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A review by pewter
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
With loads of recommendations and hype for this book, I had my bar set quite high coming in, and I can totally understand why people are enamoured with this book. Gideon has a strong voice, there is a wide cast of characters from different houses à la Hunger Games; suspense and tension collide with lovingly described environment and complex world building. Yep, it's a decent book.
The good stuff:
The things that work for me are often what don't work for others - I love being dropped off in sci-fi land with a ton of complex jargon. I don't mind being left out of the loop on how things work, part of the fun is when it clicks. I also think there were some really well built reader assumptions that lead to some decent surprises.
Normally I don't have a ton of patience for copious environmental description (looking at you, Tolkien) but Gideon the Ninth does it decently. I found myself carefully reading each new setting, each characters appearance, as it was gently described and enjoyed imagining it. Sometimes it was too much and challenged the pacing - it's hard to pay attention to detailed descriptions of bone monsters while they're speeding towards you, or be interested in a room during a chase - but for the most part it was well done.
I also really feel invested in science fiction fantasy of necromancy. Not usually into edgy, cool gothy stuff but the bones are there (get it?) for a good magic system with lots of fun potential. Like a video game, each new part of necromancy we discovered as a reader felt like earning a new skill or weapon to move to the next level. Maybe a bit too much like a video game, but whatever.
Now for the less exciting:
I really think what people love here are probably the parts I don't - I don't love snark. Every character has the perfect comeback. Dialogue with constant quips and cleverness leaves no vulnerability and no room for me to join in and empathize, because everyone in this book is a cool smartass - even the narrative, and I'm just not.
The book also suffers a little dissonance between what we're told as readers, and how the characters act. At the beginning, we are told some important facts about Gideon: most importantly, she holds a long and deep seated deathly hatred towards Harrow. We're told Gideon is a rule breaker, has been planning her escape for a decade, can be selfish and definitely is snarky - not knowing when to keep her mouth shut.
When the main plot begins, this is mostly thrown away. "I hate Harrow!" She thinks as acts otherwise, obeys the rules, keeps her mouth shut and her head down, and acts rather selfless - dreams of escape forgotten. So which is it? I am having a hard time believing what you're telling me. At least this tends to get better with time.
I don't enjoy characters who hate each other on a deeply personal level. Enemies (of circumstance, like opposing factions) to lovers works for me because there is room to realize each other's flaws, fight the system, etc. Enemies (of character, of deep personal wronging) to lovers rarely works for me because the author never sells me the forgiveness. A lifetime of wrongs becoming right in a fortnight? Unforgivable acts being forgotten because the power of love? Nah. I can suspend my disbelief for the skeletons, but not the forgiveness. And because of this huge gap, I just don't feel the payoff on the ending. Doesn't feel earned.
A bit difficulty sprouts when the tension and seriousness don't match the humor or relief, and I was challenged by the pacing for sure. Contemporary dialogue and references aren't for me, but I think there's lots of room for it and it didn't detract at all.
So yeah, it's a decent read. I would recommend it to people who like smartass TV shows with mean characters, sci-fi fans (for the jargon), enemies-to-lovers fans, people who want to try something written in a contemporary voice, mystery fans / thriller fans.
The good stuff:
The things that work for me are often what don't work for others - I love being dropped off in sci-fi land with a ton of complex jargon. I don't mind being left out of the loop on how things work, part of the fun is when it clicks. I also think there were some really well built reader assumptions that lead to some decent surprises.
Normally I don't have a ton of patience for copious environmental description (looking at you, Tolkien) but Gideon the Ninth does it decently. I found myself carefully reading each new setting, each characters appearance, as it was gently described and enjoyed imagining it. Sometimes it was too much and challenged the pacing - it's hard to pay attention to detailed descriptions of bone monsters while they're speeding towards you, or be interested in a room during a chase - but for the most part it was well done.
I also really feel invested in science fiction fantasy of necromancy. Not usually into edgy, cool gothy stuff but the bones are there (get it?) for a good magic system with lots of fun potential. Like a video game, each new part of necromancy we discovered as a reader felt like earning a new skill or weapon to move to the next level. Maybe a bit too much like a video game, but whatever.
Now for the less exciting:
I really think what people love here are probably the parts I don't - I don't love snark. Every character has the perfect comeback. Dialogue with constant quips and cleverness leaves no vulnerability and no room for me to join in and empathize, because everyone in this book is a cool smartass - even the narrative, and I'm just not.
The book also suffers a little dissonance between what we're told as readers, and how the characters act. At the beginning, we are told some important facts about Gideon: most importantly, she holds a long and deep seated deathly hatred towards Harrow. We're told Gideon is a rule breaker, has been planning her escape for a decade, can be selfish and definitely is snarky - not knowing when to keep her mouth shut.
When the main plot begins, this is mostly thrown away. "I hate Harrow!" She thinks as acts otherwise, obeys the rules, keeps her mouth shut and her head down, and acts rather selfless - dreams of escape forgotten. So which is it? I am having a hard time believing what you're telling me. At least this tends to get better with time.
I don't enjoy characters who hate each other on a deeply personal level. Enemies (of circumstance, like opposing factions) to lovers works for me because there is room to realize each other's flaws, fight the system, etc. Enemies (of character, of deep personal wronging) to lovers rarely works for me because the author never sells me the forgiveness. A lifetime of wrongs becoming right in a fortnight? Unforgivable acts being forgotten because the power of love? Nah. I can suspend my disbelief for the skeletons, but not the forgiveness. And because of this huge gap, I just don't feel the payoff on the ending. Doesn't feel earned.
A bit difficulty sprouts when the tension and seriousness don't match the humor or relief, and I was challenged by the pacing for sure. Contemporary dialogue and references aren't for me, but I think there's lots of room for it and it didn't detract at all.
So yeah, it's a decent read. I would recommend it to people who like smartass TV shows with mean characters, sci-fi fans (for the jargon), enemies-to-lovers fans, people who want to try something written in a contemporary voice, mystery fans / thriller fans.