Reviews with content warning for Gore - Ninefox Gambit

This book took a bit of getting into - the first chapter is set in a battle scene in which horrible things that are both gory and confusing happen to the soldiers. It took quite a while to figure out what the deal was with this book (when people say it is ancillary justice crossed with divergent they are certainly right!). This combination sounds improbable and when I first saw it did not fill me with joy but it is more like Ancillary Justice (in that the setting is a massive evil space empire and everyone is queer) with the faction system being a little more complex than that of Divergent and there is a bunch of stuff a bit like astrology? I'm not a fan of astrology so those elements took a bit of getting used to. Lee also has a somewhat disorienting way of progressing a story which was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars. Sometimes scenes or joins between scenes were a little disorienting or I found it difficult to visualise what was happening with the tactics.

However, despite these obstacles in the way of my enjoyment I still had a great time reading this book. Something about Lee's characters made me get very attached to them in very short amounts of time - even minor side characters - so when they inevitably met a nasty end I was like :( . Cheris and Jedao are the main characters and I liked both of them (for very different reasons!). Jedao is terrifying! From the beginning we know his reputation while his motivations are very much unknown and this combined with him basically being a ghost make him a little scary already. Then Lee wrote a couple of terrifying scenes and the I was feeling just as scared as Cheris! Jedao is the kind of person MCU Loki wishes he was! I think Lee does a good job explaining why Jedao went on his murder spree without forcing the reader to sympathise.

I would advise anyone who doesn't like reading about genocide, weapons of mass destruction (and their gory effects on squishy humans) to maybe skip this one as although the way people are killed is very abstract it is still quite disturbing.

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mdpenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I'm not that into straight up war stories, but this was very clever. I enjoyed the notion of complex mathematical models of calendars and holidays creating exotic physical effects that can be harnessed as tools and weaponry. A lot of the story, though, felt choppy. There were parts that the author really wrote well but there were good chunks here and there that felt a little underdeveloped. As much as I enjoyed it, I wasn't going to read the rest of the series until I got to the end, which unexpectedly drew me in despite the fact that I was expecting the ending. It was the way that it happened that made me really want to see where it's going to go.

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cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book!!! The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that some points I found were unnecessarily slow, but for the most part this book was brilliant in worldbuilding and character work.

This is very much a 'first of a trilogy' plot, with an overarching plot laid wide across the end but in such a satisfying way I can't help but adore it.

Cheris and Jedao are tricky characters but they were very compelling all the way through, even when I thought one or both of them were evil!

This is not a book to read for a simple story of good and evil, many awful things are caused by protagonist and antagonist aligned characters, but it is excellently constructed and a joy to watch all the moving parts fall into place.

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bookswithdizz's review against another edition

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adventurous tense

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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lbevs's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adore this book with the bottom of my heart, but it is Exhausting. This book put me through the ringer emotionally, but I loved reading it. Lee’s writing is pretty aggressive, and while I think the worldbuilding is really strong, there’s almost no exposition so you have to figure it out while you’re reading. So if you don’t want to feel like you’re putting together a puzzle while you’re reading, this might not be a great match for you. That said, I found it brilliant, and I fell in love with the characters while staying on the edge of my seat. Also, this books (and series) has good LGBT+ rep, but no (or not a lot of) romance.

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ellisdex's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Really good, once you get past the unexplained worldbuilding jargon at the very beginning. Ignore what you don't understand and move on. It's worth it.

The calendar- and mathematics-based magic system is incredibly cool once you figure out how it works, particularly as the book is from the viewpoint of someone who gets it more than most. The servitors are fantastic. The characters all feel very real within the parameters set by the world. Everyone is human - everyone has a family, hobbies, tiny details about their lives that the book explicitly says is sad to lose in war. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with the theming, but it's about the cost of war, whether the ends justify the means, and how governments keep themselves functioning at the expense of their own. It's incredibly interesting and very poignant. Super excited to read the rest of the series.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'Ninefox Gambit' by Yoon Ha Lee is an engaging military sci-fi story that delves into a unique world.
The story centers around disgraced Captain Kel Cheris, who is given the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking a star fortress. To do this, Cheris allies herself with the undead Shuos Jedao, whose ghost is paired with her so that she can hear his voice in her head. As they work to retake the Fortress of Scattered Needles, Cheris learns more about Jedao's past and the truth behind what has long made others consider him mad.
Yoon Ya Lee creates an engaging and unique world in 'Ninefox Gambit.' The political machinations that are going on behind the scenes, paired with Cheris' story interweave to create an engaging plot. I think one of the really strong points of the story is how we slowly learn more about Jedao through his memories. Lee slowly peels away at Jedao's madness to learn more about what drove him to do what he has become infamous for.
I would recommend reading this story instead of listening to it as I often found myself confused while listening. The complexity of the world, including a lot of really specific vocabulary, means that you have to pay close attention to follow along with what is happening, especially as we move between Cheris' story and Jedao's past. If you like military science fiction and complex worlds, I highly recommend 'Ninefox Gambit.' I'm interested to see what happens next, especially as we learn more about the world and Jedao.

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bluelibrarian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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