CBR16 BINGO: Part 1, for the first book in the Locked Tomb series
I first read Gideon the Ninth several years ago and, while it took me a little while to get into it, I ended up really enjoying it, giving it 4 stars on Goodreads. I’ve been wanting to read Harrow the Ninth, and when it finally became available through my library, I decided to reread Gideon to refresh my memory and prep my brain.
Thank goodness I decided to reread Gideon, because, first of all, I had forgotten a lot. Second of all, OH MY GOD I AM NOW IN LOVE. (Third, I have no idea how my brain would have processed Harrow without this prep work, but that is for another review.)
If you are on the fence about reading this book, disregard the blurb on the cover describing it as “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space.” While not inaccurate, that blurb doesn’t do justice to the characters or the plot, and I’m kind of annoyed that it’s how they chose to try to sell this marvel of a space fantasy, but that’s marketing for ya, I guess.
(I might have been in marketing once.)
The story begins with 18-year-old Gideon Nav attempting to escape her planet for like the 87th time. In this world, there are nine planets represented by nine Houses, and all serve a powerful necromantic Emperor. Gideon’s arch nemesis is the slightly younger Harrow, heir to the Ninth House and a talented necromancer in her own right. The Emperor has invited each of the House heirs to participate in a series of trials, with the successful necromancers potentially becoming Lyctors, super-powerful immortals that will help the Emperor fight a war against his unnamed enemies. Harrow is keen to become a super-powerful immortal, but she needs a “cavalier.” She corners Gideon into serving as her cavalier by promising that if she does this one simple thing, Harrow will get Gideon a commission in the Emperor’s army, allowing her to finally leave her home planet for good. Gideon really doesn’t have a choice at this point, because Harrow’s official cavalier and his mother stole the shuttle she intended to escape on, bolting to the Eighth planet rather than face the Emperor’s trials and potential danger (the usual cavalier is kind of a wuss, and also a momma’s boy).
So that brings Gideon and Harrow to the trials, where they meet the representatives of the other Houses and try to solve the mystery of how one becomes a Lyctor. At least, that’s what Harrow does. She basically tells Gideon to shut up and stay out of the way while she figures this shit out. And that’s all the plot you need to get started. The plot is intricate, inventive, and at times confusing. But the characters. . . the characters are what elevate this book from great fantasy to great fantasy that kicks you in the gut along the way.
Is it presumptuous to suggest that Gideon is the hero we’ve all been yearning for? She’s an irreverent, dirty-minded, sunglass-wearing, sword-wielding badass that serves as a foil to Harrow’s tight-assed superiority. This has all the makings of a buddy movie, but it’s so much better than that. If you’re wondering why Harrow would even bring this faithless train-wreck of a vassal to such an important gathering, it’s because she also has no choice. The Ninth House is a dying house, and Harrow is determined that no one should suspect as much. When Harrow demands that Gideon wear full Ninth-House face paint (scary skull stuff, see cover), she says, “Ten thousand years of tradition dictates that the Ninth House should have been at its leisure to produce, at the very least, a cavalier with the correct sword, the correct training, and the correct attitude. Any implication that the Ninth House did not have the leisure to meet even that expectation is as good as giving up.” (Gideon’s attitude to this is too good to omit: “I don’t have ten thousand years of tradition, bitch. I have ten years of two-hander training and minor allergy to face paint.”)
I don’t mean to imply that Gideon is all attitude. She is sensitive and forgiving and could have ended up being a lot more bitter toward everyone given what we learn about her history. She tells the Seventh House necromancer Dulcinea (on whom she has a massive crush), “You know I’m the fakest-ass cavalier who ever faked. The actual cavalier had chronic hyperthyroid and was a serial limpdick. I’ve been faking my way through his duties for less than two months. I’m a pretend cavalier. I could not be worse at it.”
Others have commented that the book takes a little while to get into. Even on my second read, the first hundred pages moved slower than the remainder, and that’s because (like all great buddy movies), Gideon and Harrow are so much better together than they are apart. When Harrow finally allows Gideon to help her solve the puzzles that are part of the trials, the book takes off. They still antagonize each other, and Harrow can still be quite the asshole. In one of her crueler moments, she tells Gideon, “By the end, neither I nor the Ninth will need you for this pantomime. You may hate me all you wish; I still don’t even remember about you half the time.” Yet, moments later, when Gideon threatens to throw Harrow out a window, Harrow snaps, “Oh, take a nap,” which is the type of response I’d expect from someone who had previously been faking bravado.
The cast of supporting characters are worthy in their own right: Each of the necromancers from the other Houses practices his or her own special brand of necromancy, and the relationships between necromancer and cavalier are also interesting. Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn of the Fifth House are probably the kindest and most likable, not to mention the only married team at the event. The Third House’s creepy trio comprises twins Coronabeth and Ianthe with their douchey cavalier Naberius. The Eight House, well they are just the worst, and necromancer Silas makes no bones (pun intended) about what he thinks of the Ninth, “The ruling Reverend Father and Mother are the bad seeds of a furtive crop. I do not know why the Emperor suffered that shadow of a House. That mockery of his name.”
I’ve never been so happy with a re-read of a novel. I liked it very much the first time, but the second time garnered a solid 5-star review. It’s hilarious and moving while also being ingenious. There are twists, there are turns, and of course, there are feels.
