Nine Goblins

Back in the nineties, Fantasy had a comedic moment. Led by Sir Terry Pratchett, other authors were signed up to produce lighter fantasy with a sense of humour. Whilst none became as popular as Discworld, I still miss those days. T Kingfisher agreed and Nine Goblins is the author’s homage to that era, but this being 2026, even the light has a little more dark to it.

Being a goblin is a good enough life, as long as they are left alone, they are happy to live pretty much anywhere. However, when there is nowhere left to live, they have no choice but to fight back against the ever-expanding human and elf realms. The problem is that goblins do not really make great fighters; they struggle to take orders, or to even understand. Nine members of the Whinin’ Niners have become lost behind enemy lines, can they get home?

Kingfisher admits that Nine Goblins is a homage to both Pratchett and also All Creatures Great and Small and that DNA is apparent on the page. The use of observational comedy reminds you of some of the great Witches novels, and the animal husbandry of the Elvish character harks back to James Herriot, but this is also a Kingfisher book. Taken from the author’s archives, Nine Goblins is a reissue, but one that shows the author’s clear skill. It is strong fantasy as you would expect, but also more comedic than normal.

Like Pratchett, there is shade to the light. The unique flavour that Kingfisher brings is by adding more Low Fantasy to proceedings. There are many wry observations to enjoy in the book, but it is also grisly, certainly in the second act. It is a Low Fantasy comedy, so a book for readers who like dark humour.

The stars of the book are the goblins themselves, from the put upon Sergeant, the intelligent one, to the not so intelligent ones. One goblin even refuses to speak unless you talk to their stuffed bear. Thankfully, that bear has a good strategic mind to it and is worth listening to.

At under 150 pages, this is certainly a novella, not a novel. We do not get to know the deep backgrounds of the characters or the world, but you do get a good sense of who the characters are. Indeed, Kingfisher does a very impressive job of creating so much in so few pages. It leans on tropes and stereotypes of fantasy, but that is fine as it speeds the development of the characters.

I very much enjoyed Nine Goblins, and it was a perfect funny, quick read to start the year. It is not as deep or as clever as Discworld, but it is faster and nastier. There is an edge to the book that reminds you of sharpened goblin’s teeth. I would recommend this to any Fantasy fan craving a more comedic adventure to enjoy.