Hardcover, 512 pages
Russian language
Published Dec. 16, 2020 by Эксмо.
Мир «Гидеон из Девятого дома» Тэмсин Мьюир — это вселенная звездолётов, далёких солнц, мастеров фехтования, жестокой политики и лесбиянок-некромантов.
Воспитанная недружелюбными, окостеневшими монахинями, древними слугами и бесчисленными скелетами, Гидеон готова предать традиции и отказаться от рабства и загробной жизни в качестве живого мертвеца. Она зачехляет свой меч и готовится к дерзкому побегу. Но у Немезиды для неё другие планы.
Харрохак Нонагесимус, Преподобная дочь Девятого дома и экстраординарная костяная ведьма, отправляется в бой. Император призвал наследников каждого из верноподданных Домов на смертельный поединок — испытание ума и мастерства. Если Харрохак преуспеет, она станет бессмертной всемогущей слугой Бога Воскрешения. Но ни один некромант не может выступить без своего рыцаря. Без рапиры Гидеон, Харроу потерпит неудачу и Девятый дом вымрет.
Безусловно, некоторые вещи лучше оставить мёртвыми.
Durante más de la mitad del libro no tenía ni idea de que iba,pero aún así me tenía enganchadisimo. A ver cuándo puedo poner las manos encima de la segunda parte.
I read this by chance and I'm very glad I did. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first - all those bones! - but I was completely drawn into the story to the end. I also loved the matter-of-fact voice of the narrator, Gideon. A really fun read.
Update: it's unusual for me to reread anything these days, especially only after a year, but in the wake of Harrow it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Second time round there are less surprises, but instead you get to appreciate how well they are set up and foreshadowed. The duels still stand out, capturing the intensity of combat, and the last third of the book is almost impossible too so reading (not including the substantial back matter that helps flesh out the world, which is missing from Harrow come to think of it). If you're looking for a Halloween read, this should be it as is hard to think of a box it doesn't tick: bones, witches, ghosts, monsters, costumes, face paint, prizes for showing off, childhood trauma and dad jokes.
This book seems to have been built from the parts of so many great things that is …
Update: it's unusual for me to reread anything these days, especially only after a year, but in the wake of Harrow it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Second time round there are less surprises, but instead you get to appreciate how well they are set up and foreshadowed. The duels still stand out, capturing the intensity of combat, and the last third of the book is almost impossible too so reading (not including the substantial back matter that helps flesh out the world, which is missing from Harrow come to think of it). If you're looking for a Halloween read, this should be it as is hard to think of a box it doesn't tick: bones, witches, ghosts, monsters, costumes, face paint, prizes for showing off, childhood trauma and dad jokes.
This book seems to have been built from the parts of so many great things that is extremely hard to pin down what one thing it is, but it is certainly entertaining and hard to put down once it gets going. It's also the first book I've read where instead of yearning for a movie or TV series adaptation it really feels like it needs to be animated. Perhaps the poor souls behind the Castlevania Netflix series can pick this up.
Now follows a list of pop culture hybrid descriptions that don't do it justice: Goth Dune, literary black metal, Utena goes to the Hunger Games, Bleach in spaaaaaace, Agatha Christie's Dracula, Harry Potter except Voldemort won and everyone is in Slytherin now, etc.
While it is very much my thing, I can imagine some folk might be put off by the abrupt changes in tone, hyper modern dialog and relentless dad jokes, but all of these things just seasoned the broth to my delight. An unexpected bittersweet joy.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Holy crap that was amazing
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
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.
This is a lot of fun. Gideon's voice is an excellent vehicle, and the story romps along. Harrow is a monstrous construction.
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.
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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.
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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.
Best book I've read all year.
Great story but I’m not convinced by the narrative voice.
