Nona the Ninth

To say it's difficult to nail down exactly what a Locked Tomb book actually is would be an understatement.

For a series that I actively avoided, it's become something I very much enjoy. Being an artist and answering to yourself in the face of a passionate fanbase is bold. Gideon the Ninth was a fun book that had a lot going on for it and nobody would have blamed Muir for merely recreating it with the same cast of characters and continuing on with a linear story. Instead, Harrow the Ninth happened, which veered so far off course that you were either there for the ride or ejected, dejected that someone who wrote one of your favorite books isn't playing the greatest hits.

Nona is another very different book.

I'm gonna write stuff and it'll potentially be spoilers.

After the ending of Harrow, there were expectations of what we were getting. We were getting Harrowhawk coming to her senses, Gideon was indeed going to play a part, now we know more about Lyctors and John Gaius's bonkers empire. Hell, we've fought resurrection beasts and heralds. We've got our world-building down pat, but then again, who the hell is Blood of Eden that Camilla is hanging out with?

It turns out, none of this is very easy and this series explores love, trauma and the impact both have on individuals, groups and the greater community. Nona is, in a lot of ways, a shell. Nona is someone we care deeply about and want to be doing cool, kickass things, but in the wake of nonstop trauma, Nona is also Nona. There are locals kids she hangs out with, she's not very smart but she's a teacher's assistant to keep her busy and she's got her found family of Camilla and Palamedes sharing a body and Pyrrha Dve holding things down for everyone. They're in a bombed-out city on the verge of awful things and there are a lot of potentially familiar faces being referred to by different names.

Witnessing this through Nona's eyes is something that would only work via prose, as readers are familiar with a lot of the characters. Nona is, after all, only six-months-old in a nineteen-year-old body. It's complicated. This means even when we're familiar with characters, like Gideon, either Gideon has massively changed by all the events she's suffered through, or Nona feels intimidated by Gideon and sees her as a cold, impassive person, which is in contrast to how Harrow would see Gideon.

The biblical tract-style chapters of John's origin story punctuate all of this. These chapters break up the narrative while providing valuable context how this all began. We get to see how John was working on a cryo project as a part of the greater FTL escape plan to get as many people as possible off of Earth. Somewhere along the way, John discovers he's able to reanimate dead bodies, amasses a literal death cult, becomes a global figure that's helping keep a powerful president looking like he's alive and starts committing atrocities with a downright laissez-faire attitude. Somehow, this results in John and his cohort getting access to a suitcase nuke, John discovering the wealthy were planning to abscond while leaving 99% of humanity behind and that old softie John ends up starting an end-game style nuclear war, his powers reaching an apex where he single-handedly reaches out and slaughters every last person he can reach.

These chapters, especially in the context of where this book sits in the series where the emperor was slain, Gideon returned in Harrowhawk's body to fight, we discover Gideon's parentage and all of this other stuff, helps to frame exactly what this series is and who these people are. So much of what we experienced prior in the series was dream-like, odd and detached. Nona's reality, in contrast, is grounded and post-apocalyptic. Nona is living in the wake of the destruction, with the battered remains of the people who mattered to her. So, is Nona an awakening from a fairy tale, or a reprieve from the surreal reality of the nine houses, the river, the resurrection beasts and the heralds?

... does it even matter?

You are always in for a wild ride with Tamsyn Muir and the third entry into her Locked Tomb series is no exception. Each of the books in this series have been utterly distinct and different in their writing techniques and styles, yet also utterly and unambiguously Tamsin Muir. Gideon gave us a gothic haunted house/murder mystery full of snark, Harrow gave us second person space opera with an unreliable narrator. Nona goes full on post apocalyptic dystopia with a childish sunny disposition. The way that the inherent contradictions somehow enhance the overall story arc is nothing short of glorious. I am left in awe of Muir's writing abilities.

Thats not to say that these are easy reads. These are dense, complex and confusing books, layered with hints and clever cross references, obscured behind their different narrators personalities and flaws. Even placing them next to each other in the overall series timeline is challenging at times.

In Nona we do get some nice world building, linking back to the early rise of John Gaius. We return to some familiar characters in Camilla and Palamedes, even if they are presented in a new way. We get Corona from a different perspective. We get to see Gideon as others see her. And we are confronted with the mystery of who is Nona. All this against the strangely gentle background of a school teaching in a city undergoing lockdown in some dystopian post-apocalyptic planet.

The Locked Tomb is probably the most clever, dense and insane current speculative fiction series out there. I cannot wait for the conclusion in Alecto!

Although I absolutely love Gideon the Ninth, for me, the remaining more serious books have left me wanting. I hoped Nona would turn this around, and, although it has its bright points (Nona and her life, in particular) I'm very much left with the feeling of “can someone please tell me what's going on now, pleeeease” - I might suggest to other readers to either re-read the earlier books closer in time first, or, make use of the wiki. Nevertheless, a book that needs a wiki, is a book that's, um, imperfect. Wow that sounds like I didn't like the book, oh dear, I did; you get more Locked Tomb, crazy magic, wild merging of science fiction and fantasy, and, indeed, through dream flashback, an actual reveal (sort of) of how the universe of Gideon the Ninth originated. Anyway, it's worth the trip, and the ambiguity.

I've no idea how to review this. The characters are great, but the plot requires you to work really hard. Even now, having finished, I am not entirely sure what happened. Tamsyn Muir doesn't like to make life easy for her readers. I very much want to read the next one however, if only in the hope that it finally provides some answers.

Discovering your new favorite series is going from a trilogy to a tetralogy is always good news. Nona the Ninth picks up seemingly where Harrow left off, but I honestly wish I had reread Harrow another time before starting this one. I loved the story, and yet I found myself constantly wondering if I remembered where all the characters fit in with one another – this could be because Harrow the Ninth left me with so many questions about who is alive, who is dead, and who is somewhere in-between.

All I can hope for is that Alecto will give us more answers, but I'm happy to have met Nona along the way!

Yes, yes this is more accessible in terms of how it was written and the nature of the story. That does not mean it was easy to understand what was happening. What is going on this one? I felt like this was a lot background with minimal driving of the overall story until the final third and the ending. Then the story really took off. Very enjoyable edition to the series.

April 11th, 2022 (2nd read)
first half was my favorite! (going through a character's life with all their opinions overlayed is my bread and butter lol)
second half was confusing but very interesting. I keep thinking about the concept of a “perfect Lyctorhood” and it gives me a headache in the best possible way

Several days after gorging on this book and I'm still thinking about it. Partially because I really should've reread or at least done a Wikipedia deep dive on the events of the previous books and lore of the world. I loved the little domestic world, the relationships between characters (especially Camilla and Palamedes.... Whew!), Nona as a character. This book made me deeply fond of and emotional about a character named Hot Sauce. And the experience to read between the lines and know what's going on when the narrator, Nona, doesn't, would've been very delicious had I remembered more about the previous books lol. I loved it and love this series.

This three star rating is on me. This book is written very well, probably the best of the three so far. There were recurring chapters that gave lore info that was so good! Unfortunately I rushed into this too quickly after Harrow and my brain just refused to puzzle this novel out and the result was I kept zoning out and therefore didn't care about most of the big reveals. I looked at a summary of the novel and there were whole chunks I missed or didn't understand. Ultimately, I should have given myself a break after Harrow. But I will reread these books before Alecto comes out and now that I know what's happening, I think the reread will go much smoother.

I really don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the reading experience throughout and I fully plan on reading Alecto the ninth when it's released. On the other hand, this entire book functions like a filler episode in a tv series. Background information and side stories play out throughout the novel and that information is interesting and entertaining; however, we were dancing around continuing the main storyline the entire time. Almost nothing that happened in book 2 was expanded upon, explained, or resolved in this novel. All the buildup to what I thought was going to be an epic reveal and climax to the novel fizzled out in the last chapter and the epilogue was clearly just getting us excited for what's coming in the next book. Much like a post credit sequence at the end of a marvel movie would.

So if you're really into the book lore and what to know exactly how John became a god then pick this up. But if you want to dive right back in Harrowhark and Gideon's story after the events of book 2 then this book will very much be lacking for you. As a side note, I greatly enjoyed seeing more of Camilla and Palamedes' relationship so maybe it gets an extra half star for that.

See, I don't know what I thought would happen after I read The Locked Tomb books back to back, but nothing prepared me for the absolute reading draught that would hit me, because nothing measures to the fascination, confusion, thinking-I've-got-everything-figured-out, then absolutely getting my s#!@ rocked mentally, that this book served me. Idk man, just read it!

This series is starting to lose me in some ways. It feels like every additional book is yet another twist and yet another “50% through before you understand what is going on†… I loved that about the first book, appreciated it in the second book because of the payoff, but this one tested my willingness to invest the time … again.

It wasn’t bad. Many parts were good. It’s just becoming less and less my cup of tea.

This book continues the vibrant and twisted saga of the Locked Tomb series with dark humor, and intricate world-building. We meet Nona, a caracther that has a somewhat innusent.
Plot and Pacing:The book balances suspense and mystery, slowly revealing Nona's significance within the grander narrative of the series. Something the author is a expert of doing. The plot is with layers that peel back to expose surprising connections and revelations. Muir writes in a way that leaves us being abel to follow the suspense. But also do not reveal more than we need. So we are surpised by plottwists still. I mean the ending. With Alecto and Harrow finnaly returning to their correct bodies was not done how I were to expect
Character Development: Her naivety and childlike wonder are juxtaposed with the grim reality of her world, making her a complex character. The supporting cast has the same level of depth and personality. The interaction between characters is sharp and often tinged with dark humor which I am all here for.

World-Building: Muir's world-building in “Nona the Ninth” is as immersive as ever. The blend of necromancy, sci-fi elements, and gothic aesthetics creates a setting that is both haunting and fascinating. The book goes more in depth of the Nine Houses, making the already complex (and confusing) universe.

Writing Style: She has a knack for blending the macabre with the mundane, crafting sentences that are both beautiful and unsettling. The dialogue is punchy and often laced with dark humor.

Now, this book is honestly still great. I love their writing styles and just how intrested I am in this book. Yes, I am confused often. But I have learned ever since Gidion to actually really enjoy this confusion. I would say tho. I dont think I would wana ever start in the middel of this series (some series yu can do that with).
I really enjoyed the ending and still cant wait for the next book. So pls let it come now soon.
I need to know what will happen now that their souls are returned.

This book is the third in the Locked Tomb series. These books are set in a universe run on the powers of necromancy. While there is some inter-galactic battle, the primary driver of the plot is the relationships and intrigue between the characters. The characters are so well written, often dark and also often hilariously sarcastic. In fact, the “twist” of this book is introducing a character who is sweet and naive (and really, really, delightfully weird). Like other books in this series, it took me a bit to get into this book, but once it got going I was hooked - and now that I'm finished I'll be thinking about it for the next few days.

If you are a sci-fi/fantasy reader and have not started this series yet, you really should. (Gideon the Ninth is the first in the series) The series is original and inventive and does a great job of balancing dark with a dose of humor. The richness and depth of this world is amazing... although it can sometimes drift into being too complicated. I definitely had to read this book with the synopsis of the first two books open on a wikipedia page. When the last book comes out (scheduled for later this year!) I will probably do a full re-read so I can keep the thread of who everyone is. That is the only (really minor) thing that keeps this from a full five stars.

I love everything Muir does, so this is of course incredible to me. Much more readable than Harrow, Nona introduces us into how the world outside the Nine Houses live. While still delaying the answers we've been craving, I loved how well Nona fits into the story arc of the Locked Tomb series. I fell deeply in love with her, adored the everyday perspective on Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, and thoroughly enjoyed not just the absolute hijinks but also the contemplations of the friends Nona finds. This book had me screaming, grabbing my girlfriend's thigh, crying on my floor, and feeling like my body did a hard reset. Delightful. I'll be tearing my hair out for another year until Alecto graces our world.