Reviews - Gideon the Ninth

29.8k reviews for:

Gideon the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir

4.27 AVERAGE

peachypuff's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

orchidzsz's review

3.5

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

lorenzm's review against another edition

5.0

There are few things as heartwarming as beholding the light in a dear friend's eyes when they see you with one of their favorite books. That alone makes reading those books worth it. But the two times I've done this so far, with [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651710803l/23437156._SY75_.jpg|42077459] and [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387124618l/9361589._SY75_.jpg|14245059] respectively (nowhere near enough, I know, but you need friends to do this with and I've been rather limited in that department until recently), the books also earned their excellent ratings purely on merit. Gideon the Ninth is no different and has also been bestowed a place of honor on my bookshelf. Turns out that people I really like tend to prefer books I'll really like as well. Who could've guessed?

A few words about this book in general, before I talk about the ending, because that certainly is a ... topic with Gideon the Ninth: It's extremely good. It's intriguing, tense, filled with engaging characters, set in a fascinating world and improperly funny. Seriously, this book somehow managed to make me chuckle the literal page after my favorite character died without warning and in vain. And that is honestly a perfect summary.

Now, the ending. I had been repeatedly warned that it may have destabilizing effects on my psyche. After actually reading it, I am, well, not exactly fine, because it certainly has an impact, but still functioning. This may very well be because I am a emotionless husk, but I personally believe the reason to be relief at having finally found an author daring and willing to pull through. Tamsyn Muir plainly gears up to strike at the heart and then just does. No hesitation, no feints, no last-second abortion, no deus ex machina. Just a no-holds-barred, decisive, vicious blow of an ending. And that fits this brutal book so beautifully, so perfectly, that I can't help but admire the mastery, even amid the emotional devastation. Maybe I am not that fine after all.

shanrshim's review

4.0

So, this book was really hard for me to follow.. I don’t know if my ADD was at its highest… but I kept getting lost and unable to follow much of the time. And I must have re-read so many pages… but mostly the end of the book was when I really started paying attention. It’s a good book. Just maybe really hard for me to concentrate on.

delirilyn's review

4.0

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious medium-paced

macion's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

super fun read with lots of humor and engaging characters!!! had a feeling where the ending was going but was still shocked nonetheless that it was actually followed through with. WHAT THE HELL!