Adamgv@book.dansmonorage.blue reviewed Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
“Good Soup”
4 stars
It’s like if David Lynch wrote lesbian sci-fi fan fiction and I love it.
eBook, 512 pages
English language
Published Aug. 7, 2020 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath ― but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe …
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath ― but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
It’s like if David Lynch wrote lesbian sci-fi fan fiction and I love it.
To me, this book feels like Muir wrote 3 books in-between Gideon and this, that's how much more confident this one's structure and writing feels. Whereas Gideon felt experimental and somewhat messy (in the most generous reading of those words possible), requiring me to commit more effort than I'm used to to pull me through it at times, this one had me hooked from the start, excellently paced, spinning threads that felt convoluted without requiring me to re-read fragments to make sure I'd understood what had just happened, and with a explosive last third or so that made me stay up at night reading through to the end. Loved it and can't wait to see where the series goes next.
Sep 2022 reread: yep still great. Onto Nona!
i read shakespeare for fun and this book was so confusing it took me six weeks to read. worth it tho… i think.
The first two thirds slightly annoyed me, in the last third it finally made some sense. Would have given this 3 stars if not for the very unexpected dad joke. 😄
I enjoyed Gideon but I liked this one better. Totally different tone and problem: it’s all about wrestling with loss and culpability, so check your mood before jumping in. Especially if you’ve struggled with dealing with someone dying, it can resonate more than you’re expecting.
Reminds me of Machineries of Empire series by [a:Yoon Ha Lee|3001246|Yoon Ha Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1603220064p2/3001246.jpg].
Good:
Harrow as self inflicted unreliable narrator trick was enjoyable; writing style fits perfectly with mystery plot
lore about the Emperor & his Lyctors fits well with established universe & was satisfying to uncover
Bad:
I miss Gideon's point of view
characterization at times feels self-indulgent, characters are caricatures of what fans expect them to be
Harrow The Ninth is deeply necromantic and gorgeous; full of the most beautiful body horror with a casual familiarity with death, the dead, and those who refuse to die. For everyone who read GTN and wants to be more confused, for longer, with even more viscera.
First and foremost: If you made it to the end of Gideon The Ninth, and you liked it, you’ll like Harrow The Ninth. If you haven’t read Gideon The Ninth, go do that (or at least read our review) and then come back, this will be here when you return. If you have a phobia of skeletons, viscera, blood, gore, or the frequent removal and rebuilding of bodies... don't read it, it's really okay if this one isn't for you (but I hope for your sake it is, because it's fantastic). It would be deeply disturbing to anyone who has an abiding and genuine …
Bury me with a copy of this book, please. There's a Locked Tomb books 1 and 2 (and let's be realistic, book 3 even though it's not even out yet) shaped space in my heart forever.
I was prepared for this to suffer from second book syndrome, but to still very much enjoy it. I was not prepared to sit clutching my head and staring out into the middle distance for at least two thirds of this book as the plot thickened, and thickened, and thickened until I had to give up trying to be clever and figure it out and just see what was ahead. I am particularly furious at how good the manipulation of tone was throughout the different sections, never giving anything away but still carrying so much weight. Also I started acting like harrow while reading this book, covering myself in a black scarves and collecting bones from the seashore. I don't know what that says about the book, more about me maybe.
Just as Gideon managed to surpass my expectations, Harrow took what I expected and simultaneously delivered and subverted my expectations. While just as weird and wonderful as the first book, this book manages to deepen the world building and mythology while both answering some questions and creating new ones. All the while keeping the reader in a (wonderful) state of confusion.
My only real disappointment was that the next book was not yet able to be ordered.
Holy shit this was an incredible book. It has it all: a very intriguing setting that keeps you wondering how things work. A plot that keeps you glued to the story; I had many theories on what was going on- most of them wrong. And characters that are fascinating to read about, whether they are discussing the mysteries of life and death, visiting other planets, or just enjoying some soup. I highly recommend this series and can't wait for the next book!
Read my full review at my blog (warning: has spoilers for [b:Gideon the Ninth|42036538|Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538.SY75.jpg|60943229]): strakul.blogspot.com/2020/08/book-review-harrow-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir.html