Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir

If you haven’t thanked your library lately, you should! Thank you @lapubliclibrary and @libby.app for everything you do, like sharing this shocking book with me!

Gideon the Ninth is a space science fantasy book. What is science fantasy? Well good question, because this was my first one and here’s what I think it is: science fiction (space, ships, science, technology) meets fantasy (magic, swords, monsters). In this case, the leaders and their bodyguards, called cavaliers, of the 8 planets/houses (Second thru Ninth) come to the First to become Lyctors (this isn’t really explained but I gleaned that they are immortal interplanetary missionaries spreading the word of the Necromantic Lord God, their king. See, each leader is a powerful necromancer. Harrow is the Reverend Daughter and leader of the Ninth House. The Ninth’s house is known for their bone work and Harrow is adept at making full skeletons from just a shard of bone. Gideon is an indentured servant of the Ninth house, having been born there under mysterious circumstances and being the only child to live through a plague before Harrow was born. All Gideon wants is to be free of the Ninth and she accepts a deal to be Harrow’s cavalier during the Lyctor trials.

These trials are no shit. It’s puzzles and monsters and, of course, backstabbing and politics of the other houses. It’s gory court intrigue. Think Hunger Games but not YA.

My favorite part of this book was that this is clearly some other galaxy far more advanced than ours, maybe set in the future but Gideon and Harrow still gave each other shit and talked in current Earth-slang. It was great. Just interwoven between magic and space.

Feel like it also bears repeating — this is not a romance — there is NOT a happy ending. -Ford