Gideon the Ninth

Foiled in her attempt to escape the house she absolutely detests, Gideon is coerced instead to accompany her bitterest enemy Harrowhark to the First house, where Harrow may study, and become one of eight new Lyctors for the Emperor. And, of course, it's not going to go very well at all.

What on earth does any of this mean? Half the joy of the book is the way the world-building is slowly gently teased out through conversations, events and some careful narration. Some mysteries are hidden in plain sight, some are gently teased or hinted at early on, before being brought back with devastating effect later in the book - I found it an amazing roller-coaster ride, and it was nearly impossible to put the book down.

Gideon and Harrow are wonderful protagonists, and if their conflict seems inexplicable to begin with, the reasons are yet another piece of the we're presented with.

I don't think it's for everyone - it is an amazing book, wildly imaginative, with wonderfully drawn characters, a fair smattering of suspense and horror, and it pulls absolutely no punches as things ramp up...

It also leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the next book, and I can't wait to start that one. Probably my favourite book of 2020 - and there's been some stiff competition this year.