Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.
"Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!" - Charles Stross on Gideon the Ninth
"Unlike anything I've ever read." - V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth
"Warm and cold; goofy and gleaming; campy and epic; a profane Daria in space." - Robin Sloan on Gideon the Ninth
She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath -- but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
The series
The Locked Tomb series invites readers into a universe where necromancy is not just an art, but a means of survival. At the heart of this tale is a cast of outcasts, anti-heroes, and reluctant warriors who are bound by secrets far darker than they could ever imagine. Starting with Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir creates a world where death isn’t the end—it’s only the beginning of a terrifying, witty, and utterly unpredictable journey.
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The series is as much about the bonds between its characters as it is about the macabre universe they inhabit. In a society ruled by necromancers and their immortal legions, every corner hides a betrayal, and every revelation seems to sink the characters further into a labyrinth of twists and turns. The Locked Tomb is drenched in mystery, offering readers an intricate, labyrinthine world of space tombs, deadly secrets, and an ever-deepening conspiracy that challenges the very concept of life and death.
At its core, the series explores identity, loyalty, and the haunting specter of the past. Through sharp dialogue and dark humor, Muir brings to life characters like Gideon Nav—a sword-wielding, snarky fighter with a complicated past—and Harrowhark Nonagesimus, a brilliant necromancer struggling with her own darkness. Their evolving relationship drives the narrative forward, each book unraveling more about who they are and who they might become.
In The Locked Tomb, Muir blends science fiction with gothic horror, creating a world where the fantastical meets the grotesque in ways that feel both exhilarating and eerie. The atmosphere is thick with tension, and as the series progresses, the stakes grow ever higher, pushing the boundaries of genre fiction.
If you're looking for a series that feels like it’s been crafted from the darkest, most brilliant corners of the mind, one that bends genre norms and defies expectations at every turn, then this tale of necromancers, haunted tombs, and endless betrayal will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page. The Locked Tomb is a bold, unforgettable journey—one you won’t want to miss.
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