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A review by crufts
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-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
2.75
In an objective sense I recognize that Gideon the Ninth has a lot of good points, but it's not for me.
Young Gideon was raised as an indentured servant of the Ninth House, a planet ruled by a despotic, necromantic regime under a distant Emperor. Although she constantly tries to escape, her attempts are foiled by her teachers and by the heir to the House, Harrow.
But everything changes when the Emperor summons representatives of each house to his own planet, demanding they undergo a trial to become "lyctors". Dragged along to the planet by Harrow, Gideon finds herself facing dangers she never imagined...
On the positive side, Gideon is very likeable and sassy as a protagonist. Regarding worldbuilding, it was intriguingly different to the average fantasy novel - it's a kind of scifi/fantasy mixture with the combination of necromancy and space tech. I also enjoyed the variety in the characters' physical appearances. The lesbian representation is a nice bonus, especially as it's the protagonist, although I would warn any hopefuls thatGideon does not get into any romantic relationships .
However, the plot felt a little aimless because the protagonist's goals are not kept at the forefront. Gideon begins the book with a desire to escape and join the Imperial Army, but this is rapidly forgotten as she gets kicked around by fate for the first third of the book.
Also, I didn't find this goal terribly compelling in the first place. The entire Empire was depicted as rotten to the core with few redeeming features, so what good would it do to move around to some other place in it? It seemed like the only worthwhile goal Gideon could have would be to destroy the whole system, or else to leave it.
The pacing is also very slow; even by the 40% mark, the mysteries of the lyctor challenge are still largely untouched. I also found the large number of named characters difficult to absorb. Similarly, the necromantic magic system is complicated and largely left unexplained. This made it seem like any kind of magic could theoretically be performed, if it was convenient for the plot.
I also found it hard to reconcile the fact that early in the book,Harrow acts in a truly unforgivable way towards Gideon, but Gideon later acts very loyally towards her . In general, I found it hard to accept Harrow as the deuteragonist. It might be because I found the overall atmosphere of doom and gloom to be discouraging.
I think I would have liked there to be more in the story's world that Gideon felt was worth fighting for - more people she wanted to be there to protect, or happy experiences she hoped to have, that kind of thing.
I'm unsure whether to recommend this book. I guess I'll say that if you think it's not for you, it's probably not.
Young Gideon was raised as an indentured servant of the Ninth House, a planet ruled by a despotic, necromantic regime under a distant Emperor. Although she constantly tries to escape, her attempts are foiled by her teachers and by the heir to the House, Harrow.
But everything changes when the Emperor summons representatives of each house to his own planet, demanding they undergo a trial to become "lyctors". Dragged along to the planet by Harrow, Gideon finds herself facing dangers she never imagined...
On the positive side, Gideon is very likeable and sassy as a protagonist. Regarding worldbuilding, it was intriguingly different to the average fantasy novel - it's a kind of scifi/fantasy mixture with the combination of necromancy and space tech. I also enjoyed the variety in the characters' physical appearances. The lesbian representation is a nice bonus, especially as it's the protagonist, although I would warn any hopefuls that
However, the plot felt a little aimless because the protagonist's goals are not kept at the forefront. Gideon begins the book with a desire to escape and join the Imperial Army, but this is rapidly forgotten as she gets kicked around by fate for the first third of the book.
Also, I didn't find this goal terribly compelling in the first place. The entire Empire was depicted as rotten to the core with few redeeming features, so what good would it do to move around to some other place in it? It seemed like the only worthwhile goal Gideon could have would be to destroy the whole system, or else to leave it.
The pacing is also very slow; even by the 40% mark, the mysteries of the lyctor challenge are still largely untouched. I also found the large number of named characters difficult to absorb. Similarly, the necromantic magic system is complicated and largely left unexplained. This made it seem like any kind of magic could theoretically be performed, if it was convenient for the plot.
I also found it hard to reconcile the fact that early in the book,
I think I would have liked there to be more in the story's world that Gideon felt was worth fighting for - more people she wanted to be there to protect, or happy experiences she hoped to have, that kind of thing.
I'm unsure whether to recommend this book. I guess I'll say that if you think it's not for you, it's probably not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Confinement and Slavery
Body horror, violence, death: It is a book about necromancers, after all. An example of the "body horror" involved is a necromancer stabs her cheek with a fountain pen in order to use the blood as ink .
Suicide: The backstory of some minor characters.
Slavery, confinement: Gideon's "indentured servitude" is close to slavery. After a failed escape attempt, she is confined to a few rooms.
Suicide: The backstory of some minor characters.
Slavery, confinement: Gideon's "indentured servitude" is close to slavery. After a failed escape attempt, she is confined to a few rooms.