§Synopsis
01The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
§Our take
This is a book about two people who can't stand each other, dressed up as gothic space opera. Gideon and Harrowhark start as bitter enemies and get shoved into partnership, and that reluctant loyalty is what carries the thing. Kirkus liked it too. The worldbuilding is narrower than it first looks, and the book works better once you accept that the relationship is the point.
The tone is the gamble. Grim bone magic, narrated by a sarcastic, meme-literate swordswoman. Some readers find that a delight, others find the jokes juvenile and the gothic mood undercut. The first half is dense, with a big cast, titles and rules to absorb. Then the plot tightens into a locked-room mystery with a body count, and it moves. Plenty of readers nearly quit and ended up loving it.
§Themes
- Enemies, bound
- Gideon and Harrowhark loathe each other and need each other, and the book runs on that tension.
- Gothic meets glib
- A deadly, bone-strewn setting narrated by a voice that would rather crack a joke.
- Locked-room dread
- Once the guests start dying in a closed setting, the book turns into an elimination mystery.
- Service and escape
- Gideon wants out of a life of servitude and gets pulled into a bigger one.
§How it was received
Critics mostly welcomed this strange, swaggering debut. Kirkus praised the genre mix and the odd loyalty between the leads, while Locus reviewers felt the central relationship was under-explored. It was a 2020 Hugo Best Novel finalist, losing to A Memory Called Empire.
§Read it if
- You like a voice-driven book that is funny and violent at once
- You want enemies-to-reluctant-partners at the center, with queer women front and center
- You enjoy Agatha Christie-style mysteries and will put up with a slow setup
§Skip it if
- You need clear rules and a small cast from page one. The first half is confusing.
- Modern slang in a grim, gothic setting sounds grating rather than fun
§Before you start
- Reading experience
- Settle in: the crowded first half, where the glossary earns its keep, eventually gives way to a faster mystery that rewards the effort.
- Reading order
- Book 1 of The Locked Tomb, followed by Harrow the Ninth (2020) and Nona the Ninth (2022). A fourth book, Alecto the Ninth, has been announced. Read in publication order, since the sequel reframes this book and is far more tangled.
- Content notes
- Pervasive blood, gore and death; Reanimated corpses and skeletons; necromancy is central; Violent duels and a murder-mystery plot in which characters are killed one by one.
§Common questions
- Is Gideon the Ninth part of a series?
- Yes. It opens The Locked Tomb, and the next books are Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth. Start here.
- Why is the beginning so confusing?
- It throws a large cast, titles and magic rules at you early. A character glossary helps. Readers say the second half is faster and more rewarding.
- Is it fantasy or science fiction?
- Both. It mixes necromancy and swordplay with space travel and a murder mystery. Some readers think the sci-fi parts blend in, others find them poorly integrated.
§If you liked this
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie — One reviewer sees the closing mystery echoing Christie's closed setting where everyone gets picked off.
- Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente — A reviewer compared its odd, genre-bending science-fantasy feel.
- Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente — The same reviewer cites it for playful, voice-driven genre mixing.
- A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine — The book that beat it for the 2020 Hugo. Same award year, but not a stylistic match.
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