Fireside Book Club - August 2026

Join us for Book Club!
Hosted by Fireside on the second Wednesday of the month.
We are an exploratory book club and aim to read many different genres. If you are looking to get out of your comfort zone, stop on by and join in our discussion!
Our Book Club Pick for the month is The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison for the genre 'heroic fantasy'.
About the Book:
A lush tale of deadly court intrigue and a modern classic of fantasy by Locus award winner and Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award finalist Katherine Addison
Unbound Worlds 100 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time
A Best Fantasy Novel of the Decade Pick for BookRiot
"Challenging, invigorating, and unique. If court intrigue is your wine of choice, The Goblin Emperor is the headiest vintage I've come across in years."--Scott Lynch, bestselling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.
Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.
Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne-or his life.