Gideon the Ninth

By: Tamsyn Muir

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins

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)

Maybe the worst book I have read.

I really tried to like this book, but I cannot. I have read a lot of books and usually I can at least say I understand what the writer was trying to accomplish.

I have no idea what happened and I read the whole book. The narration was painful. So many things happened that made no sense. I can’t believe there are two more books.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

it's nothing to write home about

it wasn't amazing, it wasn't awful. I'm returning the book, because I can't say that I will ever listen to it again. The two main characters revolve around an unknown event for the majority of the novel without the reader being made aware until the end. pair this with a sci-fi fantasy setting closer to the 40k universe that only acts as a back drop to a poorly written version of "murder on the orient express" and you get this novel. I won't say that it is a waste of time, just that it could have been better. Moira Quirk was the saving grace of this book, and is the only way I could tolerate this to the finish line.

This maybe the best audio book I've "read"

Not cause it is the best book or most original story, but for the flawless production and perfect rendering of the characters and emotions by the narrator. I don't know about you but whenever I start an audio book I am a little off balance weighing the interpretive narration with how my own inner voice might render it. I can honestly say that in Gideon the ninth and Moira Quirk I found a narrator that could match and exceed my inner narrator on all counts creating a great immersive experience, a graphic novel drawn in words

Thank you

Oh and don't let the blurb put you off. The cheap quips about lesbian necromancers underplays the twisting dark gothic scifi melange that is this book. You've never read its like.

One of the best books I’ve ever listened to.

This is one of the best books that I’ve ever listened to. I’ve never read or listened to anything quite like it.

The narrator is excellent and brought everything to life. She does five star sarcasm! The book is one of those books where you just have no idea what is coming next. Gideon is definitely one of the best characters ever. And no one has ever had better dialogue. Roll on book two!

Absolutely Fantastic.

The narrator really brought this book to life, I'm definitely going to look for other books she had narrated after listening to this one. I knew I was going to enjoy this book by the premise and the blurb, but I had no idea quite how much. definitely would recommend for any reader looking for really strong and interesting female characters.

Solid and unexpected

I heard about this book through a friend. About to buy it I read the blurb and almost stopped, it just seemed...pulpy. I'm glad I bought it and look forward to the sequel.

If the blurb attracts you then great, but if not feel free to ignore the blurb. This book is more than the blurb, set in a wonderfully refreshing world, the reader follows a story of discovery into how the world works. With an addictive story an interesting ensemble of characters, a genuine feeling of political intrigue, with each character having their own motive and perspective, I truly enjoyed the journey.

Now let's talk about the narrator. I put her with the ranks of R.C Bray in that, in the future I'll happily give a book a go based on her narration in the title. Solid narration, a multitude of voices enabling easy identification and passion in her voice, makes her a pleasure to listen to.

One last thing. I mentioned there is a sequel. This book is a complete story, while there are obvious hooks for the next book, one could easily read this book in isolation and walk away satisfied.

Favourite book of 2019

This was a surprise, expecting pulp but got brilliance. The writing is imaginative, new and the dialogue would give Whedon a run for his money. A fantastic new science fantasy romp and the narrator did a superb job which really brought the characters to life. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Fantastic!

Held off reading this as I felt it couldn't live up to the reviews I'd read. I shouldn't have worried, one of the most enjoyable books I've read or listened to in ages. Five stars for both the book and the spot on narration by Moira Quirk!

A very good story, excellently narrated.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book - kudos to the author for crafting an original, highly entertaining story and kudos to the narrator for bring the characters to life.

An amazing story

There were moments within that I was so entranced that I forgot that this was a sci-fi. The descriptions were in such detail that (even though I don’t know bones) I could visualise the destruction.

Beautifully done and read.

Amazing

The sarcasm and swearing really made this book for me. The narrator is insanely good

Engaging - eventually

I started listening to this when the pandemic kicked off so my review may be marred by that encroaching into my thoughts and interrupting the flow.

It took a while to get into with a lot of having to go back a few minutes to re-listen.

The large cast of characters may be confusing at first (maybe reading it would help In this respect) but the narration by Moira Quirk was very well done. Great distinction between characters. But the main character, Gideon, is flippant, sarcastic and somewhat argumentative but you cannot help but like her. Some reviews talk about the style is young adult but I think the characters speak their age - Gideon is young so that’s how she speaks.

All in all I am looking forward to book 2.