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Cover of Nona the Ninth

Nona the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir

544 pages

A tender, bizarrely cozy slice-of-life story wrapped in the skin of a devastating apocalyptic horror.

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What it feels like

Reading this installment feels like sitting in a sunbeam while the world ends outside your window. It is a jarring, brilliant pivot from the dense gothic madness of its predecessors, trading labyrinthine mind-palaces for the mundane, fragile beauty of a found family trying to survive a besieged city. The narrative is filtered through a deeply earnest, childlike perspective that notices the texture of a dog's fur before the looming threat of a planetary death sphere. This creates a mood that is simultaneously cozy and dread-soaked, where moments of profound tenderness are constantly undercut by impending doom. Muir's signature irreverent prose is softened here, making the inevitable collision of past traumas and apocalyptic stakes feel all the more heartbreaking. It is a book for readers who delight in complex, weirdly funny, and emotionally devastating sci-fi.

Mood
  • cozy-yet-doomed
  • surreal
  • dread-soaked
  • melancholic
Tone
  • earnest
  • irreverent
  • tender
  • chaotic
Pace
steady
Themes
found family · identity and memory · innocence amidst war · the weight of the past
The writing
Muir's signature blend of internet-poisoned slang and dense gothic horror is filtered through a deceptively simple, childlike, and hyper-observant lens.
The arc
Begins in a state of fragile, mundane contentment that slowly fractures as apocalyptic reality and buried identities force a heartbreaking, inevitable transformation.
Who it's for
Readers who love deeply weird, character-driven sci-fi fantasy that balances devastating emotional gut-punches with absurd humor and complex lore.
Content notes
  • body horror
  • gore
  • child endangerment
  • apocalyptic themes
  • grief and loss

About the book

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...

Description from Open Library.

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