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Gideon the Ninth

(The Locked Tomb #1)

Tamsyn Muir (Goodreads Author)

4.22 · Rating details · 77,188 ratings · 14,366 reviews

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

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Hardcover, 448 pages

Published September 10th 2019 by Tor

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· 77,188 ratings · 14,366 reviews

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Mar 19, 2018 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, read-in-2019, book-expo-2019, sapphic, lgbtqiap, arc, adult

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

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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

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Sep 02, 2021 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

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 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 abilities, all is not well in his galactic death cult. Wars are being waged against faraway enemies. Battles are being lost. Attrition is high. Then a strange call goes out from the First House, the emperor's own: We need more Lyctors. Each house is invited to send their heir apparent and cavalier (elite bodyguard) to the First House for a set of mysterious trials. Those who survive and prove themselves worthy will ascend to Lyctorhood, gaining immortality and powers almost equal to the emperor himself. A hard invitation to refuse, right?

Meanwhile, in the gloomy Ninth House, Gideon Nav wants to run away from her horrible life. She has no one in the dreary world of the Ninth, where undead skeletons are much more common than living folk and the average age of the nuns and priests who guard the Locked Tomb is about 85. The only other person Gideon's age is the heir apparent, the Reverend Daughter Harrowhark, who treats Gideon like a personal whipping post. When the Emperor's call goes out, however, the two are forced to work together. Harrow is the heir and the best necromancer on the planet, adept at crafting with the bones of the dead. Gideon is the best sword-fighter, especially since the house's actual cavalier fled to planet. The two young women strike a bargain: If Gideon pretends to be Harrow's cavalier and goes to the First House trials, Harrow will grant her her freedom, assuming Harrow is able to become a Lyctor and save the honor of her dying home world.

What follows is part Dune (dueling royal houses in space), part Nico di Angelo (snarky queer death demigods) and part Agatha Christie locked-room mystery (Locked Tomb mystery?). Gideon and Harrow have to learn to work together, or at least not kill each other, while all around them in the creepy halls and secret laboratories of the First House, people start disappearing . . . The secret to becoming a Lyctor might be worse than any of them ever imagined.

Muir's writing is a sheer delight, sparkling with zinger dialogue and bone-dry humor. Gideon is just my kind of narrator: irreverent, irrepressible, and lovably grumpy. Her relationship with Harrow is wonderfully depicted: with frenemies like this, who needs . . . uh, frenemies? There are a lot of characters to keep up with once we reach the First House, and the story unfolds in multiple layers that can be a challenge to track, but wow, the pay-off! Once you hit those last hundred pages, I defy you to set this story down. Fortunately, this is the first book in a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what happens in the follow-up Harrow the Ninth!
...more

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Oct 04, 2019 Emily May rated it really liked it

Recommended to Emily May by: Tatiana

Shelves: coverly-love, fantasy, 2019

“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 make peace with not totally "getting" it for a while. If you're anything like me, when you read something you don't really understand, you read it again and again until it makes sense. In my experience this can lead to book slumps, and I just don't think it's that helpful when it comes to Gideon the Ninth. Things get painted in over the course of the whole novel, so just accepting I didn't understand it at first made it much more palatable.

Because this world is dense and complex and, with a little patience, absolutely fascinating. Nobody can accuse Muir of a lack of imagination. This surely has to be one of the most detailed and unique necromancer fantasies ever written (though connoisseurs of that niche might be able to tell me different). In this world, the Emperor has a representative of each of the nine houses (with their accompanying cavalier) compete in a series of weird and dangerous trials in order to determine those most worthy of being a servant of the Resurrection, complete with power and immortality.

The plot is simple; the world-building and writing are anything but. However, more than either of those, what made this book shine so so much for me was Gideon. Well, really, a number of the characters, but mostly Gideon. How to explain her... She's a snarky lovable badass but with none of the standard heroine, fits-a-perfect-mold kind of badassery that I've grown so tired of. She's just really cool and funny. And somehow relatable, even though I can honestly say I've never been a swordswoman in space (no, really).

Honestly, as a character she really stands out as someone unique. Which is saying a lot because I've read a ton of fantasy books and most of them are obviously recycling characters at this point. Here, working through the author's challenging prose and world-building was easier because I cared so much about Gideon. This book really proves how much characters make or break a book. Without Gideon, I am sure this would have gone to my mental "not for me" pile.

Muir's ending hit me in the feels, too. The book surprised me by having a bunch of sad and sweet moments amid the darkness. I'm almost afraid to read Harrow the Ninth, but hell am I going to.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, favorite-relationships, gay-genre-fiction, sff-scifi-dystopias, favorite-characters, z-2021faves, sapphic-books-shelf, lgbtq, plot-twists, elle-recs-list

“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

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Sep 24, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it liked it

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 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 several times as I performed Travolta’s classic hip and point move because I started one of the most anticipated books of the year and it deserved to be celebrated with my over exaggerated dance moves (at least I gave an quiet amazing show to the neighbor’s kids who got bored from their Fifa tournaments on play station)

How can you resist to a plot about necromancers and well rounded, intriguing badass heroine characters.

But when I started to flip pages, my thoughts completely changed. I read 150 pages…Nothing happened…

I treated this book as patient as I could (I’m aries, patience is not my best virtue) and I read 50 pages more. Nada… Another 50 pages more…Still nothing… I started to think maybe Jerry Seinfield used a different pen name and wrote this book about nothingness as he’d done with his TV show “Seinfield”

Well 50 pages later…Still nothing happened and I cuddled with the book and took a break because I got also lost with the technical terms of the book. I even tried to order a dictionary about necromancers to understand their terminology. But no publishing companies released this useful source! I also had hard time to understand true natures, attributes, motives, back stories of characters because they were more 15! There are nine houses and I prepared schematic to match the characters with its houses like I’d done with the time tables of character’s aging when I was watching enigmatic German Netflix series named Dark!
I was so bored and suffering from lack of energy. I couldn’t even lift my glass so my husband helped me drink my Chardonnay with a straw (I know, I disgusted with myself, too!)

And after 300 pages later, something magically happened! THE STORY’S PACE SUDDENLY FASTENED! The story turned into a great combination of space opera, thriller, mystery and sci-fi. It was sad, funny some parts are too edgy, gothic and irritating. Actually I appreciated writer’s effort to create this amazing and extraordinary concept. However the creativity and visualization defeated by complex, long, slow-paced writing and unlikable characters. Especially heroine acted so immature and annoying little brat who deserved my tones of slaps.

If it wasn’t for the first 300 torture, I could give this book 5 stars for the author’s success to bring out something different, shiny, capturing, special but in my opinion, book was needed reductions and polishing of characterizations before the release date! I still enjoyed so many parts but I felt like I watched three times the first 28 minutes of Saving Private Ryan! I got really exhausted as if I ran 10K marathon or 10 bottle Chardonnay drinkathon!

Intentions, originality, high efforts of the author but maybe I lately read too long books and my timing was not right to start something needs to much energy, concentration. So unfortunately this one didn’t work for me,too. ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 Petrik rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-and-review-copies

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

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Feb 10, 2020 carol. rated it liked it

Shelves: female-lead, fantasy

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

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Jul 29, 2020 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

Need a good read for a bad day? Here's a Booktube Video all about it!!

The Written Review

While we were developing common sense, she studied the blade.

Gideon the Ninth comes from an universe seeped in necromancy.

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

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Dec 09, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, fantasy-all, hardback-own

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

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Aug 16, 2019 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: bea-2019-wishlist, thank-you-bea-or-ala, death-is-not-the-end

oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for BEST SCIENCE FICTION and BEST DEBUT NOVEL 2019! what will happen?

”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

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Sep 14, 2020 MischaS_ rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

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

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Sep 04, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was ok

Shelves: from-publisher, bookstagram-made-me-do-it

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

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Jul 28, 2019 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

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

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Nov 11, 2019 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family, favorites, futuristic, strong-female-leads, fantasy-dark, loveforever-always-changedmylife, science-fiction, fantasy-and-magic, magic-humans-mortal, owned

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

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Mar 02, 2020 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, yay-for-presents, lgbtqia

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

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Jun 14, 2020 Nataliya rated it really liked it

Shelves: locus-winner, hugo-nebula-nominees-and-winners, 2020-reads

“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

“Does anyone else want to take this opportunity to admit that they’re already dead, or a flesh construct, or other relevant object? Anyone?”

“Gideon rolled her eyes so hard that she felt in danger of twisting the optic nerve.”

So did I, repeatedly. But with happy and giddy love.

This is a story about space necromancers (!!!) in an alien (or not?) planetary system, where nine necromantic Houses occupy nine planets. Our (anti)heroine Gideon Nav (“absolutely goddamn starved of any contact with people who didn’t have dark missals and advanced osteoporosis”) is from the Ninth, which is a creepy cultist place even by necromancer standards.

“You couldn’t spend any time in the Ninth House without coming away with an unwholesome knowledge of skeletons. She could’ve easily filled in for Doctor Skelebone without practising a single theorem.“

Gideon is doing her best to escape her indentured servitude (until death and then thereafter — because of, you know, necromancy and all it entails) while being tormented by her arch-nemesis Harrowhark, who has puppeteered her dead parents for years now (ahem, necromancy) and is now de-facto the planetary ruler.

“Are you telling me that when you were ten years old—ten years old—you busted the lock on the tomb, broke into an ancient grave, and made your way past hideous old magic to look at a dead thing even though your parents told you it’d start the apocalypse?”

The Ninth house is in serious decline. But there’s a way out - if Harrow wins the position of a Lyctor, a “necrosaint” to the Emperor of the Nine Houses, Necrolord Prime, God who became man and man who became God — or basically some dude that resurrected the dying world 10,000 years ago and his supposedly immortal knights turned out to be just a bit mortal, after all. The heirs to the eight necromantic Houses have been called to the First planet for a competition that would allow at least some of them to become Lyctors. Each necromancer needs a devoted Cavalier at their side, and Gideon with her mad sword fighting skills gets roped into playing this part for her nemesis Harrowhark —by the promise of release from her indentured servitude.

Although Gideon — a foul-mouthed trash-talker, a committed rule-breaker, the one who reads “titty magazines” for the articles and loathes her necromancer — is perhaps a bit ill-suited for the part.

“Gideon comforted herself by recoiling at her reflection in the cracked mirror: a grinning death’s-head with a crop of incongruously red hair and a couple of zits. She pulled her sunglasses out of the pocket of her robe and eased them on, which completed the effect, if the effect you wanted was “horrible.”

With all the necromancers and their (more or less) devoted cavaliers all trapped on an empty planet in the very necromantic ruins (complete with animated skeletons as your waiters at mealtimes), the competition begins. Although it’s not really a competition as there are no tasks, no clear objectives, no rules except for the vague suggestion “that you never open a locked door unless you have permission.” It’s not too long before suspicious deaths start. And it almost has a vibe of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (if Madame Christie had taken some serious mind-altering substances while writing that book):

“But natural law—the laws against murder and theft. What prevents us from stealing one another’s keys through intimidation, blackmail, or deception? What would stop someone from waiting for another necromancer and their cavalier to gather a sufficient number of keys, then taking them by force?”
Teacher said, “Nothing.”

Although Gideon is our eyes and ears (and a sarcastic snarky mouthpiece) to this odd creepy and yet somehow immensely fun world, it’s really almost an ensemble cast, with a few minor characters that really stand out. At least to me — since I’m a shameless fangirl now of one Palamedes Sextus, Warden of the Sixth and his cavalier Camilla. Oh come on, they are Necromancer scientists and born in the Library. And Palamedes is a walking store of snark, second only to Gideon herself. And Camilla is beyond badass and into a whole new dimension of badassery which she shares only with Gideon.

“Reverend Daughter, you know as well as I do that the Eighth House wouldn’t let a little thing like fair play get in the way of its sacred duty to do whatever it wants.”
——————
“Hm,” said Camilla neutrally, and Gideon knew immediately that she organised Palamedes’s and her socks by colour and genre.

This crazy weird skeleton-ridden, sinister, death-obsessed world is so much fun. It really shouldn’t work - this incongruent mix of overwrought language and teen snark and flowery metaphors and cheap jokes and gothic pathos and trashy cheap shots. It shouldn’t work — but somehow it does.

It marries fantasy and science fiction and the total is so much more than just the sum of the parts.

And I love it. I’m so glad I scaled this personal Everest of a book until, like Gideon and Harrow — and no, it’s not a spoiler unless you really have no clue about the enemies-to-lovers-or-at-least-gruff-admirers trope — we developed those feelings and the rest is history.

“Suck it down,” said Gideon. “You’re already two hundred dead daughters and sons of our House. What’s one more?”

———————
Before I wrap up, I’m dying (figuratively) to share this tidbit from the glossary at the end of the book, the section on necromancers:

“There is no isolated genetic code associated with necromantic potential, nor the presence of any extra biological feature apart from heightened activity from organs we would otherwise mark as vestigial.”

I mean — does necromancy involve the appendix??? I must have some clarification on this!
———————
4 stars.

———————
My review of the sequel, Harrow the Ninth, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

———————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it

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

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Mar 20, 2018 Emily Duncan rated it it was amazing

This is it. This is the perfect book.

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Aug 25, 2019 Tatiana rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: fans of brain breaking world building

Recommended to Tatiana by: Melanie

Shelves: fantasy, hugo, 2020, nebula, 2019, mysteries-thrillers-horror, locus, sci-fi

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

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Nov 30, 2019 Charlotte Kersten added it

Shelves: wnbsff, macklemore-would-approve

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "'We do bones, motherfucker,' she said."

So What's It About?

"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 magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been ...more

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Oct 23, 2018 Rebecca Roanhorse rated it it was amazing

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

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Jun 01, 2019 Hamad rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, good-covers, paperbacks, 2019-reads, from-the-publisher

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

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Sep 18, 2021 myo (myonna reads) rated it liked it

okay i am in love with Gideon like i have a crush on her. i was a bit confused reading the book which usually is fine but i just feel like a bit more could’ve been explained. Hopefully in Harrow’s book that is fixed because i really intrigued with the book.

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Mar 28, 2022 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

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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 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 straight so its all confusing.

I also disliked the writing style used in this book, the info dump was just too much. There was a part where the author was describing the environment for 10 pages straight, who does that. If the author isn't describing the environment for the millionth time we're stuck in Gideon's internal monologue. I don't even like Gideon the protagonist, I disliked all the characters except Sextus. I was in Gideon's head throughout the book and I still didn't understand her, she went was hating Harrow's gut to whatever that ending is. It makes absolutely no sense, I was in her head so I should know if she was pretending or changed her opinion, but alas I don't know what happened there.

This book is more like a horror, some bunch of teenagers and like three adults or so went to a planet for a test to become a Lyctor which is a name for the emperor's advisers/elite necromancers. The house they were in was hunted by creatures they know nothing about. Just like a horror movie they were killed off one by one. So a murder mystery.

If not that they were on different planets and there was electricity and other modern things this book is more fantasy than sci-fi, I think that is why the author took the pains to depict the world but she did a terrible job.

The final battle that everyone is raving about got tiring after the first five pages to read. When a book is written from only a one character's perspective its hard to imagine that person fighting for their life and still know what is happening with others. One part during that fight scene that annoyed me was when Gideon pick up her favourite type of sword and instead of fighting her foe she was reminiscing about the first time she used that sword and how awesome with the sword she is.

The explanation of the necromancer sucks, we don't need that much details, there was no forward that explained the terms and the author didn't explain it in the book, words like thernagy and the rest, even Gideon the narrator was confused. I don't know about most of you but I only know the names of few of my bones, the author was using the names of the bones which was confusing.

All in all this book was a disappointment, The Bone Witch did a better depiction of necromancer. Even the little depicted in Malazan was better than this whole book. This book is more about animating bones and less about bringing the dead back to life which I think is what necromancy is. The bones don't even remember their previous lives. Maybe the second book will explore more parts of necromancer but I doubt that. ...more

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Feb 13, 2022 ~ a foray in fantasy ~ rated it it was amazing

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

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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

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Mar 09, 2019 Nomadic Reader (Baba Yaga) rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf-and-fantasy, favorites, girlboss-thriving, 2021, what-the-fuck, amazing-romance, letto-e-riletto, adoro, the-gays-are-rising, 2019

“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 “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 gritty fantasy story made out of memes, except the memes in question are set in a crumbling palace in space complete with an aggressively goth aesthetic, some creepy mysteries, and a slow burn enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance. Does that sound appealing to you? If the answer is yes, you’ll probably enjoy Gideon the Ninth as much as I did.
In case you’re still not convinced (again, I get it) be aware that the first eight chapters are available for free on Tor.com: it’s probably a good idea to read them before buying the book. You’ll get a good grasp of the author’s writing style and sense of humor, which I would tentatively describe as “Terry Pratchett meets Jay Kristoff meets Urban Dictionary” — something I personally love, but other readers may find aggravating.

As for the story itself...let’s just say it’s not your typical good-versus-evil epic fantasy adventure. There’s certainly some good, some more evil, and a shit ton of creepy-borderline-horror stuff. Apparently Muir started her career as a horror writer and likes to mingle different genres in her works, so don’t expect Gideon the Ninth to strictly adhere to sci-fi conventions: sure, it’s set in space, but characters use magic and fight with swords. And if you’re wondering why the people in this book know how to fly spaceships but not how to use guns, well...that’s kind of the Big Mystery of the series. Or at least, I think it is: the author confirmed that the world building will be revealed as the story progresses and that the origin of the Houses is a crucial plot point, so I can only assume every seemingly incoherent detail has a logical explanation behind it. In any case, I had the impression that the narrative was giving me exactly the amount of information I needed to understand what was going on at any given point — no more, no less.

I should also mention that this is a very slow story filled with mysteries and obscure details, so the pacing can sometimes lag. There’s actually quite a lot of action too, just it’s diluted throughout the novel (much to Gideon’s chagrin) and interspersed with magical/scientific challenges and murder mysteries. Speaking of which, I loved the magic system in this world. All magicians are necromancers, but there are so many different types of necromancy that you never know what they’re going to pull out of their hat. Muir decided to approach magic from a scientific perspective and basically turn necromancers into death scientists, which...if that doesn’t sound awesome to you, don’t get anywhere close to this book (and also, what are you doing on my profile?).

Another element I really enjoyed were the characters. Gideon is a ridiculously endearing protagonist with a big heart and an irresistible sense of humor, and Harrow...well, Harrow has more or less become my new role model. I mean, just look at how she’s introduced into the story:

“The Lady of the Ninth House stood before the drillshaft, wearing black and sneering. Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus had pretty much cornered the market on wearing black and sneering. It comprised 100 percent of her personality.”
How could you possibly not love her?

To be honest, I think the single biggest strength of this book — besides its originality — is the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously: the tone is intentionally irreverent and tongue-in-cheek, balancing what would otherwise be a very dark and grim story. Ultimately, I think your enjoyment of Gideon the Ninth will vary based on whether or not you like the writing style and whimsical setting.
As for me, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment of this fresh, innovative, and deeply emotional series...especially after that ending nearly broke my heart! ...more

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Apr 13, 2021 theresa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 21-favourites, sapphic, lgbtq

fuck it 5 stars this baby made me go feral in the best way

want to know more (aka watch me have a breakdown)? check out my reading vlog for this book and three other popular sapphic books here! ...more

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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

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About Tamsyn Muir

Tamsyn Muir

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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