Nine Goblins
Publisher: Titan Books
Pub Date: 20 January 2026
Genre: Cosy Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(4.5 pandas)
๐ SYNOPSIS
From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Nine Goblins, a tale of low fantasy and high mischief.
No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in โcowardlyโ and โlazyโ too for good measure.
But goblins don’t go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.
Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creaturesโฆa human being.
โ ๏ธ CONTENT WARNINGS
Mass murder (including animal deaths, all occurring off-page but described on-page when discovered), displacement
Must protect the goblins at all costs!!! Oh, this cosy fantasy novella was just so freaking adorable and I adored it to bits! I love Kingfisherโs books so much. She never fails to deliver a freaking good, weird and quirky time, and Nine Goblins was no different.
Who knew Iโd come to feel so attached to a troop of disaster goblins who were, in all honesty, just trying their hardest to get away with being as lazy as they possibly could while surviving a war. This does touch on big issues such as war and internal displacement, but in keeping to the cosy vibes, it isn’t explored in great depth, although you get enough to understand what’s happening.
It was really the characters I loved the most though and I truly enjoyed the weirdness of each one. ๐ From Blanchett with his bear, Murray with his gadgets and gizmos aplenty, Algol with his endearing fondness for animals and rescuing kittens, and all the other Whininโ Niners with their quirks. Putting up with all their madness is Sergeant Nessilka who keeps the troop together and gets them moving and staying alive. She is probably the best sergeant a goblin could ask for and I loved her perspectiveโthere was so much good humour!
I also adored Sings-to-Trees, the odd veterinarian elf that lives alone in the woods, caring for all the magical creatures that come to his door, and making friends with trolls and (shock horror) even goblins. In combination, they made for an entertaining if unlikely group trying to uncover a weird magical mystery and I was here for it! As with most of Kingfisherโs stories, alongside the charming coziness, there are horrors to be found and this one definitely had my toes curling with how creepy some of the scenes were towards the end. Kids can be forking terrifying bruh, lol. ๐
Overall, this had humour, heart and so much charm. If youโre looking for a delightful, entertaining and quick read or palette cleanser between books, I would definitely say pick this upโI promise it’s a great time!
Have you read Nine Goblins or is it on your TBR?
dinipandareads 
I’m currently working through the Paladin’s Grace series and I’ve got an eARC of Daggerbound lined up for me to read ASAP, but I keep thinking about whether any of Kingfisher’s other books would be for me too – very timely review in that regards! I think this could be a good one to try from the library and see if I enjoy it!
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Ooh, so exciting! I’m on the last book in the Paladin series right now and enjoying it a lot. I still haven’t read Swordheart but I only recently realised that it’s set in the same world as the Paladin books, so I’m excited to check it out. I want more lore and context ๐ Also, hopefully, more gnoles, haha. I hope you enjoy this one if you do pick it up!
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This is on my list to start soon for my Novella Readathon!!! Chaos Goblins is the reason I grabbed it, so I’m glad it doesn’t disappoint on that front. I haven’t loved some of Kingfisher’s newest works, but I adore some of the less recent stuff, so my fingers are crossed that this one will be a hit.
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These goblins are so adorable with all their weird quirkiness and I had so much fun reading about them! Apparently this one was first published in 2013, but I don’t know if any changes have been made since that version. I hope you enjoy it ๐
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[…] Mini Book Review: Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher […]
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This is definitely at the top of the list of backlist Kingfisher books I want to read, along with Daggerbound, which I think publishes later this year. I’m glad you had a good time with this one!
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I want to read Swordheart and Daggerbound. I had no idea those books were set in the same world as her Saint of Steel (the Paladins) series but now that I’ve almost finished that series, I want to dive into the other books even more ๐ Did you read Swordheart?
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Yep, Iโve read Swordheart! I usually have a difficult time getting into cozy fantasy, but I liked this one!
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I haven’t read this one yet, but I will! I’ve been (slowly) making my way through Kingfisher’s backlist, too. (Next up is her graphic novel Digger, published as Ursula Vernon. Maybe Nine Dragons will be after that.)
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[…] Mini Book Review: Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher […]
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