Here.
Please don't read comments until you've read this. It is very short and fast to read. It is radicalizing. It is a good short story to send to your friend who needs to understand what capitalism is. LeGuin wrote this in 1973, cementing her status as Chad Supreme of Fuck Mountain. Bow before her might.
Let's discuss in the comments below.
Solid recs. Yeah the politics in most fantasy is not...good. Ngl tho, I really dug Goblin Emperor. I guess it was the purehearted nature of the MC and the court intrigue that appealed to me.
spoiler
_What did you think about the conversation between Maia and the guy who blew up the air ship?
I've heard about GGK and Robin Hobb and tried some of their works but I tend to drop books even if they're "good" unless something in it captures my interest early or if there's some idea in the book that I want to read about. So there's been a lot of false starts with those two authors but I hope to get around to them eventually.
I haven't yet read any of NK Jemisin's works so your recommendation might actually make me pick up the trilogy.
GGK is easier on that front than Hobb. you really have to give her two books before the whole scope of what she's doing in any given trilogy opens up to you. she's the complete opposite of a fast hook. GGK though... have you tried Tigana? I was glued to that one from the start as the intrigue begins within the first few chapters and he has this way of making you fall in love with all of the characters.
honestly, I barely remember the plot of the Goblin Emperor, it's been 4 years or so since I read it. I remember enjoying the sheer happiness of the ending and I might reread it if the world starts to feel like a dark place (moreso than usual) and I need a pick me up.
the Broken Earth trilogy is fantastic and I can't recommend it enough. Jemisin is a comrade and she's telling the story of slaves - it's very deeply about how colonialism works its way into our minds, the effects of being forced to pass for the majority (at the risk of violent reprisal), and the joy that exists only in spaces free of empire. I really need to reread this because I read it before I admitted to myself that I needed to transition and I think I'll react to it in a whole other way now.