This book review was part of a podcast discussion.
Listen to the episode here.
The world is too clean sometimes. I feel that our modern age does far too good a job disguising the true nature of things with clean lines and shining steel. Our visions of the future take this forward with sleek shining spaceships slipping through the void in silence and power. But when I look at our world, at the power structures that have existed for centuries, I expect to see rot. And then I want to laugh in the face of these decaying edifices of entrenched authority. That’s the feeling of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
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. But her escape is thwarted by Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire. The Emperor, a godlike immortal necromancer, has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will 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.
The galaxy is filled with noble houses that revel in the power of death and the skills of undeath. It’s a rot that is reflected in not just the visible but in the collapsing power of a galaxy spanning human civilization. And all of it provides excellent material for Gideon to laugh at. It has been so long since I really fell in love with the voice of a novel. Having it be one that is so counter to the world that it inhabits is what makes the bones of this story sing. Gideon’s funny observations and never-ending sarcasm create something that those of us growing up in turbulent political upheaval will find familiar. The use of modern slang and speech may be off putting to some who are expecting something more Dune like, but for me it was the perfect catalyzation of Gideon’s character that she approaches galactic conflict and warring necromancers like someone non-ironically wearing a Missfits shirt.
The story doesn’t sit and admire its own aesthetics. It is a deep and powerful examination of entrenched power systems and accepting or rejecting that power for yourself as you come of age. The cost of such power, and the things you are willing to do to keep and maintain it. The layered story fitting the personal inside the professional inside the political, so flawlessly that I almost never noticed the ever-increasing stakes until they were right on top of the characters. A mystification assisted by a perhaps to large cast of secondary characters whose names I could never keep straight. Flirty without being romantic. It walks the knife’s edge for nearly every aspect of story between the annoyance of youth and the awe necessary for today’s Fantasy.
Gideon the Ninth may not be for everyone, but I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to give it a chance. I give Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Five Stars out of Five.
Chicago, IL
A preacher's kid from the South who went North a long time ago. I'm an Engineer by day trying desperately to enjoy my day job. I love fantasy and sci-fi and I'm always looking for new worlds to explore.
DanielEavenson.com is my author site.
