Nona the Ninth: 3 (The Locked Tomb Series) Paperback – 12 Sept. 2023

This had me at:- Dogs to invite to birthday party.And it was an absolute delight to read this.Once again, this book just brings things to the fore in ways that is both absolutely no qualms given, but also once you can sit back and look at it again, you can see that it does tie in on Gideon and Harrow, yet is its own book, with its own vibe.I don't know how Tamsyn Muir does it, but I absolutely love these books. Because they bring the unexpected.They are absolutely wild. They play on some tropes and just when you think you've got it sorted, bang. It all changes! This was no different.Although I felt we began to finally see some threads tying in together, but in such a tentative way, I'm not entirely sure.Alecto needs to drop tomorrow please.

I'm so glad Tamsyn Muir turned this into its own book, because I couldn't imagine this series without Nona and all the warmth she's brought to it so far. I think I finished this book and found myself in love with most of the main characters, wishing they were real and missing them desperately once I'd finished it.No spoilers - this book is about Nona, who doesn't know who she is, and her life so far living with some much beloved characters from the previous books. All she wants is to celebrate her upcoming birthday with her new friends, her found family and a dog with an extra pair of legs. Unfortunately, life has a way of giving you what you don't want, but probably need. And so things don't go quite how Nona hoped.It's heartwarming, hilarious, heartbreaking and confusing as hell (in the best way). I couldn't have expected anything else from Tamsyn Muir. I can't wait to reread it.

I love Tamsin Muir’s Locked Tomb series, having read and reread the prior two books several times. This book was going to be the first part of the final book, but the author decided that Nona needed the chance to have her own full story, so the series won’t complete just yet.This story departs a little from the heavier gothic grimdatk of the previous two books, with a sweet protagonist who loves everyone and just wants to collect dogs. She’s supported by familiar faces, though, so it’s not a complete break from what’s gone before.I’ve dropped a star from the maximum as I feel the ending wasn’t as accomplished as it could have been, seeming rushed and not as satisfactory a resolution to the story within this book as has been given before. That’s obviously due to the original intention for the story to continue on, which we’ll now have to wait for the next book to have, and I’m never a fan of bifurcating a story like that.In all, however, a nice book, and one which sets up the conclusion in the next one.

Take the following ingedients:2oz Ghormenghast2oz Clockwork Orange1oz of Red Sister (one chillie) or Grey Sister (two chillies) or Holy Sister (three chillies)A small pinch of 2001A very small pinch of Thomas CovenantMix in a large bowl, (using a human femur is best).Bake for several hours and leave in the dark for several more.The finished cake needs to stored, obviously, in the Cake Library. You will need to clear a shelf and leave space for the next cake. Make sure its a good strong shelf. The next cake could be explosive.Brilliant stuff, eaten in one sitting. Made a pig of myself, but dont care.My daughter asked what I was reading, (she's 47, not a child). "Lesbian skeletons in space, fighting ghosts with swords, swapping bodies and drinking tea"."Oh, your usual then"."Its a bit better than my usual", I replied.

As with many other reviewers I’m struggling to classify Nona. It’s at once horribly mundane yet eternally tragic, a haunted family in a bombed out city, that skates just a little too closely to current events.If Gideon was a love punch in the face, and Harrow a crazed descent into mourning this feels like a bewildered new child has entered the world.If your desire to fully understand the story trumps your sense of attachment to the 19 year old newborn at the heart of this story you won’t enjoy it and you may give up. If you can persevere it will be both magical and frustrating and you’ll be begging for Alecto to arrive.Gideon fans might be appeased and frustrated in equal measure.I’m still not sure I like this book, but I appreciate it as work of wonder and power, and I would expect a Hugo nom as a minimum. In tone and obscureness it reminds me very strongly of Ancillary Justice.Read it and give it a dozen chances, you may not fully enjoy it, but I defy you not to be impressed, how did a series that appeared to be pulp horror SciFi end up as bonafide literature?Bravo Tamsyn!

It's probably best to re-read Gideon and Harrow again before you start with Nona, as key characters reappear, albeit sometimes with different bodies, names and genders. Muir often takes a Gene Wolfeian approach to narrative where key events and people are obscured, even to the extent of, in one thread of the story, naming characters with just their initials. If you enjoy puzzle-solving then I'm guessing you'll love this, if not you might find it frustrating. But the joy of Nona the book is Nona the character, a true innocent thrust into Muir's dystopian universe of religious warfare and necromancers, and a wonderful contrast to the very serious events that everyone else in the book is living through. A completely unexpected addition to the Locked Tomb series, and very highly recommended.