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Gideon the Ninth
(The Locked Tomb #1)
by
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty ...more
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty ...more
Hardcover, 448 pages
Published
September 10th 2019
by Tor
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Start your review of Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)


ARC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review.
“The more you struggle against the Ninth, Nav, the deeper it takes you; the louder you curse it, the louder they’ll have you scream.”
Hi, my name is Melanie, and this was a really hard review to write for many reasons. First, I think I have hyped this book for all of 2019, and I have been very vocal about it being my favorite book of the year, and the best debut I’ve ever had the privilege of reading. Next, how do you write a review ...more

Mar 23, 2019
chai ♡
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
2019-releases,
lgbtq-sapphic,
lgbtq-rep,
arc,
fiction,
read-in-2019,
necromancy,
adult-sff,
adult
“What greater debt could be accrued than that of being brought up?” There’s an invisible collar rested around Gideon Nav’s throat, its leash leading back to the Ninth House, the claws of its heir fastened tight in her flesh.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the sole daughter and secret ruler of the Ninth (and Gideon Nav’s executioner by increment), wore her destiny like a noose. She kept the frailty of her house guarded, locked-down, putting up a masterly front, but a chance at competing for the prestigou ...more
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the sole daughter and secret ruler of the Ninth (and Gideon Nav’s executioner by increment), wore her destiny like a noose. She kept the frailty of her house guarded, locked-down, putting up a masterly front, but a chance at competing for the prestigou ...more

I am late in reviewing this, as I finished it over a year ago, but it's a sign of the book's strength that I am still thinking about it! Muir has created a galactic empire upheld by necromancy: Nine houses, each of which governs it own world and specializes in its own form of death magic, all bound together by the Emperor, the immortal Necrolord Prime and his band of super-powerful, undying "necrosaints" -- the Lyctors.
The emperor has held power for ten thousand years, but despite his godlike a ...more
The emperor has held power for ten thousand years, but despite his godlike a ...more

“Maybe it’s that I find the idea comforting . . . that thousands of years after you’re gone . . . is when you really live. That your echo is louder than your voice.”
Ugh, I wish I hadn't taken so long to sit down and write a review of this. I prefer writing a review when everything is fresh in my mind, but I do actually have things I want to say about this dark, dense, totally unique fantasy.
One thing I think it might be helpful to know when starting this book is: you're going to just have to ...more

“One flesh, one end, bitch.”
I genuinely think about this book all the time, and I just need to say that this is the most upset I’ve been by an ending to a book in several years. When I completed it I started yelling audibly and my roommate, who was also awake, I believe may have become genuinely concerned for my sanity. Gideon the Ninth looked at me and said I could make her worse, and then it did, and it’s incurable. The gay people at my college own four collective copies of this and we pas ...more

I cannot actually believe my hands declared their independence from the auto-control of my brain and gave 3.5 stars and rounded it down to three stars! I can shout at my hands and tell them they are ungrateful! They should have clapped this author’s creativity for this controversial, unique, fantastic plot and good characterization but well, my hands made the right decision! You know why! Okay keep reading and stop yawning in front of me!
I already started my happy dance and dropped this book se ...more
I already started my happy dance and dropped this book se ...more

ARC & Review copy provided by the publisher—Tor.com—in exchange for an honest review.
Gideon the Ninth is a damn fine example of why readers’ reviews are incredibly important.
If you have been active on bookish social media, you should know by now that Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir’s debut and the first installment in The Locked Tomb (or The Ninth House in the past) Trilogy, has been tor.com's most hyped book of the year. The buzz and praise for Gideon the Ninth has been immense to say the least ...more
Gideon the Ninth is a damn fine example of why readers’ reviews are incredibly important.
If you have been active on bookish social media, you should know by now that Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir’s debut and the first installment in The Locked Tomb (or The Ninth House in the past) Trilogy, has been tor.com's most hyped book of the year. The buzz and praise for Gideon the Ninth has been immense to say the least ...more

In retrospect, this book is a bag of Doritos Mix. Either you love the pastiche, or you don't, but there's nothing about this that is going to be a classic that people will come back to time and time again. It's snack food, pure and simple, fun to munch-crunch, some parts better than others (but perhaps just the occasional too much to really sit well.)
Following a young person desperate to get off her residential planet, it has the distinctive voice of a new adult/young adult book, full of snark ...more
Following a young person desperate to get off her residential planet, it has the distinctive voice of a new adult/young adult book, full of snark ...more

The Written Review
Need a good read for a bad day? Here's a Booktube Video all about it!!
Gideon the Ninth comes from an universe seeped in necromancy.![]()
While we were developing common sense, she studied the blade.
Her home planet, the Ninth planet, is by far the most isolated but when the Emperor calls for representatives from all of the Houses to a series of trials to determine the worthiest to inherit unimaginable power.
Harrow is the heir of the Ninth and the strongest necromanc ...more

Update: $2.99 Kindle US 7/28/20
PS - I was too late to get the black stained edges so... I said hell with it. I did my own!

Holy shit ass snacks! That was different and I loved it!! I’m loving the covers on these books too!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
PS - I was too late to get the black stained edges so... I said hell with it. I did my own!

Holy shit ass snacks! That was different and I loved it!! I’m loving the covers on these books too!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for BEST SCIENCE FICTION and BEST DEBUT NOVEL 2019! what will happen?
okay. so. usually when i write a review, i am writing it for some nameless, faceless reader who is deciding whether or not to read a book and looking for some information to help them make that decision, so i’ll do the whole plot-point, pull-quote thing—giving an overview of the book so they know what to expec ...more
”You want to fight it.”
“Yep.”
“Because it looked…a little like swords.”
”Yop.”
okay. so. usually when i write a review, i am writing it for some nameless, faceless reader who is deciding whether or not to read a book and looking for some information to help them make that decision, so i’ll do the whole plot-point, pull-quote thing—giving an overview of the book so they know what to expec ...more

DNF
So, in a quest to clear my Currently-reading shelf, I forced myself to return to this book.
In December, I stopped reading with my thoughts being that I was intrigued by the story, but the writing was not for me. It felt sort of heavy-handed and very hard to get through. Confusing even.
So, now, I read the whole Act One. And while my opinion on the writing did not change. I started to lose a bit of my interest in the story.
It may get better when the story progresses more. Maybe. But there is ...more
So, in a quest to clear my Currently-reading shelf, I forced myself to return to this book.
In December, I stopped reading with my thoughts being that I was intrigued by the story, but the writing was not for me. It felt sort of heavy-handed and very hard to get through. Confusing even.
So, now, I read the whole Act One. And while my opinion on the writing did not change. I started to lose a bit of my interest in the story.
It may get better when the story progresses more. Maybe. But there is ...more

Well, I finished. If nothing else, at least I received closure that it wasn't the timing that was off for me surrounding this story. I could go through a long list of why this book didn't work for me, but instead I'll just leave it at that, it didn't work for me. Chaima wrote a fantastic review that expresses my thoughts 100% HERE, so if you'd like an alternative, unpopular opinion that is well written and fairly offered, please check it out.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review ...more
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review ...more

I've been sitting on this DNF for a couple months now. For those of you who are avid YouTube watchers of mine, you know I could not get through this book. I wasn't going to rate it but I feel SO strongly about this 1 star rating. This book suffers from the Tor hype as did The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons which I also highly disliked. The writing is a mess. Characters names are "neiowhgiewongow"..
The main character is an absolute ass. She gets the chance to get off the planet and her literal respo ...more
The main character is an absolute ass. She gets the chance to get off the planet and her literal respo ...more

Star Rating: —> 5 [GLORIOUS] Stars!
🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
My heart hurts. It ACHES.
SO INCREDIBLE. I literally cried when it was over & as it was ending.
I mean that ending? And this whole damn novel? Brutal AF!
Perfection. Truly. Im so confused as to some readers’ complaints that this was extremely confusing & didn’t follow a solid plot line (incl. subplots) that made sense... hmm.
(You can skip over this part if you aren’t interested!)
***BUT! before I go into any more detail... I have stumbled upon the PERFECT ...more
🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
My heart hurts. It ACHES.
SO INCREDIBLE. I literally cried when it was over & as it was ending.
I mean that ending? And this whole damn novel? Brutal AF!
Perfection. Truly. Im so confused as to some readers’ complaints that this was extremely confusing & didn’t follow a solid plot line (incl. subplots) that made sense... hmm.
(You can skip over this part if you aren’t interested!)
***BUT! before I go into any more detail... I have stumbled upon the PERFECT ...more

Tor free ebook of the month, if you join their book club. https://www.tor.com/2021/10/05/downlo... Sale ends midnight E.T., Friday Oct. 8, 2021. This one won't be every reader's cuppa tea - read the reviews and decide for yourself - but those who like it tend to REALLY like it.
4.5 stars, rounding up. This is one of those books that gets better the more I think about it! Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Necromancers and their sword-fighting cavaliers star in Gideon the Ninth, Tam ...more
4.5 stars, rounding up. This is one of those books that gets better the more I think about it! Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Necromancers and their sword-fighting cavaliers star in Gideon the Ninth, Tam ...more

“Does anyone else want to take this opportunity to admit that they’re already dead, or a flesh construct, or other relevant object? Anyone?”It took me about three weeks and a hundred pages to really warm up to this book, but then I inhaled it, flew through it like a necromancer to a bone, happy and giddy even if at times exasperated.
This was different and weird, full of “huh?” moments, and snarky one-liners, and immature teenage humor. But it’s the same kind of humor that my inner voice ten ...more

4.5 stars
TW: everything that comes with death magic; blood; bones; gore; body horror; cancer; suicide
I might bump this up to 5 but my brain is a little overwhelmed to think with everything that happened at the very end of this book.
This is what is says on the tin (“lesbian necromancer and her lesbian guard and other necromancer nobles explore a haunted gothic palace in space”) and much more. This book is incredibly hard to explain and that’s why it’s so polarizing. It’s eerie at times. Funny ...more
TW: everything that comes with death magic; blood; bones; gore; body horror; cancer; suicide
I might bump this up to 5 but my brain is a little overwhelmed to think with everything that happened at the very end of this book.
This is what is says on the tin (“lesbian necromancer and her lesbian guard and other necromancer nobles explore a haunted gothic palace in space”) and much more. This book is incredibly hard to explain and that’s why it’s so polarizing. It’s eerie at times. Funny ...more

Aug 25, 2019
Tatiana
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
fans of brain breaking world building
Recommended to Tatiana by:
Melanie
Now that I didn't have to break my brain over all the necromancy lingo and knew the characters, this way a much funnier read. A locked tomb mystery with a witty narrator, basically.
_______
Pretty much what karen said.
I haven’t worked this hard trying to grock a book since Ninefox Gambit. The world building is dense and elaborate, and I honestly had no idea there was so much to know about necromancy. Is all necromancy stuff in this book a total Tamsyn Muir invention? Or is this a commonly known lo ...more
_______
Pretty much what karen said.
I haven’t worked this hard trying to grock a book since Ninefox Gambit. The world building is dense and elaborate, and I honestly had no idea there was so much to know about necromancy. Is all necromancy stuff in this book a total Tamsyn Muir invention? Or is this a commonly known lo ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Stunningly good. A brilliant and original mash-up of genres, the story is brimming with memorable characters, acerbic dark humor, a unique magic system, space travel, decaying technology and layers upon layers of mystery. It is the Gothic space adventure I didn't know I needed.
...more

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review :D
“Two is for discipline, heedless of trial;
Three for the gleam of a jewel or a smile;
Four for fidelity, facing ahead;
Five for tradition and debts to the dead;
Six for the truth over solace in lies;
Seven for beauty that blossoms and dies;
Eight for salvation no matter the cost;
Nine for the Tomb, and for all that was lost.”
🌟 I am pretty sure this will ...more
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review :D
“Two is for discipline, heedless of trial;
Three for the gleam of a jewel or a smile;
Four for fidelity, facing ahead;
Five for tradition and debts to the dead;
Six for the truth over solace in lies;
Seven for beauty that blossoms and dies;
Eight for salvation no matter the cost;
Nine for the Tomb, and for all that was lost.”
🌟 I am pretty sure this will ...more

I’m on BookTube! =)
"Oh, I have hurt your heart," she said.
Gideon kept it absolutely level. "I boohooed for hours."
"It won't be the last time I make you weep."
Okay, so “Gideon the Ninth” is definitely a book I have troubles to review because 1.) It’s unlike any other book I ever read and 2.) Most of the time I was super confused and really had to make an effort to be able to follow the plotline. XD Like seriously, all those different names and the houses plus the mere fact that most of the charac ...more
"Oh, I have hurt your heart," she said.
Gideon kept it absolutely level. "I boohooed for hours."
"It won't be the last time I make you weep."
Okay, so “Gideon the Ninth” is definitely a book I have troubles to review because 1.) It’s unlike any other book I ever read and 2.) Most of the time I was super confused and really had to make an effort to be able to follow the plotline. XD Like seriously, all those different names and the houses plus the mere fact that most of the charac ...more

Apr 02, 2020
Deborah Obida
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
young-adult
Buddy read with BBN
Never have I ever seen such a misleading publicity, I know its petty cause the book delivered half but its still a lie, We picked this book to read in one of my book clubs because its about Lesbian Necromancer but the book only delivered on the necromancer part. Gideon who is the supposed queer character isn't even a necromancer so how, she just had a crush on a necromancer which in my opinion wasn't returned, she also thought Niberius a guy was hot but that doesn't make her s ...more
Never have I ever seen such a misleading publicity, I know its petty cause the book delivered half but its still a lie, We picked this book to read in one of my book clubs because its about Lesbian Necromancer but the book only delivered on the necromancer part. Gideon who is the supposed queer character isn't even a necromancer so how, she just had a crush on a necromancer which in my opinion wasn't returned, she also thought Niberius a guy was hot but that doesn't make her s ...more

What was that ending????????
The first sci-fi book I’ve ever enjoyed! 🎉🎉
This 👏 is 👏 how👏 you 👏 do 👏 enemies 👏 to 👏 lovers 👏
Mmmm the relationships were just so good.
The middle 50% was absolute perfection. Gideon is probably one of my new favorite characters. The last 25% was just crazy and maybe a little too rushed. All of the characters were so complex, but they all felt alive (or undead). Gideon’s humor is absolutely hilarious (but I apparently missed half of the references).
I need more Gideon/ ...more
The first sci-fi book I’ve ever enjoyed! 🎉🎉
This 👏 is 👏 how👏 you 👏 do 👏 enemies 👏 to 👏 lovers 👏
Mmmm the relationships were just so good.
The middle 50% was absolute perfection. Gideon is probably one of my new favorite characters. The last 25% was just crazy and maybe a little too rushed. All of the characters were so complex, but they all felt alive (or undead). Gideon’s humor is absolutely hilarious (but I apparently missed half of the references).
I need more Gideon/ ...more

Jan 05, 2021
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
audiobooks,
2019-releases
This book was nothing like I was expecting, I'm still confused about how I felt but... I liked it?
Don't really recommend the audiobook since the volume would go up and down and since I often listen to books while doing other things it was annoying to have to adjust it all the time.
Will continue the series! ...more
Don't really recommend the audiobook since the volume would go up and down and since I often listen to books while doing other things it was annoying to have to adjust it all the time.
Will continue the series! ...more

“Gideon, don’t be sorry for the dead. I think death must be an absolute triumph.”
The first thing you need to know about this book is that a lot of people are going to hate it.
I’ve already seen several reviewers complain about how weird, confusing, and slow it is. I’ve heard people rant about the protagonist’s smartassery and complete inability to refrain from cracking jokes at the most inconvenient times. Believe me, I get it.
This book is unlike anything you’ve ever read. It’s more or less a gri ...more
The first thing you need to know about this book is that a lot of people are going to hate it.
I’ve already seen several reviewers complain about how weird, confusing, and slow it is. I’ve heard people rant about the protagonist’s smartassery and complete inability to refrain from cracking jokes at the most inconvenient times. Believe me, I get it.
This book is unlike anything you’ve ever read. It’s more or less a gri ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Gideon the Ninth - Muir [July 18, 2022] | 100 | 87 | Aug 03, 2022 10:01PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Please combine | 2 | 6 | Jul 30, 2022 01:12AM | |
Play Book Tag: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - 4 stars and 4 skulls | 6 | 11 | Jun 27, 2022 02:44PM | |
Challenge Corner: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir -> Restarting April 23rd, 2022 | 13 | 23 | Apr 10, 2022 12:44PM |
TAMSYN MUIR is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb Trilogy, which begins with Gideon the Ninth, continues with Harrow the Ninth, and concludes with Alecto the Ninth. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award and the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. A Kiwi, she has spent most of her life in Howick, New Zealand, with time living i
...more
Other books in the series
The Locked Tomb
(4 books)
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“One flesh, one end, bitch.”
—
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“I cannot conceive of a universe without you in it”
—
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