Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series, 1) Paperback – July 14, 2020

What a great book, what a great story, what great characters, what great dialog.I'm not usually a fan of fantasy. More into hard science fiction and technology. I got this book based on the ratings and knew nothing about it. When I started I thought, oops a fantasy, but continued reading anyway. The clever writing style and snarky dialog kept me going initially until the story really kicked in. And the ride accelerated and spun a fascinating and compelling story that brought to life a well drawn eclectic ensemble of characters in a desperate situation to an explosive end within an interesting allegory.It is basically a complex mystery story in a unique world. The world building is done gradually and unfolds slowly through the plot with minimal exposition. And it remains consistent without the gratuitous "magic plot glue" sometimes used by less skilled authors.If there was one thing about the book that hindered me it was the large number of characters to keep straight. The author does include a handy who's who listing. But I admit I did not put the effort in to keep track - and in retrospect it would have been worth the trouble even though the author refers to the same character alternately by first name, last name, title which is a pet peeve of mine that always confuses me - but that did not detract seriously from appreciating the story or the characters. (Thinking back, the alternate name use was helpful in illuminating the character motivations and skills by use of their titles - on the fly so to speak to help those of us that don't study up front.) BTW, note the representative little skulls at the beginning of each chapter.This is why I read books. Every once in awhile I find something new and amazing and it broadens my thinking. I think I enjoyed this book so much because it was so unexpected. I have tried to write a book, sad results, and I am in awe of those who can produce such a complex crystalline pure structure with intriguing and believable protagonists that carry you off to new places.Warning: IMHO the 2nd and 3rd books are not as good. I was not intrigued enough to even finish the 3rd.

This book was bananas. It tells the story of Gideon Nav, eighteen years old, a trained soldier, and desperate to escape from her lonely existence on the planet that is home to the Ninth House. In this universe, an all-powerful necromancer made himself into a deathless god, anointed himself as the Emperor of the First House, and set out the other eight houses. The Ninth is bound to protect the Locked Tomb, which holds the body of the only foe who ever seriously challenged the Emperor’s supremacy. Each house is run by families that each practice different forms of necromancy. The heir of the Ninth House is teenage Harrowhark Nonagesimus, and she and the heirs to the other houses are each called by the Emperor to his home world, where they are charged with unlocking the secrets within Canaan House, the ancient ruin he and his closest advisors once called home, so that they may become a part of his inner circle. But in order to accept the call, Harrow needs a cavalier, a bodyguard and warrior who can protect her. The only viable option? Gideon, with whom Harrow has been in a constant and bitter war of attrition since childhood. This sounds heavy and dark and while it is in some portions both of those things (in the case of “dark”, honestly most portions), it is also very entertaining (ghosts! skeletons! puzzles!) and surprisingly funny. It takes a little while for the action to start happening, but once Harrow and Gideon arrive at Canaan House and we meet all the other house’s necromancers and cavaliers, it really starts to pick up momentum, with the plot getting more and more propulsive as it goes on. The characters, especially Gideon and Harrow but also a handful of the other people in the House, are vivid and enjoyable to spend time with. It’s undeniably unevenly paced, and has a kind of ramshackle kamikaze feel around the plot, as though Tamsyn Muir was building the plane as she was flying it. But it’s very engaging and I really enjoyed reading it!