Lucas Blogs About Books

  Hey! It's this book again! So, what's this boo—oh it's another of Ursula K. LeGuin's Hainish novels ! That it is. This one is called City of Illusions . Okay, but what's its deal? All right, so this one takes place on Earth, or Terra (I have to admit that I'm irrationally annoyed when science fiction novels treat "Terra" as a more universal alternative to "Earth," but that has nothing to do with this book).  A young woman named Parth comes across a naked amnesiac with cat-like yellow eyes (like so amnesiac that he doesn't even remember how to talk). Over time, the amnesiac, Falk, learns the customs of Parth's people, including learning the new strain of Taoism that has been passed down through the centuries. Eventually, Falk decides that he needs to learn where he comes from, so he sets off for the mysterious city of Es Toch where the Shing rule the Earth with lies and illusions. Who are the Shing? No one rightly knows except that...

Yes, I did buy the sequel in hardcover instead of waiting a few months for the paperback version. Don't judge me. So, what's this book's de—wait, is this the sequel to the book you blogged about last week ? It is. This is Harrow the Ninth  by Tamsyn Muir. I'll try to avoid TEH SPOILARZ  for this book, but anything from Gideon the Ninth  is fair game. Okay. Anyway, so remember how in the last book, Harrowhark and Gideon are at Canaan House to figure out how exactly a necromancer can become a Lyctor? And by Lyctor you mean one of the saints of the God-Emperor the Necrolord Prime? I do. It turns out that the secret is to kill your cavalier and absorb their soul. But before we get into that, let's say a little bit about the ending of the first book. So, instead of anyone solving the mystery, the killer reveals herself to be Cytherea the First, one of the Emperor's original Lyctors. See she's not so keen on serving the Emperor any more and has decided to kill all...

"The most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton" is a pretty bold claim, especially once you realize that you do everything with a skeleton.   So, what's this book's deal? It's about lesbian necromancers . . . IN  SPAAAAAAAAAAACE! I see. Well, that's the elevator pitch version anyway. Gideon the Ninth  by Tamsyn Muir, is a sci-fi/fantasy novel about Gideon Nav. Who is Gideon Nav? A hard-headed, acid-tongued teenager who wants nothing more than to escape her childhood home of the Ninth House and join the Imperial Cohort. Oh no, this is gonna be one of those blogs where you have to preface the synopsis with a massive paragraph of exposition, isn't it? I'll try and make it quick. Ten thousand years ago the solar system of the nine houses (which is almost definitely our solar system) died, and the Emperor (who is revered as a god-king) revived it with necromancy. Subsequently, necromancy is a pretty big deal, and each house (headquartered on a different...