The Locked Tomb — Reading Order

Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series is one of the most wildly original fantasy series of the 21st century. Often described as "lesbian necromancers in space," the series is set in a dying universe where the Emperor of the Nine Houses has reigned for ten thousand years, served by necromancers who manipulate bone and spirit. The first book, Gideon the Ninth, follows the swordswoman Gideon Nav and her necromancer, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, as they are summoned to a crumbling gothic manor to compete for the chance to become immortal saints.

Read in order: Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, and Nona the Ninth. The fourth and final book, Alecto the Ninth, has been announced but not yet published. Be warned that each book radically shifts its narrative approach — Harrow the Ninth in particular plays games with perspective and memory that require active reader engagement.

Muir's voice is unlike anything else in fantasy — her prose is dense, allusive, and frequently hilarious, mixing internet slang with classical allusion and gothic horror. The worldbuilding is deliberately opaque at first, rewarding close reading and rereading. The central relationship between Gideon and Harrow is complex, combative, and deeply affecting. The series is challenging — it asks a lot of its readers in terms of attention and tolerance for ambiguity — but the payoff is a genuinely unique reading experience that has inspired a passionate and dedicated fanbase.