helloladies: Horseshoe icon with the words Lady Business underneath. (Default)
[personal profile] helloladies posting in [community profile] ladybusiness
If you've escaped hearing about one of Tor's most buzzed about releases, congratulations. Gideon the Ninth was being heavily promoted at the beginning of the year, and people with ARCs who loved it were not subtle about how much they loved it. Tor pushed it heavily—there's some serious marketing behind the book—with lots of attention to the cover art, sneak peeks at the opening chapters, and most notably, a first edition print run with pitch black page edges, making Gideon the Ninth not only the most hyped SFF book of the year, but also one of the most noticeable physical objects to emerge from a mainstream SFF publishing company this year—that art.

A black-clad swords-woman with red hair and skeleton face paint in dark sunglasses swiping through a group of skeletons


All of us haven't read it, but [personal profile] renay read an ARC copy sent to her by a Mysterious Benefactor in late 2018, which has since then been a delicious mystery on top of the book itself, which is a locked room mystery in a crumbling castle in the middle of an ocean featuring a massive cast of necromancers and Gideon, an irreverent narrator who likes swords and ladies. Regardless of its contents, we're always excited to share books about characters who fancy swords and ladies. That's kind of our aesthetic.

We have one hardback copy of Gideon the Ninth (complete with black page edges!) to give away. You will also get:
  • old key patterned washi tape
  • sparkle skull stickers
  • tiny aviator sunglass stickers

Some of these extras won't make sense until after you read the book. After all, the book is a mystery. (Okay, it's a lot of things. There's some genre blending happening. But mystery is in there.)

If this sounds up your alley, enter our giveaway for Gideon the Ninth—yes, even if you're outside the U.S.! THIS IS AN ALL-INCLUSIVE TRIP TO SKELETON ISLAND*.



* The urge to use "TO BONE TOWN" was extremely high. Yes, we're actually five 11 year olds in a trench coat.

Date: 2019-09-18 03:53 am (UTC)
katarik: DC Comics: Major Slade Wilson and Captain Adeline Kane, text but I can make you better (Default)
From: [personal profile] katarik
I saw This is How You Lose the Time War in the bookstore the other day but didn't buy it -- I really like el-Mohtar's short stories but haven't read any of her longform, and haven't read any Gladstone at all. What did you like about it?

Date: 2019-09-18 11:39 am (UTC)
aurumcalendula: gold, blue, orange, and purple shapes on a black background (Default)
From: [personal profile] aurumcalendula
I adore the set up of the story - two time traveling agents on opposite sides sending letters to, and starting to fall in love with, each other.

(I liked that the time travelers sending letters are the focus of the story - there was a book I read a couple years back that sounded like it going to be something like this from the blurb, but unfortunately wasn’t)

I really like how poetic the writing is! (I definitely need to check out el-Mohtar's and Gladstone's other work)

Date: 2019-09-19 12:30 am (UTC)
katarik: DC Comics: Major Slade Wilson and Captain Adeline Kane, text but I can make you better (Default)
From: [personal profile] katarik
Mmmm I did like that general idea -- glad to know it lives up to that premise and sticks with that focus.

TBH, el-Mohtar's short stories are beautifully crafted. I really love what she does with language. Check out the short story posts here -- she's often recced, with good reason.

I may have to give it a go, as so many folks here are reccing it so highly!
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