Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb, #1)

by Tamsyn Muir

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

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. The emperor has called his necromancers to action, and Harrowhark is set on Gideon attending her as bodyguard. If Gideon survives, she’ll be a hero, and a free woman. If not, she can look forward to eternity as a shambling bone-servant.

Reviewed by alindstadtcorbeax on

5 of 5 stars

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Star Rating: —> 5 Stars!

My heart hurts. It ACHES.

SO INCREDIBLE. I literally cried when it was over & as it was ending.

I mean that ending? And this whole damn novel? Brutal AF!

Perfection. Truly. Im so confused as to some readers’ complaints that this was extremely confusing & didn’t follow a solid plot line (incl. subplots) that made sense... hmm.

(You can skip over this part if you aren’t interested!)
***BUT! before I go into any more detail... I have stumbled upon the PERFECT way to experience this novel. Through suffering the flu & needing something to sub for physically reading when i felt too sick to, I found that the audiobook (which is one of the best I’ve ever listened to, btw, EVER) is an absolute necessity as a companion to READING the book! I know it isn’t the most cost effective way to read, BUT, it is SO. WORTH. IT WITH THIS BOOK; GUYS... It was SO WELL DONE & captures everything perfectly.
Plus, I don’t think I would’ve truly gotten to know Gideon, or Harrow, for that matter & be able to honestly say that I TRULY understand either of them as their unique selves, without listening to it! Plus if you’re someone who was or is having any sort of trouble with the book, I say give it a second chance with “my” method!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 11 November, 2019: Reviewed