A review by ceruleanshelves
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

“I cannot conceive of a universe without you in it.”
“Yes you can, it's just less great and less hot,” said Gideon.

omgggg where do i even start??? i first tried to read this about 3 years ago when i first got back into reading and i just wasn't prepared for this level of high SFF worldbuilding, so i put it down.

i'm glad i did that bc i think all my reading since is what really prepared me to start this series.

“If you do not find yourself a galaxy, it is not so bad to find yourself a star.”

the magic system is both mystical and meticulous; this is, to me, a true example of the blending of sci-fi and fantasy. macabre, eerie, calculated, mysterious. the well-placed elements of horror only add to the atmosphere and keep the stakes raised. as a reader you're constantly reassessing what you think you know of the canaan house alongside gideon.

“Why was I born so attractive?”
“Because everyone would have throttled you within the first five minutes otherwise.”

gideon is honestly a hoot that i was not expecting. NO ONE TOLD ME THIS WAS FUNNY. if you know me, you know there's nothing i appreciate more than a fantasy book that also makes you laugh. death, destruction, the world and universe at peril are all great dramatics... but if the author can give me a moment of respite from it all to laugh and momentarily forget my favorite characters are in dangerous, i will be beholden to them forever.

“Harrow,” said Gideon, “if my heart had a dick you would kick it.”

gideon's tumultuous and resentful (though i think that word might be a bit light for what it describes) relationship to harrowhark, the ninth house heir, is similar in vein to damen x laurent of captive prince (i'm biased being permanently in capri brainrot but i swear the dynamics are parallel). deeply reluctant allies who are quite ready to betray the other if they ever got the chance, the tension starts high as they head into the canaan house as necromancer and cavalier.

the mystery of canaan house itself and the then ensuing deaths of its attendents forces gideon and harrow to embark on the tightrope of a road to their friendship, to being a true cavalier and necromancer duo.

the ensemble of characters were intriguing and illustrious, and thank god for authors who write a dramatis personae at the start of their books esp w names like those bc i had to constantly refer back to it to keep track.

with its intriguing and driving plot, unique world, and admirable characters, gideon the ninth is a must-read for any seasoned SFF fan.

and with that ending, i'm definitely tuning into book 2.

one flesh, one end.
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