Help I'm completely obsessed with The Locked Tomb

[lucymonster]

(I usually use my skeleton icon for music posts, but honestly, how can I not)

Tore my way through Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth. Loved them so much that I have no idea how to review them: I don't want to spoil them for anyone because the suspense is a big part of what made them such a mind-blowing read, and most of my favourite bits are massive spoilers. I can't even say who one of my faves is without semi-spoiling a major reveal for anyone who knows me or my taste. ('If you tell me it'll betray who the secret villain is,' said my best friend. 'Your fave committed genocide, didn't they,' said my husband. I'm mad as hell but can't argue back because they are both, unfortunately, correct.) So this is not a review at all, just a jumble of excited thoughts that I don't think will even mean anything to anyone who hasn't read the books but I recommend not clicking just in case. You should read the books!! They're really, really good!!!

- HtN, like GtN, took some getting into: I disliked every major character except Harrow and John, and the second person POV was a bit jarring at first. Honestly I never did stop disliking all the non-Harrow-and-John characters, but Harrow and John are more than compelling enough to carry the novel for me by themselves, and oh my god did the POV pay off! That moment when the first 'I' dropped!

- NtN is far and away my absolute favourite. I mean I adore all three novels, but 'humanitarian crisis through a child's eyes' + 'wait, are we the baddies?' + OUR LADY OF THE PASSION OH MY GOD I WOULD DIE FOR HER I WOULD KILL FOR HER made NtN stand out as probably going to become one of my favourite novels not just of this series but of all time.

- Things I have cried real life tears in public over: Nona's birthday present, 'For John so loved the world.'

- Things I have cackled, whooped and/or gasped aloud over: Zombie Cytherea, 'Marrow', oh wait THAT'S why Ortus' initials don't match.

- Pyrrha, my darling! Cam, my darling! Judith, my darling! We Suffer, my darling! PASH, MY DARLING OF DARLINGS. I've been telling myself I need to step back from fandom for a while, but my resolve is being sorely tested. I don't think I've ever encountered another media property with so much RTMI femslash potential.

- I absolutely love the way Muir does mystery. Her clues and foreshadowing were strong enough that I was able to predict large chunks of what happened and enjoy feeling clever about it, but she was also subtle enough that absolutely key pieces stayed missing until she chose to reveal them - and then I got to enjoy mentally combing back over what came before and realising how much it was There All Along.

- I also love how technical her writing is, craft-wise, and how she uses such varied techniques to achieve the most gorgeous results. And oh, man, her character voices! Three novels, three protags, three totally different styles.

- Seeing jandals in print dealt me so much fucking psychic damage, lol. Hats off to Muir for leaning aaaaall the way into 'Kiwis in space'.

Comments

[troisoiseaux]

YEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!

Ahem. I mean, isn't this series so great???????????? Nona is also my favorite, although it's closely tied with Gideon (which I've read.... 6 times?).

[pauraque]

Not opening the cut because I haven't read Nona the Ninth yet (I'm on the hold list at the library!) but I am so glad you're enjoying the series. :)

[fiachairecht]

May you have better luck finding rtyi femslash than I have had! (I think you will - I think you'll have to - as Cytherea/Mercy is my most popular ship with a grand total of 13 things on AO3 last I checked - but, then again, this fandom and its Gideon/Harrow modern AUs, sighs).

I also find it deeply hilarious that even though I've not read Nona yet 'your fave committed genocide, didn't they' does not actually narrow the list down that much, and presumably Nona just makes it longer lol.

[lucymonster]

Heh, my cursory look suggests I have once again boarded another mini pool noodle: there are a grand total of 39 fics in which Pash featured at all, once I filter out the Griddlehark and Cam/Pal where she’s nothing but a background character. But so far I have read one (1) of them and it was excellent, and I’m currently holding off on reading the other 38 so I can enjoy, for as long as possible, the happy delusion that they’ll all be equally RTMI.

Lol, look, you are not wrong. 😂 Though I think even by Locked Tomb standards John deserves particularly high marks in genocide! (Normal to want, possible to achieve, etc.)

[lucymonster]

I hope you’ll enjoy it too when your hold comes in! I’m gagging for more - Alecto can’t come out soon enough.

[lucymonster]

I’m already having to sit on my hands not to dive straight into a reread, lol. I’ll enjoy it so much more if I let my first read percolate a while first! I know this! And yet there they sit on my shelf, calling to me.

[troisoiseaux]

This really is the most re-readable series because, e.g., rereading Gideon after Harrow and both of those after Nona just unlocks completely different levels.

(Which is to say: DO IT DO IT DO IT.)