Guys, Gideon the Ninth by Tamysyn Muir may just be the craziest, banana-pants book I have ever read. And I loved every minute of it. I can’t say that I would have ever considered a book about a necromancer society that includes ghosts, gods, a haunted mansion, and so many skeletons would be something that would work, but OH MY GOD is this story perfection!
In truth, it took me a few chapters to get into the story. The premise, the characters, and the world are all so bizarre that it takes time for your mind to wrap itself around each of them. For example, Gideon and Harrow detest one another, but you have no idea why. You just know that Harrow is unfathomably cruel to Gideon for some reason, and you have to shrug and accept it without understanding their backstory. The same goes for the House of the Ninth and its inhabitants. They are borderline inhuman, and you don’t understand how such a decrepit society can survive or why it even should.
Once you get past your confusion, or simply decide to just go with it, the story becomes this delightfully macabre horror story with a heart. Gideon is such a badass, but more importantly, in spite of the truly shitty childhood she had as an orphan of the Ninth, she is one of the most compassionate people we meet. She truly cares about others and yearns to experience love of her own. All the years of solitude and torture from others never hardened her heart.
Ms. Muir does reward your patience by providing the necessary backstory to understand Gideon’s and Harrow’s relationship as well as Harrow’s infuriating penchant for silence and misdirection. Plus, we finally get an understanding of just what Harrow and the other heirs are trying to accomplish. The reveals don’t necessarily redeem some of the characters’ behaviors, but they do help make sense of the entire story.
By the end, I could not get enough of Gideon. I simply adore her. Not only do I appreciate a character with a good sense of snark, but I love her fierce determination, her loyalty when no one deserves it, and her inability to give in to bullying or a losing situation. We could all learn a little something from her.
I have no idea where the story is going but I cannot wait for the next installment of The Locked Tomb trilogy. Ms. Muir has a phenomenal story going here, with characters that are bizarre, hilarious, and dark. Truly, Gideon the Ninth is everything I love in a story.
This is certainly not something I’d ever pick up on my own, and I don’t know that I’m in for something that out there; but, you certainly do make it sound interesting and like something I might pick up if I were really looking for something completely out of my wheelhouse.
The writing is truly spectacular, which is what makes such an insane premise so palatable. Add to that characters that are simply fantastic and I think most people can overlook the weirdness.
I’m skipping your review for now because this is on my soon-to-read list, but I’m really excited for it!!! Especially seeing as you loved it.
Just be warned. It is insanity in word form. For me, that is half the fun, but I can see it being a major turnoff for some readers.
Ahahahaha you know, it’s funny to look back after reading Harrow the Ninth because the second book is… SO much more bananapants than the first one. I loved it even better than Gideon the Ninth but it’s super confusing for most of the length of the book and you really REALLY have to just hold on and let it take you along for the ride. I can’t wait for you to read it! I hope you love it! Then we will both suffer together as we wait for Alecto the Ninth.
I just finished Harrow and have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. I can’t even tell you what that ending was. But I loved it! (How sick is that?)
I agree with all of this! This book was banana pants crazy. I cannot wait to read Harrow the Ninth but I think I am going to have to reread Gideon first to see what more makes sense on reread.
Is it supposed to make sense? Because I got the distinct impression it isn’t. You are just sort of supposed to go with the flow here. I’m a little scared of Harrow, but I am looking forward to it as well. It’s next on the docket!
Yaaaas, such a fun book!! (Just be aware, Harrow the Ninth is a VERY different book, both in tone and structure, but at 75% it goes bonkers)
Harrow is next on my list of books to read. I just need to get through As the Shadow Rises first.