Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

 

The next book I first picked up off my TBR pile was Gideon the Ninth, a fantasy/science fiction novel that I bought years ago based on recommendations from the book YouTubers I follow. A few months ago, a friend from real life happened to mention that they were enjoying this one, so my interest was re-piqued. My last few reads were both quite serious and emotional, so I was craving a book that would be a bit more fun. Gideon seemed to fit the bill nicely, so I dove in hoping to get lost in a fantasy world.

Gideon the Ninth is set in a universe divided into nine houses. Each house is led by a ruling necromancer with a different necromantic talent. Protecting each of these ruling necromancers is their cavalier, a classically trained protector ready to defend their adept with their finely honed rapier skills. Gideon, who is none of these things, is from the Ninth House, a secretive and deeply religious group living on a remote planet. They are charged with guarding a historical and important tomb and live an ascetic lifestyle. Gideon, who was mysteriously orphaned on this world as a child, hates everything about the Ninth House, including its leader Harrowhark Nonagesimus, and is forever trying to escape it. She is continually unsuccessful, despite her best efforts. The Ninth House is in decline and does not let its people leave. 

Her fortune changes, however, when an invitation goes out to each of the houses inviting each ruler and their cavalier to a competition of sorts to ascend to the elevated role of Lyctor, a powerful position within their ruling structure. Harrowhark, who is hungry for power and completely out of options in her dying house, makes Gideon an irresistible offer - accompany her to the competition and act as her cavalier in return for her freedom. Gideon grudgingly accepts and soon finds herself thrust into the center of a deadly mystery and surrounded by a hostile cast of characters. She must work together with Harrowhark to unravel the secrets of the competition and end the game before it costs them their lives.

This novel was unlike anything I have ever read before, in a really good way. The combination of science fiction and fantasy was quite strange at first, but I ended up liking it quite a bit. In this world we have both space travel and bone magic. Light switches and rapier duels. Automatic doors and revenants. I became more used to it the further I got into the story, and really came to appreciate the unique world that bloomed out of all these disparate elements. Tamsyn Muir's writing was irreverent and darkly funny. Gideon spoke with a voice that sounded like a sarcastic best friend, and it quickly made me love her. The other characters all had their own unique personalities as well, and they were very interesting to get to know. In addition to the world building and characters, the story was extremely interesting and original as well. It was mysterious, exciting, and had a lot of great twists. The action sequences were particularly well written and vivid. It's essentially a gothic murder mystery in space, which is a crazy collection of story elements, but they somehow all worked together very well. This was such a weird and awesome reading experience that it's hard to describe. It's one of those stories you have to check out for yourself. 

The one drawback I found was simply the sheer amount of names to keep track of. This book has a lot of characters, and each of them is referred to in several different ways. Characters switch between using first names, nicknames, last names, titles, and house numbers regularly. Thank goodness for the character list included in the front of the novel, or I would have had an even harder time. I really struggle to remember numerical information, so the house numbers in particular were very difficult for me to keep track of. I got through it in the end, but there was more than one time I was mistaking which character was which.

Even so, however, I really did enjoy Gideon the Ninth and highly recommend it to fans of science fiction and fantasy. This is book one in a series, and I'm actually quite interested in continuing on with it after I get through a few more of the books I already own. This was a surprisingly great and really unique read.

2023 Reading Challenges Tally:

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 13/24

Clear the Shelves 2023: 10/24

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 

The next book I picked up from my TBR pile was The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I bought this one awhile ago, based on excellent reviews. I hadn't read anything by Coates before, but I knew going in that this was a very highly regarded writer, so my expectations were fairly high. Happily, I wasn't disappointed. 

The plot of the novel follows a young man named Hiram Walker. He was born into slavery in Virginia and was separated from his mother when he was a small child. He can't remember anything about her, but he did inherit her gift - the ability to magically transport himself from one place to another. This power lies dormant inside of him until an accident brings it to the surface and awakens a desire in him to escape from bondage. He is unable to use his powers at will initially, and his escape attempt leads him on a journey through all sorts of dangers. Through it all, he persists in trying to secure his own freedom, and the freedom of everyone still trapped in the terrible institution behind him.

This was, to put it simple, a very good book. From beginning to end it was beautifully written and engaging. It spoke about slavery in a way that showed the absolute abomination and tragedy of it all and brought its monstrous impact on families to light. I don't always love magical realism, but I found that I really enjoyed it here. Coates ties Hiram's mysterious powers to love, family, and memory in a way that emphasizes the humanity and dignity of enslaved people. The whole story felt very wise and important. It's clear that Coates is a master of his craft.

I happened to read this during a time when Florida was in the news for creating a social studies curriculum that attempts to soften the harm and emphasize the benefits of slavery. This idea is obviously outrageous, and it felt even more insulting to me while I was in the midst of this story. This is a fictional tale, but the ideas and themes still ring true. Hiram's story, magical though it is, makes clear to readers the pain of this time period and the absolute wrongness of it all. Honestly, this would be an excellent novel to add to a high school English curriculum to show how authors can bring increased understanding and empathy to real world issues through literature.

 The Water Dancer is the kind of book that is perfect for book clubs and great to recommend to anyone. It was an emotional and thoughtful read with an important message. I look forward to trying more of Coates' work in the future.

2023 Reading Challenges Tally:

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 12/24

Clear the Shelves 2023: 9/24

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

 

It's been quite a break in between posts this time around! I have been reading a little, but mostly I've been relaxing and enjoying my summer before the hustle and bustle of the academic year begins again. I am still here, however, and getting back on track with blogging now. I read The Paris Wife  back in June and wrote most of this review. However, I never ended up wrapping it up and posting it. I finally got around to it today!

In keeping with my tradition as of late, I picked up The Paris Wife simply because it was the next book on top of my to-be-read stack. I've had this one on my shelf for ages, but I don't often reach for historical fiction, so I never ended up picking it up. Plus, the plot of this one centers around Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. Hemingway is probably the most famous author I know nothing about, so I also hesitated to pick this one up because I wasn't sure if I would be able to appreciate it without having any background knowledge. The rules of the stack are the rules of the stack though--I read whatever is next on it. The Paris Wife was next, so I gave it a try.

As I mentioned, this novel is a fictionalized account of Hadley Richardson and her marriage to Ernest Hemingway. The story is told almost entirely from Hadley's point of view and begins right around when she first meet Ernest while staying with friends in Chicago in 1920. The pair are drawn to each other right away and maintain a long-distance relationship through letters after Hadley returns home at the end of her trip. The distance between them does nothing to dampen their feelings and eventually they get married. Their early life together is quite difficult--Ernest is struggling to make it as a writer, money is extremely tight, and Ernest's PTSD from his time serving in WWI periodically throws him into serious bouts of depression. Hadley is determined to help him make it though, and they move to Paris so that he can be close to the developing literary scene there. Through the mentoring of figures like Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein, Ernest finally begins making some progress in his writing. Troubles are lurking on the horizon, however, and soon a secret will be revealed that will change Hadley and Ernest's relationship forever.

I ended up really loving The Paris Wife, and I was not expecting to feel that way. McLain's writing was slow paced and elegant. Reading it really made me feel like I was in 1920s Paris with all of its glamour, rusticity, and ugliness coming out at the right times. The details were well chosen and beautifully described. This was a lovely novel to fall into and escape, and I came to regard my reading time with it as a special treat. A lot of the historical fiction I read is centered around some type of large-scale tragedy, like wars or scandals, but this was a much smaller and quieter type of story. I appreciated the more private vibes I got with this one.

McLain's character development was similarly excellent. She wrote Hadley in a way that felt relatable and genuine, and I developed a lot of empathy for her throughout the novel. I was worried about not knowing much about Hemingway before starting this, and it turned out that I really didn't need to because this is Hadley's story, through and through. I'm sure there are references to things sprinkled throughout that went over my head, but I never felt like I was missing anything at any point. 

So in the end, The Paris Wife was a nice surprise for me. I went into it not expecting much and came out with a lovely reading experience. I felt like I got a peek into the past and learned a little bit about a famous author from a different perspective. Funnily enough, this book did not make me want to actually read something by Ernest Hemmingway. He was a very troubled man who hurt a lot of people, but I know that's true of a lot of authors. I'm sure I'll eventually come around and give him a try. This book, however, I would definitely recommend to anyone. 

2023 Reading Challenges Tally:

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 11/24

Clear the Shelves 2023: 8/24