description Gideon the Ninth Overview
Published in 2019, Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth opens The Locked Tomb series with an uneasy partnership between swordswoman Gideon Nav and necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus. The New Zealand author's science-fantasy novel brings representatives of several noble houses together for a deadly trial in a far-future empire. Gideon's irreverent perspective gives the story its comic edge, even as the setting fills with secrets and threats. A locked-room mystery provides the narrative framework, while necromancy and sword combat make its dangers unusually physical.
Horror sits alongside sharp banter rather than replacing it, and LGBTQ+ characters are central to the cast. The book suits readers drawn to dark fantasy with a puzzle to unravel, especially those who enjoy complicated relationships and a narrator whose humor pushes back against an oppressive world.
help Gideon the Ninth FAQ
Why do Gideon and Harrow go to Canaan House?
Harrowhark is summoned to compete for a place among the Emperor's immortal Lyctors, and Gideon accompanies her as the Ninth House cavalier. At Canaan House, representatives of eight Houses investigate hidden laboratories while participants begin dying.
Is Gideon the Ninth more fantasy, science fiction, or horror?
It combines necromantic magic, locked-room murder, gothic horror, and a far-future imperial setting. The 2019 novel is often described as science fantasy because swords, spaceships, skeletons, and advanced technology coexist.
What book comes after Gideon the Ninth?
Harrow the Ninth is the direct sequel, followed by Nona the Ninth. All belong to Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series, but each volume changes viewpoint and reveals earlier events from a different angle.
Why does Gideon use a rapier instead of her preferred sword?
Gideon prefers a two-handed sword, but Ninth House tradition requires her to pose as Harrow's formally trained cavalier. She therefore has to learn the rapier and off-hand weapon style expected during the Canaan House trial.
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