Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton.
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
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 necromantic skeletons. 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 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.
* * *
"The more you struggle against the Ninth, Nav, the deeper it takes you; the louder you curse it, the louder they'll have you scream."
Wow, I didn't think I'd finish off 2019 and the decade having my heart absolutely shattered into pieces and pulverized into dust, but okay. Despite the aforementioned heart dust, I am so happy I picked up this book! Because of the excitement of the holidays mixed with me getting pretty sick it took me far too long to finish this amazing fantasy book, but I was enjoying it the whole way through.
Our two main characters are by far the best part of this book. Gideon is my favorite and she has not only become my favorite new literary character but she has definitely become one of my book crushes, which I don't have happen very often. She is so witty, charming, and determined. Her humor is so close to my own humor so I was constantly laughing at her dialogue and her bickering with Harrow. It was really easy to love Gideon, and although it took me a moment to warm up to Harrowhark, once it happened I was obsessed with them both. She sometimes drove me a bit insane, but whether or not Harrow and Gideon are bickering or working together, it was always fun to read about it. Their dialogue together was perfect.
"They had never fought together before, but they had always fought, and they could work in and around each other without a second's thought."
Muir's writing has really great moments, and weaker moments. The plot itself was both incredibly interesting to me and also very confusing a lot of the time. Even when I was confused, I was enjoying myself (mostly because I love Gideon Nav) but I cannot deny that I was confused for a good chunk of the technicalities of bone magic and the abilities the other characters we meet possess. I wasn't ever so confused that I couldn't continue, and I grasped enough of it to get enough to understand what was happening, but I don't think I got the full scope of everything. I think the weakest part of this book is the world building, which I think is present a little in the story but not enough for me to fully understand the world we are reading about. I think my confusion I mentioned earlier in this section is partially the result of the weaker world building. I do think the sequel will expand the world and we will get more of it, which I am beyond excited about but I do wish we got a bit more in this one. I am hoping when I re-read Gideon the Ninth (which will probably be before the release of Harrow the Ninth's release) I get more out of it. I think that's the biggest issue I had with this book, the only other smaller issue I had was that there are so many characters, and only a handful (other than Gideon and Harrow) have enough development that I felt like I really knew them. The rest were so unforgettable at times that I forgot about them and then when they popped up I'd have to flip to the character guide in the front of the book to get a refresher. I wish we had gotten more of the characters, but the ones I did get to know I easily became attached to, so Muir is obviously talented. Like I said earlier, the dialogue between Gideon and Harrow is perfect, but it doesn't stop there, the dialogue between so many of the characters is perfect. Muir is really talented at writing suspense, action sequences, and has really beautiful descriptions and imagery.
"I cannot conceive a universe without you in it."
I don't want the above paragraph to seem incredibly negative, because although the things I've said are true, I absolutely loved my experience reading Gideon the Ninth. I was never bored and I was so obsessed with this book while reading it. I am already planning on buying it ASAP and pre-ordering the sequel. It's become a new favorite, and that is because of how much I love Gideon and the way Muir writes so many interesting characters and plots. I am obsessed, in love, and will have to show a lot of self-restraint to not spend the first six months of 2020 re-reading Gideon the Ninth until the sequel comes out.
I recommend this book so much to anyone in the mood for a fantastic fantasy book! I think if you like fantasy you'll probably love this one. I couldn't think of a better way to finish off 2019, and I hope my heart can be put together in enough time to read Harrow the Ninth when it releases June 2020. If you've read Gideon the Ninth, I'd love to talk about it!
"Maybe it's that I find the idea comforting...that thousands of years after you're gone...is when you really live. That your echo is louder than your voice."
Thanks for reading!
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