eBook, 448 pages
English language
Published July 17, 2019 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.
Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir
4 stars
(217 reviews)
"The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
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 summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of …
"The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
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 summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead."
Vilhelm R reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Oh Undying King, Prime Necromancer, what an absolute gift this book is! I read a lot, and this is easily one of my favourite books of the past few years, and I bought the sequel before I had even finished this one. I'm thrilled that it's a part of a series, that I get to follow this tale even farther, and I can't imagine anything stopping me from recommending this book far and wide. Love it! In fact, it could cause me to downrate certain other five star books to four, simply since the ceiling has been raised so much!
Andy Pressman reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Joss Whedon has doomed us all
2 stars
Book's okay, with a plot that chugs along and some fun character design and costuming, but it's just so in love with its own voice. Narrator and descriptive text are both arch, clever, "cussy!", and devoid of anything human. As review title suggests, we have yet to escape Buffy.
Darius Kazemi reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
A love-it-or-hate-it proposition
3 stars
Count me as one of the people who really can't stand the author's extremely strong authorial voice. Sometimes it was genuinely funny and I loved it but it was SO omnipresent and overbearing that eventually it felt like I was being told a pretty interesting scifi/fantasy story by someone who desperately needs me to find them hilarious.
I love the world it's set in, I love the whole goth cultists in space thing. I don't like the protagonist and I don't like that most of the characters are emotionally confused teenagers. It feels like I was tricked into reading a mislabeled YA novel. And like, YA is fine, but I like to know what I'm getting into ahead of time?
I think that if your sense of humor aligns with the author you might love this novel! But if you don't, you might hate it.
ish-i-ness reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
I can’t even begin to rate this book. There’s a lot to like. Gideon has a unique, very entertaining voice. The magic is all very cool. The interplay of characters is complex and intricate. But I am so confused. Lol. I will say that if an adaptation were ever made (for some reason i think an anime-style thing would work really well) I would totally watch it. At the moment, though, I’m really on the fence about whether I want to continue with the series, and I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m so reluctant.
TowerOfTheArchmage reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb Trilogy)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Holy crap that was amazing
mouse reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
necromancer space lesbians, hello
5 stars
this book is just FUN? like there are moments where it could have been a little too on-the-nose or too self-conscious but it pulls it off because it's so enjoyable to read.
and the audio book is great
Jon Fincher reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow.
Just... wow.
This was a hell of a fun ride. I love stories which just throw you into the world, and expect you to figure it out as the story goes along. That is, as long as the author can give you enough clues and description and character development to show you the world she's building.
And Tamsyn Muir is more than capable of doing just that. She is a wonderful writer, and I would read anything else she chooses to write, no matter the genre or material. Hell, even the Acknowledgements at the end of the book were entertaining.
I won't give the plot away, except to say that this is a great twist on the traditional swords-and-sorcery fantasy genre, with a bit of a sci-fi element. Her characters are modern and smart and three-dimensional. The dialogue is crisp and funny and sometimes poignant and always moving …
Wow.
Just... wow.
This was a hell of a fun ride. I love stories which just throw you into the world, and expect you to figure it out as the story goes along. That is, as long as the author can give you enough clues and description and character development to show you the world she's building.
And Tamsyn Muir is more than capable of doing just that. She is a wonderful writer, and I would read anything else she chooses to write, no matter the genre or material. Hell, even the Acknowledgements at the end of the book were entertaining.
I won't give the plot away, except to say that this is a great twist on the traditional swords-and-sorcery fantasy genre, with a bit of a sci-fi element. Her characters are modern and smart and three-dimensional. The dialogue is crisp and funny and sometimes poignant and always moving forward. The characters are well developed and in full 3D, and while you have to be paying attention, it is sooooooo worth it.
There's a reason why this book was nominated for a Hugo and a Nebula. There are a million worse ways to spend your reading time and dollars, and while there may actually be one or two better ways, I can't think of any.
mirrorwitch reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
No no hear me out—
What if sword lesbians.
AND goth gf.
And, and, we set it in Warhammer 40k, right?, but take all that gross hypermasculinity out of it. And, also, they’re all in necromancy school chūnin exam! But there’s a murderer! Maybe it’s the monster? I mean the one haunting the castle. Where the tournament arc happens. It’s in a haunted castle. For necromancers. In space. With murders.
This book is an amusement park ride going right through a big black pool filled with sheer unabashed glee. And skeletons. A lot of skeletons. I love it so much. Both the fencing ~and~ the necromancy are exquisitely, lovingly detailed, and they aren’t even the best part because the characters are so great, the plot so hooking. Nine skulls out of five.
---
Audiobook is great, Moira is a fantastic voice actor, but some stuff doesn’t work well in linear …
No no hear me out—
What if sword lesbians.
AND goth gf.
And, and, we set it in Warhammer 40k, right?, but take all that gross hypermasculinity out of it. And, also, they’re all in necromancy school chūnin exam! But there’s a murderer! Maybe it’s the monster? I mean the one haunting the castle. Where the tournament arc happens. It’s in a haunted castle. For necromancers. In space. With murders.
This book is an amusement park ride going right through a big black pool filled with sheer unabashed glee. And skeletons. A lot of skeletons. I love it so much. Both the fencing ~and~ the necromancy are exquisitely, lovingly detailed, and they aren’t even the best part because the characters are so great, the plot so hooking. Nine skulls out of five.
---
Audiobook is great, Moira is a fantastic voice actor, but some stuff doesn’t work well in linear format—have the charts with the Nine Houses and the dramatis personæ at hand.
meeg reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Best book I've read all year.
Steen Christiansen reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Great story but I’m not convinced by the narrative voice.
loppear reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on Goodreads
3 stars
Sword-swinging and skeletal magic, nearly all-women, led by a sarcastic saucy misfit (voice as enjoyable as Murderbot, perhaps too close) in a dying galactic empire. Enjoyed the puzzling and locked-room wizarding with these welcome setting twists, but ultimately I may not be the swashbuckling audience.
state_electrician reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I remember hearing about this book last year, but the tagline it was advertised with, "lesbian necromancers in space", didn't sound particularly appealing. Now, with the second book of the Locked Tomb trilogy just out, there was more talk about Gideon the Ninth, and these reviews sounded a lot better. After the borefest that was Gorky Park, I wanted something entertaining and picked up Gideon. And how glad I am I did. It's very good for a first novel, full of an interesting world and twists and turns. I can see why some people wouldn't like it, but I didn't see any faults in this book. My only problem was the vocabulary, which is oftentimes a bit too much if your native language isn't English. But it was still OK and I can't wait where the next books take the story.
Mysteriarch 📖 reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on Goodreads
2 stars
Sadly, 'lesbian space necromancers' works a lot better as a pitch than as an actual novel.
Jonathan Arnold reviewed Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb, #1)
Review of 'Gideon the Ninth' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I just don't know what to make of this book! The two main protagonists, Harrowhark and, especially, Gideon, were just great. Gideon was a real wise cracker. She had a snappy comeback for almost everything. Her and Harrowhark fought like two sisters for years but finally came together. Their banter was definitely the high point of the story.
This is a story about magic. Magic in space! The Nine houses all live on different planets and travel around by spaceship. The Ninth House is all about necromancy. They get called together, I think to figure out who will become the next Lyctor. What a Lyctor is, I am not sure. In fact, I am not sure what to make of the entire story.
To begin with, I was never too sure who the other characters were. Each house sent their lead magic user and their best cavalier, a sword bearing …
I just don't know what to make of this book! The two main protagonists, Harrowhark and, especially, Gideon, were just great. Gideon was a real wise cracker. She had a snappy comeback for almost everything. Her and Harrowhark fought like two sisters for years but finally came together. Their banter was definitely the high point of the story.
This is a story about magic. Magic in space! The Nine houses all live on different planets and travel around by spaceship. The Ninth House is all about necromancy. They get called together, I think to figure out who will become the next Lyctor. What a Lyctor is, I am not sure. In fact, I am not sure what to make of the entire story.
To begin with, I was never too sure who the other characters were. Each house sent their lead magic user and their best cavalier, a sword bearing defender. And each was described in so many different ways, my head was spinning. First names, last names, nicknames, houses, physical descriptions - I just could not keep any of them straight.
And magic! I generally do not like magic in my books, as it is too easy. And not only did the author not bother explaining it (besides the occasional talk of "thanergy"), she just jumped right in and had magic flying all around. Maybe because it was so pervasive, I didn't seem to mind it. They just did all kinds of magical stuff and it seemed to fit.
There were a couple huge battles and I could barely follow the action. Don't get too attached to any of the characters (if you can figure them out), because any of them could go poof. But the story moved along really well and I just plowed on, despite any confusion.
And the writing was great! I do a "Word of the Day" on my Twitter feed when I come across an interesting word in my reading and I haven't done so many entries since Stephenson's [b:The System of the World|116257|The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407712273l/116257.SY75.jpg|905463]! There were also plenty of laughs and some real gut punches too.
So despite being confused for most of the book, I was totally entranced as well. Maybe the two are intricately linked? I dunno, but I can't wait to read book two of The Locked Tomb, [b:Harrow the Ninth|39325105|Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569871560l/39325105.SY75.jpg|60943273].
Subjects
- Fiction, science fiction, action & adventure
- Fiction, fantasy, epic