Could you review the locked tomb books by tamysn muir? I’m interested in your thoughts on it! It’s one of my favorite series right now.

I am so glad people asked me this, because I just finished Floornight last night and had a lot of thoughts on the Locked Tomb series that I might as well get down on paper.

Locked Tomb

The first thing I've got to say is that in a lot of ways this series could have been perfect. It has some great characters and an exciting setting. And it's got a distinctive kind of story-telling, even if its prose doesn't always do it justice (see what I mean below).

But also

There's something that's missing from this series that isn't always missing from other fantasy novels I read, which is this … thing where there's a very clear sense that the author had a clear idea of his clear idea of what the whole story is going to be, in the broadest sense. Or at least in the sense of "what are the story's big plot-level themes and messages."

And this creates a feeling, in some scenes, of "these characters are going somewhere with this story," where they're in these situations for the purpose of advancing this overarching idea of the world, the characters are acting as representations of that idea, etc.

Now obviously this kind of thing can be a strength in certain ways. But I think it's just as often a weakness, especially when the story is less plot-heavy and more character-driven. In a lot of cases, it creates characters that are flat, at best, or else overly schematic, which is especially frustrating in stories like the Locked Tomb series where the character personalities are often at least somewhat distinct from their world-views.

This isn't to say these people are not distinctive; they are, in a certain sense, representations of some specific (usually quite specific) ideas about the world. But in a way, this makes the characters less complex; it means they are not "well-rounded," because by definition one cannot have "a complete worldview." There's not much room for complexity or nuance within such a worldview; the characters are one-note (even more so than usual), and it's not clear why that's a good or bad thing.

For instance, the main character of Floornight is, or seemed to be, a typical nerd-like college student who likes weird sci-fi but is kind of a nerd about it, and who gets dragged into some sort of conspiracy plot due to his lack of imagination (this is a metaphor for his lack of mental creativity in general and his lack of social skills in particular), etc. He has no inner life whatsoever; when he is "shown" what is going on in any of the story's flashbacks, it is always very literal and not very "about" anything, which makes these scenes rather tedious; his inner life seems to consist only of abstract ideas like "the universe is vast and uncaring," which are supposed to be inspiring, but come across as tedious, abstract, and removed from any kind of human experience.

One could imagine an "actual person" like this existing, and doing things he actually believed in and valued. But a literalistic, abstract, intellectual viewpoint like the ones described in this story just doesn't strike me as the kind of viewpoint a "well-rounded" person could even be. It's not one that one could, without a great deal of effort, really live or feel deeply with. (One could argue that this was the point, and that the reader was supposed to get something similar -- perhaps similar but different -- from the book's actual characters, but it still feels a bit contrived to me. And I don't think that would work, because the "characters" are not well-rounded in a deeper way.)

On a more positive note, it should be said that there is one scene in the book that does really capture this feeling of the whole story fitting together, for a moment, into a clear-cut, satisfying pattern. If I were going to rate the book on this quality, I'd give it 6/10.

Other Thoughts:

I said in a reply to one of the reviews in question that my own views on this series tend to differ a lot from those of its fans. And, indeed, in many ways, this book seems to have captured a certain vision of the world that I (and many other people) dislike. The book presents itself as "about" something like modernity and the scientific revolution, and it seems to be written by someone who sees himself as one of the "weird outsiders" who participated in that era. In the story, the characters are people who were born after the scientific revolution, and who have never really been in contact with those "olden days" that are the book's inspiration. (If I were a writer writing from such a perspective, this would make me very nervous; I've met a lot of people with this kind of viewpoint, and they can seem extremely naive or even bizarre.)

Some of these people even view the book as "about" modernity per se. Some of them have said things like "Floornight was the thing that finally made me admit that I could never be a scientist, and I've always hated the idea of science." This is a very strange sort of thing to say; one would think that such a character would want to be a scientist to see what kind of world he could create, rather than to avoid it.

This also creates a very strange worldview. In the story itself, it is suggested that the very universe they live in has been "created" by some scientists. What's more, it seems to be "made" in ways that the scientists' science "could not comprehend," because it is not grounded in human logic, etc. I can understand why people writing from this perspective would want to see science as embracing the spirit of humanity, of trying to create something that could comprehend reality as it is, rather than a set of rules which humans use to manipulate it. But in Floornight, it comes across as very dehumanized; as if science were a set of rules which could be mechanically applied to humans as "machines." The characters are all treated like characters who were created by science, rather than people who came into contact with science.

On a more personal note, my own views on the series are complicated by the fact that when I read it, I had never read any of the author's previous books.

The original novel was her first book, which makes sense, I guess -- I don't know a lot about her background, but I imagine it's the sort of thing she would write if she had always been into this kind of thing. But then I read her other work and I started to wonder why I liked Locked Tomb so much, when I wasn't in any sense "into" this kind of book. So I googled her and read more, and found that her other novels tended to be about similar "things," if not quite so literal and "abstract".

Finally finished my reread of Tamsyn Muir’s brilliant HARROW THE NINTH. I thought I adored GIDEON and HARROW the first time around; then found myself thoroughly lost a year later after finishing NONA THE NINTH; then doubled back to the beginning and not only processed all the plot twists more effectively, but fell even more in love with this brilliant series so frequently referred to simply as “lesbian necromancers in space.” Weird space books at their finest. I say this as the author of a weird space book. This series reminds me why I read and write alike. Read it. Then read it again. #LockedTomb #LockedTombSeries #TamsynMuir #GideontheNinth #HarrowtheNinth #reread #NonatheNinth #AlectotheNinth #amreading #reading #book #bookworm #scifi #fantasy #sapphic #lesbian https://www.instagram.com/p/CnLbUXmrhFH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

💬 In a zombie apocalypse, would you fight, run, or join them? 🧟‍♂️ Thank you to @tordotcompub for gifting me a finished copy of Nona the Ninth! This is the third book in the Locked Tomb series and releases September 13th. Have you started this series yet? Is it on your TBR? . . . s u m m a r y : Her city is under siege. The zombies are coming back. And all Nona wants is a birthday party. In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back. The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever. And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face... . . . h a s h t a g s : #nonatheninth #harrowtheninth #gideontheninth #tamsynmuir #tordotcompub #locktombseries #yabooks #zombiebooks #booksbooksbooks #stillography #photosinbetween #morningslikethis #weekendreads #reading #bookmail #booknerd #booknerdigans #bookish #bookrecommendations #bookseries (at Zombie Uprising) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiA0Z9aOc11/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Husband doesn’t like the size of the sword, says “Gideon is a badass and deserves better” . . . #artistsoninstagram #artistsofinstagram #digitalartwork #digitalpainting #procreate #illustration #fantasyart #horrorart #bookart #gideontheninth #thelockedtomb #tamsynmuir #artnouveau #skull #digitallineart https://www.instagram.com/p/CivKkeeuJWh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sometimes you get an art idea and you just can’t get it out of your head. So have this imagining of Zagreus from @supergiantgames’s Hades as Gideon from #tamsynmuir’s Locked Tomb series! #tazmuir #gideontheninth #hadesgame #art https://www.instagram.com/p/Clua_fjPVFR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It only took a few years, but my lil sis is finally diving into the #lockedtombtrilogy by #tamsynmuir She’s already crushing on Gideon! #gideontheninth https://www.instagram.com/p/CnQlbCprBu0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“She had left Harrowhark a note on her vastly underused pillow— WHATS WITH THE SKULLS? and received only a terse— Ambiance.” #gideon #gideontheninth #corpsepaint #halloween #tamsynmuir #necromancy #lockedtombcosplay #lockedtombseries https://www.instagram.com/p/CkU49loOoDz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fear doesn't help us achieve a state of grace; it deafens the heart. - Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ ☆Do you like zombie or necromancer stories?☆ This series has been a weird one for me so far. I loved Gideon. I absolutely adored her sass and insanity, the way she dealt with the world around her. Harrow left me confused. That book didn't make sense to me until almost halfway through. Nona had confusing bits, but I loved her for how sweet and innocent she was. Even knowing what happened, what made her that way, I loved her. Thankful that @pieraforde recommended this series to me! Now the wait for Alecto begins. ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookswelove #bookaholic #booklover #booklife #bookaddict #gideontheninth #harrowtheninth #nonatheninth #tamsynmuir #necromancers #bookrecommendations #spookyreads https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj-9n2SLUUO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

🌟Recent Book Haul🌟 I love participating in book exchanges especially to see what books they pick for me off my list and sometimes even throw one in I knew nothing about! #giftmasinjuly #booksecretsanta #bookhaul #bookpresents #bookstack #tbrpile #patriciabriggs #silencefallen #gideontheninth #tamsynmuir #findmetheirbones #sarawolf #thewonderlandtrails #saraella #witchesofashandruin #booksbooksbooks #downthebookhole #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgz-FgXgJq3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I finished Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir! I’ve been waiting for this one for a while, as the previous two in this series had been my favourites of last year. After a few delays and a lengthy read was it worth the wait? I can honestly say it’s rare that I read a book that I have no idea what’s going on and enjoy it as much as I have Nona. The world is ending, the invading forces are fighting and hordes of the dead march on the planet but that doesn’t matter to Nona! She just wants to plan her party and hang out with her cool friends! This is definitely a continuation of the series and not Muir branching out into a YA fan fiction of her own work! Harrow proved that Muir could hoodwink the readers. Nona shows that she can do it again in such a new way that I often had to suspend any kind of attempts at guessing where the story was going and just let it take me where it wanted! This worked well to put me in the shoes of Nona who is, without too many spoilers, brand new to a lot of things in the world and, like me as the reader, is just here for the vibes. This is part of why I like Muir as a writer. She feels confident enough in herself and her audience to say “Look, this is weird, but you’ve put enough faith in me for two other books so just bear with me” and still write that meta element compellingly into a story whilst crafting a damned good tale with characters you still give a damn about! Anyone who reads Sci-Fi and Fantasy series’ should be aware of series burn-out. Part of that is that writers have these big overarching plot lines to deal with in multi-book stories that the individual books can often feel like stepping stones just to get to that last book. Terry Pratchett got away from this by writing multiple stories in the same world on a rotating cycle. Muir has got away from this by focusing on the ongoing story in her series but reinventing the wheel whilst she still drives it along. It can be very jarring but it’s ridiculously fun! Shoutout to @queerlituk for supplying me this book! They’re a great shop in Manchester and they do postal orders too! #bookstagram #tamsynmuir #lockedtomb #nonatheninth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmg-jJrM4ML/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The rare sunny Saturday afternoons in November are for tea, sweet fried doughs and good books. I am reading Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, second book of The Locked Tomb series. And I am going very slowly on this to both savour and pay attention. What book are you currently reading? . . . . . . . . . . . . #currentlyreading #readersgonnaread #readersofinstagram #saturdayreading #afternoonreading #afternoontea #teaandbooks #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #bookblogger #bookseries #thelockedtomb #harrowtheninth #tamsynmuir #sciencefiction #sff #fantasybookstagram #booknook #readingnook #readingtime #booktime #vintagedecor #vintageaesthetic #darkacademia https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJSRTNLt9O/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Everyone say hi to my new favorite goth war crime necromancer undead swordswoman unreliable narrator lesbian, Harry (puny internet peon immediately gets super extra bone murdered by the Reverend Daughter HARROWHARK Nonagesimus) Jod I fuckin loved this book #harrowtheninth #thelockedtomb #tamsynmuir #sequelsthatdontsuck https://www.instagram.com/p/CdhN3_hNcb3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already the end of the week, and I will be waving for a weekend trip soon. . Yesterday, I attended a zoom webinar hosted by Macmillan Books between the author Tamsyn Muir and her editor as they talked about Muir’s necromancer series of which book 3 will be coming out in a few months- Nona the Ninth. . The way they described the series and all that has gone into it makes me excited to read all 3 - the second of which is written in 2nd person…that alone intrigues me. And I enjoy this virtual events so much. They always fascinate me and I love that they are free - at least the ones I attend. . 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 . Do you enjoy virtual author events? . 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 . . . . #allthebooksmay22 #nonatheninth #tamsynmuir #macmillion #tordotcompublishing #necromancy #necromancer #fantasybooks #fantasy #fantasyfridays #fantasyfriday #fantasyreads #fantasyreader #fantasyreaders #fantasyseries #yafantasy #yafantasybooks #yafantasyseries #tessatalksbooks #bookblogger #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookbloggerlife #bookbloggersofig #bookandflower #bookandflowers #booksandflowers #weekendvibes #authorevent #authorevents #bookdragon (at Lake Davidson) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdOZrr2riSg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Here Is The Graveyard, We Are The Graves For my favorite angsty/angry goth princess . . . #artistsoninstagram #artistsofinstagram #digitalartwork #digitalpainting #digitallineart #procreate #ipad #illustration #harrowtheninth #lockedtombtrilogy #tamsynmuir #horrorart #fantasyart #artnouveau #skeleton https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg4q6hkrTGo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[Books] Harrow la Nona (The Locked Tomb #2) di Tamsyn Muir

Titolo originale: Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) Autore: Tamsyn Muir Prima edizione: 2020 Edizione italiana: traduzione di Francesca Crescentini (Mondadori, 2021) Continue reading Untitled

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Inspired by The Locked Tomb series by the amazing @tazmuir

#TheLockedTomb #GideonTheNinth #NonaTheNinth #HarrowTheNinth #TamsynMuir