• Gideon the Ninth

  • By: Tamsyn Muir
  • Narrated by: Moira Quirk
  • Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,975 ratings)

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Gideon the Ninth  By  cover art

Gideon the Ninth

By: Tamsyn Muir
Narrated by: Moira Quirk
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Publisher's summary

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

©2019 Tamsyn Muir (P)2019 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Tamsyn Muir's absorbing storytelling and Moira Quirk's immersive performance create a richly imagined fantasy world.... Quirk is at turns antagonistic, vulnerable, and hopelessly helpful as she characterizes all the participants and stewards of Canaan House.... Listeners will eagerly anticipate the trilogy's next installment." (AudioFile Magazine)

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What listeners say about Gideon the Ninth

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    7,315
  • 4 Stars
    1,746
  • 3 Stars
    589
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,133
  • 4 Stars
    1,654
  • 3 Stars
    611
  • 2 Stars
    181
  • 1 Stars
    129

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun. Not art, very gory, but 100% fun.

This is tremendous fun. It may not be high art, but it is top-shelf fun and the voice-acting is superb.

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124 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mind blowingly good

Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gotchic palace in space is what first caught my attention. The rave reviews made me break down and use an audible credit to listen to it. Now I will buy a hard cover copy to keep in my safe so no one can ever ruin it and I will have it forever. From the get go, it grabs your attention and makes you root for Gideon. It makes you slowly fall in love with every character for different reasons, and just when you think it couldn’t get any better, it breaks your heart. This is one of the best books I’ve read in as long as I can remember, and I’ve now got four other people reading it just so we can have a discussion because I can’t NOT talk about this book. Seriously, it’s worth every penny and then some. This book will be a re read, and then I’ll read it again.

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118 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

struggled to finish

I liked Gideon but I was really hard pressed to understand what is going on and who all the other characters were. Gideon's banter was the only enjoyable part of the book.

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86 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

This book felt like an old friend telling me a story around a campfire, with me clinging to every gritty detail, deepening mystery, and snappy comeback.

Gideon is a wonderfully relatable character while also being a total badass. I couldn't *not* love her. Her and Harrow's relationship is so messy and complicated and I love that it only got more complicated as they had to work together and grew as characters. I was consistently pleased by twists and turns in the story, as stakes rose ever higher and the mystery unfolded, and really enjoyed when people would explain whatever crazy thing just happened so I could truly understand and appreciate how crazy it was; it was so conversational that it never felt condescending or halted momentum.

The narration was amazing, well acted, and really made me feel I was there with the characters - Moira gave them all such life!

Taz, keep at it. As a long time fan of your writing, I can't wait to see what you whip up next.

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79 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

a slightly flawed gem

Gideon and Harrow are treasures, great characters with great voices and an interesting tangle of drama. The setting is also highly original and interesting. However, a lot of what makes Gideon so great also feels somewhat out of place in the universe, particularly some of the metaphors used, and the setting itself leaves some gaping gaps in your knowledge, presumably expected to be filled in at the end, where all we really get is prep for a sequel. Also takes far longer to really get going than it should have. Still, it was quite enjoyable and Moira Quirk gives an amazing performance.

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65 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The perfect mix of dark humor, fantasy, and sci-fi.

What a refreshing novel. The character driven narrative was fun, quirky, surprising, and often endearing (or silicious). I was really impressed at the way sexuality was acknowledged and normalized. It wasn’t weird. Thanks for writing a cheeky read I fell in love with. Can’t wait for the next installment!

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47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Yep - Not Very Good

Like many, you'll either be pulled in or pushed away fairly quickly. There was just too much about the setting, characters, and design that are not explained up front and it wasn't worth it to stick along for the ride.

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A story of convenience

First of all, the narration is FANTASTIC and really the only reason I listened to this all the way through. Otherwise, there was some quippy dialogue and an interesting premise but ultimately the characters seemed to gain powers as needed, die without me ever having been invested in them, casually brush of the murders of hundreds of children and years of torture to fall in love and, endlessly, fight monsters one. at. a. time. As in, never band together and fight together, but stand and wait your turn. Everything was so convenient that there was never much of a plot and the characters really had nothing for back story or basis for action. I will skip the next one.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Come for the gothic panache and acerbic wit!

Be thrilled by the sword play, the terror, and the mystery of Who? How? Why? Stay for the vulnerability and truth.

It's bloody fantastic. The characters and their interaction are worth the story on their own. Intrigue, dueling, and the lure of secrets just make it all the better. And the word play, the turn of phrase... It is so, oh so satisfying.

And Moira Quirk's performance is spot on - doubled my enjoyment of Tamsyn Muir's story-telling.

(Also, this book would make a fantastic anime.)

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inventive, Hilarious, Emotional

Moira Quirk does an incredible job narrating this wondeful, unique book. Her voices for each character were spot-on and consistent. Her Gideon, in particular, is exquisite. Can't wait for the next one!

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22 people found this helpful