Gideon the Ninth - The Locked Tomb Book 1

Tamsyn Muir

THE EMPEROR NEEDS NECROMANCERS.

THE NINTH NECROMANCER NEEDS A SWORDSWOMAN.

GIDEON HAS A SWORD, SOME DIRTY MAGAZINES, AND NO MORE TIME FOR UNDEAD NONSENSE.

Found through some of the ever semi-reliable internet lists of "Must-read queer books!" and then bought to read on vacation - and after finishing it, I immediately bought the sequel on my e-reader. This series had me in a deathgrip from the first page and has not yet let go. No need to send help, I'll gladly die like this (We're keeping in theme, everyone).

What to say about Gideon. This is an unconventional book for sure- but in ways that I enjoy to no end. Our protagonist, Gideon Nav, brings the perspective of a witty and foul-mouthed butch lesbian to a story about a necromantic contest, in which the heirs to the nine houses of the empire seek the power to ascend and serve the Emperor Undying himself as all-powerful necromantic immortals. They are accompanied by skilled cavaliers - without them, ascension is impossible. And well, unfortunately for Gideon, she just so happens to be the only viable option to take up that spot for the heir of the ninth house, necromantic powerhouse Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus. This, of course, derails Gideons plans to finally escape the grips of the ninth house, the barren little world mostly populated by skeletons and devotees to a death-cult she was born into. Because the ninth house is on the decline- and this contest may be Harrowhark's only opportunity to save it.

Muir's writing puts heart-wrenching dramatic dialogue and eerie atmosphere right next to puns, meme references, and dirty jokes. And I absolutely adore it. The memes can be immersion-breaking, but are unobtrusive enough, and with most of the jokes coming from Gideon herself, they fit extremely well. The magic system is well developed and fascinating, and while the worldbuilding is mostly left in the dark for now, the glimpses we get slowly come together throughout the series to form a very interesting whole. The characters are amazingly developed and have wonderful dynamics, with the pair of Gideon and Harrow as the wonderful, dysfunctional, very gay centerpiece. Honorable mentions are: Ianthe Tridentarius, who is the worst and will stay the worst and we love her for it. Palamedes Sextus and Camilla Hect, the necro and cav nerd power-duo who are some of the only characters to Get Stuff Done albeit in often too complicated a manner. Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn who are, really, the only healthy people in the room at any given time, have a wonderful marriage and are generally the most socially competent in this entire bunch, taking care that as little people kill each other as possible.