Tamsyn Muir’s debut novel is a bone-rattling scream of glory. In GIDEON THE NINTH, action-packed space sci-fi meets bloody necromantic fantasy, spiked with a nefarious murder mystery, no small amount of humor and an incredibly refreshing daub of queer romance.

In some creaking corner of the universe, either very long ago, very far away or some day yet to come, there are nine ancient houses with nine rulers and nine heirs, each adept at some form of strange, violent magic. Gideon was not born of the Ninth House but, orphaned, has been kept by the cruel, ossifying nuns there as a sort of indentured ward. She has spent her 18 years of life embroiled in a biting rivalry with 17-year-old Lady Harrowhark Nonagesimus, heir to the Ninth House and a devilishly powerful necromancer in her own right. Gideon was trained to fight, and fight well, in the bone-crunching style of the Ninth. Incredibly powerful, foul-mouthed and gloriously unapologetic, she is ready to get as far away from her servitude and the desiccating Ninth House as she can.

"GIDEON THE NINTH is a rare thing: a genre-balking, exquisite, black magic sort of adventure. It’s tender at times too, and Gideon is one of my favorite protagonists to come out of sci-fi/fantasy this year."

When her 87th escape plot fails, she has little choice but to take Harrowhark up on what Gideon finds to be a bizarre and entirely unappetizing offer. The Emperor --- as close to God as the Houses have --- seeks new lyctors. A lyctor is essentially the highest rank achievable, the Emperor’s personal dark saint, an immortal, excruciatingly powerful being. Each House is being called to send their heir and their heir’s “cavalier primary” (the muscle of the operation, the brawn to the heir’s brains --- or dark magic, as it were) to compete for the privilege of being appointed one of the next lyctors. Harrowhark knows Gideon’s capabilities. She also is aware that Gideon has nothing to lose and everything to gain. She promises her that if Gideon poses as her cavalier and helps Harrow become a lyctor, Gideon will finally be freed from the Ninth.

And so the two rivals embark on a wildly dangerous, blood-soaked mission, pretending to be lifelong partners in magic. When they arrive in Canaan House, they are met with a strange array of heirs from other houses, and soon realize that the process of selecting a lyctor is far more nebulous than anticipated. Matters are quickly complicated by the steady murder of heirs and their primaries. As Gideon races to discover the truth behind Canaan House before it’s too late, she stumbles upon a series of enormous, gruesome secrets that shake the foundations of her world.

Muir blends genre here with a deft, clever hand. The fresh and somewhat bizarre premise is anchored in hot, creative, propulsive prose and a highly addictive protagonist. Gideon is cutthroat and unapologetic, but she’s also a fiercely fun, funny, excellent character, and it’s an absolute joy to see her at the center of this action-packed, death-soaked space romp. Muir crafts original, compelling dynamics throughout her unique cast of characters, as they navigate choice and chance, guilt and rage, secrets and self-loathing.

It’s nothing short of pure bliss to get to experience a fun, vicious, high-stakes sci-fi horrorshow where the protagonist and most of the central cast are well-developed queer women. GIDEON THE NINTH is a rare thing: a genre-balking, exquisite, black magic sort of adventure. It’s tender at times too, and Gideon is one of my favorite protagonists to come out of sci-fi/fantasy this year. Vindicating and visceral, this one’s a triumph.