Gideon the Ninth

The characters of Gideon the Ninth are deeply invested in understanding, controlling, and circumventing the processes of death and decay that define human existence. Their world is dying. Their lives are small and bleak. Their necromancy is usually horrific, frequently disgusting, and occasionally beautiful, sacred and desecrating at the same time. Their history is ancient. Their God is alive. If they want to survive, they must confront the violence, secrets, and broken promises that define their relationships to one another.
The book has a large cast--over 15 characters of interest--and pretty much all of them are deeply strange and enormously interesting. Every description of every character and setting is dripping with personality. show more There's a perfect balance between horror and humor, pain and catharsis, hope and despair. Gideon the Ninth basically a perfect novel, and I can't recommend it enough. show less

Guys, Gideon the Ninth by Tamysyn Muir may just be the craziest, banana-pants book I have ever read. And I loved every minute of it. I can’t say that I would have ever considered a book about a necromancer society that includes ghosts, gods, a haunted mansion, and so many skeletons would be something that would work, but OH MY GOD is this story perfection!

In truth, it took me a few chapters to get into the story. The premise, the characters, and the world are all so bizarre that it takes time for your mind to wrap itself around each of them. For example, Gideon and Harrow detest one another, but you have no idea why. You just know that Harrow is unfathomably cruel to Gideon for some reason, and you have to shrug and accept it without show more understanding their backstory. The same goes for the House of the Ninth and its inhabitants. They are borderline inhuman, and you don’t understand how such a decrepit society can survive or why it even should.

Once you get past your confusion, or simply decide to just go with it, the story becomes this delightfully macabre horror story with a heart. Gideon is such a badass, but more importantly, in spite of the truly shitty childhood she had as an orphan of the Ninth, she is one of the most compassionate people we meet. She truly cares about others and yearns to experience love of her own. All the years of solitude and torture from others never hardened her heart.

Ms. Muir does reward your patience by providing the necessary backstory to understand Gideon’s and Harrow’s relationship as well as Harrow’s infuriating penchant for silence and misdirection. Plus, we finally get an understanding of just what Harrow and the other heirs are trying to accomplish. The reveals don’t necessarily redeem some of the characters’ behaviors, but they do help make sense of the entire story.

By the end, I could not get enough of Gideon. I simply adore her. Not only do I appreciate a character with a good sense of snark, but I love her fierce determination, her loyalty when no one deserves it, and her inability to give in to bullying or a losing situation. We could all learn a little something from her.

I have no idea where the story is going but I cannot wait for the next installment of The Locked Tomb trilogy. Ms. Muir has a phenomenal story going here, with characters that are bizarre, hilarious, and dark. Truly, Gideon the Ninth is everything I love in a story. show less

Wild. Gory. Weird, weird, weird. Took me a bit to get into, taking me even longer to accept that the book is over. Didn't realize until very near the end that it's a series (argh!! waiting!). Inevitable, upsetting, and so bizarrely funny at unexpected moments that it kept me completely off kilter. It's a great book, and I heart Gideon so much for never being able to refer to the teenagers as anything other than Loathsome Teens -- it's more endearing than it sounds, but her adamant and immediate characterization of her fellows is definitely one of her strengths. Also, as a sword-fighter, kudos for excellent sword scenarios. Much enjoyed.

This follows Gideon from her attempted escape from the Ninth House through to her reluctant partnership with Harrowhark on a quest to become a Lyctor. What unfolds is essentially a locked-room murder mystery with lesbian necromancers, as representatives of the Eight Houses find themselves stranded together in pursuit of Lyctorhood - only to begin dying one by one, whether at the hands of a monster or each other.

There’s a lot to enjoy here: Gideon’s rebellious, distinctive personality and her hilariously dramatic clashes with Harrowhark; the sheer number of powerful female characters; and the inventive blend of fantasy and science fiction - necromancy and bones alongside starships and distant planets. I particularly enjoyed the show more D&D-style dynamic between the frail necromancers and their muscle-bound cavaliers, which Muir balances with humour and style.

Two aspects were a little trickier for me, though they’re inherent to the genre. Listening as an audiobook, I found the large cast - each with multiple names, nicknames, titles, and insults - occasionally confusing to track. (The collective “horrible teens” was a welcome shorthand!) And, as one would expect with necromancers, there’s a strong thread of body horror: decay, death, and gruesome imagery are handled matter-of-factly, which isn’t usually my preference.

Despite that, it’s an incredibly clever book - with exceptional world-building, vivid characters, and a plot that ties together beautifully. The ending is both satisfying and complete, which for me means I may leave it there rather than diving into the sequel. Still, it’s a standout example of originality and audacity, and I can see why it’s become such a modern favourite. show less

In retrospect, this book is a bag of Doritos Mix. Either you love the pastiche, or you don't, but there's nothing about this that makes it a classic that people will come back to time and time again. It's snack food, pure and simple, fun to munch-crunch, some parts better than others (but perhaps just the occasional too much to really sit well.)

Following a young person desperate to get off her residential planet, it has the distinctive voice of a new adult/young adult book, full of snark and fire. In the right mood, it's amusing. In the wrong mood, it will likely become tiresome. Gideon the Ninth most reminds me of a high-stakes island mystery as written by Suzanne Collins, set in the world of Chronicles of Riddick.

"Gideon woke to an show more unfamiliar ceiling, a fuzzy taste on her tongue, and the exciting smell of mould. The light blazed in red slashes even through her eyelids, and it made her come to all at once. For long moments she just lay back in her nest of old bedding and looked around."

There is seriously interesting stuff going on with the world-building. The star system is populated by a necromatic society, which each of the worlds specializes in a different type of necromancy. That's about all we get for the depth, though. Apparently, the society been has been under the Undying King for ten thousand years. Gideon is part of the Ninth world, a foundling on an isolated rock of a planet, populated by a rigid sect of necromancers whose specialty seems to be control over bones. After eighty-seven attempts at escaping the Ninth, she's forced to become the right-hand swordsman cavalier to the necromancer Reverend Daughter Harrowhawk, her arch-enemy since childhood. The Undying King is seeking eight people to ascend to his court and become Lyctors, and Harrowhawk fully intends to be one of them.

The problems is that despite interesting ideas about what different necromancer cultures might look like, some aspects aren't integrated at all. Dialogue frequently includes phrases like "'Oh whoops, my bad,' said Gideon. 'For a moment I thought you weren't a huge bitch."

or like this:

"'Slow down, numbnuts,' she hissed, when she thought they were out of earshot of anyone. 'Where's the fire?'
'Nowhere--yet.' Harrow sounded breathless.
'I've eaten my own body weight. Don't make me hurl.'
'As mentioned before, you're a hog. Hurry up. We don't have much time.'

and would you believe a

"That's what she said."

Parse that out a minute, why don't you? Really, stop and think. You could have overheard that in the back seat of your car, if you're a mom of pre-teens, or in my swim lane if I'm being particularly rude to one of my guy friends (yes, I don't talk like that to the female ones). There's many little anachronisms like that that perhaps would be explained by being the remnants of another culture (there are intriguing hints of such), but I don't buy it in lexicon. This is Hollywood version, so if you are the sort of fantasy or sci-fi reader that prefers a less contemporary feel to your culture, proceed thoughtfully.

I love the idea of specializing in different aspects of death and soul, and there's a lot to be explored here. I'm not sure that the death culture we saw gelled well with the idea of the Undying King living ten thousand years, however. I have questions.

The story is divided in to five acts. The first act is on the Ninth, the remainder are on the First World. The pacing was curious. I thought from the first act that it was a new adult style story about Gideon finding her independence/destiny, but when we reach the second act, the feel of the story changes significantly, and it is more of a 'look how fun this is' exercising in setting and character. Third Act raises the stakes, and the Fifth Act is bonkers. So while I'd agree with other reviewers who found the final part of the story inconsistent or off with pacing, I'd have to say the book as a whole has some challenges along those lines. It almost seems like it's because Muir can't quite handle all the stories she wants to tell.

There is a fair amount of humor, some situational, some descriptive, and some from the snark. There's a couple of shy younger people that talk in lowercase voices, and who are generally mortified whenever the adult they are with approaches Gideon. They are initially hilarious.

Characterization is decent, especially considering that there are at least two representatives from each of the worlds. Muir does help the reader along with code words like "oh, the Fourth and their ghosts..." or some such, but again, it's a large cast.

Oh, and about the lesbian relationship? Uh, very complicated, and very young adult. I'm not sure what other readers were reading, but I'd never call this a 'romance,' as much as a complicated, fucked-up relationship with an unsatisfying conclusion. And perhaps un-pc one.

It mostly worked for me, but I timed myself so that I was open to sarcasm and snark, and tried to let go of any expectations of storytelling. Eventually, however, it felt a little long. There is some emotional growth at the end, although while it felt somewhat rewarding, it also felt a bit of a cheat, because I'm not sure I believed it, mostly because the more "world-building" there was, the less I felt the underpinnings of the story held together. Still, interesting, which is somewhat hard to find; good, if young, characters. Recommended with all the above warnings. Taking my own advice, I'm not entirely sure I'll go on to the next.

Three-and-a-half bones. I honestly could have rounded this one either way. Down for the fact I had to re-start it, and at one point, force myself to continue, up because it made me chuckle quite a few times, and I like what Muir does with her language. So today we'll go up.

Note: I abstained from both new-adult and snark for a significant amount of time in order to prepare for this book. show less

If, like me, you hesitated to buy this book when it came out, either because of the slightly too slick publisher's summary or because of all the hype this debut novel received everywhere, kick yourself for being so untrusting, get yourself a copy, preferably the superbly narrated audiobook, and settle in for a wonderful read.

This is not a conventional book. It resists labelling. Yes its fantasy... and science-fiction... and horror... but mostly it's a tale about two women who have the kind of complicated relationship that only those raised together isolation with no one but each other to hate and torment and fight with and perhaps, underneath it all, need, can have.

Gideon is an orphan, left by a dying woman at the airlock of the show more sepulchral Ninth House, where necromancers talented in manipulating bones guard a tomb that must never be opened. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House, is a powerful bone witch and the best hope of her dying House. The two of them have been in constant conflict, the focal points of each other's lives, since childhood. Gideon wants to escape, to join the Cohorts and fight for the Empire on the front line. Harrowhark will not let her leave.

When the never-seen, undying Emperor summons Harrow to represent her House at an unprecedented event to generate new Lictors, almost immortal enforcers of the Emperor's will, she must take a Cavalier with her and the you-can't-seriously-want-me-to-do-this? I'd-rather-be-flayed-alive Gideon is her only viable choice.

I'm not going to say any more about the plot than that. Any attempt to summarise it will either give too much away or give a misleadingly simple view of the book. I'm going to concentrate on what it felt like to read.

I'll start by sharing the notes I made as I read the book (which I picked up at every opportunity and lost myself in for hours at a time. I've never had seventeen hours of book flash by so quickly and be so completely absorbing).

11%

"I'm only a few chapters in and I'm already delighted with this. Gideon is wonderful, the ideas are clever and the tone is perfect for a sort of necromancer's St. Trinian's with Gideon a chief schoolgirl warrior rebel."

40%

Moira Quirk's narration is first rate. She doesn't read, she performs, squeezing every ounce of juice out of the text and bringing this large cast of characters alive with voices that are instantly recognisable.

70%

"I've still no idea what's really happening here but, oddly, that's OK. More than OK. Mostly because Gideon has no idea either.

Gideon is such a ball of energy and emotion that's she's enough to fill my imagination. Add in sneering bad guys, beautiful but untrustworthy will-probably-turn-out-to-be-bad-guys, lethal challenges, a stalking monster, vicious killings of nice people and the enigma that is Harrow and it's all good.

100%

"Wow, that was one of the most original fantasy novels I've read. Great characters. Creepy magic. A twisty mystery and complete emotional absorption."

One of the peculiar things about this book was that a lot of the time I wasn't sure what was going on but that made the story better, not worse. I knew what Gideon knew (which wasn't a lot - she's led an isolated life and isn't gifted with much curiosity) and that was enough. Gideon's universe wasn't explained, it was experienced. Tamsyn Muir clearly had a galaxy-spanning eons-long history of the universe in her head but most of it she didn't dump it into mine because Gideon either took it for granted, didn't know and didn't care or was too busy using her sword or trying to figure out all the emotions being triggered by meeting all these new people AND being on the same side as Harrow.

Gideon's and Harrow's personal history wasn't so much hidden as taken for granted. It wasn't something they wanted to talk about and when they did talk about it, there was so much emotion-soaked history that sharing was hard. Beneath the surface, though, there was a skilful and carefully paced reveal going on throughout the book that amped up the emotion chapter by chapter, delivered a few surprises and avoided all the clichés.

The way in which the whole who-will-become-a-Lictor? thing was handled was also unexpected. This wasn't the typical teams-competing-in-a-magical-challenge trope. It wasn't clear what the challenge was. It wasn't clear who the good guys were. It wasn't a gladiatorial conflict or a Hunger Games style elimination game. There was a pattern and the challenge seemed to be figuring out what it was. Then the killings started, adding a whole new layer of mystery.

The challenge and the killings frustrated all the normal challenge/quest conventions and left only questions and uncertainty in their place. And I didn't care because I had Gideon and an author who could create Gideon wasn't going to let me down. I was happy to live with Gideon's level of ignorance and her tendency to do and feel rather than analyse and plot, even if a lot o the time that meant that I was feeling the plot with my fingertips rather than opening my eyes and looking around me.

So what is Gideon like? Well, she's not the typical snarky. bad-ass, sword-wielding fantasy heroine. She does have snark and some wonderful insults. She is good (very, very, good) with a sword and she'd rather fight than party. She's also young and has never been anywhere or met anyone and she knows she hates Harrow but that Harrow is also the only person who really knows her. She's fascinated by the people she's meeting. Some she wants to hit. Some she wants to protect and some she just wants to watch as they come out of the pool wearing only a camisole and shorts. She's finding her way but her way always seems to involve finding herself in situations where she's quite likely to die but which still seem better than the alternative.

I loved how unexpected this book was. I loved that the relationships that are never simple, that things you think you know often turn out to be untrue, and the energy that comes from sustained emotional ambiguity.

I loved the snark, mostly because it was just a grace note on more subtle character building. I loved that all of the characters were rounded out so that I cared whether people lived or died. I was impressed by the complex rules/science of necromancy, by the vivid swordplay, the animated skeletons, the fight scenes, the betrayals, the bravery and the fact that the underlying plot worked beautifully, albeit in retrospect.

If you surrender to Tamsyn Muir's text and Moira Quirk's superb narration, this whole book is a rush that will make you laugh and cry, keep you eagerly turning the pages and constantly reassessing what's going on. Most of all it will burn Gideon into your memory.

Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample.
https://soundcloud.com/audiolibrary-a/gideon-the-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir-audiobook-... show less

Gideon... was not at all what I expected. She's the asshole with a heart of gold... not at all the stone top fuckboy I thought her to be. Gideon is tough, funny, self-sacrificing, and so ridiculously lovable that she somehow survives being attached to Harrow, a character I spent most of this book wanting to push down a well.Frankly, the fact that I still loved Gideon after sacrificing herself for that absolute turd Harrow speaks to how beautifully she was written.I couldn't put this book down, and you won't be able to either.