Harrow the Ninth

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Whatever trouble I had in reviewing Gideon the Ninth actually sort of doubles now that I'm trying to review the sequel, Harrow the Ninth. Whatever simplicity the first book can claim goes completely out the window in this book. There is nothing simple about Harrow. Not a gosh darn thing.

This is, obviously, a review of my second time reading through this book. The first time I read Harrow the Ninth, I was so disappointed. I didn't understand anything that was going on. Not a single iota. And then, I finished the book, and everything made sense. Every little thing was done for a reason, and Muir pulled off what seemed like the impossible. The second time you read Harrow the Ninth is so much more enjoyable. Muir drops little breadcrumbs along the way of the book for you to pick up and wonder at. You miss them (or at least I did) the first go around. The second time, though, your eyes are wide open.

So what is Harrow about?

The synopsis above does a pretty good job of a general description, but I'll lay it out a tiny bit simpler for you. After the events at the end of Gideon the Ninth, Harrow has gone more than a little insane. She is also now the narrator of the book. If you are beginning to think that this might be why the book makes no sense — you would be right. But the reasons why, and the reasons how are so, so fascinating.

What else is fascinating is learning so much more about The Emperor and his lyctors and how they came to be. A lot of it is left vague in this particular book, but I can say the next book in the series does give us a lot more information about their beginnings. (I had the great privilege to receive an ARC of Nona the Ninth.) The Emperor himself borders on someone the characters can joke around with to straight up eldritch horror. He drops jokes all the time, but is so terrifyingly vast in power that it's impossible to comprehend. (To make it even better for you — Muir has said that Taika Waititi is the Emperor in her head.) The three lyctors that we are audience to are also equally fascinating, but I do wish we had learned more about them. They are on page a lot, but not enough, in my opinion.

Despite being confusing as all get out, Harrow the Ninth is ultimately a weirdly funny book. Muir drops even more memes in this one, and sometimes you'll read, pass one, and then go back and laugh out loud because YES, SHE DID REFERENCE THAT.

The world Muir has built in The Locked Tomb series is so vast and overwhelming in scope that I am endlessly fascinated. I want to know everything about everyone and every little thing inside it. I can only hope that the next and final book delivers on everything that she's set up. I have high hopes — Muir has not let me down so far.