Title: Gideon the Ninth
Author: Tamsyn Muir
Publication Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: Tor
Format: Edelweiss eARC

It’s taken forever for me to write this review, because all I could do was alternate between screaming into the void and weeping in the corner.

For some reason, it’s a bit hard to put that into words. So I sat on it for a while. So if this review doesn’t 100% make sense … my feels are still recovering, okay? Go easy on me.

I was on-board the moment I heard Gideon the Ninth pitched as lesbian necromancers in space … but it’s so much more than that. It’s sarcasm and sweet fight scenes and a murder mystery and two badass woman who have to work together without killing each other, despite their better judgment.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected going in. The beginning was slow and confusing, and I felt completely lost at first. Sci-fi is usually something I avoid, but I’m glad I gave in for this one, because I ended up loving it. It’s a mix of strong characters, unique necromancy skills, an everyone-for-themselves brutal trial, and a murder mystery. There’s a lot going on and a lot to love and so many twists and turns that by the end, I was just so ready for the second book, Harrow the Ninth (which now has a cover, which is GORGEOUS and deserves all the love).

❧ This is a world that, while not completely developed and fleshed out in this book, holds so much promise and intrigue that I can’t wait to find out more.

I guess this can be both a pro and a con. If you’re into really deep, immersive world-building where you get a very clear, vivid view of the world … this book is probably going to disappoint you. For me, I just want a taste of the world. I want enough where it makes sense, where I feel involved and curious, but not where I know all the histories and folklore and heroes and legends. On that, Gideon the Ninth delivers.

Rather than widely explaining this world as a whole, Gideon the Ninth provides a nice feel for the Ninth and their way of life, while briefly introducing the other houses and a larger overall plot going on.

Which, obviously, is going to lead into the subsequent books, which I cannot wait for. The plot is big enough to be compelling and make me want to read more, while also not feeling like the little slice we get in this book was a waste of time.

❧ I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with Gideon Nav, from her sarcasm to her begrudging sense of duty, to her bad-ass fighting skills.

I think this is really what’s going to divide people about this book. Either you love Gideon and her sarcasm and voice or … you don’t. And if you don’t, you’re going to have a problem, because Gideon is 87% sarcasm, 7% fighting skill, 1% pure dumb luck, 1% wisdom, and 4% dirty magazines.

Gideon is the quintessential reluctant hero, and she makes it clear, loudly and often, just how she feels about her duty. She’s crude, sarcastic, abrasive … and it’s just lovely. She’s not a character that’s necessarily intended to be liked … although, I very much did.

The banter was just brilliant, and I felt Gideon’s reluctance on a spiritual level. Doing your duty is hard, especially when your duty is protecting someone you hate. Which brings me to my next point.

❧ Enemies forced to work together is one of my favorite tropes, and watching Harrowhark and Gideon trying to work together was glorious.

Spoiler alert: neither of them is particularly good at teamwork. That’s putting aside the fact that they hate each other, in general, which sort of, you know, complicates things.

Both women have their own character arcs, but my favorite was the arc their relationship takes as they’re forced to rely on each other just to survive.

Which is really inconvenient when you want the other person dead, but also need them alive to achieve your own goal. Talk about a moral conflict.

❧ The real plot here is a sort of murder mystery, which has all the creepy vibes and twists and turns one might expect.

And then maybe a few others, because heeeey, necromancers. Surprise! There’s a bit of gore in this book, but not terribly so. I don’t do well with gore, usually, but it didn’t bother me here, so there’s that. The atmosphere, once this plot really got going, was deliciously eerie, and I didn’t want to put the thing down.

❧ The necromancers all have unique powers based on their house, and there were plenty of action-packed fight scenes because of it.

I actually don’t want to say too much about this here, because discovering all the different ways necromancy can be used was half the fun. Going in, I just assumed that everyone in the book, you know, raised dead people. Standard necromancer fare, right? But not so! There are slight nuances to the power, and I thought it was so creative!

There were quite a few fight scenes, and they were fast-paced, full of necromancer goodness, but also surprisingly strategic.

I mean, it’s a combination of necromancy and swordplay, so it’s not like one can blindly walk into a battle without thinking. Books can sometimes bog down for me during action scenes, but I didn’t have that problem here. I loved seeing the combination of magic and swords in action and seeing people working both with and against each other.

❧ There’s something about Gideon Nav and her history … stay tuned for more!

I mean, I couldn’t really spoil this one if I wanted to, honestly. It’s hinted at in the story. Gideon doesn’t really know anything about her history, and it doesn’t seem like anyone else does, either. But there’s obviously something about her. I mean, other than the sarcasm, kickass sword mastery, etc, obviously. I assume this comes up more throughout the series, and I’m so ready for this, because I caught all the little hints in the book and they just fed my curiosity.

❧ There are a lot of characters (18 in the trial alone) and keeping them all straight was really difficult.

I mean, there’s a handy little list of characters in the front, but I don’t know how convenient it is, since I read on my Kindle, and switching to it is really a hassle. I was forced to sometimes, though, because I was so confused with certain scenes because I just couldn’t keep the characters straight. This may not be a problem for some, but a cast can only get so big before I start going, “Who dis?” every time a character appears.

❧ The beginning feels a bit slow and a lot like being thrown in the deep end.

There’s no gentle easing into the world and figuring out how things work, where it’s set, how the society works, etc. It’s just turned all the way up from the start, and it was a bit disorienting to me, since I was just lost and confused. It didn’t take me too long to figure it out, but all the while, I felt like I was just barely treading water and thiiiis close to drowning.

If you were a necromancer, what would you want your necromancy power to be?