanting the best for their E I'm truly surprised to not be leaving a better review for this book （and for such a LONG book， that's a crying shame）The first half is great！ It's a delicately positioned fantasy-of-manners， of the Emperor's staff trying to take care of him without crossing an inappropriate threshold of intimacy; it's well-told and has strong Pacific Island influence， which I adore; an a cast of many different people all with slightly different perspectives and roles to play， and all wanting the best for their Emperor。 It made absolute sense that this kept getting recommended to fans of the Goblin Emperor， it was another instance of Things Work Out For Nice People。 But the second half， more and more towards the end， is repetetive， and drops everybody but Cliopher。 All the side characters I liked essentially disappear， or exist only to laugh at his jokes （what happened to Conju？？？？） and it's truly bizzarre how many scenes feel literally repeated。 I'm not sure how many times he has the same conversations with his friends about how they don't care about his work， or the same listings of his accomplishments。 It's so ODD， and then it's very dull， and then it just gets fawningly weird how much everyone trips over themselves to praise Cliopher。but none of his achievements happen on page; there are no coups or assassination attempts or actions; and all the things I liked from the first half， e。g。 the difficulty of being close to a man who you might die if you break the taboo against touching him - it's all gone。 It's really strange。 A lot of the other reviews touch on it too， and I'd seen those and thought 'surely it can't be that bad if it's good content'， but no。 anyway I don't regret reading it but I would strongly encourage skimming from。。。 possibly the end of the first Act， honestly。 A sharp edit would have really elevated this。 。。。more

Para （wanderer） ，

DNF 42%。 From everything I heard about it， this should have been just up my alley despite the length。 A slow burn friendship between a god-emperor and his right hand man？ Bureaucrat power fantasy？ Yes。 And initially， it went just fine， feeling a lot like taking your late-game fully-leveled-up Stardew Valley character on a vacation to Ginger Island。 The worldbuilding is incredibly intricate and I loved Kip’s complex relationship with his culture。 But it got old fast。Since Cliopher， or Kip， has al DNF 42%。 From everything I heard about it， this should have been just up my alley despite the length。 A slow burn friendship between a god-emperor and his right hand man？ Bureaucrat power fantasy？ Yes。 And initially， it went just fine， feeling a lot like taking your late-game fully-leveled-up Stardew Valley character on a vacation to Ginger Island。 The worldbuilding is incredibly intricate and I loved Kip’s complex relationship with his culture。 But it got old fast。Since Cliopher， or Kip， has already accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish， there are no real challenges， no conflicts， no sense of tension whatsoever， even of the small interpersonal kind。 We are also shown quite forcefully and repeatedly how great and clever and flawless and always right he is， which doesn’t exactly endear me to a character。 That， I think， was the main problem – what’s a cozy character-focused book where you don’t care about the protagonist？ And being nearly 350k words， the percentage barely moves as you read。 I was not really itching to pick it back up and besides， I’ve been told by people who liked it that some things that bothered me get worse in the second half。 So I quit。Enjoyment: 2/5Execution: 3/5More reviews on my blog， To Other Worlds。 。。。more

Stanley ，

A brilliant 5 stars， if very long read: the characterization depth was amazing， and Kip's familial recognition of his accomplishments， had me （literally） in tears， esp。 after this 'dance'。 An amazing read， albeit the verbosity， which can be forgiven in this literally journey。I ignored the preaching on the ideal government/society， and read this book for the wonder， and adventure of the characters described。 It is very optimistic on what a government could theoretically accomplish， which is very A brilliant 5 stars， if very long read: the characterization depth was amazing， and Kip's familial recognition of his accomplishments， had me （literally） in tears， esp。 after this 'dance'。 An amazing read， albeit the verbosity， which can be forgiven in this literally journey。I ignored the preaching on the ideal government/society， and read this book for the wonder， and adventure of the characters described。 It is very optimistic on what a government could theoretically accomplish， which is very idealistic， and pure fantasy from a practical standpoint。 （Perhaps it would need an emperor to push such reforms thru a government！） 。。。more

Sarah ，

This wasn't a perfect book by any means。 It's looooooonnnngggg （longer than necessary） and had a few other faults。 But it's also just great。 So I will forgive it it's faults。 Because it had a humble bureaucratic genius doing his thing。 And found family （a found family completely comprised of middle-aged single men， which somehow made it even better）。 And actual family。 And soulmate-level friendship that isn't romantic。 And an empire forging its way towards something less empire-ish。 And a beauti This wasn't a perfect book by any means。 It's looooooonnnngggg （longer than necessary） and had a few other faults。 But it's also just great。 So I will forgive it it's faults。 Because it had a humble bureaucratic genius doing his thing。 And found family （a found family completely comprised of middle-aged single men， which somehow made it even better）。 And actual family。 And soulmate-level friendship that isn't romantic。 And an empire forging its way towards something less empire-ish。 And a beautiful portrayal of emigrant culture， and what it's like to come home when your life actually exists somewhere else。 And interesting court and political systems。 And another beautiful portrayal of （fictional， but definitely inspired by real counterparts） indigenous culture， and the value that indigenous culture brings to society。 I repeat， it was great 。。。more

Urwa ，

okay but why is this a 1000 pages wtf

Kate ，

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" 😅）。 I started crying during a few incredibly touching scenes。However， there's a bit of a bureaucracy worship that I found a bit off-putting in the same way as the West Wing。 Yes， Kip is v 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" 😅）。 I started crying during a few incredibly touching scenes。However， there's a bit of a bureaucracy worship that I found a bit off-putting in the same way as the West Wing。 Yes， Kip is very smart。 Yes， Kip is very powerful。 Yes， Kip has great ideas。 Yes， other people are stupid and selfish and corrupt， but not Kip。 The reader is told this again and again， and I get that we need to see Kip gain recognition in his hometown， but I would have liked to have seen one of his ambition ideas be a mistake， and see him grapple with that。 Otherwise it just seemed like he could do no wrong， and that's not very interesting in itself。 。。。more

mzfrop ，

An emotionally intelligent and joyously readable story about devotion in all its forms， and one of my favorite things I've ever read。 Simply getting to hold the book in my hands is a privilege。 Stupendous and gorgeous。 An emotionally intelligent and joyously readable story about devotion in all its forms， and one of my favorite things I've ever read。 Simply getting to hold the book in my hands is a privilege。 Stupendous and gorgeous。 。。。more

Milo Adkison ，

Great start， then the writing devolved。 Great plot and characters。 A court of the emperor tale where everyone is a decent person。 The downsides of being a god-king。 A kid from a backwards rural community goes to the big city and makes good and struggles with not being completely accepted either place。 Could have been great with an editor that said， “your main character spends the s3cond half of the book spewing monologues， while everyone else turns to cardboard。 Fix this！”

Jenny T ，

This book was very warm and very beautiful -- it took me a long time to get through and there were so many tears at the end， all of them happy。 This is the story of Cliopher Mdang of the Wide Sea Islands， who travels across the sea in a boat of his own making， pledging to bring a new fire to his people and change the world for the better。This is the story of a man whose name is taken from him， who wakes up after a sleep of a hundred years to find that he is the Emperor of the world and who comes This book was very warm and very beautiful -- it took me a long time to get through and there were so many tears at the end， all of them happy。 This is the story of Cliopher Mdang of the Wide Sea Islands， who travels across the sea in a boat of his own making， pledging to bring a new fire to his people and change the world for the better。This is the story of a man whose name is taken from him， who wakes up after a sleep of a hundred years to find that he is the Emperor of the world and who comes to accept one Cliopher Mdang as his It's a story about their growing friendship， about accepting greater power and greater responsibility， about tradition vs。 innovation （and the importance and beauty of BOTH）， about Family。 What really made it special for me was the complete lack of cynicism。 Politics play a major role throughout， but the emphasis is on what can happen when good people use their talents for the benefit of all。 There is so much HOPE here。 I could gush about this book for a long time （and I probably will）。Easily one of my favorite books of the year， possibly one of my favorite books ever。 Highly， highly recommended for fans of The Goblin Emperor。 。。。more

Ellen ，

I had very complex feelings about this book， which came primarily from a very intense emotional engagement with it！ （view spoiler）[ That the primary emotion for about 600+ pages was "a deep frustration with the central conflict" is what made it complicated。 GOD this book took me ages to finish reading， and I kept going "I just need some emotional resolution before bedtime。" I did not ever get emotional resolution before bedtime。 When， somewhere near where the ebook was prompting me to buy the ne I had very complex feelings about this book， which came primarily from a very intense emotional engagement with it！ （view spoiler）[ That the primary emotion for about 600+ pages was "a deep frustration with the central conflict" is what made it complicated。 GOD this book took me ages to finish reading， and I kept going "I just need some emotional resolution before bedtime。" I did not ever get emotional resolution before bedtime。 When， somewhere near where the ebook was prompting me to buy the next book in the series because I was 'near the end' （this book is Nine Hundred And Ninety Pages according to the stats I could find; I'm desperate to have a wordcount） I finally got a beautiful emotional resolution I wept for like 10 minutes。 I'm not sure it was worth it （see: the previous 8 hours of teeth-grinding）， but the catharsis was real。Anyway。 What is there to say。 （hide spoiler）]This book is a nearly 1000 page argument for a universal basic income and how you can work inside the government to radicalize a magically appointed divine Empire to something that may eventually approach communism。 It's a book about how your family will never know who you are when they only see the person who left - about complicated family dynamics across worlds。 It's about breaking free of the structures that hold you back。 It's about the value of a good education in statistics and bureaucracy。 It's about the immigrant experience， assimilation， and the ways you can force the world to balance。 It's like opposite ayn rand。 It's a little bit about friendship。 It's about the importance of a good retirement。 It could be about 300 pages less long but also what's the point of having your own publishing house if you don't let yourself be indulgent。 Even with the occasional tendency towards being a bit didactic it's still an engaging read。 。。。more

Mackenzie ，

5 million

Sookie ，

this isn't for anyone。 this is a fantasy without the usual fanfare of action adventure。 there is magic and its part of the system。 there are multitudes of culture， races， practices， languages and life that exists in this world。 while the story isn't much of a story but an execution of ideas between two people。i am glad to say that this book defies my basic premise for enjoying a book - a connectable conflict。 its not there in as much as a conflict but there is issues in the world that a man deci this isn't for anyone。 this is a fantasy without the usual fanfare of action adventure。 there is magic and its part of the system。 there are multitudes of culture， races， practices， languages and life that exists in this world。 while the story isn't much of a story but an execution of ideas between two people。i am glad to say that this book defies my basic premise for enjoying a book - a connectable conflict。 its not there in as much as a conflict but there is issues in the world that a man decides to fix。 amidst all the restrictions that comes with his station， the emperor decides to retire in a bunch of years and tells his personal secretary that they will fix the world。 and they get to work。 that's it。 that's the book。 i enjoyed this ride， i am totally in for kind， empathetic， good characters。 its so rare these days to read a book like this， its almost non-existent in this genre。 i am very glad to have read this， its a great comfort read and shows how much change people in power can bring changes to the world and not matter the selflessness involved， there will always be adversaries。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Hands of the Emperor

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Hands of the Emperor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Hands of the Emperor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0