Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series, 1)

What a great book, what a great story, what great characters, what great dialog. I'm not usually a fan of fantasy. More into hard science fiction and technology. I got this book based on the ratings and knew nothing about it. When I started I thought, oops a fantasy, but continued reading anyway. The clever writing style and snarky dialog kept me going initially until the story really kicked in. And the ride accelerated and spun a fascinating and compelling story that brought to life a well drawn eclectic ensemble of characters in a desperate situation to an explosive end within an interesting allegory. It is basically a complex mystery story in a unique world. The world building is done gradually and unfolds slowly through the plot with minimal exposition. And it remains consistent without the gratuitous "magic plot glue" sometimes used by less skilled authors. If there was one thing about the book that hindered me it was the large number of characters to keep straight. The author does include a handy who's who listing. But I admit I did not put the effort in to keep track - and in retrospect it would have been worth the trouble even though the author refers to the same character alternately by first name, last name, title which is a pet peeve of mine that always confuses me - but that did not detract seriously from appreciating the story or the characters. (Thinking back, the alternate name use was helpful in illuminating the character motivations and skills by use of their titles - on the fly so to speak to help those of us that don't study up front.) BTW, note the representative little skulls at the beginning of each chapter. This is why I read books. Every once in awhile I find something new and amazing and it broadens my thinking. I think I enjoyed this book so much because it was so unexpected. I have tried to write a book, sad results, and I am in awe of those who can produce such a complex crystalline pure structure with intriguing and believable protagonists that carry you off to new places. Warning: IMHO the 2nd and 3rd books are not as good. I was not intrigued enough to even finish the 3rd.

I think what first caught my attention about this book was a tagline on the cover about "necromancers in space." Necromancers are fun, and space-faring ones even more so. But there isn't much about space travel in this book. There are multiple worlds, each run by a different House of necromancers. The type of magic each House practices is unique to that House, and every necromancer is paired with a cavalier (a warrior who usually acts as a guardian figure.) But the space travel part isn't done on-page, so if that's what you're excited for, I'm sorry to disappoint. But the story is worth reading. Most of this book is set on a world that was once occupied by the First House (the Emperor's House), but it's now in ruins. The portions set elsewhere are set on the dark world of the Ninth House, where the main character, Gideon, begins her journey. And by dark, I mean, it’s practically lightless, and it’s cold. It was never officially stated, but it made me think the Ninth’s world is quite a distance away from the nearest star. Gideon was raised by the Ninth House, but she hates every aspect of it. She wants to leave, but her attempts are constantly thwarted. Eventually, she's convinced to take up the role of cavalier for the necromancer Harrowhark with a promise of freedom from the Ninth when her work is finished. Gideon reluctantly accepts. She's a skilled fighter, but Harrowhark is her lifelong nemesis. There is a lot of resentment between the two and very little trust, and that becomes a major problem later. They’re expected to work as a team, after all. (Side note: I really didn’t like Harrowhark.) Harrowhark is summoned to the world of the First House to compete in becoming a Lyctor, a renowned position one step down from the Emperor himself. Each of the other seven Houses are also competing, but things become dangerous fast. It’s at this point where the book becomes more a murder-mystery with necromantic magic than it is a straight up fantasy, but I really liked that. It was kind of like Clue, but with magic, and more players involved. I also found the various types of necromancy each House employed to be pretty interesting and at times, unique. Harrowhark's magic focuses on bones—skeletons and the like—but she was the only one using that variety. One necromancer siphons souls, one can summon and draw energy from spirits, and one manipulates flesh/blood (there were other types too.) The creative use of each type of magic was a lot of fun. The only minor complaint I have is that some of the action/combat scenes were difficult to follow in spots. Otherwise, this was a great read, and even though it's listed as book 1 in the series, it works very well as a standalone. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t add my thoughts about the ending before I finish this review. I understand why events unfolded as they did—it was the only way to make the story work—but I’ll admit it was still a little bit disappointing. Not in a way that made me think any less of the book, but it was disappointing for a certain character. If you’ve read it, you know what I’m referring to. If not… I’d still recommend you check it out if any of the above piques your interest.

I cannot recommend this series enough! The world building and plot are immaculate- I've read every book in this series that's been published so far, and I currently re-reading them now! I've found so many little details along the way that I completely overlooked on my first read- as far ahead as book 3, there are things happening that were already being hinted at in book 1, which hadn't seemed significant at all during my first read of book 1! It legitimately feels like this author does not forget a SINGLE detail... If something gets mentioned, even once, it's coming back around full circle later- whether it's a whole book or a whole two books later! Nothing gets forgotten, even if it's something a first time reader might not take note of on the first pass. And then there's the characters! Each book is told from the perspective of a different character, and every time I finished one, I felt kinda sad that their main story was over. Then, I'd read the next book and go through the cycle all over again... 😭 Even the side characters are so hard to let go of once they get properly introduced- there were characters that seemed inconsequential in the first book that get whole character arcs in the second, and by the end of it all some of them legitimately had me crying... Every conflict is somehow concluded in a way that is absolutely mind blowing the first time you read them, like a million puzzle pieces all sliding in place at the perfect times! I don't know that I'll ever find another series that scratches the same itch...

tl;dr this book is a murder mystery. Protagonist is hilarious. Harrowhark is a gem. You need to read this before you die. the writing style is dense and prose-like so if you struggle understanding english this will be a bit of a difficult read. There are lots of info-dump-type passages that don't actually involve explanations but I found this actually kind of refreshing. More like you've been inserted into a conversation between a bunch of doctors and they're talking about a patient but nobody has the desire to explain to you wtf is going on. The concepts in the novel are unique and it is a totally different perspective on necromancer magic. I am normally a fast reader but because of the language I found I had to really pay attention to every word idk kind of like reading dorian grey or something really dense but you actually enjoy it and really want to read the sequel, which, spoiler, is great as well.

Oh HECK did that ending WRECK me! What a book! It has everything you could possibly want: Space! Necromancers! Mysterious gorey murders! LESBIANS!!!! And the book doesn't just stop there - it gives you SO MUCH MORE on top of all that: witty banter, great cast of characters, SWORD LESBIANS, MAGIC LESBIANS, antagonism-turning-into-reluctant-alliance-into-something-more, the most NERVE WRECKING MYSTERY, necromancy but make it science,.... I could go on! In short, Gideon the Ninth is a gift that keeps on giving, and it was even better on second read than it was at the first. Content warnings include: violence and gore, graphic body horror, injury and trauma, defiling of corpses (I mean, this is a book about necromancers...), severe harm to minors, character death (like, a lot of it), cancer; mentions of war crimes, child soldiers, suicide. When I first read the book, I admittedly struggled with getting into it. I blamed this on a) reading it as physical copy, which, while gorgeous, was very unwieldy for me as a 99.99% ebook reader who hadn't touched a hardcover in YEARS, and b) the frequency of in-world and existing scientific terms. My second read was the ebook, so maybe the hardcover really was the issue, because I had no struggle whatsoever with the language the second time around. That said, the worldbuilding sure is subtle. It all does make sense, but often in hindsight. When you know how it all works, you really struggle recognizing why you were confused in the first place. But regardless of whether it's your first read or xth read - the book is compelling and breathtaking. Part of this is the characters. There's quite the cast of them, and every single one of them is unique and interesting. It's one of the few books that actually partially manages to satisfy my need to attention to sidecharacters. It just all worked here. But at the very center is Gideon, who is just... *chef's kiss*. So good. I can't decide if I want to fawn over her, or be her. Maybe a bit of both. There's also Harrowhark, Gideon's childhood nemesis, who is excellent as well and gets her own POV in the sequel, Harrow the Ninth. Another part is the plot. It's part action, party mystery, part horror, and it does the mix so well.. The action was exiting, fast-paces and truly action-heavy, but never hard to follow. The horror was chilling, made me sweat and shiver, and made me wish I didn't read this at night but it was also just too good to put down. The mystery was truly mysterious, keeping you on your toes, slowly revealed and masterfully set up. Overall there's just a ton of twists and turns, all of them perfectly integrated and executed. The writing style fits all of this perfectly and is rather unique. There is a stark constrast between extremely informal language (often dialogue, featuring subtle pop culture references) and more formal describtions using big, fancy, science-y words. I found the mix intriguing and it worked well. In my first read, I couldn't always follow what was going on, and some implications were lost on me, but again, on second read it just all made sense. And it makes even more sense after having read the sequel. I'm sure people who are smarter than me will have much more figured out on first read already! Because while subtle, the hints and implications are there - I just wasn't able to put them together. It gave the book an overall ~mysterious~ vibe that very much loved cryptic statements, which I find compelling regardless of how often I read it, and which I'm sure will reveal new details every time I pick up the book. And as mentioned above there's also the very present humor that had me laughing and grinning a lot, despite the chilling subject matter. You can debate over whether there's a romantic subplot or not. What is undeniable is that several characters are queer, and the sapphic ones in particularly stand out. It's a world without queerphobia, which I love to see in my SFF. As I said before, worldbuilding is done subtly. Nothing is told, the only information the reader gets is what the characters talk about on page. It's well done and sufficient, but overall I wish there was more information about the setting and it's alluded history, and on a smaller scale I would have liked to see more of Gideon and Harrow's past together (though there were some scenes explaining.) When I first finished the book, I was quite distraught, and both anticipating and distraught for the sequel. I sequel definitely shines a different light on Gideon, but it doesn't abandon any of the open questions as I initially feared. Ultimately, Gideon the Ninth is an incredibly strong debut and stunning - as in, slap in the face - start of a series. It makes me giddy and happy and excited, and I am so, so glad to have read it. It shines in concept and execution, it's unique and intriguing, but also loveable and comforting in a weird, twisted way.

Recibido en tiempo y buena relacción calidad/precio

Deeply creative world-building combines with writing that always manages to surprise by being off-kilter but very balanced and pleasant to read at the same time. One of my favourite books in years.

A few reviewers have highlighted how great an opening paragraph begins this story and its up there with my favourites "In the myriadic year of our lord — the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death! — Gideon Nav packed her sword, her shoes and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth" In a possibly ancient, or far future solar system with nine planets (could it be ours, doesn't matter) are nine houses with ruling families with the different magic powers. Some can suck out your soul, some raise skeletons, like the heir to the ninth Harrowhark Nonagesimus who has spent hers and the formative years of young indentured foundling Gideon's, the only other person in the house the same age, life miserable every chance she gets, usually through blood magic. When the hundred's of thousands year old God/Emperor of these worlds, who goes by the title Necromancer Prime, The Resurrection, the God of the nine houses, The Emperor Undying, that each loyal house will send a necromancer and their "cavalier primary" (kind of a champion bodyguard and executive assistant) to a huge, decrepit and seriously old mansion full of ghosts and monsters, where they will face a series of tests to become the new lyctors to the Emperor. A lyctor is cool. You're pretty much all-powerful. You live forever. You become a kind of horrifying saint and are super-famous and work directly for God as one of his right-hand men or women. So since Harrow needs someone who can handle a rapier to be her cavalier then lucky Gideon gets the gig. In anime Harrow is the icy, blonde rich girl with the big house and perfect clothes. And Gideon would be the wrong-side-of-the-tracks bad boy who loves her and hates her in vastly unequal amounts. Except here, Harrow is the black-gowned, black-cloaked, black-hooded daughter of the Ninth House rulers, a powerful bone magician who sweats blood and can kill you with a flick of her wrist. And Gideon is a smart, foul-mouthed, queer swordfighter with a skull painted on her face, and the inside-her-brain POV that Muir has chosen here means we get full access to every panting, furious, childish, bloodthirsty and impure thought that crosses Gideon's mind. Such as on seeing Coronabeth Tridentarius beautiful princess of the third house looking troubled Gideon was sad, but as the beautiful Coronabeth was also soaked through to the skin Gideon also needed a lie down. The banter between Gideon and Harrow is worth the price of admission alone "I'd rather be your battery than feel you rummaging around in my head. You want my juice? I'll give you my juice." "Under no circumstances will I ever desire your juice", said her necromancer ... The book begins with “Gothic ancient decaying sci-fi strangeness,” then morphs into a locked-room mystery set on a horrifying isolated planet in a decaying castle underneath which are buried a set of moldering (or, worse, perfectly preserved) scientific necromancy laboratories full of tests and monsters—through which our unlikely pair creep wearing their black vestments, faces “painted like living skulls, looking like douchebags” to quote Gideon. Through out some of the best, most visceral (and here I mean guts) fight scenes I have every read, brilliant dynamic and different. Culminating in betrayals and treachery and a heart-breaking final conflict. Shut up I'm not crying you're crying. Other reviewers have summed it up as this "Gideon the Ninth is too funny to be horror, too gooey to be science fiction, has too many spaceships and autodoors to be fantasy, and has far more bloody dismemberings than your average parlor romance. It is altogether its own thing — brilliantly original, messy and weird straight through. With a snorting laugh and two middle fingers, the whole thing burns end-to-end. It is deep when you expect shallow, raucous when you expect dignity and, in the end, absolutely heartbreaking when you least expect it".