Gideon the Ninth
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4.6 • 897 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Gideon the Ninth is the first book in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Locked Tomb Series, and one of the Best Books of 2019 according to NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, BookPage, Shelf Awareness, BookRiot, and Bustle!
WINNER of the 2020 Locus Award and Crawford Award
Finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Series!
Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Dragon, and World Fantasy Awards
“Unlike anything I’ve ever read. ” —V.E. Schwab
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” —Charles Stross
“Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times
The 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.
THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES
BOOK 1: Gideon the Ninth
BOOK 2: Harrow the Ninth
BOOK 3: Nona the Ninth
BOOK 4: Alecto the Ninth
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Treat yourself to Tamsyn Muir’s eccentric fantasy world of plucky young queer girls, cutthroat magic competitions…and murder. Teenage orphan Gideon has tried every scam she knows to escape her boring indentured servitude as a ward of the Ninth House. But her daily grind of smutty magazines and sword practice gets a lot more interesting when her lifelong frenemy, Harrow—heiress to the Ninth House and a budding necromancer—chooses Gideon to help her compete for a spot in the Emperor’s elite sorcery corps, which puts them both in the path of a serial killer. Saturated with sharp wit, quirky characters, political intrigue, and budding romance, Gideon the Ninth is a feminist space opera from an exciting and quirky new voice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Queer necromancers vie for power, solve ancient puzzles, and cross rapiers while exploring haunted deep-space ruins in this madcap science fantasy romp that manages to be both riotously funny and heartbreaking. Eighteen-year-old orphan Gideon Nav has spent her life devising ways to escape indentured servitude to the Ninth House. When Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the sole daughter and heir to the Ninth, sees a chance to become a Lyctor, right hand to the Necromancer Divine, she needs a cavalier by her side if she hopes to beat out the candidates of the other eight Houses and only Gideon will do. Much as her necromancers do with human remains, Muir effortlessly compiles macabre humor, body horror, secrets, and tenderness into the stitched-together corpse of a dark universe, then brings it to life with a delightfully chaotic, crackling cast of characters and the connective tissue of their relationships. From the mad science joys of necromantic theory to the deliciously ever-evolving tension between Gideon and Harrow, this adventurous novel not only embraces its strangeness but wrings delight from it. The result is an addictive, genre-bending book that will wow readers with its vibrant energy, endearing cast, and emotional gut-punch of a finale.
Customer Reviews
10/10
i don't rlly understand the logistics in this book or in harrow but it's gay and goth and sci fi so i fw it heavy!!!!! and the ending absolutely devastated me
Amazing fantasy world and characters
I am blown away by the detail-oriented and creative storytelling of Gideon the Ninth. This book was such a fun and engaging read. Gideon’s detached and humorous point of view was such a wonderful tension breaker, while also making the emotions of certain moments even more impactful. I am very excited to begin reading the sequel, Harrow the Ninth. My only complaint is that the world building at times can be pretty confusing, especially in the beginning. I feel we are not given enough descriptions of Drearburh and the First House at times to really get a bearing on what exactly the characters are seeing. There were also quite a few typos here and there, as well as one instance where I noticed a necromancer had referred to her cavalier also as a necromancer instead of cavalier. These were distracting at times, but nonetheless I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in necromanctic repressed lesbians, intense fighting scenes, and rich storytelling.
Original but loose in the end
Very new, fresh, funny. Needs a bit of tightening. Great action but weak on the relationships