3 reasons Gideon the Ninth is a must-read fall release
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth has received plenty of attention leading up to its release this September, and we’ve got good news: The hype is well deserved.
Necromancy seems to be a buzzword in the book community as of late, and with Halloween around the corner, stories about the dead — or the undead, depending how you look at it — are in high demand. Luckily, there are plenty of new releases headed our way that are perfect for some pre-Halloween reading, and Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth is at the top of that list.
Gideon the Ninth has been sold for months as “lesbian necromancers in space,” and while it certainly has all of those things, it’s also so much more than that. The story opens with Gideon, who has spent her life trapped in the Ninth House, but not for lack of trying to escape. In fact, the very first scene shows her 34th attempt at leaving her so-called home and enlisting in the military. Unforunately, much like all the previous tries, this one is thwarted.
The leader of the Ninth House and her nemesis since childhood won’t let Gideon go that easily. The necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus needs Gideon — especially after she’s summoned by the Emperor to undergo a series of trials to become a Lyctor. But necromancers can’t rise to that level without a cavalier, and Gideon becomes Harrowhark’s sword after her first pick runs off.
The two journey to the Emperor’s planet to join the other eight houses, all of which have necromancers and cavaliers looking to begin their journeys to becoming Lyctors. But after spending a bit of time in this strange new place, Gideon and Harrowhark quickly realize that something’s off — and finding out what it is could cost both of them their lives.
But if that doesn’t answer the question of why readers should be picking Gideon the Ninth up this fall, there are three points that will.
The atmosphere is dark and unsettling.
Readers looking for a story with a dark setting and equally as morbid vibes will fall easily into Gideon the Ninth. Though the story is set in space, its atmosphere often gives off the feeling of being in a crypt — of course, that could just be all the necromancers and skeletons. No matter where you are in this story, it has a dank and unsettling feeling, and much of that is a result of Muir’s stellar writing and world building.
The dynamics between characters are wonderful.
It would be easy to praise the eclectic characters of Gideon the Ninth themselves, but it’s the relationships between these characters that truly make this novel shine. In particular, the dynamic between Gideon and Harrowhark is one that will keep you glued to this story. The two of them begin the book hating one another, but it’s clear that there’s some level of appreciation lurking deep down — and it all comes tumbling out once they’re forced to help one another stay alive.
The other necromancers also add compelling layers to the story, with each of them offering a unique perspective and a bizarre set of beliefs and relationships of their own. And of course, the romance in this book is a satisfying one, and it doesn’t dominate the plot.
The twists will keep you turning the pages.
If you’re a fan of stories that involve task-based competitions, Gideon the Ninth takes that to a whole new level. The story begins much like others in the genre, with the necromancers facing a number of tests they need to pass in order to become Lyctors. But when they begin dying, the whole affair quickly turns into a mystery as well. And that combination makes for a truly thrilling ride.
Muir’s novel has the ability to keep readers up at night, not because of it’s eerie concept (though that could do the trick too), but because they’ll absolutely need to know what happens next.
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