Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Lurking Within the Tomb: Harrow the Ninth

Harrow the Ninth is the second novel in The Locked Tomb trilogy by Tamsyn Muir. Remember all the noise that occurred because of Gideon the Ninth? Well, it’s time to see what the sequel has in store.

Harrowhawk Nonagesimus is one of the most talented necromancers around. That is why she survived becoming a Lyctor, but it’s also why she’s in the present situation. She is less stable than ever, yet she is expected to fight alongside the Emperor for the universe’s fate. No pressure.

The last remaining Lyctors are facing an unwinnable war, and yet they cannot back down. Least of Harrow, who will always stand by her god. Even when the world around her stops making sense.

Writing

I want to start this review by saying I am incredibly impressed with Tamsyn Muir. After the success of Gideon the Ninth, they could have easily come in with a second novel that took no real risks and had it be a hit.

That isn’t what happened here. The level of risks in Harrow the Ninth is unparalleled. The writing style, storytelling structure, and everything in this novel were a bit risky, yet it all worked out beautifully in these pages.

Harrow the Ninth starts in the second person. I know that is a format many readers hate, but it works sincerely in this novel. Harrow is the epitome of an unreliable narrative, and the storytelling style required something mildly off-putting to fully reveal the depth of that disparity.

The novel also bounces between several points in time, all of which help to further cloud the truth about poor Harrow. It was all written with such care and intelligence it’s quite alarming. Harrow’s journey is powerful, getting more tense with each given moment.

Development

Harrow the Ninth is a novel that slowly unravels and unveils its secrets. About sixty percent of the book is told in the second person, but it does start shifting back to the third after that, though it is a gradual process.

Likewise, the story is a slow build. Everything is confusing at first, with more questions than answers. But as the story progresses, so too does everything else. By the end, this becomes a whirlwind of a read, becoming a novel you won’t want to put down.

I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a better example of an unreliable narrator or a reason why one was required. It was beautifully done, significantly adding to Harrow’s journey (and all of the impact that came with it).

Looking back on it, I can see all of these little hints and details woven into the novel, all of which led to that conclusion. It will make for excellent reread material, which is always a huge plus in my book.

Conclusion

Harrow the Ninth was a beautiful and extremely intelligently written novel. I still can’t get over how creative or bold it was, and I sincerely cannot wait to see what the third novel in the series will give us.

In the meantime, there is a short story set in this world for those finding themselves desperate for more necromancer goodies. It’s called The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex and provides a rare look into Sixth House. It is both hilarious and brilliant, and I cannot recommend it enough.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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