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Lays of the Hearth-Fire #0.5
Petty Treasons
Artorin Damara, last Emperor of Astandalas, is in need of a new secretary.
It has been three years since he woke from a magical coma caused by the catastrophic collapse of his empire, and he can barely acknowledge his own day-to-day existence, let alone what he needs from someone else.
Enter Cliopher sayo Mdang, unassuming Fifth Degree Secretary of the Imperial Bureaucratic Service, and to everyone's surprise the apocalypse ... ends.
This novella is set on Zunidh in the universe of the Nine Worlds. It is best read after The Hands of the Emperor.
It has been three years since he woke from a magical coma caused by the catastrophic collapse of his empire, and he can barely acknowledge his own day-to-day existence, let alone what he needs from someone else.
Enter Cliopher sayo Mdang, unassuming Fifth Degree Secretary of the Imperial Bureaucratic Service, and to everyone's surprise the apocalypse ... ends.
This novella is set on Zunidh in the universe of the Nine Worlds. It is best read after The Hands of the Emperor.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2021
34 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Goddard
43 books779 followersI walked across England in 2013, fulfilling a long-held dream. I'm currently the sexton of an Anglican church in Nova Scotia, which means I am keeper of the keys and opener of doors (and shutter-off of alarms). I have a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Toronto, looking at poetry and philosophy in the works of Dante and Boethius -- both the poetry and the philosophy come into my stories a great deal (and occasionally the Dante and the Boethius).
I like writing about the ordinary lives of magical people on the other side of the looking glass ... and the extraordinary deeds of ordinary folk, too. Three of my favourite authors are Patricia McKillip (especially 'The Riddle-Master of Hed' trilogy and 'The Bell at Sealy Head'), Connie Willis ('Bellwether' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog,' which latter would make my top-ten books on a desert island), and Lois McMaster Bujold ('The Curse of Chalion' and its sequels).
I like writing about the ordinary lives of magical people on the other side of the looking glass ... and the extraordinary deeds of ordinary folk, too. Three of my favourite authors are Patricia McKillip (especially 'The Riddle-Master of Hed' trilogy and 'The Bell at Sealy Head'), Connie Willis ('Bellwether' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog,' which latter would make my top-ten books on a desert island), and Lois McMaster Bujold ('The Curse of Chalion' and its sequels).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
January 14, 2023
It was so nice to read a story told from His Radiancy’s point of view. (Also, it was interesting to have more detail about the chaos after the Fall and the broken magic.)
That constant switching between second and first person narrative was very cleverly done. Knowing what I know about the emperor after The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun, I could understand where it was coming from and why it was there…
“Up fifteen strides, down twenty-five, ten back to your desk.”
There is no privacy in the life of the emperor, and a lot of loneliness. So, the emperor paced.
“It was better, proper, courteous to keep your thoughts to yourself and your expectation for companionship low.”
One day, a new secretary arrives, one Cliopher Mdang. It was absolutely lovely to see the beginnings of the friendship to be and how the emperor is… saved.
This is a wonderful short read and Victoria Goddard’s writing is brilliant. Be aware, though, that this is a companion novella to THOTE, so it cannot really stand on its own.
Give me more, please!
That constant switching between second and first person narrative was very cleverly done. Knowing what I know about the emperor after The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun, I could understand where it was coming from and why it was there…
“Up fifteen strides, down twenty-five, ten back to your desk.”
There is no privacy in the life of the emperor, and a lot of loneliness. So, the emperor paced.
“It was better, proper, courteous to keep your thoughts to yourself and your expectation for companionship low.”
One day, a new secretary arrives, one Cliopher Mdang. It was absolutely lovely to see the beginnings of the friendship to be and how the emperor is… saved.
This is a wonderful short read and Victoria Goddard’s writing is brilliant. Be aware, though, that this is a companion novella to THOTE, so it cannot really stand on its own.
Give me more, please!
January 27, 2023
Reread Jan. 2023: looking back at what I wrote the first time I read this... perfectly satisfactory? PSHAW. The narrator of this story, the emperor, is one of my most favorite and beloved characters, and this part of his story is so important to the whole. So much is beginning to spark in this little novella that will later grow out into a great flame, a marvelous fire. Returning to this after reading everything else is QUITE AN EXPERIENCE.
Also I take back what I said last time, I think you could start here. (Would it be confusing? Someone try it and let me know, LOL.) If you read this and enjoyed it, you would very likely want to dig right into The Hands of the Emperor. Just make sure to come back here after you've figured out That One Thing, because boy does this book hit differently once you do.
**
This was a perfectly satisfactory prequel novella; we learn more about the emperor Altorin's thoughts and feelings, more about the state of the government post-Fall/pre-Kip Mdang, and then have the pleasure of watching Kip's earliest efforts into restructuring their world. This wouldn't really stand as a story on its own, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Also I take back what I said last time, I think you could start here. (Would it be confusing? Someone try it and let me know, LOL.) If you read this and enjoyed it, you would very likely want to dig right into The Hands of the Emperor. Just make sure to come back here after you've figured out That One Thing, because boy does this book hit differently once you do.
**
This was a perfectly satisfactory prequel novella; we learn more about the emperor Altorin's thoughts and feelings, more about the state of the government post-Fall/pre-Kip Mdang, and then have the pleasure of watching Kip's earliest efforts into restructuring their world. This wouldn't really stand as a story on its own, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
January 26, 2024
Took me a whole week to read 111 pages and not because this wonderfully written novel wasn't gripping but reading has been tough lately. Petty Treasons is a delight and made me want to re-read all of Hands of the Empire again. As soon as Book three is announced I am re-reading the series.
It was fantastic to see Kip through Fitzroy's eyes and I would love dual pov more often please. Kip is not nearly as subtle as he thinks he is. And I think we witness the moment Fitzroy starts to fall in love.
As always Goddard style of writing is delightful and I don't know how she makes the mundane so enthralling. She truly has a gift. I am making my way slowly through her backlist, picking and choosing which part of her world to explore. What a wonder this series is.
It was fantastic to see Kip through Fitzroy's eyes and I would love dual pov more often please. Kip is not nearly as subtle as he thinks he is. And I think we witness the moment Fitzroy starts to fall in love.
As always Goddard style of writing is delightful and I don't know how she makes the mundane so enthralling. She truly has a gift. I am making my way slowly through her backlist, picking and choosing which part of her world to explore. What a wonder this series is.
January 2, 2022
I found this novella a delightful addition to the far lengthier -- and excellent -- "The Hands of the Emperor." While it takes place earlier than that book, I think it is best read afterward. Having loved the interaction between the Emperor and Cliopher in "The Hands of the Emperor," it charmed me to read about when they first met. I'm not sure this would satisfy as a stand-alone piece, but as a lyrical extra nugget in the larger story it pleased me greatly. The emperor (more accurately, the Lord Magus of Zunidh) works literal magic in the course of the story, but it is the magic of the characters that held me. 4 out of 5 radiant stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
February 28, 2023
Another near perfect accompaniment to the Hands of the Emperor. These books are so warm and fill me with such fondness. They shine their absolute brightest when Kip and the Emperor see each other and know each other and I keep tearing up on the bus and in the work kitchen about it.
(This book does not stand on its own; you gotta read Hands first)
"I traced out the vision Cliopher had described, created out of his own mind, his own culture -- oh, I wanted to know more, I could see he was drawing from some source I did not know, some perspective on the world so different and yet so beautiful, he was so quietly sure of where he came from, where he was going -- and -- oh.
Oh."
Oh (!!)
(This book does not stand on its own; you gotta read Hands first)
"I traced out the vision Cliopher had described, created out of his own mind, his own culture -- oh, I wanted to know more, I could see he was drawing from some source I did not know, some perspective on the world so different and yet so beautiful, he was so quietly sure of where he came from, where he was going -- and -- oh.
Oh."
Oh (!!)
March 4, 2024
More back stories to the "Lays of the Hearth-Fire" series. I usually do not read short stories, but these novellas, if I can use that word, expand upon the characters encountered in the main saga. Victoria Goddard is a wizard at character development. It is no wonder she is a wizard at story telling.
I shall continue reading all related to "Lays of Hearth-Fire," until I have exhausted all there is to know about the many aspects of Hearth-Fire. As a reminder, "The Lays" are lore. Why would you not learn lore than in front of a hearth with a fire burning merrily.
I shall continue reading all related to "Lays of Hearth-Fire," until I have exhausted all there is to know about the many aspects of Hearth-Fire. As a reminder, "The Lays" are lore. Why would you not learn lore than in front of a hearth with a fire burning merrily.
October 12, 2023
Yes, Cliopher is a gift, we know <3
(I just wonder why no one told the author that you can't have a triangle with sides 25, 15, and 10 steps long)
(I just wonder why no one told the author that you can't have a triangle with sides 25, 15, and 10 steps long)
August 10, 2023
Book 17 of 30 days Challenge (2)
I love this world so much this book made me prioritize this series and added all 20 stories to my read this year thingy lmaooo
I love this world so much this book made me prioritize this series and added all 20 stories to my read this year thingy lmaooo
April 8, 2025
A delightful little novella—it was wonderful to have some perspective from the Emperor, especially in such a unique combination of POVs, in addition to all of the other little plot and background threads to add to Goddard's larger tapestry of this world.
I will say that there is still some unknown core that keeps me from leaping wholeheartedly into the series' ethos. Based on Cliopher's criticism of the concept of a divine authority, I wonder if this has something to do with Goddard's Anglican(?) background versus my Catholic one. I cannot help but draw connections between Cliopher's sentiments and how Protestants criticize the Papal office.
I must also respectfully disagree with the notion that "[g]ranting titles to those smart and skilled and strong enough to be good leaders only reinforces the old hierarchy and tyrannical systems of the past." Cliopher's opinion here undermines what occurs with his career in The Hands of the Emperor, even as that novel addresses this issue of easing out of old systems and conventions into new ones, and is further undermined based on the Emperor's internal dialogue regarding Cliopher's competency in this novella. I understand the argument that governments cannot be exclusively controlled by an aristocratic class simply on the pretext that they are somehow better than everyone else. I do not think we should draw the conclusion that everyone is entitled to serve in government leadership. There needs to be a higher authority that does not merely come "from the people," who will always be prone to fallibility—the natural order of our world demands it.
I will say that there is still some unknown core that keeps me from leaping wholeheartedly into the series' ethos. Based on Cliopher's criticism of the concept of a divine authority, I wonder if this has something to do with Goddard's Anglican(?) background versus my Catholic one. I cannot help but draw connections between Cliopher's sentiments and how Protestants criticize the Papal office.
I must also respectfully disagree with the notion that "[g]ranting titles to those smart and skilled and strong enough to be good leaders only reinforces the old hierarchy and tyrannical systems of the past." Cliopher's opinion here undermines what occurs with his career in The Hands of the Emperor, even as that novel addresses this issue of easing out of old systems and conventions into new ones, and is further undermined based on the Emperor's internal dialogue regarding Cliopher's competency in this novella. I understand the argument that governments cannot be exclusively controlled by an aristocratic class simply on the pretext that they are somehow better than everyone else. I do not think we should draw the conclusion that everyone is entitled to serve in government leadership. There needs to be a higher authority that does not merely come "from the people," who will always be prone to fallibility—the natural order of our world demands it.
September 4, 2021
Another gem from the pen of Victoria Goddard
This novella fills in some of the backstory of the Emperor and his secretary. I think that it will be far more meaningful if readers are already familiar with 'The Hands of the Emperor'.
Artorin has emerged from his coma and is trying to make some sense of the of the situation since the fall of the empire. The narrative voice switching in and out of first person beautifully conveys his inner dissociation resulting from the magical bindings placed on him when he was made emperor which also suppressed his own wild powers.
Then he finally gets a competent secretary and the rest is the start of a new history of his world.
This novella fills in some of the backstory of the Emperor and his secretary. I think that it will be far more meaningful if readers are already familiar with 'The Hands of the Emperor'.
Artorin has emerged from his coma and is trying to make some sense of the of the situation since the fall of the empire. The narrative voice switching in and out of first person beautifully conveys his inner dissociation resulting from the magical bindings placed on him when he was made emperor which also suppressed his own wild powers.
Then he finally gets a competent secretary and the rest is the start of a new history of his world.
January 7, 2024
1/6 reread: FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK
kaleidoscope metaphor took me out instantly and i spent the rest of the novella trying not to cry about it. soulmates, but what if they were a man trapped in a cage and the key. two halves of a split obsidian rock. a boat rigger and a sail. a fire and a hearth. etc. AUGHHHHHHHH
kaleidoscope metaphor took me out instantly and i spent the rest of the novella trying not to cry about it. soulmates, but what if they were a man trapped in a cage and the key. two halves of a split obsidian rock. a boat rigger and a sail. a fire and a hearth. etc. AUGHHHHHHHH
August 16, 2025
Kicking my feet the whole time fr fr
July 20, 2024
A deeper dive into the beginning of the relationship of the Emperor and Cliopher. Very clever use of pronouns. Goddard really shows her storytelling excellence here.
July 29, 2022
5 estrelas, perfeito, que prequel para the hands of the emperor
"A look, a word, a smile, a metaphorical hand outstretched across the ocean moating you—
You received the tiny, inconsequential offerings Cliopher Mdang gave you with disproportionate joy, a child opening birthday presents."
essa história era tudo que eu queria, um olhar na mente do artorin e a oportunidade de ver o que aconteceu antes de the hands of the emperor e o encontro deles, kip e tor se conhecendo pela primeira vez e as consequências desse encontro, um encontro tão inconsequente mas AAAAAH
amei como a victoria goddard usou a segunda pessoa como uma representação da posição do artorin, como ele se refere a sim mesmo e pensa de si mesmo e aqueles momentos que a primeira pessoa toma conta da narrativa? perfeito, cada momento desse é impactante, amei a batalha entre as duas perspectivas e o que elas representavam para o artorin
foi uma história extremamente sensível e de momentos onde a mais simples interação humana é cheio de significados, a posição do artorin nesse momento da história fica ainda mais evidente com o que sabemos dele em the hands of the emperor e esse conhecimento só amplia ainda mais as emoções
amei amei amei, sensível e delicado e tecnicamente preciso
"One momento each morning in which you spoke as a person to another person, and was greeted as a person by another person: on such did the entire machinery of apotheosis stutter to a halt."
"A look, a word, a smile, a metaphorical hand outstretched across the ocean moating you—
You received the tiny, inconsequential offerings Cliopher Mdang gave you with disproportionate joy, a child opening birthday presents."
essa história era tudo que eu queria, um olhar na mente do artorin e a oportunidade de ver o que aconteceu antes de the hands of the emperor e o encontro deles, kip e tor se conhecendo pela primeira vez e as consequências desse encontro, um encontro tão inconsequente mas AAAAAH
amei como a victoria goddard usou a segunda pessoa como uma representação da posição do artorin, como ele se refere a sim mesmo e pensa de si mesmo e aqueles momentos que a primeira pessoa toma conta da narrativa? perfeito, cada momento desse é impactante, amei a batalha entre as duas perspectivas e o que elas representavam para o artorin
foi uma história extremamente sensível e de momentos onde a mais simples interação humana é cheio de significados, a posição do artorin nesse momento da história fica ainda mais evidente com o que sabemos dele em the hands of the emperor e esse conhecimento só amplia ainda mais as emoções
amei amei amei, sensível e delicado e tecnicamente preciso
"One momento each morning in which you spoke as a person to another person, and was greeted as a person by another person: on such did the entire machinery of apotheosis stutter to a halt."
September 21, 2022
I liked this foray into the backstory of Kip's rise to secretary. I didn't like it as much as
Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander
, but I liked it more than
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell
. This portrait of the Emperor is more fitting and believable than his persona as Fitzroy Angursell, and we get to see Kip from yet another character's perspective.
April 15, 2022
As a derivate work, very dependent on the main book, it was ok. A little amusing piece to bridge over the time between major works.
May 26, 2022
this was nice
February 13, 2023
I was feeling so sad and then I read this book and spent the whole time just beaming. God I can’t wait to reread Hands and Feet.
December 9, 2023
oh ho ho i love this so much. my favourite part of books is often the relationships (formal, informal, platonic, familial, and so forth and so on) between people and this!!!!!! it's so good!!!!!
May 25, 2024
I liked reading this, but mostly because I love Kip. I liked seeing the Emperor's perspective, and I liked the I/you thing, but I thought there was too much detail of Zunidh geography.
December 26, 2024
Amo esse universo
September 28, 2025
What a look at the broken shards of the last Emperor’s mind. Such loneliness, switching between pronouns, the way he thought about different aspects of himself was very arresting and profoundly sad.
October 2, 2023
Very helpful, actually, and surprisingly moving. I loved finding out more about this world!
August 28, 2023
This short story fills in a few references to past events made in The Hands of the Emperor, mainly describing the realization that individual duty is shaped internally and then figuring out how to enact it. It helps that his secretary is fated to become the most accomplished bureaucrat of all, but the way he needs others to see this path and succeed rings true.
January 20, 2023
A delightful companion novella to The Hands of The Emperor that only gets less than five stars because the switching between first and second person perspectives didn't work for me.
I understand that the gradually increasing incidence of first person perspective in Artorin's diary is representative of his growing ability to think of himself as a person again (equivalent to the intimacy of 'I' vs. the formality of the 'Royal We' in speech).
It's a clever literary device and it's well done.
--It starts as an emperor addressing himself in his diary; "you did this."
--It progresses to occasional concessions to the self; "You, that is I, did this."
--Next come inadvertent slips into first person perspective; "I, that is you, did this."
--The regressions to the second person perspective gradually become less frequent and less insistent; "I (you) did this."
--Until finally, at the end, the diary is entirely first person; "I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair."
For all that it's clever and well done. For all that a deliberate awkwardness to read it mirrors the awkward sense of self of the protagonist, it doesn't change the fact that I found it slightly awkward to read.
It is still a very good novella! If you enjoyed The Hands of The Emperor there is much to love here.
(Despite being set before The Hands of the Emperor, Pretty Treasons is best read afterwards.)
I understand that the gradually increasing incidence of first person perspective in Artorin's diary is representative of his growing ability to think of himself as a person again (equivalent to the intimacy of 'I' vs. the formality of the 'Royal We' in speech).
It's a clever literary device and it's well done.
--It starts as an emperor addressing himself in his diary; "you did this."
--It progresses to occasional concessions to the self; "You, that is I, did this."
--Next come inadvertent slips into first person perspective; "I, that is you, did this."
--The regressions to the second person perspective gradually become less frequent and less insistent; "I (you) did this."
--Until finally, at the end, the diary is entirely first person; "I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair."
For all that it's clever and well done. For all that a deliberate awkwardness to read it mirrors the awkward sense of self of the protagonist, it doesn't change the fact that I found it slightly awkward to read.
It is still a very good novella! If you enjoyed The Hands of The Emperor there is much to love here.
(Despite being set before The Hands of the Emperor, Pretty Treasons is best read afterwards.)
September 19, 2021
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/0...
Look, I’ll read anything Goddard writes (and have), but I’m not sure this novella was…necessary? I mean, I love spending time with Cliopher and the Emperor, but their working relationship and growing friendship has been pretty well covered, at length, in The Hands of the Emperor and, to a lesser extent, in The Return of Fitzroy Angursell. So a novella about Cliopher's early days as the Emperor's secretary is trodding pretty well-worn ground. The writing here also tends toward the overwrought, which is not my personal favorite (though there are some nice funny moments too). B+?
Look, I’ll read anything Goddard writes (and have), but I’m not sure this novella was…necessary? I mean, I love spending time with Cliopher and the Emperor, but their working relationship and growing friendship has been pretty well covered, at length, in The Hands of the Emperor and, to a lesser extent, in The Return of Fitzroy Angursell. So a novella about Cliopher's early days as the Emperor's secretary is trodding pretty well-worn ground. The writing here also tends toward the overwrought, which is not my personal favorite (though there are some nice funny moments too). B+?
January 3, 2022
At first I wondered what the point of this book is -- seeing the growing relationship between the Emperor and Cliopher from the emperor's point of view is interesting, but feels like treading well trodden ground. As I went along, I came to more appreciation for it -- it adds to the unreality of the shifting timelines, it helps clarify how the Fall affected the court and how incremental changes suddenly come to a peak. I also really enjoyed the backstory on the treaty of Littleridge and it feels, now, like getting a little peek behind the curtain at the past. Enjoyable, although I don't care for the you/I point of view in writing.
December 23, 2023
I needed a cozy book to escape to for one evening and this was it; read it for at least third time. It doesn´t work as standalone or series starter, because the reason why is the emperor (main character) talking to himself once in first, once in second person, is discovered in another book. You simply need to know the spoiler to be properly devastated by him switching from "you" to "I" and back.
I love seeing his meeting with Kip from his perspective. Most of all I love his descriptions of magic and how close it is to poetry. (Those descriptions are, too.)
I love seeing his meeting with Kip from his perspective. Most of all I love his descriptions of magic and how close it is to poetry. (Those descriptions are, too.)
February 3, 2022
I would like to quote the Tumblr post that says "fan service is good if I like it". This is a pure companion piece to The Hands of the Emperor that gives many readers (me included) what they wanted, namely the other perspective on key events that happened before the book. Does not work as a standalone at all, but if you're already a fan you will adore it with all your heart.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews