Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, Book 1)

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, Book 1)
Tamsyn Muir, 2019

Read to the end... 

Premise: Gideon has been trying to escape the Ninth House since she was a child. Now her only way out might be to accompany her nemesis Harrowhark in her quest to become one of the Emperor's chosen necromancers. But the trial to become a lyctor is far from safe for necromancers and their bodyguards.

I know, I know, I'm late to the party here. 

I can nitpick about some intentionally anachronistic word choices that were a smidge too tone-breaking for me. I could point out that at the end of the book I still understand almost nothing about the structure of this Empire, how big it is, what it means that the Emperor "resurrected" the Houses, how the Houses are even supposed to work. 

But little of that matters. 

Gideon's sarcastic, hilarious voice carries you through the beginning and the light exposition about the bonkers uber-goth-necromancers-somehow-built-a-society setting, and then the plot takes off and there's no stopping til the end. This book's got enough characters to earn the included list of dramatis personae and features a compelling genre mash-up, dropping a bunch of very different space necromancers and their sword-wielding companions into a murder mystery in a facility that's half fantasy, half scifi/horror.

I did anticipate some of the final twists before they happened, but I found the ending fitting and mostly satisfying, if not actually as emotionally compelling as I wanted to. 

I liked all the characters and the plot throughout. This is a great book that deserves its accolades, although I didn't find it transformative as many I know did. I still really liked it and immediately reserved the sequel at the library.

4 Stars - A Very Good Book

----SIX MONTHS LATER, AND I STILL HAVEN'T POSTED THIS REVIEW, SO HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED NEXT----

Well, after I read the sequel, and then immediately tore through the third book, I went back and read this one again, and abso-freakin-lutely loved it the second time around. Loved it. Love the memes. Love the unexplained foreshadowing. 

And then a month later I listened to it as an audiobook. And I never have patience for audiobooks. And I read a lot of theories and commentary from other fans and looked at a lot of fanart. 

I always love a mystery novel that's even more satisfying once you know what's going to happen. For me, many books can't stand up to rereading, but I think I'll keep coming back to this. The more I know and think about the characters, the more every scene has weight and humor and meaning. I read it way too fast the first time to realize half the things I could have if I'd slowed down and paid attention.

I am onboard the Locked Tomb hype train now. I am fully engaged in the Alectopause (fan term for the time spent waiting for the fourth book).

5 Stars - An Awesome Book