Gideon the Ninth

Kalit Atl

A wonderfully chaotic, genre-defying, world building first book

"Gideon the Ninth is a breath of fresh air with a standout protagonist. Her narration is filled with sarcastic quips, "dirty jokes," and a modern sensibility that clashes brilliantly with the ancient, morbid world around her. Muir crafts the most brilliant Necro science-fantasy hybrid that feels wholly original, yet comforting familiar for dark fantasy die hards. The book pivots from the complex relationship between the main characters into a tense murder mystery as members of the different houses start turning up dead, and all the while the author teases us with reveals of the grater universe this mistery is set in. The first few chapters may feel extremely confusing for the uninitiated, but it will reward patience with gut-punching emotional payoffs and a truly epic and shocking ending. For those listening to it, Moira Quirk is a delight of a narrator. The voices fit each character quite perfectly and you won't be able to hear them in your head any other way going forward. I make this book one of my usual listens if I have nothing better to "read". ["

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May 8, 2026 Verified Purchase

A.J.

Unique magic makes this an interesting read

"I think what first caught my attention about this book was a tagline on the cover about "necromancers in space." Necromancers are fun, and space-faring ones even more so. But there isn't much about space travel in this book. There are multiple worlds, each run by a different House of necromancers. The type of magic each House practices is unique to that House, and every necromancer is paired with a cavalier (a warrior who usually acts as a guardian figure.) But the space travel part isn't done on-page, so if that's what you're excited for, I'm sorry to disappoint. But the story is worth reading. Most of this book is set on a world that was once occupied by the First House (the Emperor's House), but it's now in ruins. The portions set elsewhere are set on the dark world of the Ninth House, where the main character, Gideon, begins her journey. And by dark, I mean, it’s practically lightless, and it’s cold. It was never officially stated, but it made me think the Ninth’s world is quite a distance away from the nearest star. Gideon was raised by the Ninth House, but she hates every aspect of it. She wants to leave, but her attempts are constantly thwarted. Eventually, she's convinced to take up the role of cavalier for the necromancer Harrowhark with a promise of freedom from the Ninth when her work is finished. Gideon reluctantly accepts. She's a skilled fighter, but Harrowhark is her lifelong nemesis. There is a lot of resentment between the two and very little trust, and that becomes a major problem later. They’re expected to work as a team, after all. (Side note: I really didn’t like Harrowhark.) Harrowhark is summoned to the world of the First House to compete in becoming a Lyctor, a renowned position one step down from the Emperor himself. Each of the other seven Houses are also competing, but things become dangerous fast. It’s at this point where the book becomes more a murder-mystery with necromantic magic than it is a straight up fantasy, but I really liked that. It was kind of like Clue, but with magic, and more players involved. I also found the various types of necromancy each House employed to be pretty interesting and at times, unique. Harrowhark's magic focuses on bones—skeletons and the like—but she was the only one using that variety. One necromancer siphons souls, one can summon and draw energy from spirits, and one manipulates flesh/blood (there were other types too.) The creative use of each type of magic was a lot of fun. The only minor complaint I have is that some of the action/combat scenes were difficult to follow in spots. Otherwise, this was a great read, and even though it's listed as book 1 in the series, it works very well as a standalone. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t add my thoughts about the ending before I finish this review. I understand why events unfolded as they did—it was the only way to make the story work—but I’ll admit it was still a little bit disappointing. Not in a way that made me think any less of the book, but it was disappointing for a certain character. If you’ve read it, you know what I’m referring to. If not… I’d still recommend you check it out if any of the above piques your interest. ["

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August 20, 2025 Verified Purchase

Cassie

So much fun!

"I adored this book! It was definitely a little hard to get into at first, but just keep reading, it's soooo worth it. It was hard at first because the world the author has built is so complex and soooo different and the vocabulary is intense (you can tell the dictionary is probably the author's comfort read, lol). But it is such a vibe the further you go, in the best way. Gideon is an amazing protagonist, along with Harrow and I really enjoyed the other characters as well. They felt fleshed out and multidimensional. The plot is wonderful. Full of action, intrigue, mystery, and even murder mysteries - I could not put this down! I cried actual tears at the end, I'm devastated (but in that wonderful, I just read an amazing book and will kill if I don't get my hands on the second book now way). Highly recommend!! I can't wait to see where this story goes! ["

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February 25, 2026 Verified Purchase

SpeakingBookish

Skeletons abound!

"Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Heir to the House of the Ninth, is in desperate need of a Cavalier. She must be accompanied by one if she is to accept the invitation from the Lord Undying himself and travel to the First House to study to be a Lyctor. Her original Cavalier has flown the coup leaving her with one option: Gideon Nav. The problem is that Gideon hates Harrow and the feeling is mutual. Gideon has spent her whole life attempting to escape the House of the Ninth and join the military. With promises of freedom, Harrow manages to convince Gideon to step into the roll of Cavalier Primary and accompany her off-planet. Studying to be a Lyctor is not what Harrow, or any of the other seven house representatives, expected and the price to be paid to attain this goal may be more than anyone is willing to pay. Necromancers in space. Those are the bare bones of Gideon the Ninth but not even close to all this book is about. The world is very hard to picture and is one of the things that made the first half of this book pretty hard to get through. The reader is thrown unceremoniously into this strange world and you either sink or swim. Many people reviewing this book said they didn't finish it, quitting before getting to the half-way mark. Those are the sinkers. Those of us that pushed through the first half of the book are the swimmers. I can understand why so many people chose to stop reading. I found myself struggling to understand the world, the role that each person played, and how high the stakes were to each character. But I pushed through because the writing was so different than anything I'd ever read before, the characters were fantastic, and I was eager to see where the story was going even if I didn't totally understand what was going on. I was rewarded handsomely for my endeavors. Let's start with the writing. The author has a way of using words in a different context than they are normally used in. Tamsyn uses words like "nuggety" and "robust" to describe people. Descriptions that make little sense yet you know exactly what the author is trying to tell you. She has a completely unique writing style and I doubt you'd ever be able to confuse it with anyone else's. This was the first thing that grabbed my attention in this book. The second being Gideon. I wholeheartedly have a female crush on Gideon Nav. She's absolutely crackers and mouthy and badass and I will never get enough of her snark. She also makes hilarious and vulgar jokes from the beginning to the end of this book, usually at Harrow's expense, and doesn't think that being in a life or death situation is quite reason enough to stop. I loved it. Yet, she garners your sympathy for the life she lived and you also just want to hug her. I haven't been all up in my feelings over a character like this in a long time. The dynamic between Gideon and Harrow is genius. They hate each other but are now in a situation where they must rely on each other for survival and it's awesome to see that play out on the page. This book does take its sweet time getting to the point. I believe that this story will lose a lot of readers based on this fact alone and it's a real shame. Once you hit the half-way mark in the book things start picking up speed very quickly. The story goes from meandering to full speed ahead in 6 seconds flat so the pacing isn't one of its stronger suits. All of the heirs and their cavaliers are from one of eight houses and I believe that each house represents a different planet. From what I gathered each planet is also quite different. The people hailing from them are all different as well; they share different beliefs, they dress differently, talk differently. The only thing linking them all is their service to the Emperor. The planets and the dynamic between them is one of the elements that is seriously lacking information. I am hopeful that much more will be explained on this front in the next two books. As for this book, the whole story is narrowed down to this one building- which is also hard to describe other than to say it's huge, old, and dilapidated-on this one planet. All the characters are residing here in order to ascend to Lyctor. There are skeletons everywhere. They are used as laborers and housekeepers and cooks. Harrow is able to raise skeletons fully formed from a single knuckle bone but that isn't the case for all the necromancers. Their gifts all lie in different areas and not all of them raise the dead in the way you would imagine. Again, an area that needs more explanation. When reading about raising the dead you can pretty much assume it's going to get dirty. And it does. Downright disgusting. I wasn't expecting the level of blood and gore that I found in this book but it worked. This is possibly the hardest review I've written. This book is extremely hard to explain and because of that my explanations lack fluidity. Just know that this book does have its faults but all in all I found it to be a fantastic story. It has a unique plot, extremely diverse and interesting characters, and the ending left me with a latent need to have the next book NOW. Which isn't going to happen and I'm pretty beat up about it. As stated on the back of the book, Gideon the Ninth is LGBT+ friendly and all different types of people are represented. There are some triggers to be aware of: Violence, Blood/gore, extremely vulgar language, suicide, death of a parent/s, death of a sibling, mass death of children, abandonment, chronic/fatal illness. ["

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September 21, 2019 Verified Purchase

melanie (meltotheany / jtotheimin)

5/5 - My Favorite Book of 2019

"Gideon the Ninth is a book about a swordfighter named Gideon who is my favorite literary character of all time. Gideon is so witty, so funny, so charming, and such a thorn in Harrowhark’s side. Harrowhark is a necromancer, while also being the main ruler of the Ninth’s planet. Both of these characters are harboring a few secrets of their own, but they are both so unsure of their pasts and their futures for so very many reasons. That is, until one day the Emperor has invited all eight necromancer heirs, from all eight loyal Houses, to compete in unknown trails to possibly ascend into something that will make them immortal, but the costs of losing can very well be their lives. No necromancer can compete without a skilled cavalier by their side, and Harrowhark has no choice but to get Gideon to help her and save the future of the Ninth House. But once Gideon and Harrowhark arrive on the Emperor’s planet, they soon realize that the tasks are going to be much more mysterious and much more difficult than anyone could have predicted. Especially when cavaliers and necromancers from the other houses start getting murdered. Gideon is not only tasked to help Harrowhark, she also has to ensure that she keeps breathing herself, while also trying to figure out who is doing the unspeakable things to other competitors. Tamsyn then leads us on this beautiful adventure, where twist after twist occurs so seamlessly that you can’t help but feel completely enthralled. The writing is so beautiful, so intelligent, and so very impressive. And the way the entire story is told is so very transportive! I mean, this book has one of the scariest settings I’ve read all year, but I felt like I was right there battling for my life, with a goofy smile on my face. And the atmosphere and constant chill while reading? It’s unparalleled and truly an experience like no other. I love this book for many reasons, but I also love it because it’s over the top, and has so many one-liners, and it’s painfully romantic, and the girl gets the girl at the end. And it’s what’s I’ve been waiting my whole reading life for. This is a better, and way more unique, and 100% more impressive version of what straight, white dudes have been publishing in SFF forever. I keep seeing people say that they feel this book is too confusing, the characters too over the top, and the world too complex, but I just don’t feel that way at all. This is the story my sapphic loving heart has been searching for in epic fantasy my whole life. Gideon the Ninth is my f/f loving, literary loving heart’s anthem, and I plan to play it on repeat forever. This book has the best enemies to lovers romance I’ve ever read in all of my years. Yeah, you read that right. In my whole freaking life, this is my favorite. I’m talking OTP for the rest of my days. I didn’t exist before this ship sailed in this first book. And this book also has such a central theme of trust, and what it means to put your trust in another. Also, what it means to be trustful, and the privilege of having someone put their trust in you, unconditionally. And this book also has an amazing discussion on power dynamics and imbalances, and how important it is to be aware of these things while putting your trust in yourself and in someone else, simultaneously. Overall, this really just felt like the book I’ve been waiting my own personal eternity for. This felt like the book of my dreams and my hopes. All I want is ownvoices lgbtqiap+ books, with f/f relationships, with cutthroat girls putting themselves first, but allowing themselves to be vulnerable enough to maybe let someone else get to see a softer side of them. Almost like I’ve been reviewing books for five years now, preparing myself to read and review Gideon the Ninth, even though I know no word combination or sentence structure I could ever come up with could do it justice for this story. Basically, I know this book isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you feel like you have similar reading taste to me, then I implore you to give this one a try. I mean, if the tagline “Lesbian Necromancers in Space” isn’t going to sell you, hopefully my emotional, bleeding heart self can. This book means everything to me, and I hope you enjoy if you pick it up. ["

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September 10, 2019 Verified Purchase