hardcover, 512 pages
English language
Published Aug. 4, 2020 by Tor.com.
"She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
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 …
"She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
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 spent the first third of the book confused about what was going on, the second third putting some of the clues together and the third getting a whole other bunch of questions to ponder. This is not a complacent sequel or rehash, it builds on Gideon while telling it's own story, with some glorious soap opera moments and dad jokes throughout. So good I'm probably going to reread Gideon now to see what I missed.
I don't even know where to begin. But damn.
I found this rather less impelling than the first volume, but it's still a very good read. Harrow is revealed even more unpleasant than the first volume might have lead you to think. In fact, most of the characters, other than Gideon, are pretty awful. God is clearly evil, pressing unwanted cups of tea on everyone. Will there be cucumber sandwiches?
Update: having run out of books, I reread this one. Apparently, Muir holds that the narrating voice who second persons Harrow is Gideon. This seems very unlikely, as the voice is very different from that of the narrator of the first volume, and we later discover that Gideon, although she's in there somewhere, was only semi-aware of what was going on, and therefore unlikely to be able to give the fairly detailed report which we read here.
Muir offers Harrow redemption, and although she seizes it, slobbering pitifully over …
I found this rather less impelling than the first volume, but it's still a very good read. Harrow is revealed even more unpleasant than the first volume might have lead you to think. In fact, most of the characters, other than Gideon, are pretty awful. God is clearly evil, pressing unwanted cups of tea on everyone. Will there be cucumber sandwiches?
Update: having run out of books, I reread this one. Apparently, Muir holds that the narrating voice who second persons Harrow is Gideon. This seems very unlikely, as the voice is very different from that of the narrator of the first volume, and we later discover that Gideon, although she's in there somewhere, was only semi-aware of what was going on, and therefore unlikely to be able to give the fairly detailed report which we read here.
Muir offers Harrow redemption, and although she seizes it, slobbering pitifully over her cavalier's shoulder, this reader isn't buying it. I also don't buy Gideon's avowal of undying loyalty to the Ninth in general and Harrow in particular.
It now seems that the story is to balloon out into four volumes. This is unlikely to be warranted.
This managed to be one of the most confusing books I ever read while being absolutely excellent. I'm very confused :D
This book did not make a single lick of sense. It's 500+ pages of various employs of "wtf?!". I don't understand anything that happened. I didn't care about Harrow. I cared a little bit about John. Literally no one is likeable. By the time things start to "make sense" you're 2/3 through and so freaking confused that the ending feels rushed and answers literally no questions. The whole book ends on a series of giant question marks in an utterly unsatisfying way.
That said, I still had fun. The prose is good and hilarious. The plot and world are just so needlessly complex that it pretty much ruins the experience.
I'll be back for the third simply to find out what the hell actually happened in this book, but I don't have high expectations.
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 …
I feel like this book is the 60% deliberate confusion, 10% Muir just seeing what her editors will allow her to publish, and 30% brilliant and incomprehensible world building. Somehow it all comes together in a phantasmagorical whole like a 21st century Alice in Wonderland, where the Rabbit holes contain rabbit holes.
[second read]
On rereading, much of the shock and confusion is replaced by a new appreciation for the characterization and complexity of a book that does so much through its form as much as its substance. I might up that earlier estimate of 10% just seeing what editors will allow... that feels too low. There is so much here that is giggle-inducing nonsense, from characters with names taken from 2000s era pop music to self referential nods to the ridiculous nature of epic fantasy and SF writing in general.
[on third read]
There is considerable depth to unpack …
I feel like this book is the 60% deliberate confusion, 10% Muir just seeing what her editors will allow her to publish, and 30% brilliant and incomprehensible world building. Somehow it all comes together in a phantasmagorical whole like a 21st century Alice in Wonderland, where the Rabbit holes contain rabbit holes.
[second read]
On rereading, much of the shock and confusion is replaced by a new appreciation for the characterization and complexity of a book that does so much through its form as much as its substance. I might up that earlier estimate of 10% just seeing what editors will allow... that feels too low. There is so much here that is giggle-inducing nonsense, from characters with names taken from 2000s era pop music to self referential nods to the ridiculous nature of epic fantasy and SF writing in general.
[on third read]
There is considerable depth to unpack here, considering the nature of perception and reality, as well as concepts of mortality and liminal spaces.
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.
