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A review by laurenlanz
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
5.0
New goal: become a punk-ish girlboss necromancer wielding questionably timed humour and mediocre face painting skills ✅
Captivating, cutthroat, and deeply atmospheric, Gideon the Ninth proved to be a ferociously entertaining read. A galactic empire founded on the principles of necromancy sounded like nothing I’ve read before, and oh hell was it something special!
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
The undying emperor is searching for powerful necromancers to become his Lyctors. He addresses the Nine Houses of necromancy, calling for a competition of merits between the heirs and cavaliers of each House. Those who prove their worth will be granted immortality, an unimaginable prize that some would go to extreme lengths for.
Gideon Nav is—in every sense but literally—chained to the Ninth House. She’s been trying to make her great escape for years with no luck. A chance at freedom presents itself, however, when Harrowhark (the necromantic heir to the Ninth House, and Gideon’s nemesis since childhood) asks her to stand in as cavalier for the competition. Their original plans come to a screeching halt as they arrive at the First House, when the competitors find themselves at the centre of a series of fresh murders haunting the place.
First and foremost: Gideon Nav was a complete riot. Her vibrant persona bled off the pages through witty dialogue, heartwarming friendships and tense rivalries. Even when she and the other competitors faced potential death, humour was utilized as a coping mechanism, which reinforced a sense of humanity within a story otherwise heavily fantastical.
It’s admirable, how distinctive and dynamic Muir was able to make her main cast. From Houses Two to Nine, there are eighteen prevalent necromancers and cavaliers to follow. It wasn’t until tragedy struck that I realized just how much I cared for some of them; by the end I felt strongly for each character (whether out of love or hate). I was most hesitant about Harrow for the majority of this installment, (probably because Gideon disliked her for so long) but after hearing her backstory I’m left eager to follow her perspective in book two.
I won’t lie Gideon the Ninth gets off to a pretty shaky start. The dense and oddly confusing phrasing littered though first few pages made me question if I’d be able to get through this book at all. Luckily, Muir’s style quickly loosens up as character dialogue becomes more frequent, and the story continues to flow beautifully from there.
It’s funny that I disliked Muir’s writing at first, because eventually I couldn’t stop marvelling at it. It’s rare that I come across an author is so skilled in descriptiveness that nearly nothing is left to the imagination, but I had almost zero trouble envisioning this incredibly well structured world. Muir’s vocabulary is certainly tremendous.
Reiterating what I said above, Muir’s writing elevates every aspect of this story, especially the magic system and world. The atmosphere was, let me emphasize, completely mind-boggling. I mean, seriously good shit. I could picture every room of the First House in all their gothic glory; the sense of necromantic power and dark otherness prevalent was heavy in the best way. It was fascinating to learn of each House’s specialty (soul siphoning, classic necromancy, etc)
The high stakes murder mystery had me consistently interested in the story’s proceedings. I had several pressing theories (none of which were correct, as usual); it was great fun to convince myself I was close to uncovering the truth, when in reality I was worlds away from it. Muir, you devil, how dare you do what you did! When folks say the second half is far superior to the first, boy do they mean it.
——— {⚔️
Captivating, cutthroat, and deeply atmospheric, Gideon the Ninth proved to be a ferociously entertaining read. A galactic empire founded on the principles of necromancy sounded like nothing I’ve read before, and oh hell was it something special!
“You couldn’t spell obligation if I shoved the letters up your ass.”
“I gotta say, I don’t think that would help,” said Gideon. “God, I’m glad you didn’t teach me my spelling.”
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
The undying emperor is searching for powerful necromancers to become his Lyctors. He addresses the Nine Houses of necromancy, calling for a competition of merits between the heirs and cavaliers of each House. Those who prove their worth will be granted immortality, an unimaginable prize that some would go to extreme lengths for.
Gideon Nav is—in every sense but literally—chained to the Ninth House. She’s been trying to make her great escape for years with no luck. A chance at freedom presents itself, however, when Harrowhark (the necromantic heir to the Ninth House, and Gideon’s nemesis since childhood) asks her to stand in as cavalier for the competition. Their original plans come to a screeching halt as they arrive at the First House, when the competitors find themselves at the centre of a series of fresh murders haunting the place.
~★~ Characters ~★~
First and foremost: Gideon Nav was a complete riot. Her vibrant persona bled off the pages through witty dialogue, heartwarming friendships and tense rivalries. Even when she and the other competitors faced potential death, humour was utilized as a coping mechanism, which reinforced a sense of humanity within a story otherwise heavily fantastical.
“Gideon winked at her increasingly agitated companion. She said, sotto voce: “But then you couldn’t have admired … these,” and whipped on the glasses she’d unearthed back home. They were ancient smoked-glass sunglasses, with thin black frames and big mirrored lenses, and they greyed out Harrow’s expression of incredulous horror as she adjusted them on her nose.”
It’s admirable, how distinctive and dynamic Muir was able to make her main cast. From Houses Two to Nine, there are eighteen prevalent necromancers and cavaliers to follow. It wasn’t until tragedy struck that I realized just how much I cared for some of them
Spoiler
I loved Protesilaus more than most, probably. I always adore the silent brutes, sue me.~★~ Writing ~★~
I won’t lie Gideon the Ninth gets off to a pretty shaky start. The dense and oddly confusing phrasing littered though first few pages made me question if I’d be able to get through this book at all. Luckily, Muir’s style quickly loosens up as character dialogue becomes more frequent, and the story continues to flow beautifully from there.
It’s funny that I disliked Muir’s writing at first, because eventually I couldn’t stop marvelling at it. It’s rare that I come across an author is so skilled in descriptiveness that nearly nothing is left to the imagination, but I had almost zero trouble envisioning this incredibly well structured world. Muir’s vocabulary is certainly tremendous.
~★~ Worldbuilding, Magic & Plot ~★~
Reiterating what I said above, Muir’s writing elevates every aspect of this story, especially the magic system and world. The atmosphere was, let me emphasize, completely mind-boggling. I mean, seriously good shit. I could picture every room of the First House in all their gothic glory; the sense of necromantic power and dark otherness prevalent was heavy in the best way. It was fascinating to learn of each House’s specialty (soul siphoning, classic necromancy, etc)
“Her adept said: "I'll keep it off you. Nav, show them what the Ninth House does."
Gideon lifted her sword. The construct worked itself free of its last confines of masonry and rotten wood and heaved before them, flexing itself like a butterfly.
"We do bones, motherfucker," she said.”
The high stakes murder mystery had me consistently interested in the story’s proceedings. I had several pressing theories (none of which were correct, as usual); it was great fun to convince myself I was close to uncovering the truth, when in reality I was worlds away from it. Muir, you devil, how dare you do what you did! When folks say the second half is far superior to the first, boy do they mean it.
——— {⚔️