The Goblin Tower

The Goblin Tower is a fantasy novel written by L. Sprague de Camp, the first book of both his Novarian series and the "Reluctant King" trilogy featuring King Jorian of Xylar. It was first published by Pyramid Books in 1968.

The Kingdom of Xylar, one of the twelve Novarian City states, has a peculiar custom for choosing its kings, each of whom serves for a one-year term. At the end of that year he is beheaded in the public square before a crowd of foreigners, and his head cast into the crown. The unfortunate unlucky enough to catch the head is drafted as the next king. Jorian, the latest king, cheats fate and escapes his beheading with the aid of a magician in return for agreeing to serve his rescuer. The novel follows his adventures as he attempts to fulfil his service and avoid the angry agents of Xylar. His ultimate goal is to rescue his favorite among the multiple wives he had as king and settle down in peaceful obscurity in his home country.

The Goblin Tower is one of de Camp's most innovative fantasies. The world of which Novaria is part is a parallel world to Earth, a plane of existence related to ours in that ours constitutes its afterlife. Culturally it bears resemblances to the eras of both Classical Greece and Medieval Europe. The states of Novaria itself are split between competing systems of government, some of them unique, which allows the author to explore various pros and cons of different styles of governence. A singular feature of the Novarian series is its frequent use of folk tales integrated into the plot (Jorian is a storyteller) to painlessly convey something of the background and history of the invented world. This device obviates the need for lengthy appendices, as in The Lord of the Rings. While each book in the trilogy makes use of the device, its use it heaviest in The Goblin Tower.