{"id":128390,"date":"2020-08-05T13:03:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T02:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/?p=128390"},"modified":"2021-02-05T10:55:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T23:55:39","slug":"review-harrow-the-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2020\/08\/05\/review-harrow-the-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Harrow<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When New Zealand author Tamsyn Muir\u2019s debut novel, Gideon the Ninth<\/em>, burst onto the scene last year with all the zeal of a skeleton called from a grave, it certainly caused a stir. A thrilling mix of sci-fi, fantasy, horror and murder mystery (think Knives Out<\/em> meets The Magicians<\/em>, but darker), it bent genres like bone matter in the hands of a necromancer. After reading it, I became a little obsessed with the adventures of sarcastic swordswoman Gideon Nav and I wasn\u2019t alone\u2014the book has amassed something of a cult following. But if I thought that the gory zaniness of Gideon<\/em> would prepare me for its sequel, Harrow the Ninth<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, I was sorely mistaken. Muir has written a book that builds on its predecessor in entirely unexpected and fantastic ways. I think I might actually love it more.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Tamsyn<\/a>

Tamsyn Muir<\/p><\/div>\n

(I\u2019ll try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, but if you haven\u2019t read Gideon the Ninth<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, I strongly suggest you stop reading here.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Harrow the Ninth<\/em> takes up shortly after the events of the first book with wunderkind necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House, guardian of the Locked Tomb and Gideon\u2019s archnemesis\/closest companion. Harrow is, to put it lightly, not in a good way. She has achieved her goal of becoming a Lyctor\u2014an immortal, intensely powerful necromancer\u2014but it cost her the life of the woman she loves. Months later, however, Harrow seems to have no memory of Gideon at all. In fact, her recollection of the events at Canaan House is remarkably different from the events we witnessed, right down to the identity of her cavalier. And her problems don\u2019t stop there. <\/p>\n\n\n

Harrow might be one of the most talented necromancers of her generation, but Lyctorhood at the Emperor\u2019s side is a challenge she is utterly unprepared for. Her health is failing her, she\u2019s either haunted or going insane, her only companion is insufferable, and (worse still) another Lyctor is hell-bent on ending her life. And that\u2019s to say nothing of the looming threat of destruction that is drawing closer with each passing day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of what makes Harrow the Ninth<\/em> so good is the way in which Muir tells it. Harrow\u2019s mishaps in the present are narrated in second person, a risky but inspired choice that truly pays off. The chapters set in the present are offset by flashback chapters to the Lyctor trials at Canaan House, effectively pulling the rug from under the reader as you\u2019re forced to question everything you thought you knew about the story so far. In doing so, Harrow the Ninth<\/em> retains the atmosphere of mystery that made its predecessor so engaging, and true to form, Muir doesn\u2019t give away the answers so easily. It\u2019s maddening, yet totally brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real strength of this book lies, however, in its titular character. For all of her insane creepiness, I dearly love Harrowhark. She\u2019s easily my favourite character and I relished the opportunity to get inside her troubled brain. Harrow\u2019s arc is beautifully developed over the events of the book, as she realises the full extent of her immense power and the toll that it has taken on her life. It\u2019s less a cautionary tale of the dangers of wish fulfilment than it is a clever exploration of what can happen when a dangerously curious necromancer opens Pandora\u2019s box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading it, I can honestly say that Harrow the Ninth<\/em> is the perfect sequel. It\u2019s a rebellious triumph of a book that will wring out your brain in its bony fingers, filled with scenes that will make you think \u2018What the hell<\/em> did I just read?\u2019 (I\u2019ll certainly never look at a bowl of soup the same way ever again.) Fans of Gideon the Ninth<\/em> will be more than satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—Harrow the Ninth<\/a><\/em> by Tamsyn Muir (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out now.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“A book that builds on its predecessor in entirely unexpected and fantastic ways.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":128398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[6678],"tags":[6799,11685,11684,2460,4484,4737,11688,4963,11686,11687],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/HarrowtheNinth-Social.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128390"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136499,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128390\/revisions\/136499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}