Gideon the Ninth

The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
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 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.

First of all… I have FEELINGS. What an ending.

Secondly, I’m sliiightly sad I’m coming into this series late but better now than never. I’m someone who likes to know very little about books I’m getting into, to keep expectations neutral and just let the book take me where it does. All I knew about Gideon the Ninth was that we have queer necromancers in space. The cover looks rad and it was published by Tor, it was all I needed.

The beginning of the book was a bit challenging for me to get into. There was a lot of foundational info being laid out and a lot of names I found difficult to keep track of. I expected this from the first book of any series but again, it was a lot and could deter some readers since it goes on for quite a bit before things get going.

What I found refreshing was Gideon’s voice. She is sarcastic, completely irreverent, and downright does not give a F. This was the book I exactly needed after reading a more serious novel. I also listened to the audiobook which may not help with the confusion when it comes to a big cast BUT absolutely worth it for the acting and different voices. I can’t describe the experience other than FUN. With Gideon’s perspective, the voices, and the character interactions, I found myself hooked on what was happening.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the book had a murder mystery! It’s been a while since I read a whodunnit and I sure wasn’t expecting it to happen in SPACE with NECROMANCERS. My brain was pretty darn excited, trying to figure out who was behind all the murders.

While a lot isn’t explained about the history of the different houses, I was fascinated by what each house specialized in. I enjoyed seeing what the different necromancers can do and I hope Muir shows us more of these abilities in the future. The ‘magic’ system of the Ninth house was very interesting to me and I love reading about how it worked.

Things really start to pick up after the half way mark and even more so in the last quarter of the novel. Be ready for a lot of action and some emotional scenes because it WILL NOT STOP until you get to the end. And then you reach the end and you’re like what. just. happened. And you’ll go to your friends who have read the book and scream at them about what just went down. Or at least that’s what I did.

Overall Gideon the Ninth was so fun for me and exactly what I needed at the time. I’m glad I picked this up again after not having the time to finish it the first time. I’m now very intrigued by the second book and I’m glad to hear there is more to come!