Gideon the Ninth

By Tamsyn Muir

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
  • Release Date: 2019-09-10
  • Genre: Science Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 846 Ratings

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.

Reviews

  • Amazing fantasy world and characters

    5
    By Aerchii
    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.
  • Amazing!

    5
    By IdleTeen_18
    Loved this series and the characters are so captivating :)
  • Epic, poetic, lavish prose, and lovely, from a masculine perspective.

    4
    By rickiryu
    Thank You for sharing your self with us.
  • 🔥

    5
    By b0s5y
    🦴 💀 👓
  • Perfect blend of magic and science

    3
    By mikemjohnson86
    Loved the narrative voice how well it fit with Gideon, it was bold brash and legit funny. The story was both complex and easy to follow, with everything from comedy, to horror, to its fair share of drama. Will def check out part II
  • DNF

    3
    By HRJones
    Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir got a lot of hype as “lesbian necromancers in space” (or maybe that’s “in spaaaaaaace”). Evidently that wasn’t enough for me. I got up to chapter 12 and stopped. I found it impossible to care about any of the characters. Gideon was simply annoying and whiny. And the “in space” setting made no sense whatsoever in terms of physical logistics. The story structure would have made much more sense as a secondary world on a single planet, maybe doing the physical isolation via islands? Instead it was “in spaaaaaaace” and didn’t work at all for me. And, although this isn’t the author’s fault at all, I’m utterly bewildered by the publishing dynamics of which books are promoted as overtly queer and which are left to languish in hints and implications. Gideon gets it, but lots of other books with more central and more implicit queer content don’t. Some day I will give away my gorgeous first-edition, black-deckle-edged hardcover copy of Gideon the Ninth to someone who loved the book and will appreciate it properly.
  • Sword Lesbians in Space

    5
    By cynokit
    I do not want to get off Mr. Bones’ Wild Ride
  • Treasure of a Book

    5
    By MeteorFlight
    This book is incredible, I loved it so much! The characters are so interesting and the settings are so fascinating. This is truly a treasure of a book.
  • Great world building and story

    5
    By Hobj
    Read lots of fantasy and it was a joy to be surprised and ocassionally laugh out loud as characters grew. Backstory like amystery with much more to be revealed. Already pre ordered nect book. Thanks to the author
  • Great book. Unique

    5
    By Jalaroc
    Had difficulty putting it down.