Series: The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir ("Gideon the Ninth")

[Anna]

Buddy read thread for the Locked Tomb series, starting with Gideon the Ninth.

This has since become a BOTM, here are the official threads:

Gideon the Ninth >> First impressions | Final thoughts

Discussion relating to Harrow the Ninth and the rest of the series stays in this thread.

Please use spoiler tags and tell us which book and chapter you're talking about.

Want to read the first 8 chapters for free? Also check Twitter for #ninedaysofGideon!

Free short set in this world: The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex. Read online here.

PS. Necroposters welcome! :P

[Anna]

I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into, it sounds way darker than I usually go for. There's mentions of gore and body horror. I'm still excited :D

[Gabi]

Provided that it will be available on audible I start as soon as I finished Oathbringer.

[Anna]

Yeah my library still doesn't have it ordered, and I'm not paying that Kindle price. I'm worried about the audio narrator, but I'm most likely going that route. I can return it if I hate it. Maybe Moira Quirk will suprise me! (I don't dislike her, I just associate her with fluffy YA.)

[Gabi]

The combination of fluffy YA voice and gore/body horror sounds veeeery intriguing.

[Kaa]

My library is fabulous and bought lots of copies, and now the ebook is sitting happily on my overdrive shelf!

[Gabi]

So far not available on audible here.

[Anna]

Kaa, will you start it soon? I wonder why it isn't on Audible yet, are they trying to push people to buy the ebook?

[Anna]

I still can't see it on Audible's site, but you can buy it (with Audible credit) from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Gideon-the-Nin...

edit: lol, and now, three minutes later, it IS on Audible.com :D

[Anna]

Augh, I listened to the sample, and it is indeed Moira Quirk, the Victorian steampunk lady narrator, reading this :S I don't know if I can listen! What a weird choice, I have no idea what they were thinking!? Or is my idea of what this book is completely wrong? Maybe Gideon is a lady who wrangles her bustle and drinks tea all day.

[Gabi]

Yes, it is here now! I guess I can live with the voice (I mean it's €5 less than the ebook, this colours every voice beautiful 😉) So I can start anytime.

[Anna]

I can probably live with it, it just seems weird! :D

[Jordan]

My copy was waiting for me when I got home last night. Super excited about this! As soon as I finish my current reads I'm diving right in.

[Anna]

Jordan, does that mean tomorrow or later? Does anyone else (besides Kaa and Gabi) a) plan to join and b) already have it? Or is someone still waiting for their copy? I'd love to try and start at the same time with as many people as possible, any time is fine for me!

[Gabi]

Yes, please, let me know as well. I can start this right away if folks want to read it now - otherwise I start the new Atwood now.

[Anna]

I'm also deciding between this and Atwood :D

edit: Which reminds me that I saw Jordan's post in the What Else thread, and I think she was reading several books, one of them the Atwood. So maybe we'll all get Atwood out of the way, and that'll give more time to those who might want to join but don't have Gideon yet. I feel like it's a nice progression, from a religious dystopian Gilead to a lesbian necromantic Gideon! XD

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

lolll

I'm on the wait list at my library, so don't wait on me, but for sure I won't be starting this immediately.

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "I'm also deciding between this and Atwood :D

edit: Which reminds me that I saw Jordan's post in the What Else thread, and I think she was reading several books, one of them the Atwood. So maybe we'll all get Atwood out of the way, and that'll give more time to those who might want to join but don't have Gideon yet. I feel like it's a nice progression, from a religious dystopian Gilead to a lesbian necromantic Gideon! XD."

Perfect! :D

[Jordan]

Hah, yeah the new Atwood is my other current read. Well, and Calculating Stars, but I have less than an hour left in that. I expect it won't take me long as I'm already sucked in by The Testaments and I have the day off tomorrow.

[Kaa]

I'm good to wait until other folks are ready - I have a queer Arthurian retelling in space to tide me over, so I'm not feeling overly tempted to start Gideon early.

[Tina]

Ive got this one waiting on my ereader. I’m half way through my current read, so should be ready to dive in right about when the buddy read officially starts.

[Anna]

I just noticed that the audio is now on Storytel. I'd been checking daily, no luck, but now it suddenly popped up on the list of new things, after I'd stopped searching for it. Yay for saving a credit and $15. Now I'm very tempted to start it!

[Anna]

I listened to the first two chapters last night, and I don't know if it was the fact that I was exhausted and trying very hard to fall asleep, or just Moira Quirk reading exactly the same way she reads the Parasolverse YA books, but I found it hilarious :D I kept imagining Prim in Gideon's place. Very much looking forward to this!

[Gabi]

I'll do some work now and then I sit down for drawing and will start as well.

[Anna]

I was going to prioritize my other book and wait for everyone else, but I’m very happy to have an excuse (permission?) to really start this when I get home today! I don’t want to listen during the day because it’s raining skeletons and I’m tired and cranky trying to wrangle the umbrella. I’ll probably start over because I was half asleep.

[Gabi]

OMG! Just listened to the dramatis personae - and I'm mortified! XD

[Anna]

Yeah that was ... a lot 😜

[Anna]

The audiobook is ridiculous in all the best ways. I don't know if I love it or hate it, but I love it. I'm not sure if there will be much to discuss, so far it's just tons of fun with skeletons, as promised.

I need a (dirt) nap now, necromancers can resurrect me when it's time to start listening to Act 2.

[Jemppu]

I started the audio book out of curiosity... it being free after all. But am still unsure, if I should go on. I fear it might not be my cup of tea, but if something interesting comes up in this here conversation, perhaps I'll need to carry on.

[Gabi]

:D I still try to get into the world. I'm not sure I have an overview over what's going on. (And I must admit that I have to get accustomed to the loudmouthed girl - usually those are the characters that irk me).

[Anna]

I’ve listened to the first act, and it’s all go from the start and it hasn’t stopped so far. Gideon is sleeping right now, which is why I felt it’s safe for me to do so, too. What I’m saying is that if the style doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not going to change?

[Anna]

I'm up to chapter 14, but there are no plot spoilers here at all, I don't think I could spoil the plot if I tried. Just general thoughts about the style, which you can safely read if you don't let other people's opinions change your own.

(view spoiler)[ So it starts with all the jokes and banter. A little bit of intro into the world, still drenched in jokes and banter. The audiobook narrator is doing a bang up job of reading it exactly like a ridiculous YA steampunk adventure. You're giggling because it's all so ridiculous, and wasn't this supposed to be about necromancers in space?

Then you're a couple of hours into it, and you have sort of spotted that there is a plot lurking there, somewhere, but you're not sure if you can find it because of all the jokes and banter. You're smiling a bit every now and then, some things are pretty funny.

Then you get a good night's sleep, and continue listening to the plot seemingly starting to unfold, but you can't pay any attention to it, because of all the fucking jokes and banter. You're starting to feel exhausted, and your mind is drifting and all you can actually hear is the constant banter.

I know something is happening, but I couldn't tell you what, because I'm so distracted by the combination of the two main characters and the audio narration. So far I've identified the voice/speech pattern of several Parasolverse characters, like Prim, Percy, Lord Akeldama, Quesnel, etc. and having just listened to those books a couple of weeks ago, it really is bleeding into this audio experience. Did Quirk record this straight after she wrapped up Reticence?

Those who haven't listened to Parasolverse won't have that problem, but is this how these characters are supposed to sound? I tried imagining some of the comments read with my eyes, and they could easily have a serious, threatening tone, whereas here everything is a joke.

I don't mean any of this to say that I'm not enjoying it, I'm just deeply confused as to whether I should try to take this seriously, and how the fuck am I supposed to do that with this style of narration?! (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

I'm just past halfway and I think (view spoiler)[ I've spotted the plot! Holy fuck it took its sweet time. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

LOL! I'm still waiting for the full realisation. But I at least at third point it feels like it's going somewhere.
Yet I'm still trying to figure out the society.

[Kaa]

Ok, I gave in and started, since all of you did.

Anna, I don't think it's just the narrator - I'm eye-reading and (view spoiler)[the banter is still pretty overbearing. So far Gideon reminds me a bit of Nyx from Kameron Hurley's God's War, although the plot and world-building is (as of 13%) even less comprehensible than Hurley's. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Hmm, OK that's good to know I guess? :D

[Gabi]

Chapter 26: (view spoiler)[ I'm losing track of who is who and who is duelling who and why … and tbh, I don't care. I'm quite astonished that this book is shelved as 'adult'. I feel like I'm listening to one long who's-cooler-whose-one-is-bigger teenager bickering. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Gabi, (view spoiler)[ I also don't care at all, I just sped the audio to 2x because I just want it to end already! (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "Gabi, [spoilers removed]"

LOL! (view spoiler)[ I can't go faster than 1.25 otherwise I don't get it. My English isn't good enough. But I'm doing something while listening, so it is okay. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Finished.

(view spoiler)[ I really enjoyed the weird tone at the beginning, but it got old really fast. I had fun listening to Act 1, because it was setup and getting to know the characters, so it felt fine for things to be a bit over the top. If this had been a novella (without the same plot), I probably wouldn't have had time to get annoyed with the humor. I could see myself enjoying a yearly novella-length dose of foul-mouthed Gideon in the same way I do Murderbot and Penric. But this was way too much for me, and I got bored.

The plot was like Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" mixed with "The Hunger Games", with some dirty language thrown in. Necromystery. I'm really disappointed with this being sold as science fantasy, I mean mentioning a sonic shower and an airlock isn't enough to make something scifi.

I really don't have much to say. It was ridiculous fun at the start, but I got bored along the way and by the time I got to the end, I didn't care about anything anymore. (hide spoiler)]

[Jordan]

Well since everyone is starting on this and I finished The Testaments, I'm starting on this one tonight.

[Gabi]

Jordan wrote: "Well since everyone is starting on this and I finished The Testaments, I'm starting on this one tonight."

I'm looking forward to your impression.

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "Finished. "

Finished as well … and now (view spoiler)[ I feel old. This is the second book in a row where I find the writing 'teenagery'. Do I get too old for young authors? The usage of swearwords in speaking and thinking by Gideon completely got on my nerves. I have a brother-in-law who talks like that - and that really is enough for one life for me.

This book absolutely wasn't for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Gabi, (view spoiler)[ in that case I'm also too old, because I totally get what you're saying. I thought this had a very young feel, and I voluntarily read and enjoy YA books every now and then. I still think I'd have liked it if it was much, much shorter, but it was too much of a wacky thing. I'm not sure how I should feel about the general public being in love with this, it was definitely way over-hyped, but lots of people seem to genuinely love it?

I originally thought I wouldn't want to read the next one, but I might want to see what Muir does with her second book and a more restrained protagonist. Depends entirely on how I feel when it comes out. I won't ask you to BR it though! :D (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Anna, I LOVE BR with you, but, indeed, I most probably would skip the sequel ;)

[Tina]

I’ve just finished the third chapter of the ebook and I don’t think I like this at all.
(view spoiler)[
Ugh. It’s such high school nonsense disguised with a thin layer of mold and walking skeletons.
The teachers trying to talk a runaway into staying. The teenagers slinging witty banter at each other. A slap fight. Forging mom’s signature on notes. The assembly where they’re called to the principals office... I mean head necrodude’s.


(hide spoiler)]

I’m giving it two more chapters, then I think I’m going to DNF it.

[Anna]

:D

[Kaa]

Uff, I am gonna DNF. I'm not enjoying it so far, and based on Gabi and Anna's reactions, it's not going to get better.

[Anna]

Depends on why you’re not liking it, and how far in you are. But I’m not going to talk anyone into going against their gut feeling!

[Kaa]

A lot of it's just the tone and writing style. I can do spotty world-building and a plot that takes a while to develop, but like Gabi said, it's very 'teenagery' and I'm not feeling that.