The most recommended goblins books

I read The Goblin Emperor based on a recommendation with the caveat “it might not be your sort of book,” and was drawn into a compelling story, in an intricate world, focused on a misfit character devoting all of his energy into actually fitting in, and rising to the challenge of a role he never expected or wanted.

As it turns out, exactly my sort of book. At every turn Katharine Addison led me up to an obvious turn of the plot, and then side-stepped, one deceptive twist after another in a tale light on action and full of life. 

Lingeria is a sarcastic, humor-infused take on the portal fantasy, which forces the author of a beloved fantasy series into the world that he's written - and come to despise.

It's a solidly entertaining book that appropriately skewers a lot of the tropes of fantasy fiction and the associated fandom.

I enjoyed the world of Lingeria and it's definitely a fun read for people seeking to scratch that Discworld itch.

A formative book from my childhood, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen kick-started my love of all things magic, heroic, and fantastical. Not only that, but the setting was close to where I grew up – these were locations I knew but viewed through a mythic lens. Loosely based on the legend of the Wizard of Alderley Edge, Alan Garner creates a fantasy world that feels so real as two children are pulled into an adventure where the very future of the world of men is on the line. It remains so influential on my own writing that I still return to the old dwarf caves of Fundinvale as an adult and enjoy the tale every bit as much as I did when I was a ten-year-old reading by torchlight under the duvet.

I first discovered George MacDonald’s work in a church library, where his books took up several shelves! The Princess and the Goblin is a great introduction to his fantasy novels. This charming story builds on familiar fairy-tale tropes and offers us ingredients that fantasy readers love: homey characters, growing peril, mysterious magic, and events that require uncommon courage and sacrifice. Follow it up with The Princess and Curdie for more delight.

In doing so you will join a great company of beloved Christian authors who appreciated George MacDonald’s genius: C S Lewis felt that Phantastes “baptized [his] imagination.” My favorite author L.M.Montgomery often reread At the Back of the North Wind. G.K. Chesterton felt "[The Princess and the Goblin] . . . has made a difference to my whole existence . . . ” And even J.R.R. Tolkien thought well of The Golden Key. And I… show more.

Life Reset follows a once-dominant player of the game NEO named Oren who is betrayed by his guildmates and ends up trapped as a goblin NPC within the game. This setup allows the story to focus on unique, goblin-specific abilities.

However, what I found most interesting about this book was its emphasis on an almost real-time strategy system of constructing and upgrading various buildings to manage his goblin tribe. While that wasn’t something I drew upon too heavily for my own story, I did love Oren’s frequent creative problem-solving, as well as the ways he tried to bend or even break the game’s systems to his advantage.

I personally feel that stories like this work best when the protagonist has limited options but the freedom to apply those options in a variety of surprising ways.

This Halloween rendition of the traditional Over in the Meadow counting rhyme is so well done. The finely crafted verses feature goblins, ghosts, skeletons, and other spooky creatures. Beautiful, colorful, atmospheric scenes by Jane Manning compliment the story inviting the reader to pause on each page to admire the art, count the characters, and smile. As an illustrator myself, I appreciate the wonderful design and compositions. Both the story and characters are sweet and hardly scary, so it’s a great pick for younger children, especially those who might be easily frightened.

This book is a standalone story that takes place in the Wayward Children series.

Due to its nature as a standalone, people who read the series skip over it, and people who haven’t read the series avoid it. This is one of my favorite books of all time. More than the magic or adventure, I love how human it feels.

No people are good or bad, and decisions are made from the heart. This book fuels my passion for storytelling, reminding me that the heart of a story isn’t intricate plots or crazy settings, but relatable characters.

I strive to make my characters feel more real and act more human because of this book.  

This is a funny and beautifully drawn love story about two preteen witches– What else can you ask for? Beetle is a goblin living in a magical world and studying sorcery under her grandmother. The fast-paced plot revolves around her and her childhood BFF Kat trying to free Blob Ghost, who is spiritually bound to a local mall that is about to be demolished. Beetle and Kat sweetly and awkwardly fumble around as they try to solve the mystery behind Blob Ghost, and watching them navigate their feelings and work through their insecurities is the highlight of this book. 

This is a story about a girl with a port-wine stain under her eye. Looking different, people treat her differently. The main character, Sophie, copes by carrying around a book called "The Big Book of Monsters" and identifying the monsters and humans around her. I found Sophie pretty knowledgeable on the subject of old legends! There were a few I hadn't heard of and had to look up myself. I also like her character development, and how she becomes more empathetic. Overall, it was entertaining and informative.

The absolutely gorgeous watercolors in Cris Grimly’s 10 Spooky Pumpkins jumped out and stole my heart! Rich color and high contrast pump up the Halloween mood, while his sensitivity to letting the washes flow in their own way shows a freedom and respect for the watercolor medium.

Grimly’s characters, including witches, ghosts and goblins to name a few, are stylized enough to balance the creepy with fun originality. Outlining watercolor with an ink line can flatten the art. But Grimly picks and chooses his sepia line work to draw you into detail, and then holds off to let the washes sing, creating great depth and space in his scenes.

This book makes me want to paint more night scenes! Thanks, Cris Grimly!