Sword fighting, sarcasm, murder, and lesbianism. These four concepts sum up Tamsyn Muir’s novel, “Gideon the Ninth.”
“Gideon the Ninth” is about two women, who must work together regardless of their contentious history to complete a nearly impossible task. This story is set in a universe where the Nine Houses train sends warriors to serve the Emperor and his Lyctors (powerful necromancers) in their fight against beasts who consume entire worlds.
At the start of the novel, the Nine Houses have been issued a summons to send their high-born children, each of whom has a different necromantic strength, to the First House. There they, along with their cavalier (a personal bodyguard), will embark upon the mysterious, but glorified journey to become a Lyctor.
Each representative from the Nine Houses that is able to overcome all of the challenges and master new necromantic techniques will serve on the battlefield side-by-side with the Emperor and the former Lyctors, in which only three of eight remain.
The story follows two women from the Ninth House, Gideon Nav and Lady Harrowhark Nonagesimus. Gideon attempted to escape from the Ninth House 87 times in 18 years while Harrowhark is the Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House who must answer the Emperor’s summons.
Through a twist of events, Gideon agrees to serve as Harrow’s cavalier, and together they embark to the First House.
“Gideon the Ninth” is punctuated with interesting necromantic concepts, sword fight battles, mystery, sarcasm galore, murder, and Gideon’s lesbian musings. Although there are no explicit scenes in the book, Gideon has several female crushes and can often be found flirting with Lady Dulcinea Septimus, the Duchess of Castle Rhodes.
Although the book can seem daunting at first – as there are many new terms to learn and interesting necromantic concepts to understand – once the reader has a firm grasp of the setting and theories, it is a gripping and exciting read. Additionally, the story is told through Gideon’s eyes, who has a way with words, a wild vocabulary of curse words and a very sarcastic undertone.
“Gideon the Ninth” is the first novel in The Locked Tomb Series, followed by “Harrow the Ninth” and “Nona the Ninth.” Another notable title by author Tamsyn Muir is “Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower.”
