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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gideon the Ninth is a weird book.
It defies genres; it's sci-fi (space ships!), fantasy (the necromancers), horror (there are some... gross descriptions and horrifying things that I won't spoil), a murder-mystery (starting in the second third of the book), a coming-of-age story, romance...
And it is really very good. Muir manages to write a story that is extremely funny, exciting and yet also tragic and these aspects all balance each other out perfectly. There are some frankly stupid, rolling-you-eyes jokes in this book as well as some heartbreakingly beautiful scenes and quotes ("you are my only friend. I am undone without you" and of course "first flower of my house")
Gideon is a great main character, but also a bit of an unreliable narrator. The supporting cast is great as well; all characters are fleshed out and interesting, from the characters back in the Ninth house to the rivals in the competition at Canaan House. World-building wise, we do not get as much context as with later books, but it is sufficient to understand where we are (9 houses, all on their own planets -> our solar system).
For me, the biggest reason why this is a 5 star book is, that it has boundless re-read potential and gets better, first after reading it again and then reading it after reading Harrow the Ninth. It probably also get better again after reading Nona. This is because Muir peels back layer after layer in each book and you get more and more context that puts different scenes in a totally new light.
I will definitely read this again.
I recommend this to people who like: fantastical sci-fi/science-fictiony fantasy, lots of skeletons, women with swords, unreliable narrators, exploring haunted houses in space, mysteries surrounding the gods/saints of space cults and great casts of characters.
It defies genres; it's sci-fi (space ships!), fantasy (the necromancers), horror (there are some... gross descriptions and horrifying things that I won't spoil), a murder-mystery (starting in the second third of the book), a coming-of-age story, romance...
And it is really very good. Muir manages to write a story that is extremely funny, exciting and yet also tragic and these aspects all balance each other out perfectly. There are some frankly stupid, rolling-you-eyes jokes in this book as well as some heartbreakingly beautiful scenes and quotes ("you are my only friend. I am undone without you" and of course "first flower of my house")
Gideon is a great main character, but also a bit of an unreliable narrator. The supporting cast is great as well; all characters are fleshed out and interesting, from the characters back in the Ninth house to the rivals in the competition at Canaan House. World-building wise, we do not get as much context as with later books, but it is sufficient to understand where we are (9 houses, all on their own planets -> our solar system).
For me, the biggest reason why this is a 5 star book is, that it has boundless re-read potential and gets better, first after reading it again and then reading it after reading Harrow the Ninth. It probably also get better again after reading Nona. This is because Muir peels back layer after layer in each book and you get more and more context that puts different scenes in a totally new light.
I will definitely read this again.
I recommend this to people who like: fantastical sci-fi/science-fictiony fantasy, lots of skeletons, women with swords, unreliable narrators, exploring haunted houses in space, mysteries surrounding the gods/saints of space cults and great casts of characters.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Spoiler
Wait, so is Harrow and Gideon a thing or not? Like are they just really strong friends, or, you know... *waves hand indiscriminately*I spent the first half of the book being utterly confused as to what is going on with this world. Even now, I'm not completely sure what tf a "flimsy" is, and why people can't use guns anymore? Like uh?
The pacing was shot to hell but it's okay because at least we got to spend that time Gideon's head? I guess? I dunno, man. It was almost painfully boring.
I swear this is like SJM 2.0, with all the hyphens and ellipses. And if I have to read "sotto voce" one more time...
But, Harrow's and Gideon's lines during the final showdown... *tears spring to eyes*
Prediction: How much you wanna bet Gideon ends up being the daughter of either God and/or one of the Lyctors? Personally I think it's God, but who tf knows? Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough...
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
