Harrow the Ninth

Space Necromancers! I do love the overriding concept of Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb trilogy. This time we are reading from Harrowhark's point of view and things are confusing. There is quite a dramatic stylistic switch in this story compared to the first. This time we are in second person, which can be a bit jarring, but adds some interesting conceptual twists. Are we in fact viewing things as Gideon still, just through the mind of Harrow? Then there is the fact that Harrow doesn't seem to be all there. Apparently something went different with her ascent to Lictorhood?

The first two thirds of the book are very strange and jarring. They mostly seem to ignore the events of Gideon the Ninth. This uncomfortable revision of history is decidedly deliberate though. What we are getting is an extreme version of an unreliable narrator. As it is in second person this gives the odd sensation of you lying to yourself through the reading - a strangely uncomfortable and unsettling experience (and where I see quite a few reviewers take umbrage to the book). To me this fits the aesthetics perfectly though. Whilst I do miss Gideon's fantastic snark this does seem a logical and very Harrowhark place to end up.

We also get to sense a bit more of the wider universe this time. We get the impression that the necromantic overlords are not viewed altogether positively, and they have unleashed some other monstrosities on the universe through their magic.

Ultimately this is a strange, unsettling and frequently confusing read. However, somehow it all works perfectly. This book demands patience, but the payoff is spectacular.

I did not love this one nearly as much as Gideon the Ninth. The first book is in my top books I read this year and this book gave me such a headache. I'll admit it was what the author intended and I believe she executed the book how she wanted to but I did not like it. And normally when something isn't for me but is still well done I'll give it a 4 but I was so confused through the majority of the book that I was seriously considering skimming to the end. It wasn't until 72% when I got an explanation and things were clear and happening that I enjoyed the book. I think the mystery should have been revealed a lot sooner and this book should have been shorter. That being said I will be reading the final book Alecto the Ninth because the last 28% was good.

I loved Gideon! I was looking forward to this, however, this was a disappointing follow-up.
I had no issues with it being in second person but the story itself was confusing and it just fell flat for me.

I seriously had no idea what was going on for most of it... but I liked it anyway. It's completely insane. Sometimes I thought the writing was a mess and other times I thought it was masterfully woven and purposefully obtuse like a Gene Wolfe novel. I still really don't know... but I am intrigued by the third book so I guess Muir is doing something right.

I am officially obsessed. this book was the best thing I experienced this ridiculous and awful year and I will read everything Tamsyn Muir writes, 10/5 Stars, will read again, probably more than once.

Tamsyn Muir is a bloody genius.

This book took some time to get going and it is TRIPPY until you figure out what's happening, but it is so worth it. All the characters are so good. This universe is so unique and so interesting. One in particular might be climbing my favorite fictional characters of all time list real fast. I'll wait for the next installment just to be sure. And I CAN'T WAIT.

Also, if you're into audiobooks at all, Moira Quirk does a phenomenal job with these. Highly recommend.

A lot of this book confused me. Some of it disturbed me. Perhaps when the third book comes out I will find out what's going on.

Executive Summary: Much like [b:Gideon the Ninth 42036538 Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) Tamsyn Muir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538.SY75.jpg 60943229] this book started very slow for me and got better as it went along, however I found it a lot slower and less enjoyable overall. I'm not sure if I'll continue on to the third book or not. 2.5 rounded up for a decent ending and great narration.Audiobook: I initially borrowed [b:Gideon the Ninth 42036538 Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) Tamsyn Muir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538.SY75.jpg 60943229] from the library and ended up enjoying it enough to pick up the audio mid-read from a daily deal. Moira Quick was so good it was a no brainer that I'd do the audio for this one. She once again delivers a great listen, and was one of the bright spots of the early going when things were so slow. If I do continue on in the series it will definitely be in audio.Full ReviewIt's hard to review this book without first talking a bit about the last one (something I apparently didn't do at the time I read it earlier this year and have since remedied).When I first heard about [b:Gideon the Ninth 42036538 Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) Tamsyn Muir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538.SY75.jpg 60943229] the tagline I heard over and over was “Lesbian Neuromancers in space”. And while that was true, I felt it did the book a disservice by making it sound like a romanctic fantasy book.For me what I loved about that book was the sort of escape room/haunted house mystery and the snark of Gideon herself.This book tried to recapture the sort of mystery aspect of the first book, but I didn't feel like the execution was nearly as good. Instead it seemed to just sort of run in place for a really long time.I had some suspicions about what was going on fairly early and kept waiting for them to be confirmed or proven wrong. And waiting. And waiting.Eventually we got to the reveal and the last few chapters of this book were thouroughly enjoyable in the same vein as second half or so the first book. However it took far too long to get there for me.I'm not sure if I simply just don't find Harrow as entertaining as I did Gideon or if this book was badly in need of some editing. Probably a bit of both.At this point I'm not sure if I'll continue on to the final book. I probably will since I think there is just 1 book left, but I hope the pacing for that book is better. I may wait for some others to read and review it so I can pick their brain a bit on it.

After the excellent Gideon the Ninth, this is continuing to prove to be a great trilogy. Granted, this second part unfolds in an, at times, frustratingly non-linear and opaque manner, but this is intentional, as becomes clear later on. Once all of the threads begin to coalesce, the story moves at a blistering pace. Can't wait for the final book!

What the actual hell... but like, in a good way? But also I'm in desperate need of that 3rd book.

I was confused for 70% of the book. Seriously, I took notes and pictures (which I had to do as I was reading a physical copy). If it was my own book I would have been tempted to pull out a highlighter and post-it notes.

If you loved Gideon, push through this one to the end. I didn't mind as I treated it as a mystery and was trying to figure out what was real and what was Harrow's mind messing with her–or whatever, which made it fun to read. I felt like a detective and kept throwing theories at my dog as if she could answer and help me work things out.
While the vibe of the first book is still here, what is going on is much, much different. I love all the meme references

I adore this book and cannot wait to read the third book and this is a series I will probably buy in the future.

I guess I would say take this for what it is... I am openly admitting that maybe I am forgetting a hell of a lot about Gideon the Ninth??

For starters, I have this weird engrained dislike for the use of the word “you” from teachers trying so hard to get us to keep the word out of essays that this really turned me off. Not to mention that in this 506 page book (my hardcover) she uses “you” probably one million times. I called immediately what it was being used for—in a weird, in the perspective of, but not of, Gideon speaking... I hated it.
Now I don't remember if it was mentioned in Gideon the decision to remove her memory of her, but by my reckoning, Gideon was not mentioned for 381 pages. I totally see what Muir was going for but I found that it really, really, REALLY did not work for me.
I distinctly remember realizing at page 60, 100, 150, that I genuinely had absolutely no idea what was going on. This could have been a mixture of me not remember what happened in Gideon, but I also have to imagine that this was also a decent amount of poor writing too, right? Not that plot was a strong point in Gideon the Ninth, but this almost 400 page lead-up to the “twist” just completely erased any comprehensiveness in the story for me. Also I really enjoyed the murder mystery-y feel to Gideon the Ninth and I feel like this was the author trying to continue on with the mystery feel. For me it was a flop.

I would say pages 1-400 were a 2* to maybe a 2.5. Then the climax was a bit more understandable and cool, maybe a 3-3.5 ending. Really not sure at this point if I'll read Alecto the Ninth...

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Harrow the Ninth

Harrowhark's new life has come at a terrible cost. As she struggles to become what the emperor needs, her mind and body fight against her every step of the way. Alongside the other children of the undying emperor, Harrow is weak and expendable. She must watch her back constantly, or else be struck down. And time grows short as the soul of a long-dead planet stalks them, intent on killing the necromancer who ended its life. Harrow must fight through the insanity threatening to claim her and learn to embrace her full power before it is too late.

Harrow the Ninth takes a swift departure from the narrative readers knew in Gideon the Ninth. I expected some change, but I did not expect the twisted perspective this book was written in. The timeline is non-linear. Readers will experience flashbacks intermingled with what can be assumed as present times. Although with the narration it is hard to tell. Readers are going to have to put the pieces together themselves as Harrow's mental state is perfectly captured in the way the story is written. Are you confused? So is Harrow, and Tamsyn Muir is a daring and creative author to paint this entire book in a way that makes the reader experience what Harrow feels.

The way Harrow the Ninth is written can best be described as deliciously deceptive. This was a slower read for me as, as my mind was trying to put pieces of the puzzle together and make sense of what I was reading. But Tamsyn Muir's prose is gothic, dark and so emotional that I loved every minute of it. Her use of necromancy in battle is fascinating and the stakes are always high. By the time you reach the end, you will be left with a new understanding of the world and demanding the next book. Because while you may understand the world, the characters have so many more questions to answer.

Daaaaaaang! I spent the majority of this book not knowing what was going on - that's the point - and loving it. The reveal(s) were so well done with such an interesting structure. I was happy to see certain disaster lesbian again if for nothing else the incredible necromantic “gall on gall action” joke.

The problem with reading books right when they come out is that you have to wait a long time for the next one.

O M F G

Need more than 5 stars please.

Dead.

I really liked this the first time I read it, but I think this is one of those books that benefits from a second read. I am just so impressed with the craft involved in writing this absolute mindscrew of a book. Ugh, I just love this world and these characters so much. 5 skeletons out of 5.Onto [b:Nona the Ninth 58662507 Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #3) Tamsyn Muir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643298298l/58662507.SY75.jpg 92285474]!

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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.

Ugh, I finished this and now I want the next book already, and this one isn't even out until June!!

Every so often you read a book that boggles your mind so thoroughly that you feel completely and wholly inadequate trying to express your thoughts as a reviewer. Harrow the Ninth is such a book.

I loved Gideon the Ninth when I read it last year, and it's killer ending left me anxious to read Harrow (for reasons that I suspect are obvious if you've read Gideon, and if you haven't... read on at your own risk). But part of me was worried the sequel would live up to my inflated expectations.

It did. It really really really did.

If it wasn't clear from Gideon, Harrow confirms that Tamsyn Muir is a writer who excels at experimenting with structure. The story follows a nonlinear timeline; the one fixed point is a countdown to the Emperor's murder, which we're informed of in the very first line of the prologue. We also experience Harrow's story in second-person narration, which Muir pulls off to spectacular effect in a way that rivals N.K. Jemisin's use of the second-person in her Broken Earth series.

Then you went under to make war on Hell.Hell spat you back out. Fair enough.

Gideon

You were only half a Lyctor, and half a Lyctor was worse than not a Lyctor at all.

Harrow the Ninth

Alecto the Ninth

I received an ARC of this book from Tor.com Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review originally appeared on The Fantasy Inn blog.