Harrow the Ninth

In Harrow the Ninth, Harrowhark Nonagesimus continues her journey as a newly-made Lyctor in service to the immortal Emperor. The story alternates between two timelines - one following Harrow's present struggles with her incomplete transformation, and another retelling past events with significant differences from the established history. The narrative structure fractures and shifts between second and third person perspective, mirroring Harrow's increasingly unstable grasp on reality. As she trains alongside other Lyctors in the Emperor's space station, Harrow must navigate complex relationships, political intrigue, and the looming threat of planet-sized monsters called Resurrection Beasts. The book builds on the necromantic magic system and gothic space fantasy world established in Gideon the Ninth, while expanding its scope to explore the deeper mysteries of the Empire and the true nature of Lyctorhood. Combat, puzzles, and dark humor mix with questions of memory, identity, and sacrifice. This challenging second installment examines themes of trauma, unreliable narration, and the cost of power, while playing with reader expectations about truth and perspective in storytelling.

Readers report Harrow the Ninth is a complex, challenging book that requires close attention to understand its nonlinear narrative and shifting perspectives. Readers appreciated: - The intricate puzzle-box structure that rewards rereading - Dark humor and gothic atmosphere - Expansion of the necromantic magic system - Character development and emotional depth - Creative use of second-person narration Common criticisms: - Confusing plot that's hard to follow - First 50% feels disorienting and frustrating - Too different from the first book - Required multiple readings to grasp Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (52,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (4,800+ ratings) Reader quotes: "Like being punched in the face while solving a Rubik's cube" - Goodreads review "The most confusing book I've ever loved" - Amazon review "Had to read it twice to understand what was happening, but worth it" - StoryGraph review

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Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir A swordswoman serves as cavalier to her necromancer rival in a gothic space castle filled with murder mysteries and skeleton magic.

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🦴 The term "necromancy" comes from Ancient Greek, combining "nekros" (dead) and "manteia" (divination), originally referring to communication with the dead for prophecy rather than raising them. ⚔️ Tamsyn Muir wrote the first draft of Gideon the Ninth (the predecessor to Harrow) during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2016. 🏰 The novel's structure was partly inspired by Gothic literature traditions, particularly the "haunted house in space" concept that merges classical horror elements with science fiction. 📚 The unusual second-person narrative style used in Harrow the Ninth was previously popularized in works like Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney and has rarely been used successfully in genre fiction. 🎮 Muir has cited video games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne as influences on the series' atmosphere and world-building, particularly in their approach to cryptic storytelling and Gothic aesthetics.