A review by mcbenzie
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This is like nothing I’ve ever read and I loved it. The universe is rich and dark; it’s wonderfully detailed but you learn it - or the relevant part of it - by living it alongside the cast, not through big info dumps, though I did enjoy the extra material at the end of this edition. There’s satisfying mystery, great jokes, development of character and relationships, both magical action and great swordplay, and a cast of major players I came to love. It’s also got a lot of necromantic body horror and it presents the queerness of its major characters as just who they are, though it’s not a romance, even as it has elements of regency honour and romantic ideals. The mash of styles encompasses Game of Thrones, Warhammer 40,000, Pride and Prejudice, Tank Girl and Gormenghast. Frankly it’s the best new thing I’ve read in ages, and I hope you love it as much as I did. Looking forward to the sequels!
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