Review by Booklist Review
In a universe ruled by an undying emperor, nine houses struggle for power through their necromantic rulers. The crumbling Ninth House, that of the Keepers of the Locked Tomb, is home to Gideon: swordswoman, malcontent, loveless lesbian. Gideon has spent most of her life attempting to escape the drudgery of the Ninth and its creepy nuns, oppressive darkness, and vicious heir, Harrowhark. But Harrow has been invited to enter a competition among the houses for the honor of being selected Lyctor, and Gideon finally has an opportunity to escape the Ninth as long as she agrees to serve as Harrow's cavalier and bodyguard. When members of other houses start dying mysteriously after the competitors have been stranded together in the haunted and moldering First House, it's up to Gideon and Harrow uneasy allies at best to figure out who to trust and how to survive the deadly game. Muir's debut fuses science fiction, mystery, horror, fantasy, action, adventure, political intrigue, deadly dark humor, and a dash of romance with a healthy serving of skeletons and secrets and the spirit of queer joy. This extraordinary opening salvo will leave readers dying to know what happens next.--Anna Mickelsen Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Queer necromancers vie for power, solve ancient puzzles, and cross rapiers while exploring haunted deep-space ruins in this madcap science fantasy romp that manages to be both riotously funny and heartbreaking. Eighteen-year-old orphan Gideon Nav has spent her life devising ways to escape indentured servitude to the Ninth House. When Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the sole daughter and heir to the Ninth, sees a chance to become a Lyctor, right hand to the Necromancer Divine, she needs a cavalier by her side if she hopes to beat out the candidates of the other eight Houses-and only Gideon will do. Much as her necromancers do with human remains, Muir effortlessly compiles macabre humor, body horror, secrets, and tenderness into the stitched-together corpse of a dark universe, then brings it to life with a delightfully chaotic, crackling cast of characters and the connective tissue of their relationships. From the mad science joys of necromantic theory to the deliciously ever-evolving tension between Gideon and Harrow, this adventurous novel not only embraces its strangeness but wrings delight from it. The result is an addictive, genre-bending book that will wow readers with its vibrant energy, endearing cast, and emotional gut-punch of a finale. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The King Undying, necromancer emperor, summons representatives from the eight great houses across space to the planet where Canaan House, a mysterious and perhaps haunted manor, waits to test their mettle. Gideon Nav, a rebellious (and gloriously snarky) swordswoman, is pressed into service as retainer to her despised childhood nemesis Harrowhark, the Ninth House's greatest necromancer, as they compete to pass the tests to become elite servants of the emperor. The two will unearth dark secrets and encounter gallons of spilled blood before the trials are resolved. The world and magic are complex and surprising, Gideon is a complicated and often hilarious protagonist, and the necromantic battles are gleefully violent and weird in the best way possible. Muir's debut novel (first of a trilogy) is highly bingeable, and narrator Moira Quirk gives it a lively voice, adeptly managing the large cast of necromancers and cavaliers, and turning on a dime from cynical sarcasm to passionate sincerity. VERDICT Recommended for readers who appreciate immersive worldbuilding like Max Gladstone's Empress of Forever (which also features a badass queer woman protagonist) or V.E. Schwab's "Shades of Magic" series.--Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ. Lib, Atlanta
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This debut novel, the first of a projected trilogy, blends science fiction, fantasy, gothic chiller, and classic house-party mystery.Gideon Nav, a foundling of mysterious antecedents, was not so much adopted as indentured by the Ninth House, a nearly extinct noble necromantic house. Trained to fight, she wants nothing more than to leave the place where everyone despises her and join the Cohort, the imperial military. But after her most recent escape attempt fails, she finally gets the opportunity to depart the planet. The heir and secret ruler of the Ninth House, the ruthless and prodigiously talented bone adept Harrowhark Nonagesimus, chooses Gideon to serve her as cavalier primary, a sworn bodyguard and aide de camp, when the undying Emperor summons Harrow to compete for a position as a Lyctor, an elite, near-immortal adviser. The decaying Canaan House on the planet of the absent Emperor holds dark secrets and deadly puzzles as well as a cheerfully enigmatic priest who provides only scant details about the nature of the competition...and at least one person dedicated to brutally slaughtering the competitors. Unsure of how to mix with the necromancers and cavaliers from the other Houses, Gideon must decide whom among them she can trustand her doubts include her own necromancer, Harrow, whom she's loathed since childhood. This intriguing genre stew works surprisingly well. The limited locations and narrow focus mean that the author doesn't really have to explain how people not directly attached to a necromantic House or the military actually conduct daily life in the Empire; hopefully future installments will open up the author's creative universe a bit more. The most interesting aspect of the novel turns out to be the prickly but intimate relationship between Gideon and Harrow, bound together by what appears at first to be simple hatred. But the challenges of Canaan House expose other layers, beginning with a peculiar but compelling mutual loyalty and continuing on to other, more complex feelings, ties, and shared fraught experiences.Suspenseful and snarky with surprising emotional depths. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
