On the HahaFiction shelf
Gideon the Ninth
The Locked Tomb · Book 1 · 2019
Audiobook available · 16 hr 50 min
Gideon Nav wants to leave the Ninth House and its claim on her life. Her route out requires helping Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the necromancer she has spent years resenting. Harrow needs a swordswoman beside her in an imperial trial where rival Houses compete for the chance at immortality.
From the publisher’s blurb
“The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.”Read the full description at Tor Books, publisher description
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What makes it funny?
When an elderly marshal orders Gideon closer and threatens to kill her, she corrects his technique: a threat should give her an alternative. She also tries bargaining with a pornographic magazine, then admits she invented the title.
The comedy at work
Muir surrounds Gideon with ceremonial titles, dead bodies and solemn authority. Gideon answers in the language of an irritated young woman who would like everyone to stop wasting her time. Her casual disrespect cuts through the gothic formality.
Try this if…
Readers who enjoy necromantic puzzles, rival factions and a heroine who talks back in dangerous company. The science-fantasy adventure includes macabre humor and emotional stakes.
Good to know
Expect body horror, threats of mutilation, profanity and sexual jokes. The antagonism between Gideon and Harrow is central to their partnership.
A few distinguishing details
- Necromancer and swordswoman paired for imperial trials
- An insubordinate voice in a solemn House of death
More funny space opera
Sources & further reading
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Publisher and opening excerpt
Publisher
- Apple Books audio
Book information
- Unabridged audiobook
Library catalog
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