Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir ISBN: 9781250313201
Series: The Locked Tomb #2
Also in this series: Gideon the Ninth
Published by Tom Doherty Associates on August 4, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQIA
Pages: 512
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Harrow the Ninth, an Amazon pick for Best SFF of 2020 and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” —Charles Stross on Gideon the Ninth
“Unlike anything I've ever read.” —V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth“Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times on Gideon the Ninth
She answered the Emperor's call.She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES
BOOK 1: Gideon the Ninth
BOOK 2: Harrow the Ninth
BOOK 3: Nona the Ninth
BOOK 4: Alecto the NinthAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Characters: 9, complex, flawed characters with clear voices.
Atmosphere: 8, some of the horror elements lost me (and the anatomy descriptions occasionally squicked me out), but consistent atmosphere.
Writing: 9, alternating first and second person perspective beautifully.
Plot: 9, super twisty and complex but ultimately rewarding.
Intrigue: 9, kept me guessing in a good way until about 87% through.
Logic: 9, what I could understand made sense for the world though brought more questions.
Enjoyment: 9, even had I not had a 7-hour flight pushing me to finish this, I would’ve read it as quickly.
The synopsis mentions “puzzle box” of a novel and that’s dead-on here. Gideon the Ninth involved quite a bit of audience figuring it out as you go, but done in a way that’s engaging not off-putting (you feel like you’re only one step behind the white rabbit, always at the edge of putting the pieces together). Harrow the Ninth took that and turned it up to 11.
I love figuring things out (logic puzzles, escape rooms, etc.) so I just held to my trust that the author wasn’t gonna undermine that trust and kept going. I formed several theories about what was happening, and a few turned out to be correct- in a way, a lot like murder mysteries only the ‘whodunit’ is ‘what’s reality’.
Where Harrowhark was an absolute prat in book 1, I did relate to and sympathize with her more in book 2 (don’t get me wrong- she’s still a prat, but part of the joy of this series is that Tamsyn Muir nails ‘realistically complex characters’, for 90% of the large ensemble cast. I can’t wait to read the final in the trilogy, and be immersed more in this world!
*Many thanks to Book Roast for creating and sharing this book rating system!
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