I've been rereading the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold and one character I'm really fascinated by is Gregor. He is the emperor of a planetary system through inheritance and even though he doesn't want the job but there's no clear alternative enough people can agree upon so he's stuck with it.
I'm really fascinated with this concept of someone having this kind of responsibility foisted upon them without any kind of magical or practical reassurance that they will be able to do it well but also no real choice not to do it.
Do you know of other books with this kind of story line? A plus if it's something else than a inherited rule. The ones I can think of is The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison or Fool's errand by Robin Hobb which are both also about kings/emperors.
by Holmbone
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Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling has a few POV characters who might fit the bill. It’s a typical Stirling setup with an utterly inexplicable event that he then attempts to extrapolate from realistically: one night in the late 90s the entire island of Nantucket and an area of sea around it are somehow transported to the Bronze Age and have to figure out how to survive.
Several ordinary people suddenly find themselves with immense responsibility and power, which they use well or very, very badly.