Does anything truly stay dead?
At the far edge of the cosmos ruled by the Emperor sits the Ninth House, a lonely planet of dwindling life. It is the responsibility of the necromancer heir to the House to save it, but the Reverend Daughter, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, can’t do that alone, no matter how much she wishes otherwise. Every necromancer needs a cavalier to fight for them, and of the remaining population, there’s only one swordswoman suitable for the role. Gideon Nav, indentured to the House from birth, only wants one thing more than getting under Harrow’s skin- to leave the Ninth House behind entirely. Their lifelong rivalry not withstanding, Harrow offers exactly that in order to answer the call of the Emperor; Gideon’s freedom, in exchange for her service aiding the necromancer competing against an array of equally as talented prospective disciples to secure her House’s survival.
Harrow knows Gideon could care less about the state of her House, the lonely, dying planet she was found on seventeen years ago. Though Harrow is a powerful prodigy of bone magic, when it becomes clear that Harrow needs Gideon and her sword, she offers the only thing Gideon could want- her freedom, in exchange for her service. Those who succeed in solving the mysteries of the haunted Canaan House will be rewarded with power beyond comprehension; in Harrow’s circumstance, it will be the one chance she has to save her dying House. But when the best prodigies the universe can offer start turning up dead without explanation, the secrets of the Emperor’s house begin to unravel, and Gideon and Harrow will need to bury their rivalry before they, too, end up under ground.
This first entry of The Locked Tomb quartet serves as an exciting hook into the speculative fiction universe Muir unfolds over the course of the series. With its sarcastic-yet-determined lead and haunting gothic atmosphere, fans of classical literature and speculative fiction will tear through this novel and be pleased to find the story continue in “Harrow the Ninth” and “Nona the Ninth”, with the final entry in the series set to be published in late 2025.