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Lays of the Hearth-Fire #2
At the Feet of the Sun
Cliopher Mdang has been appointed Viceroy of Zunidh by his beloved Radiancy, the Last Emperor, who has now left him behind in the Palace to safeguard the world during his absence on a quest to find an appropriately magical heir. When he returns, he will abdicate, and Cliopher will at last retire, satisfied with having achieved most of his life's political goals--even if his long-suppressed personal dreams are starting to bubble up.
(Surely he used to have hobbies besides running the government?)
All he has to do is wait patiently for his lord's return... until adventure quite literally hits him from behind, and what was once safely hypothetical becomes intensely real.
Cliopher has always followed the stars of his chosen course: the epic oral histories of his people, the poetry of the rebel poet Fitzroy Angursell, decades of devotion and service to his Radiancy... They were enough to change the world. But are they enough to guide Cliopher home?
(Surely he used to have hobbies besides running the government?)
All he has to do is wait patiently for his lord's return... until adventure quite literally hits him from behind, and what was once safely hypothetical becomes intensely real.
Cliopher has always followed the stars of his chosen course: the epic oral histories of his people, the poetry of the rebel poet Fitzroy Angursell, decades of devotion and service to his Radiancy... They were enough to change the world. But are they enough to guide Cliopher home?
1330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2022
172 people are currently reading
1514 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Goddard
43 books778 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 255 reviews
August 20, 2024
*Lovingly looks at her freshly re-read hardback, grown by several centimetres due to the obscene number of sticky notes stuffed into it* Oh, the unapologetic MUCHNESS of this book. No wonder it's my absolute favourite.
--
“They should send grown men on quests more often.”
Before reading the Hands of the Emperor, I never realised books could just be like that - languid, gentle, slow and spreading but never boring, wholly character-focused and overwhelmingly, exquisitely satisfying. This was all of that but more, more, so much more. It's people well past the 'young man' epiteth having epic adventures with all the power of hindsight and decades (well, centuries) of experiences behind them. It's showing the complicated and messy process of readjusting to new roles and new relationships in life, but giving the characters the space to unpick all the little knots gently and at their own pace. Above all, it's a story that openly and extravagantly celebrates a platonic bond, with all the pomp and care a romantic relationship would receive in any other context. HOTE was my favourite book of this year but this was even better.
--
“They should send grown men on quests more often.”
Before reading the Hands of the Emperor, I never realised books could just be like that - languid, gentle, slow and spreading but never boring, wholly character-focused and overwhelmingly, exquisitely satisfying. This was all of that but more, more, so much more. It's people well past the 'young man' epiteth having epic adventures with all the power of hindsight and decades (well, centuries) of experiences behind them. It's showing the complicated and messy process of readjusting to new roles and new relationships in life, but giving the characters the space to unpick all the little knots gently and at their own pace. Above all, it's a story that openly and extravagantly celebrates a platonic bond, with all the pomp and care a romantic relationship would receive in any other context. HOTE was my favourite book of this year but this was even better.
February 23, 2023
Reread 2/22/23: I should probably go back and shorten my initial review... but maybe I'll just leave it. I stand by every word. It was really wonderful to go back and reread at a slower pace. Cliopher Mdang is one of my very favorite characters of all time and nine hundred pages with him isn't enough.
A beautiful, beautiful book. I could not love it recommend this series any more.
**
Alright, friends. I have a lot to say about this one. I will try to keep it somewhat concise but… yeah, no, I can’t keep it short. (Spoiler alert, this book was UNFATHOMABLY good.)
This is the sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, which I had thought was my favorite read of the year. WRONG, because then I read this: a delightful story about a middle-aged man retiring from his career as civil servant - aka, working very very hard for many years to make the world a better place for EVERYONE, it’s very wholesome - and going on an truly mythical adventure whereupon he discovers the full depths of how capable, clever, and wonderful he is. The first book saw Cliopher begin his personal journey toward merging the two previously separate aspects of his life, his life’s work in the government versus his role as a traditional lorekeeper and cultural leader in his home community, and that continues here too. It is all very heartwarming and tearjerking! And this world is full to the brim with beautiful things, absolutely wonderful bits of culture and humanity and magic. It is a very lovely place to spend many hundreds of pages.
All this ~waves hand at previous paragraph~ I expected. Because this author is incredible and I will follow her wherever she goes. This book could be only this, the review could stop here, and it would still have been my favorite book I read this year by quite a wide margin. So while I hate to spoil this next bit toomuch, I simply can’t discuss this story without bringing up the central relationship in it: two men, who have long cared about each other from the short but very significant distance imposed by their positions, who are free at last to admit and negotiate their love and care for each other. Not only friends, but not exactly lovers, either. A new thing that exists outside the bounds of their own cultures and normative understandings of relationships. Two people saying you are my most important person and it not automatically becoming your garden variety sexual/romantic relationship. Hundreds of pages of build-up to this, during which I thought I was losing my damn mind, because I did not expect to see it.
Because look. These characters live in a queernorm culture, but I’ve read asexual characters before and their stories still typically follow the patterns of romance that other stories do. (Which is not inherently a bad thing. There are a wide variety of experiences out there, yes? And they should all be represented in fiction.) Because of this, I thought that I was reading it wrong. It hurt, too, because how often are any kind of queerplatonic feelings even shown in stories? How many people even dare to imagine them? Even today, in this beautifully expansive age, it felt unlikely. I wasn’t even considering it. So even with the evidence building, with my own perception picking up all the clues, I thought the ball would drop somehow and we would get something different that would be... not bad, exactly. But it would hurt my heart to see it. To get close to that other thing, and then not have it.
But then. Then it was there, right there on the page, explicitly: one character explaining that he had always wanted a partnership grounded in love and trust and support that, very importantly to him, did not have to be about sex. (And this, coming from a man who has been shown to have sexual relationships before, and enjoyed them. This being the thing his heart could scarcely bear to hope for.) And then the other character meeting him there - eventually, and with a lot of talking about it, which was another marvelous thing - meeting him and saying yes. These two characters forging a new path together. This being a very key part of Cliopher’s journey to admit the things he wants, after a lifetime of burying the dreams that would break him to openly hope for. (And the whole thing being SO GODDAMN ROMANTIC. Oh wait, did I just explain why their relationship isn’t a romantic one? Hmm. Did I? What do these words mean? Are these things actually, in reality, always specific to the people present in the relationship? Is it all actually just a sandbox from which we take and use what works for us individually?? Is a lengthy goodreads review the best place to theorize on a/romantic relationship-forming????)
Anyway. I think that this is a very important thing to see in fiction, which is why I’m discussing it in such detail here. And I’m putting my foot down on this one: the relationship between these two characters is different from what we call friendship. If you read this and call it “merely” that, I might want to fight you? I mean, ffs, it’s right there on the page. (All thirteen hundred of them.) But then I do know what it is to not be able to name something, even as you’re seeing/experiencing it. That, specifically, is another thing this story so beautifully showcased: what it is to hide something very fundamentally important from yourself because you don’t know how to hope for something you’ve never seen. How hard it is to name that thing when you have no expectation that you or anyone else will be able to put it into words, let alone understand and accept it.
(A mushy aside: it’s, uh, probably worth mentioning that I cried while reading this book. A lot. Like, full on ugly-sobbing levels of crying, too. I don’t expect that this would be the average reader’s reaction, but I see a lot of myself in Cliopher Mdang. I am still, a week later, feeling more than a bit shaken by the gift that this book was for me, personally.)
Victoria Goddard is possibly unparalleled when it comes to writing about people communicating the hard stuff: their dreams, their disappointments, their regrets and mistakes. It's messy stuff! The people in this series rarely get things right the first time, but they do take the time and dedication to work at it until everyone feels heard and understood. Even if it takes a lifetime. The author confirmed one more book set in this sequence, not to mention other appearances by these characters in the other overlapping stories she writes which are set in the Nine Worlds, and I am so excited to see where it all goes. There are many more adventures to be had, and perhaps even more feelings to be talked over. I can’t wait. <3
A beautiful, beautiful book. I could not love it recommend this series any more.
**
Alright, friends. I have a lot to say about this one. I will try to keep it somewhat concise but… yeah, no, I can’t keep it short. (Spoiler alert, this book was UNFATHOMABLY good.)
This is the sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, which I had thought was my favorite read of the year. WRONG, because then I read this: a delightful story about a middle-aged man retiring from his career as civil servant - aka, working very very hard for many years to make the world a better place for EVERYONE, it’s very wholesome - and going on an truly mythical adventure whereupon he discovers the full depths of how capable, clever, and wonderful he is. The first book saw Cliopher begin his personal journey toward merging the two previously separate aspects of his life, his life’s work in the government versus his role as a traditional lorekeeper and cultural leader in his home community, and that continues here too. It is all very heartwarming and tearjerking! And this world is full to the brim with beautiful things, absolutely wonderful bits of culture and humanity and magic. It is a very lovely place to spend many hundreds of pages.
All this ~waves hand at previous paragraph~ I expected. Because this author is incredible and I will follow her wherever she goes. This book could be only this, the review could stop here, and it would still have been my favorite book I read this year by quite a wide margin. So while I hate to spoil this next bit toomuch, I simply can’t discuss this story without bringing up the central relationship in it: two men, who have long cared about each other from the short but very significant distance imposed by their positions, who are free at last to admit and negotiate their love and care for each other. Not only friends, but not exactly lovers, either. A new thing that exists outside the bounds of their own cultures and normative understandings of relationships. Two people saying you are my most important person and it not automatically becoming your garden variety sexual/romantic relationship. Hundreds of pages of build-up to this, during which I thought I was losing my damn mind, because I did not expect to see it.
Because look. These characters live in a queernorm culture, but I’ve read asexual characters before and their stories still typically follow the patterns of romance that other stories do. (Which is not inherently a bad thing. There are a wide variety of experiences out there, yes? And they should all be represented in fiction.) Because of this, I thought that I was reading it wrong. It hurt, too, because how often are any kind of queerplatonic feelings even shown in stories? How many people even dare to imagine them? Even today, in this beautifully expansive age, it felt unlikely. I wasn’t even considering it. So even with the evidence building, with my own perception picking up all the clues, I thought the ball would drop somehow and we would get something different that would be... not bad, exactly. But it would hurt my heart to see it. To get close to that other thing, and then not have it.
But then. Then it was there, right there on the page, explicitly: one character explaining that he had always wanted a partnership grounded in love and trust and support that, very importantly to him, did not have to be about sex. (And this, coming from a man who has been shown to have sexual relationships before, and enjoyed them. This being the thing his heart could scarcely bear to hope for.) And then the other character meeting him there - eventually, and with a lot of talking about it, which was another marvelous thing - meeting him and saying yes. These two characters forging a new path together. This being a very key part of Cliopher’s journey to admit the things he wants, after a lifetime of burying the dreams that would break him to openly hope for. (And the whole thing being SO GODDAMN ROMANTIC. Oh wait, did I just explain why their relationship isn’t a romantic one? Hmm. Did I? What do these words mean? Are these things actually, in reality, always specific to the people present in the relationship? Is it all actually just a sandbox from which we take and use what works for us individually?? Is a lengthy goodreads review the best place to theorize on a/romantic relationship-forming????)
Anyway. I think that this is a very important thing to see in fiction, which is why I’m discussing it in such detail here. And I’m putting my foot down on this one: the relationship between these two characters is different from what we call friendship. If you read this and call it “merely” that, I might want to fight you? I mean, ffs, it’s right there on the page. (All thirteen hundred of them.) But then I do know what it is to not be able to name something, even as you’re seeing/experiencing it. That, specifically, is another thing this story so beautifully showcased: what it is to hide something very fundamentally important from yourself because you don’t know how to hope for something you’ve never seen. How hard it is to name that thing when you have no expectation that you or anyone else will be able to put it into words, let alone understand and accept it.
(A mushy aside: it’s, uh, probably worth mentioning that I cried while reading this book. A lot. Like, full on ugly-sobbing levels of crying, too. I don’t expect that this would be the average reader’s reaction, but I see a lot of myself in Cliopher Mdang. I am still, a week later, feeling more than a bit shaken by the gift that this book was for me, personally.)
Victoria Goddard is possibly unparalleled when it comes to writing about people communicating the hard stuff: their dreams, their disappointments, their regrets and mistakes. It's messy stuff! The people in this series rarely get things right the first time, but they do take the time and dedication to work at it until everyone feels heard and understood. Even if it takes a lifetime. The author confirmed one more book set in this sequence, not to mention other appearances by these characters in the other overlapping stories she writes which are set in the Nine Worlds, and I am so excited to see where it all goes. There are many more adventures to be had, and perhaps even more feelings to be talked over. I can’t wait. <3
January 7, 2023
*This is the sound of me jumping up and down, saying “this is such a good book, this is such a good book, this is such a good book…”*
But this sort of thing is not a review, so let me try something else.
I was wondering what kind of sequel The Hands of the Emperor might have, and the answer is: “unexpected and immensely satisfying”.
A lot of love has gone into this book – for this universe, for humanity, for all the characters; love of stories, epic legends, and small ordinary things that make life worth living.
(Also, I love the Islander culture so much, and it was wonderful to see more of it, learn more, and understand more. Can I have an encyclopedia of some kind?)
When do you stop when you chase your dreams? Can you stop, should you stop? (Cliopher says no, obviously!) Dreams are always precious, and they can be just for you and for you alone, and neither do they need to be epic. Right? Right. Thank you.
This is a book about choices and consequences, understanding who you are, letting go of things, relationships between people, poignant reunions, emotionally wrecking conversations, very funny conversations, characters being so fundamentally themselves that you want to hug them.
There are revelations about some of the characters that are nothing short of gorgeous :)))
“They should send grown men on quests more often.”
Unlike the previous book, there is a lot more magic here (or, as I wrote in my reading notes, “omg, crazy magic stuff is happening!”, he he). Cliopher gets to have adventures! But don’t worry, no dragons/monsters were harmed during the making of this book – these adventures are perfectly Cliopher, they are adventures of the mind, heart, spirit, and soul. Lovely.
So, what happens when you finally have your heart’s desire? Yes, exactly, life goes on and it is just as complicated as before, and you still have to untangle your relationships and old hurts… and you can still be happy.
“-One thing I have learned over the years, is that people are not islands, but archipelagoes.
-Don’t say it like that, Kip, Don’t make it easy.
-It is easy, as easy as a poem, and it is hard, hard as living in the world.”
I laughed a lot during the last few chapters. The ending is beautiful, with the promise of Book 3 (good, good, good).
But this sort of thing is not a review, so let me try something else.
I was wondering what kind of sequel The Hands of the Emperor might have, and the answer is: “unexpected and immensely satisfying”.
A lot of love has gone into this book – for this universe, for humanity, for all the characters; love of stories, epic legends, and small ordinary things that make life worth living.
(Also, I love the Islander culture so much, and it was wonderful to see more of it, learn more, and understand more. Can I have an encyclopedia of some kind?)
When do you stop when you chase your dreams? Can you stop, should you stop? (Cliopher says no, obviously!) Dreams are always precious, and they can be just for you and for you alone, and neither do they need to be epic. Right? Right. Thank you.
This is a book about choices and consequences, understanding who you are, letting go of things, relationships between people, poignant reunions, emotionally wrecking conversations, very funny conversations, characters being so fundamentally themselves that you want to hug them.
There are revelations about some of the characters that are nothing short of gorgeous :)))
“They should send grown men on quests more often.”
Unlike the previous book, there is a lot more magic here (or, as I wrote in my reading notes, “omg, crazy magic stuff is happening!”, he he). Cliopher gets to have adventures! But don’t worry, no dragons/monsters were harmed during the making of this book – these adventures are perfectly Cliopher, they are adventures of the mind, heart, spirit, and soul. Lovely.
So, what happens when you finally have your heart’s desire? Yes, exactly, life goes on and it is just as complicated as before, and you still have to untangle your relationships and old hurts… and you can still be happy.
“-One thing I have learned over the years, is that people are not islands, but archipelagoes.
-Don’t say it like that, Kip, Don’t make it easy.
-It is easy, as easy as a poem, and it is hard, hard as living in the world.”
I laughed a lot during the last few chapters. The ending is beautiful, with the promise of Book 3 (good, good, good).
November 25, 2022
The scene level work is so compelling that I stayed up way too late reading it, and yet the structure remains a mess. What was the alternate universe tangent even for? Why didn’t we deal with any of the fallout of Kip meeting the Red Company? I cannot believe we had a conspiracy involving telepathic lizard people that passed more or less without comment given the uh extreme red flag nature of the lizard people nonsense in real life.
Also, on the emotional plot line: so, in math we have a concept of an asymptote, two lines that get infinitely close together but never touch. Anyway.
Also, on the emotional plot line: so, in math we have a concept of an asymptote, two lines that get infinitely close together but never touch. Anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2022
ALL DELIGHTED PEOPLE RAISE THEIR HANDS
SPOILERS
I am a Victoria Goddard fangirl, full thickness. My local library has ebook copies of all of Victoria’s novels and novellas because I can be very loud when I love something.
The Hands of the Emperor is my favorite book and I’ve read it through four times, the last re-read occurring after completing At The Feet of the Sun, after which I went back and read At the Feet of the Sun a second time. Let me tell you what I love as much as I love Victoria Goddard’s novels, and perhaps why I’m so into her books: I live for Queer Platonic/ Victorian Passionate Friendships. Kip Mdang standing on the beach with a look of near-fatal disappointment on his face watching as his favorite ancestor bangs his legendary Astandalan emperor fanoa in the distance? I am Kip. I loathe friends-to-lovers tropes. I support and defend my asexual siblings. Capital F Friendship, to me, is inviolate. I have hurled books across the room (usually onto something soft, I’m not a monster) for wasting my time with a brilliant bond between two characters that then without warning turns into a physical romance where the friendship has to sit in the back back and is completely forgotten until they break up in a tire fire of unuttered emotions and never speak to each other again. [YES I’M LOOKING AT YOU, TANA FRENCH.] My all-time favorite musician is Sufjan Stevens, the ultimate homo-romantic baroque folk songwriter, this is the hill upon which I will gladly die. And if by some trick of an alternate universe, Kip and Fitzroy end up banging at some point down the road, I won’t begrudge, since they’ve already been together without banging for a thousand years. Because, again, I’m not a monster. Also, Sufjan has written songs about dudes actually having sex, but because everything is cloaked in metaphor and poetry, people still don’t believe it. I’m in no way anti dudes banging. If they want to bang their trickster god husbands and their casual friends, even total strangers, more power to them. But fanoa are for dancing. Fanoa are for holding hands (obvs). Fanoa are for hair braiding and expensive bath-product swiping. Fanoa are forever.
But also seriously. Victoria Goddard’s world building is less about planets and empires and bureaucracies, magic and inheritance law, etiquette and post traumatic stress (though it’s definitely about all those things). It’s about little intimate social circles that make you wish you could hang out at a house party with her characters. When you finish one of her books, you feel like you’re driving home alone after a long vacation with your very good friends and you can’t wait to see them again. If you’re lucky enough to have already found your real life people, you’ll catch yourself scouring Zillow for rambling multiple-family houses and co-ops so you can all live together. And if you’re still searching for your fanoa, what are you waiting for? Join our Discord, friend! It's gonna be a few years before Victoria gives us the next installment, you've got time to catch up.
SPOILERS
I am a Victoria Goddard fangirl, full thickness. My local library has ebook copies of all of Victoria’s novels and novellas because I can be very loud when I love something.
The Hands of the Emperor is my favorite book and I’ve read it through four times, the last re-read occurring after completing At The Feet of the Sun, after which I went back and read At the Feet of the Sun a second time. Let me tell you what I love as much as I love Victoria Goddard’s novels, and perhaps why I’m so into her books: I live for Queer Platonic/ Victorian Passionate Friendships. Kip Mdang standing on the beach with a look of near-fatal disappointment on his face watching as his favorite ancestor bangs his legendary Astandalan emperor fanoa in the distance? I am Kip. I loathe friends-to-lovers tropes. I support and defend my asexual siblings. Capital F Friendship, to me, is inviolate. I have hurled books across the room (usually onto something soft, I’m not a monster) for wasting my time with a brilliant bond between two characters that then without warning turns into a physical romance where the friendship has to sit in the back back and is completely forgotten until they break up in a tire fire of unuttered emotions and never speak to each other again. [YES I’M LOOKING AT YOU, TANA FRENCH.] My all-time favorite musician is Sufjan Stevens, the ultimate homo-romantic baroque folk songwriter, this is the hill upon which I will gladly die. And if by some trick of an alternate universe, Kip and Fitzroy end up banging at some point down the road, I won’t begrudge, since they’ve already been together without banging for a thousand years. Because, again, I’m not a monster. Also, Sufjan has written songs about dudes actually having sex, but because everything is cloaked in metaphor and poetry, people still don’t believe it. I’m in no way anti dudes banging. If they want to bang their trickster god husbands and their casual friends, even total strangers, more power to them. But fanoa are for dancing. Fanoa are for holding hands (obvs). Fanoa are for hair braiding and expensive bath-product swiping. Fanoa are forever.
But also seriously. Victoria Goddard’s world building is less about planets and empires and bureaucracies, magic and inheritance law, etiquette and post traumatic stress (though it’s definitely about all those things). It’s about little intimate social circles that make you wish you could hang out at a house party with her characters. When you finish one of her books, you feel like you’re driving home alone after a long vacation with your very good friends and you can’t wait to see them again. If you’re lucky enough to have already found your real life people, you’ll catch yourself scouring Zillow for rambling multiple-family houses and co-ops so you can all live together. And if you’re still searching for your fanoa, what are you waiting for? Join our Discord, friend! It's gonna be a few years before Victoria gives us the next installment, you've got time to catch up.
August 24, 2025
I have mixed feelings. The quests in this book convey a sense of Myth or fairy tale very well. They had me riveted to the page. the interpersonal content is sentimental and I thought it was just too sweet.
September 6, 2023
The good
+ The incredibly deep connection between Kip and Tor. "The greatest of friends, we say, though that's thin. A euphemism. Fanoa means the person who is worth ... everything."
+ Tor becoming himself. Learning to express his emotions, learning to be angry and happy and everything else, and Kip being there for him every step of the way
+ Kip learning who he is
+ All the character development
+ Their newly created word glumbles
+ Kip's friendship with Rhodin and how he indulged all of Rhodin's... beliefs
+ Brushing and grooming and braiding each other's hair
+ Tor cheating the system of the annual stipend
+ Everything Kip achieved by following his dreams
+
+
+
+ The iguana in the bathhouse
The neutral
o I would advise against reading this book if you have a fear of drowning, or severe claustrophobia
o
The bad
-
-
Quotes
This book was amazing - even better than the first. The connection between these men is so incredibly beautiful, and they love each other so completely. I'm so happy there will be another book for them in the future; I am not ready to say goodbye. "I've discovered something, Kip." "Have you?" "I want to have adventures with you for the rest of my life." Yes please. Would absolutely recommend.
Read three times in 2023 (it's just that good). Bought a physical copy for my bookshelf.
+ The incredibly deep connection between Kip and Tor. "The greatest of friends, we say, though that's thin. A euphemism. Fanoa means the person who is worth ... everything."
+ Tor becoming himself. Learning to express his emotions, learning to be angry and happy and everything else, and Kip being there for him every step of the way
+ Kip learning who he is
+ All the character development
+ Their newly created word glumbles
+ Kip's friendship with Rhodin and how he indulged all of Rhodin's... beliefs
+ Brushing and grooming and braiding each other's hair
+ Tor cheating the system of the annual stipend
+ Everything Kip achieved by following his dreams
+
+
+
+ The iguana in the bathhouse
The neutral
o I would advise against reading this book if you have a fear of drowning, or severe claustrophobia
o
The bad
-
-
Quotes
"They should send grown men on quests more often."
What greater intimacy could sex possibly give? He had not magically become more intimate with Suzen - or even with Ghilly - because they'd had sex. It didn't work like that. It didn't work like that for Cliopher.
"Would you like to come home with me?"
"Goodness, my lord Mdang, you say that as if I did not fall half in love with you on sight."
"Cliopher. Cliopher Mdang. Kip. What is my area of expertise?"
"High drama."
"Exactly."
"You're so beautiful," Cliopher blurted. "With the shell in your hand and the magic in your face and your ... your ... everything ..."
"You're rather splendid yourself, Cliopher Mdang."
They nodded at each other, as if acknowledging an absolute truth.
"Kip, there is an iguana in the bathhouse. No - let me rephrase that. There is an iguana in the bath. My bath. With me. An iguana."
This book was amazing - even better than the first. The connection between these men is so incredibly beautiful, and they love each other so completely. I'm so happy there will be another book for them in the future; I am not ready to say goodbye. "I've discovered something, Kip." "Have you?" "I want to have adventures with you for the rest of my life." Yes please. Would absolutely recommend.
Read three times in 2023 (it's just that good). Bought a physical copy for my bookshelf.
December 28, 2023
DNF at 75% I can’t do this anymore: At The Feet of the Sun is making me miserable. This is a sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, which I loved, but right now I’m thinking about taking HOTE a star because of how long, tiring and just boring ATFOTS is. Just a never ending flex of worldbuilding, characters thinking about the same things over and over again. If I ever read “Is this where you stop?” Again I will throw myself into the sun.
I’m tired. My Kindle tells me that the 25% left would take me at least 6 hours. Just no.
I’m tired. My Kindle tells me that the 25% left would take me at least 6 hours. Just no.
November 28, 2022
Well. This is the sequel to one of my favourite books of all time, and to be honest, it's a bit of a let down.
One of the things I loved about the first book was that while the world was magical, the story was not. There is magic all around, in the history of the world and in the very characters, but the story itself isn't fantastical - the lonely emperor makes a friend is basically the plot! Much of the second half of this book is fantastical journeys and I just wasn't into it.
I will say though, that the writing is excellent and the characters continue to be magnificent. Nothing that happens in this book diminishes my love of the first, and what more could I ask for really!
One of the things I loved about the first book was that while the world was magical, the story was not. There is magic all around, in the history of the world and in the very characters, but the story itself isn't fantastical - the lonely emperor makes a friend is basically the plot! Much of the second half of this book is fantastical journeys and I just wasn't into it.
I will say though, that the writing is excellent and the characters continue to be magnificent. Nothing that happens in this book diminishes my love of the first, and what more could I ask for really!
September 10, 2023
”They should send grown men on quests more often.”
I fell in love with The Hands of the Emperor when I first read it - 900+ pages of cozy political fantasy filled with longing, finding identity, belonging, and culture so far from home.
This one is is over 1,300 pages…
Cliopier’s lord and friend, the Last Emperor and Lord of Zunidh whose Viceroy he was, is gone, questing for an heir. Cliopher is a Mdang, and he Held the Fire. When his lord came home, Cliopher would be waiting for him, tending the hearth. Even as his heart yearns for more.
”I don’t think of myself as unhappy.” Which was a lie, a voice whispered in his mind. He wanted—oh, he wanted.
Like book one, my heart broke for Cliopher. He has built a strong government which no longer needs him, no longer needs a dictator, yet he feels restless, like he has more to achieve. But he doesn’t think that’s allowed. How can he, a mere Islander-turned bureaucrat dream of more?
Like book one, the writing was exquisite and breathtaking. The characters are open and honest and direct and there’s always moments of lighthearted, unexpected humour and brevity. An exhaling of coming together and sharing.
This is a fantasy that isn’t coming-of-age, but rather coming into oneself and recognising your past, your future, but more importantly your present. Who you are. And it’s beautiful.
”But it was always hollow ... always just a surface. I didn't know any better, then. I thought that was all there was. I thought everyone was like that. We were all so young…”
"Many of us have a more fragile happiness in our twenties than we would like anyone else to know."
Finally, I have to applaud Goddard on the asexual representation because I have always related to Cliopher and his deep sense of emotion and loyalty, but impassive and unbothered attitude towards sexual intimacy yet still needing physical touch.
”That two people could love each other like that, but it didn’t need to be about sex. That you could find someone who was your match. Your other half. You’re equal.”
I would recommend this if you like cozy political fantasy with sweeping mythology, deep friendships, slow adventures, and learning acceptance.
Think a mix of The Goblin Emperor, A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin, and The Dandelion Dynasty.
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I fell in love with The Hands of the Emperor when I first read it - 900+ pages of cozy political fantasy filled with longing, finding identity, belonging, and culture so far from home.
This one is is over 1,300 pages…
Cliopier’s lord and friend, the Last Emperor and Lord of Zunidh whose Viceroy he was, is gone, questing for an heir. Cliopher is a Mdang, and he Held the Fire. When his lord came home, Cliopher would be waiting for him, tending the hearth. Even as his heart yearns for more.
”I don’t think of myself as unhappy.” Which was a lie, a voice whispered in his mind. He wanted—oh, he wanted.
Like book one, my heart broke for Cliopher. He has built a strong government which no longer needs him, no longer needs a dictator, yet he feels restless, like he has more to achieve. But he doesn’t think that’s allowed. How can he, a mere Islander-turned bureaucrat dream of more?
Like book one, the writing was exquisite and breathtaking. The characters are open and honest and direct and there’s always moments of lighthearted, unexpected humour and brevity. An exhaling of coming together and sharing.
This is a fantasy that isn’t coming-of-age, but rather coming into oneself and recognising your past, your future, but more importantly your present. Who you are. And it’s beautiful.
”But it was always hollow ... always just a surface. I didn't know any better, then. I thought that was all there was. I thought everyone was like that. We were all so young…”
"Many of us have a more fragile happiness in our twenties than we would like anyone else to know."
Finally, I have to applaud Goddard on the asexual representation because I have always related to Cliopher and his deep sense of emotion and loyalty, but impassive and unbothered attitude towards sexual intimacy yet still needing physical touch.
”That two people could love each other like that, but it didn’t need to be about sex. That you could find someone who was your match. Your other half. You’re equal.”
I would recommend this if you like cozy political fantasy with sweeping mythology, deep friendships, slow adventures, and learning acceptance.
Think a mix of The Goblin Emperor, A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin, and The Dandelion Dynasty.
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October 6, 2023
This book is very hard to rate. It was beautifully written, and I am still invested in the characters' arcs, however on one hand I don't think this is the book I wanted to read, and on the other hand I couldn't get past its flaws.
Unfortunately, this book doesn't feel like a sequel of the Hands of the Emperor and I didn't find in it what I liked in HotE. I wasn't interested in Cliopher's otherwordly adventures (in the alternative world or in Sky Ocean), and I'm also a bit disappointed that Cliopher is now A Hero. My favourite thing about him was that he was just a regular person with a job, on the verge of retirement (although admittedly a great stateman).
I also had an issue with the pacing. The first book also had pacing issues, but I found it even worse in this one. The first third of the book was very slow while the last third was very rushed and dense. I also think that it would have been best to further explore important plot points (such as the fake death of Cliopher or his reunion with Fitzroy or his meeting with the Red Company) instead of glossing over them and immediately introducing even more characters and adventures.
Regarding the world-building, a lot of elements in the story felt as if they sprung out of nowhere and don't quite fit as a sequel of HotE. Some elements are so major that they should have been introduced or foreshadowed in the first book to make it believable (like fanoa, why make it Cliopher's life goal out of nowhere?) and others just don't fit (the change of personality of certain secondary characters for example). It was also very obvious that other elements were added just to make Cliopher even more of A Hero (such as the alternative world or Ani's mirimiri). And let's not even mention the elements that were just too convenient (such as the portal to Alinor in the Vangaye-ve or Ludvic being Masseo's son).
And lastly, I found the secondary characters a lot less developed than in HoTE. Some characters felt caricatural and cartoonish (can we talk about Conju becoming the stereotype of an American Sassy Gay or Rhodin becoming a conspiracy theorist? Or everyone fawning over Cliopher and Fitzroy's relationship instead of acting like normal people? Or just the way characters talk in general, I thought I was in an American sitcom instead of a fantasy world). This was really jarring as I think that Victoria Goddard's writing is beautiful and she has such a talent for writing deep and realistic characters. I thought character-building was the author's strongest suit, I don't even understand how this happened.
Edit: adding that in another book of the series the guards of the palace apparently ship the Emperor and Cliopher and have a book club about it, which is what Pikabe is alluding to at the begining of AtFotS. What is happening to this series, it used to be so respectful. Who read fake romantic stories about people they know?? This is like reading fanfictions about real celebrities, but worse. And it doesn't even make sense. How can Conju and Cliopher be so afraid of being fired/executed in HoTe, how can everyone treat the Emperor like a god to the point where the people closest to him don't even think he has human emotions, and then the guards have a little book club at the same time? It really cheapens the story.
Unfortunately, this book doesn't feel like a sequel of the Hands of the Emperor and I didn't find in it what I liked in HotE. I wasn't interested in Cliopher's otherwordly adventures (in the alternative world or in Sky Ocean), and I'm also a bit disappointed that Cliopher is now A Hero. My favourite thing about him was that he was just a regular person with a job, on the verge of retirement (although admittedly a great stateman).
I also had an issue with the pacing. The first book also had pacing issues, but I found it even worse in this one. The first third of the book was very slow while the last third was very rushed and dense. I also think that it would have been best to further explore important plot points (such as the fake death of Cliopher or his reunion with Fitzroy or his meeting with the Red Company) instead of glossing over them and immediately introducing even more characters and adventures.
Regarding the world-building, a lot of elements in the story felt as if they sprung out of nowhere and don't quite fit as a sequel of HotE. Some elements are so major that they should have been introduced or foreshadowed in the first book to make it believable (like fanoa, why make it Cliopher's life goal out of nowhere?) and others just don't fit (the change of personality of certain secondary characters for example). It was also very obvious that other elements were added just to make Cliopher even more of A Hero (such as the alternative world or Ani's mirimiri). And let's not even mention the elements that were just too convenient (such as the portal to Alinor in the Vangaye-ve or Ludvic being Masseo's son).
And lastly, I found the secondary characters a lot less developed than in HoTE. Some characters felt caricatural and cartoonish (can we talk about Conju becoming the stereotype of an American Sassy Gay or Rhodin becoming a conspiracy theorist? Or everyone fawning over Cliopher and Fitzroy's relationship instead of acting like normal people? Or just the way characters talk in general, I thought I was in an American sitcom instead of a fantasy world). This was really jarring as I think that Victoria Goddard's writing is beautiful and she has such a talent for writing deep and realistic characters. I thought character-building was the author's strongest suit, I don't even understand how this happened.
Edit: adding that in another book of the series the guards of the palace apparently ship the Emperor and Cliopher and have a book club about it, which is what Pikabe is alluding to at the begining of AtFotS. What is happening to this series, it used to be so respectful. Who read fake romantic stories about people they know?? This is like reading fanfictions about real celebrities, but worse. And it doesn't even make sense. How can Conju and Cliopher be so afraid of being fired/executed in HoTe, how can everyone treat the Emperor like a god to the point where the people closest to him don't even think he has human emotions, and then the guards have a little book club at the same time? It really cheapens the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2022
I feel like there are plenty of objective criticisms to be made with this series re it being bloated, self-indulgent, etc. In some ways, this series feels like post-canon futurefic of a different, much plottier fantasy series. All that said, I love it anyway. There are some books/series that you can just sink into, that have some ineffable sense of home and comfort, full of characters you enjoy spending time with and who you want the absolute best for, in beautiful settings, and this is just one of those series for me. As long as this book is, I still didn't want it to end, and I'm kind of tempted to reread Hands of the Emperor now, especially knowing more about His Radiancy as we do now.
I also enjoy how the conflicts here are never good vs. evil, there's no world to save (they already saved it!) and there's never some big fight. The stakes are fairly low, but incredibly sincere, and the quests Cliopher goes on are always interesting.
Anyway, teared up many times, thought "they just love each other SO MUCH ;___; " many times, loved all of it.
[2022 READING CHALLENGE: SOMEONE WHO TRIED, not because I didn't think I'd finish it, but lol just because this is the longest book I've read so far this year.]
I also enjoy how the conflicts here are never good vs. evil, there's no world to save (they already saved it!) and there's never some big fight. The stakes are fairly low, but incredibly sincere, and the quests Cliopher goes on are always interesting.
Anyway, teared up many times, thought "they just love each other SO MUCH ;___; " many times, loved all of it.
[2022 READING CHALLENGE: SOMEONE WHO TRIED, not because I didn't think I'd finish it, but lol just because this is the longest book I've read so far this year.]
January 10, 2024
this was the aspec book of my dreams 😍
October 13, 2023
3/11/23: actual review to follow. best book just so damn good.
--
4/8/23: okay I've been trying to think about what I want to say about this book for a month now, and it's nothing succinct or articulate or blurb-worthy. This book should not be as good as it is. It wanders. It's lengthy. The vast majority of it is inside Kip's head, going over and over what he's feeling and what he's thinking at any given moment. But it's so good.
This is the most emotionally well-paced and cathartic book I've ever read. There were chapters where I had to reread sentences, paragraphs, pages over and over because I could not process the emotional weight fast enough. I wanted to sit and dwell in those words, in those scenes, because nothing I've ever read has made me feel so deeply as this has.
If you've read the Hands of the Emperor, you know that this is a different kind of epic fantasy. And it's so refreshing to read something good about characters who are good and to see them make their choices and root for them the whole way. At the Feet of the Sun has more adventure than Hands, but it's just as contemplative.
The part when Kip gets to the inn and made my heart clench in my chest and then it Just Kept Getting Better!! The whole rest o the book!! Like 600 additional pages!! Chapter 54 changed my life! I'll be thinking about this book forever.
I read Hands first, followed by Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander, the Return of Fitzroy Angursell, Those Who Hold the Fire, Tower at the Edge of the World, and Petty Treasons, before reading this one. I do think each of those added a lot to my enjoyment and understanding of this world.
--
4/8/23: okay I've been trying to think about what I want to say about this book for a month now, and it's nothing succinct or articulate or blurb-worthy. This book should not be as good as it is. It wanders. It's lengthy. The vast majority of it is inside Kip's head, going over and over what he's feeling and what he's thinking at any given moment. But it's so good.
This is the most emotionally well-paced and cathartic book I've ever read. There were chapters where I had to reread sentences, paragraphs, pages over and over because I could not process the emotional weight fast enough. I wanted to sit and dwell in those words, in those scenes, because nothing I've ever read has made me feel so deeply as this has.
If you've read the Hands of the Emperor, you know that this is a different kind of epic fantasy. And it's so refreshing to read something good about characters who are good and to see them make their choices and root for them the whole way. At the Feet of the Sun has more adventure than Hands, but it's just as contemplative.
The part when Kip gets to the inn and made my heart clench in my chest and then it Just Kept Getting Better!! The whole rest o the book!! Like 600 additional pages!! Chapter 54 changed my life! I'll be thinking about this book forever.
I read Hands first, followed by Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander, the Return of Fitzroy Angursell, Those Who Hold the Fire, Tower at the Edge of the World, and Petty Treasons, before reading this one. I do think each of those added a lot to my enjoyment and understanding of this world.
January 6, 2023
The portions of the novel which dealt with myth and culture were very interesting...and given oddly short shrift in favor of stuttering relationship woes that went on and on and on and onnnnn, inflating the novel to twice the length and sucking all the air out of the narrative. I found myself desperately skimming those chapters for a hint of plot or anything that hadn't been said half a dozen times in previous scenes.
I really wish there had been more done to
In summation: I had a love/hate relationship with this book, but I still adore Cliopher Mdang as a character.
I really wish there had been more done to
In summation: I had a love/hate relationship with this book, but I still adore Cliopher Mdang as a character.
June 29, 2023
i only made it through this because i skimmed parts. infuriating because the worldbuilding IS ACTUALLY good and interesting but the relationship sections of the story read like an RP blog circa 2014. the protagonists are 60ish, give or take a thousand years of time weirdness, but the emotional landscapes here belong to people with much less life experience.
the previous book was, like, fine but needed a solid edit. this book is not fine. it has some shining moments but IMO everything good about it could be repackaged as a TTRPG setting & campaign (the sky ocean section was, i will grant you, extremely neat). this is just the wrong medium.
the previous book was, like, fine but needed a solid edit. this book is not fine. it has some shining moments but IMO everything good about it could be repackaged as a TTRPG setting & campaign (the sky ocean section was, i will grant you, extremely neat). this is just the wrong medium.
July 14, 2023
im inconsolable. I need the third one now but I also don't want the trilogy to be over. I could read a million pages about Kip and Fitzroy. I can't decide if I loved this one more than HOTE.
where's my fanoa?? where are they!!
where's my fanoa?? where are they!!
November 25, 2024
I read 90% of this last year, got bored, and only decided to pick it up again 18 months later. I loved the first book. This one had its moments, but could/should have been shorter or split into multiple volumes. Aside from a few bits, it read very much like a 1000-page epilogue.
October 31, 2023
rtc, i have no words right now. what a book. what an experience. i am Changed.
February 16, 2024
Excellent development of "Island" culture and lore. I am most familiar with Hawaiian lore, but easily see how Victoria Goddard expanded upon that and other Pacific Ocean island cultures. With her invented (am assuming invented) island language I used the Hawaiian language rules in which most all vowels are pronounced. It seemed to work for me.
The lore is just added icing to this story's cake, which is the development of a relationship between two men. One, the emperor and mage of a world. The other "his Lord's" right hand man also known as the "Hands of the Emperor." There is court intrigue and many sub-plots along the way as other characters discover unknown traits of those they serve with and protect. Add to all this, the travels across enchanted seas following the currents and the stars.
Goddard promises a third book in this series, however, there is enough closure in this book that the wait can take as long as it takes.
Excellent story telling!
The lore is just added icing to this story's cake, which is the development of a relationship between two men. One, the emperor and mage of a world. The other "his Lord's" right hand man also known as the "Hands of the Emperor." There is court intrigue and many sub-plots along the way as other characters discover unknown traits of those they serve with and protect. Add to all this, the travels across enchanted seas following the currents and the stars.
Goddard promises a third book in this series, however, there is enough closure in this book that the wait can take as long as it takes.
Excellent story telling!
February 18, 2023
this was a gratifying read. when everything around us is amplified in its intensity and all relationships have these complex ups and downs, and sometimes has all consuming romanticism to it, here comes this book with two people who openly acknowledge that the other person is the most important person in their life.
there is a gentle quietness to this book, about this man who has lived a good chunk of his adult life with emperor as a public/civil servant, now retired and starts another chapter in life. these two forge a relationship that's based on absolute trust, friendship and that remains so throughout. Its beautiful to watch them grow and arrive at this, and it works very well because Goddard knows how to get there by talking and untangling the yawning space that exists between people.
in the past i have re-read some pages of the first book in the series, just for the sheer joy it brings. At the feet of the sun takes it a step forward and treats the relationships in a way that can be quite inspiring.
there is a gentle quietness to this book, about this man who has lived a good chunk of his adult life with emperor as a public/civil servant, now retired and starts another chapter in life. these two forge a relationship that's based on absolute trust, friendship and that remains so throughout. Its beautiful to watch them grow and arrive at this, and it works very well because Goddard knows how to get there by talking and untangling the yawning space that exists between people.
in the past i have re-read some pages of the first book in the series, just for the sheer joy it brings. At the feet of the sun takes it a step forward and treats the relationships in a way that can be quite inspiring.
April 19, 2023
3.5 stars
The strongest parts of this book, the continuing adventures of Kip and his emperor, are in the connections and relationships among and between the people, and Kip and Fitzroy figuring out what their post-government lives are going to look like. From that standpoint, the book is a solid 4.5 stars.
But there's a large fantastical section about 2/3 of the way through the book that really stalls things out, in my opinion. It doesn't really bring a ton to the main story, and it separates Kip and Fitzroy for a good chunk of the book.
The writing remains excellent, with the same drawbacks as the first book (repetitive at times, mostly). There's also the matter of one of the characters' sexuality--turns out that the object of desire doesn't feel the same way--oh well, and then it's never mentioned again AND there's no changes in behavior for either party. Not super-realistic human behavior. But that's a minor quibble. I'll finish out the series when the third book comes out in a few years.
The strongest parts of this book, the continuing adventures of Kip and his emperor, are in the connections and relationships among and between the people, and Kip and Fitzroy figuring out what their post-government lives are going to look like. From that standpoint, the book is a solid 4.5 stars.
But there's a large fantastical section about 2/3 of the way through the book that really stalls things out, in my opinion. It doesn't really bring a ton to the main story, and it separates Kip and Fitzroy for a good chunk of the book.
The writing remains excellent, with the same drawbacks as the first book (repetitive at times, mostly). There's also the matter of one of the characters' sexuality--turns out that the object of desire doesn't feel the same way--oh well, and then it's never mentioned again AND there's no changes in behavior for either party. Not super-realistic human behavior. But that's a minor quibble. I'll finish out the series when the third book comes out in a few years.
November 29, 2022
At the Feet of the Sun is just as beautifully written and emotionally astute as Hands of the Emperor, but moves into storytelling territory that is much more magical than that book and is also so, so, so queer. So lovingly, comprehensively, unabashedly queer in both text and subtext. Yes of course I teared up several times in the course of reading it, which I did in one go starting yesterday evening, so entranced I didn't even realize how my much time had passed until my alarm went off this morning.
I was at first worried that a sequel wouldn't live up to the standard set by HotE but it meets that bar and just keeps going. Incredible.
I was at first worried that a sequel wouldn't live up to the standard set by HotE but it meets that bar and just keeps going. Incredible.
November 23, 2022
Oh my heart.
This was exquisite. The most amazing long story of the sea.
This was exquisite. The most amazing long story of the sea.
November 30, 2022
Have you ever had a book take the places you thought you could go emotionally and just completely blow past them?
Yeah.
Incredible.
Yeah.
Incredible.
August 11, 2025
Eight books and 2,628 pages later, I finally feel equipped to offer my thoughts on Goddard's Lays of the Hearth-Fire series. This review will encompass At the Feet of the Sun in particular, but also the series as a whole.
For the sheer volume of At the Feet of the Sun alone, so much is left unaddressed and unresolved, and so, so little is actually achieved to further the larger plot along. What are we to do with Rhodin's conspiracy theories on the telepathic dinosaurs of the Merrions? What are we to make of Cliopher's minimal interactions with the Red Company—or the fact that we are still missing the majority of them? How does Goddard intend to critique retributive justice in favor of its restorative counterpart when all she writes about is the annual stipend? So many larger plot points are ignored in favor of tangential quests, presenting a series of vignettes that in isolation are interesting and immersive, but do not form a cohesive and satisfying novel.
However, I am sympathetic to this book's plot because it touches on a theme relevant to my current state of life: that it is in the messiness of confronting what we think we do not want, but also in the messiness of what we most deeply desire, that we mature—that we are humbled and gain wisdom about ourselves and others. When we have denied ourselves, or have been denied by others, the most hidden desires of our hearts, we learn to carry a pain that oppresses our truest selves and must eventually be addressed in order to become fully free. Cliopher's metaphysical monomyth in Sky Ocean is, in my opinion, the one redeeming segment of this book because of how it addresses this theme, and even then I have many criticisms of how Goddard chose to represent it. Goddard takes the "positive" fantastical elements of epic poetry—confrontations with gods, receiving supernatural aid, overcoming challenges with one's innate abilities, etc.—while leaving out anything that could be difficult to swallow. Every character must be sympathetic, highly emotionally intelligent, and must never do or have done anything "wrong" or disturbing on an epic level. In this vein, I am disappointed that Cliopher, already written as a character that can do and feel no wrong, must become an epic hero in order to justify his emotional pain. As if it wasn't enough that he was established as the bureaucrat par excellence in The Hands of the Emperor, now he must achieve a mythological, legendary status in At the Feet of the Sun just so that he can feel worthy of being Fitzroy's closest companion.
What infuriated me about this book was the bizarre "queerplatonic" toeing the line between deep friendship and romance that seemingly upended all of the groundwork laid in The Hands of the Emperor. There is such beauty and a very tangible love between true friends, but Goddard very clearly inserts romantic tension that is never properly resolved, even when Cliopher and Fitzroy explicitly attempt to do so. So much of the beauty of The Hands of the Emperor laid in the revelation that His Radiancy was not this great divine, untouchable figure, but a man trying to escape from an immense magical and imperial burden forced upon his shoulders. At the Feet of the Sun instead mythologizes Fitzroy Angursell and puts him on an entirely different pedestal still out of Cliopher's reach. It does not help that devotion seems one-sided on Cliopher's part; there are so many unnecessary arguments rehashing the same emotional wounds, and all of them seem to end with Cliopher placating Fitzroy and Fitzroy never actually apologizing for his hurtful words.
At the Feet of the Sun slowly spirals into a quasi-romantic, sickeningly domestic fantasy resting on eggshells. It is difficult for me to admit just how disappointed I was with this series after investing months of my reading time into this world and its characters. Noble ideas of self-sacrifice for the sake of a greater good (or, in Goddard's own words, an "ordinary good") gradually deteriorate into mollification. The depth and complexity of a same-sex friendship between two men of such different social standings and life backgrounds gives in to (what I can only assume are reader-based) demands for romantic involvement, and even that is a lukewarm commitment. I really wanted to love this series because of the amazing world building and Goddard's knack of writing characters that I may not love, but still want to follow on their journeys. Unfortunately, I do not think I will be exploring the Nine Worlds any further.
For the sheer volume of At the Feet of the Sun alone, so much is left unaddressed and unresolved, and so, so little is actually achieved to further the larger plot along. What are we to do with Rhodin's conspiracy theories on the telepathic dinosaurs of the Merrions? What are we to make of Cliopher's minimal interactions with the Red Company—or the fact that we are still missing the majority of them? How does Goddard intend to critique retributive justice in favor of its restorative counterpart when all she writes about is the annual stipend? So many larger plot points are ignored in favor of tangential quests, presenting a series of vignettes that in isolation are interesting and immersive, but do not form a cohesive and satisfying novel.
However, I am sympathetic to this book's plot because it touches on a theme relevant to my current state of life: that it is in the messiness of confronting what we think we do not want, but also in the messiness of what we most deeply desire, that we mature—that we are humbled and gain wisdom about ourselves and others. When we have denied ourselves, or have been denied by others, the most hidden desires of our hearts, we learn to carry a pain that oppresses our truest selves and must eventually be addressed in order to become fully free. Cliopher's metaphysical monomyth in Sky Ocean is, in my opinion, the one redeeming segment of this book because of how it addresses this theme, and even then I have many criticisms of how Goddard chose to represent it. Goddard takes the "positive" fantastical elements of epic poetry—confrontations with gods, receiving supernatural aid, overcoming challenges with one's innate abilities, etc.—while leaving out anything that could be difficult to swallow. Every character must be sympathetic, highly emotionally intelligent, and must never do or have done anything "wrong" or disturbing on an epic level. In this vein, I am disappointed that Cliopher, already written as a character that can do and feel no wrong, must become an epic hero in order to justify his emotional pain. As if it wasn't enough that he was established as the bureaucrat par excellence in The Hands of the Emperor, now he must achieve a mythological, legendary status in At the Feet of the Sun just so that he can feel worthy of being Fitzroy's closest companion.
What infuriated me about this book was the bizarre "queerplatonic" toeing the line between deep friendship and romance that seemingly upended all of the groundwork laid in The Hands of the Emperor. There is such beauty and a very tangible love between true friends, but Goddard very clearly inserts romantic tension that is never properly resolved, even when Cliopher and Fitzroy explicitly attempt to do so. So much of the beauty of The Hands of the Emperor laid in the revelation that His Radiancy was not this great divine, untouchable figure, but a man trying to escape from an immense magical and imperial burden forced upon his shoulders. At the Feet of the Sun instead mythologizes Fitzroy Angursell and puts him on an entirely different pedestal still out of Cliopher's reach. It does not help that devotion seems one-sided on Cliopher's part; there are so many unnecessary arguments rehashing the same emotional wounds, and all of them seem to end with Cliopher placating Fitzroy and Fitzroy never actually apologizing for his hurtful words.
At the Feet of the Sun slowly spirals into a quasi-romantic, sickeningly domestic fantasy resting on eggshells. It is difficult for me to admit just how disappointed I was with this series after investing months of my reading time into this world and its characters. Noble ideas of self-sacrifice for the sake of a greater good (or, in Goddard's own words, an "ordinary good") gradually deteriorate into mollification. The depth and complexity of a same-sex friendship between two men of such different social standings and life backgrounds gives in to (what I can only assume are reader-based) demands for romantic involvement, and even that is a lukewarm commitment. I really wanted to love this series because of the amazing world building and Goddard's knack of writing characters that I may not love, but still want to follow on their journeys. Unfortunately, I do not think I will be exploring the Nine Worlds any further.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2023
Oh my god, what do I even SAY about this book?!? I'm so happy to have a Kip-POV sequel to The Hands of the Emperor - I enjoyed the other series, but there's something special about Kip. It's really, REALLY long (I would almost say that it could have been two separate stories?) which allows Goddard to meander in some very fan-service-y, satisfying says, but at the same time I can also say that it could have done with some slightly stronger editing. Between this series and the others, there are lots of loose threads and while it's fun to see characters meeting etc., by the end there's also a sense that not everything has been addressed.
I spent a lot of this book gnawing my knuckles as my emotions were TOYED WITH, so I've got spoilers under a cut:
Overall, I enjoyed absolutely wallowing in this, even as I can see that it could have been a stronger book with a tad more editing. I'm looking forward to the next book, and hope it doesn't take too long!
I spent a lot of this book gnawing my knuckles as my emotions were TOYED WITH, so I've got spoilers under a cut:
Overall, I enjoyed absolutely wallowing in this, even as I can see that it could have been a stronger book with a tad more editing. I'm looking forward to the next book, and hope it doesn't take too long!
January 10, 2024
“You are very different than you used to be, and yet far more yourself than you ever were before.”
I mean, come on. So different from, yet so beautifully similar to the first book. The questioning of identity, the path to finding oneself through mountains of darkness, the depth of love in all of its expressions — an easy 4.5 stars.
I mean, come on. So different from, yet so beautifully similar to the first book. The questioning of identity, the path to finding oneself through mountains of darkness, the depth of love in all of its expressions — an easy 4.5 stars.
June 9, 2024
5.0 Really surprising for me, who kept expecting something along the lines of the first novel. This one is very, very different, but in a good way. Where the first volume was a little too long and at times too repetitive, this one didn't have that problem, except for the last tenth or so and even there it wasn't much of a problem. It is still a long, long book, made easier by getting the epub version. Probably would still be reading it for another two months or three if I could only do so in bed.
November 24, 2024
3.5 rounding down to 3. it felt much less focused than hands of the emperor and i think it probably needed a good trim in the editing phase. i've been enjoying the series though!
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