Harrow the Ninth

Starred review from February 24, 2020
The masterful second genre-bending tale in Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy (after Gideon the Ninth) ratchets up the horror, hijinks, and gallows humor of the series to a fever pitch. Queer necromancer Harrowhark Nonagesimus, heir to the Ninth House, has gotten everything she’s ever wanted: as a newly minted Lyctor, she’s earned a place by the side of the Necrolord Prime and a chance to revive her dying House. But something went wrong during her transformation, leaving her Lyctorhood incomplete and her health failing, wracked by hallucinations and altered memories. When King Undying summons her to his ancient palace in the far reaches of space, she’s trapped both by its strange corridors and by her faltering mind, with only her detestable rival Ianthe, three ancient and unfriendly fellow Lyctors, and the eccentric Emperor himself for company, as she begins to suspect that someone wants her dead. Muir’s labyrinthine plot raises the stakes of the series as it pushes the characters to their limits, exploring their trauma and anguish while keeping intact the irreverent comedy, grisly necromantic science, and gothic sensibilities that fans expect. Ending on a heart-stopping cliffhanger sure to have readers clamoring for the next installment, this dark, bloody puzzle box of a sequel is a knockout. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary.

Starred review from March 1, 2020

The Reverend Daughter Harrowhawk Nonagesimus was the last necromancer of the Ninth House. Now she is Harrowhawk the First, a Lyctor in service to the Emperor, the Undying King. But those in service hold both sword and power, and Harrow seems to be able to do neither. Her sword makes her physically ill, her body is failing, and her mind seems not far behind. Trapped in space with three seasoned Lyctors who seem to hate Harrow, training alongside a woman she detests, Harrow comes to realize that the war she drills for is as undying as her God--and cannot be won. Amidst the chaos, Harrow discovers that someone wants her dead, and worse, she is unsure if that may not be the best thing that can happen to her. Multiple jaunts into memories and a few familiar faces bring forth delightful, bloody action and character building. VERDICT An incredible journey into the chaos of the mind, Muir's latest (after Gideon the Ninth) doubles down on all the wonderfully queer and pulpy moments, body horror, and macabre humor of her debut--and exceeds it.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2020
This mind-bending sequel focuses on Harrow, the leader and last child of the Ninth House, who became a Lyctor at great cost in Gideon the Ninth (2019). But the course of Lyctorhood does not run smoothly for Harrow, who often hallucinates and remembers the events of Gideon much differently than the reader will; also, she may be haunted. Meanwhile, learning to use her new, almost unlimited necromantic power proves difficult given her mental instability, the unwillingness of her near-immortal tutors to impart their wisdom, and the imminent destruction of the Empire by vengeful, ghostly forces. Secreted on an isolated space station waiting for their doom to arrive, Harrow's frenemy and fellow new Lyctor Ianthe offers precious little in the way of support, while the Emperor cuts a disturbingly paternal figure. Muir presents a series of enigmas and revels in gory detail before bringing everything to a riveting, no-holds-barred conclusion that will leave readers both satisfied and gnashing their teeth for the finale. Fans of a blend of horror, mystery, dark humor, and the uncanny found in books like Daniel O'Malley's The Rook (2012) will want to start with the first Ninth House book, then devour this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)