Gideon the Ninth is a science-fantasy book set in a galactic empire within the near future. The solar system consists of 9 planets, each ruled by a noble house dedicated to its own unique type of necromancy. An immortal god-emperor rules the galaxy and wields an army of powerful necromancers called Lyctors. The main character, Gideon Nav, is an indentured servant from the 9th planet. She ends up in a battle royale against representatives from each house, each with their own form of necromancy, in a competition to become one of the emperor’s new Lyctors. While the trial can only have one winner, representatives do team up, which leads to alliances, backstabbing, friendship, and romance. A recurring theme within the novel is the importance of camaraderie. I thought that the book was really well written, and that the plot was very unique and innovative. Although the beginning was a bit slow, once you get into it, the novel is filled with action and suspense. The author provides a mix of humorous parts and emotional parts that really make you want to keep reading further. On top of all this, there are a few hidden memes and jokes that lighten up the story when it gets dark. A few things keeping me from giving this book a 5 are that the beginning was confusing and hard to get into. There were a lot of unknown terms being thrown around and the main character's relations with other characters were confuzzling. The mix of science fiction and fantasy also creates a few minor plot issues. In a world where spaceships and advanced technology exist, there are no firearms and people rely on necromancy and swords to fight. This caused me to have low expectations for the rest of the novel, but as the story progressed, things became much clearer. Overall, this book is a very fun and intriguing read that I would definitely recommend. It is also similar to Fate/Zero if you have watched and enjoyed that. If you like a mix of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and suspense, you will surely enjoy this novel.
Comments