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harrowharks-iliac-crest · 8 months

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Ninth skull.

Harrow goes to God in hopes of help, or anything, but she just gets this.

“Harrow, do something normal. Learn how to make a meal. Read a book. Go ahead and prepare—our lives revolve around us all preparing … but take the time to rest. Have you slept lately?” It was the first time you realized God could not understand you.

Harrow is sleepless and rightfully paranoid and she doesn't know anything about what's going on, and God asks her to be normal.

Yeah, I'd lose my shit, tbh.

“You cut up an onion, burn it at the bottom of the pot, put in a few vegetables, and then some meat. It won’t taste like anything, so put in a few teaspoons of salt, and then it’ll taste like a few teaspoons of salt.”

Ianthe's soup recipe made me laugh. Is she wrong though????

“Too much water, but not a bad effort,” said Augustine with forced jollity. “Broth needs to thicken over time, Harrow.” (You had let it thicken for hours, then added a great deal of water, in a panic.) “Do not get me wrong, sis. Eating a new cook’s food after ten thousand years is frankly exciting. Let me give you a list of my favourite meals so that you can get them interestingly wrong.”

Aw Augustine, so supportive.

And Harrow, that's a whole ass mood. I've done very similar things.

I would not be standing if I went without sleep as long as Harrow has now, but she still manages to make adequate soup. Impressive, tbh.

The Saint of Duty ate your soup at a stolid, uninterested, mechanical pace. You had noticed at previous dinners that he did not like some particular vegetables, so you had put them all in. Deprived of solid choices, he was mostly drinking stock.

Hahaha. Get fucked, Ortus the First.

“Marrow,” you said. The Saint of Duty exploded outward as your construct emerged from his abdomen. [...] “Harrowhark,” he said, “you cannot have perceived foreign bone marrow within the body of a Lyctor. I’m not sure Mercy could perceive it with her arms draped around Ortus the whole time.” “The cells weren’t foreign.” “What?” “I sectioned my tibia for the soup,” you said.

Okay that's kinda gross but also oh my god, I'm so fucking proud of Harrow for thinking of this. Good girl. You go Harrow. You rock. Hell yes.

“Six days. No sleep. She still manages a full skeleton commencement from diluted marrow. What else have you failed to see, Mercymorn—?” You were already at the door when her peevish response came: “But this is insane! She’s only nine years old!”

She IS only nine years old. She's only a little baby. Leave her alone.

All that aside, I'm glad to see that the Emperor acknowledges Harrow's power now.

And the Saint of Duty lifted his lit cigarette to you in an unmistakable salute.

Well, she's managed to impress Ortus the First, at least.

Does that mean he'll stop trying to kill her?

#harrow the ninth #harrow the ninth liveblog #htn liveblog #tlt liveblog #htn spoilers #tlt spoilers #the locked tomb

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panthera-tigris-venenata · 2 years

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What did I read this year so far:

Harrow the Ninth

I don't know what is going on and I love it. Seriously, this book is such a trip!

Cannot wait to reread it with the perspective, because nothing, nothing is as it seems

Rise of the Isle of the Lost

Yeah, I'm here for Sea Three and Lonnie

Fuck Mal and especially her time magic

„Discuss?“ Harry asked innocently, „Is that the word for tying someone up and threatening them with my hook?“ Uma smirked: „Don't worry, Harry, you will have your fun.“

These idiots are in love, your honour.

CJ Hook's Treasure Chase

CJ is my chaos gremlin child and I love her

And as everything Descendants, it's fun until you stop and think about the implications for a minute. Then it's depressing.

Cemetery Boys

Idk, fun read? Spanish vocabulary in the back of the book would be appreciated though.

Also, how does one pronounce "brujx"?

Jane Eyre

No more, please and thank you. I read this first when I was like, thirteen. I didn't think it could get worse. It did.

And Jane? Go touch some grass.

Eugen Onegin

There is no plot and I hate it.

Also, someone tore out Tatiana's letter to Onegin from the library book I was borrowing.

One Last Stop

Ok, turns out I have two favourite [romantic] relationship dynamics to read. One of them is "slightly feral lesbians with dubious relationship with death"

Saturnin

Not bad for a book from first Republic. Actually, no, Saturnin is awesome and national treasure. Both the book and the character.

Also, yes, I do like these chaos-prone characters a normal amount.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within

There is no plot and I love it

Also, it's fascinating seeing the differences between English and the translation I read. For example, there is one character that uses pronouns xe/xir (at least I think so), while the translation used it/its: neopronouns do not work in my language, this is as close as one can get. Also, a child (said character is a child of its species) is grammatically a neutrum, so there is that.

The existential horror of cheese

The Taming of the Shrew

Didn't they say comedies are supposed to have a happy ending?

The Poppy War

I actually forgot I read this-

But it has insane magic system and actual war with not so much romance, so of course I read it.

„Well, fuck the heavenly order of things.“

And of course, too many fanfictions to count-

#books #disney descendants #rise of the isle of the lost #CJ Hook's Treasure Chase #the galaxy and the ground within #cemetery boys #eugen onegin #jane eyre #the taming of the shrew #i had to read these for graduation #which is why i read so little otherwise #one last stop #Saturnin #harrow the 9th

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beyondthetemples-ooc · 2 years

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Tbh i think the problem of John we cannot try to solve atm. There are still way too many variables and questions open, mainly partaining to the Resurrection Beasts and his connection with Alecto, as well as his powers, even beyond the problem of the necro-star. Can he even be killed? Can he be killed without Alecto dying as well? With John dead and no experienced Lyctors around, what about the remaining Resurrection Beasts? Theres no guarantee they'll stop devouring the universe just because John is gone.

That must be where you and I differ! Knowing full well that we don't have all the answers to all the questions and variables, I still like Considering and Wondering about if/how it'll happen. TM's writing style with this series has always been batshit insane with dropping New Information on us constantly, but the body in the tomb did turn out to be Alecto after all, so there's still some lead-up and continuous threads.

Like I said earlier, Alecto was "put to sleep" and John remained in power. Why wouldn't the reverse be true if John was put to sleep? He doesn't necessarily have to die. (Another off-the-wall theory: What if they pull a Harrow the Ninth on him and make him unable to "recognize" Alecto somehow? Make him forget Everything, including Being God? It would be deliciously ironic, wouldn't it?)

The universe got along fine without a Jod and Lyctors before...

Huh, I thought it was pretty clear the Resurrection Beasts want John specifically. Especially after re-reading the way Number Seven talks to Nona. It very much reads to me like "I want vengeance on the one who killed me".

One thing I'm VERY not sure of, though, is whether this is even that kind of story, a story of "powerful evil guy gets defeated". I don't know how to quantify it, because it's mostly vibes (what the narrative pays attention to, what TM mentions she's doing in interviews, the way John is presented as ~problematic~ but not necessarily A Problem^tm).

This series is very character-driven and all the Big Universe-Trekking War Stuff seems to happen in the background. The primary conflict in Nona wasn't about confronting John about what he did, or Blood of Eden wanting him, or even the Sixth House hostages (prisoners of war?). The most recurring, consistent plot thread I can think of was "Who Is Nona?" and then, "Nona is Nona and wants to stay that way." Harrowhark's reaction to John's story wasn't "You're a murderer" so much as "I'm going to find my religion". Yes, the other stuff contributed to Important Plot Points, but I don't think they were themes the way Pyrrha/Cam/Pal/Nona's relationship was. The most developed parts of the book are the characters and their relationships, not the massive battlefront.

I won't claim to know where TM is going with all of this, but it's still fun to spitball and throw theoretical spaghetti.

#the locked tomb #john gaius #nona the ninth #rhs tlt #tlt speculation #ntn spoilers #tlt fanalysis

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theavatarspirit · 3 years

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Do you have a recommendation list of wlw books? Could be your favorites or the ones you thought were the best or just anything really. I'm always looking for more of them

of course my dude

lets get the big boys out of the way

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone. you've probably heard about. you've probably seen quotes from it. i myself was late to it (i read it the other month) but lord is the hype worth it (in my opinion). made me crazy.

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon. yes its big. im sorry but it is worth it. samantha the audacity to create sabran berethnet and let me read the book in a 24 period. the yearning of it all.

gideon the ninth/harrow the ninth by tamsyn muir. its aight. im not the person you should go to about gtn tbh but everyone else out there will tell you about it.

my personal favs

a memory called empire/a desolation called peace by arkady martine. yes i am talking about them again. these two books are the best thing ever written. how many hugos can one woman win. it is so intricate and layered and nobody says what they mean and the politics and the brain surgery and the sluttiness of former ambassadors. thinking about mahit dzmare's character makes me feral. three seagrass can be a teixcalaan so personal.

foundryside/shorefall by robert jackson bennett. me once again banging my one man drum about foundryside. please it is so good i dont care if the fantasy magic system isn't for you. there is a shit talking key. there is brain surgery. there are complex morals. there is a wlw romance just for the hell of it. where the plot goes in shorefall to this day makes me batshit insane. i have read shorefall at least half a dozen times in four months. can the third book come out now please mr bennett i am dying.

the long way to the small angry planet by becky chambers. becky chambers my beloved. i would die for you. i am so sorry i haven't read to be taught yet but i will buy everything you write. but about this actual book it is perfect. everything in this book was so good and soft and whenever i thought something would happen that would make me mad. nope. every single book in this series (there are four of them and all are beautiful to look at if you dont live in america) is outstanding. becky chambers and arkady martine duking it out for the hugo next year.

other books i wholeheartedly recommend

the rise of kyoshi/the shadow of kyoshi by fc lee. yes they are fantastic. if you like atla read them.

when the tiger came down the mountain by nghi vo. stunning novella but i recommend reading the first one the empress of salt and fortune first. also stunning but not as gay.

the jasmine throne by tasha suri. the start of a promising trilogy. the slow burn reeled me in lads. but in my honest opinion not as morally grey as what the people on goodreads said.

sweet and bitter magic by adrienne tooley. do you not mind ya? do you like every single trope imaginable shoved into a book? this is the book for you. the angst got to me ill admit it.

the atlas six by olivie blake. some kind of weird dark academia shit going on here. a plot relevant threesome. not wlw but theres lgbt rep throughout.

the library of the unwritten/the archive of the forgotten by aj hackwith. again not wlw but lgbt rep but i adore these books. third in the trilogy comes out the end of the year and i am stoked. cool library concepts is the best book plot and this are by far the coolest.

steel crow saga by paul krueger. a fun read overall. atla and pokemon vibes with some of that sweet sweet complex moral questions with a fun wlw couple.

jane unlimited by kristin cashore. i dont care it gets really weird in the end i adore this book. get weird kirstin you do you. fun chose your own adventure type thing. main character has romantic moments with two of the characters and its not romance heavy.

finna by nino cipri. novella about two exes trying to get through inter dimensional ikea. yes that is the plot. yes it is good

books that i haven't finished/read yet but have heard they are good

she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan. ive read the first couple chapters and was meh but everyone else ive seen that has read it loved it. is said to be mulan meets the song of achilles, which are two things i have not seen/read so.

one last stop by casey mcquiston. i have read 2/3s of this but ill be honest the sex kinda threw me out of the book. if you dont have this problem and liked rwrb you will also like this.

the liars dictionary by eley williams. if you like pretentious english kid speak. really neat idea for a book is you can get past that.

the councillor by ej beaton. ugh i wanted to read this one so bad but i found it at not a good reading time for me. sounds like it is fantastic though. politics heavy book.

unconquerable sun by kate elliot. if you like greek retellings and can stand tense changes (i cannot).

black sun by rebecca roanhorse. have heard nothing but good things and is hugo nominated and yet i have not finished. shame on me.

these feathered flames by alexandra overy. russian folklore inspired fantasy. dont know whether it is classified as ya but has ya vibes.

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard. i haven't even started this one but its short and has politics, yearning, and yearning while doing politics.

#this has taken me like an hour so i will stop here.#nobody wanted all this book commentary yet i give #i dont know why all of a sudden im a gay book rec blog but im not mad #i read a lot of books. i have a lot of thoughts on books. i am happy to help #anon

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zenosanalytic · 4 years

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Harrow the Ninth: Insanity, the Body, and Gideon Redux

Spoilers, Obvsl

While writing My Other Three Reaction Posts while reading this book, one thing I kept WANTING to do but kept stopping myself from doing was praise Muir’s treatment&presentation of psychosis. I THOUGHT that was what she was aiming for, but It’s a touchy subject and I worried about imparting motive to an author on it or misrepresenting my own experience or knowledge of it in doing so, so I kept deciding to Not. But then, In the Acknowledgements at the back, Muir touches, very briefly, on her own experiences in this regard so I now feel comfortable giving her treatment of the topic all the kudos I can. Her portrayal is affectingly Honest. The terror and shame of Harrow’s condition -the vulnerability which makes trust both an inescapable necessary and horrifying to offer; Her desperate NEED for people to trust, and how easy that is to exploit and abuse- is fully conveyed. It’s rare enough to see a sympathetic portrayal of any mental illness in our society let alone psychosis, a condition which has been enthusiastically vilified and sensationalized in our popular culture for at least a century. But to see a psychotic PROTAGONIST, and to see her condition in all the sorrow, fear, and wretchedness it can bring, through the eyes of a sympathetic narrator, while said protagonist is trapped among callous self-serving ppl who see in it not suffering to be soothed but an excuse to discount, ignore, abuse, and exploit; and then to see her declared INNOCENT and VICTIM and RIGHT in clear, masterful prose; when the fuck does this happen?

It of course plays structural roles too; both by confusing what exactly is going on with Harrow and, through that confusion, allowing the reader to share a small piece of Harrow’s experience. Her visions, her memories, her FALSE memories, and her experiences all intertwine to muddle what exactly is going on. Is this “madness” a long-term shame hidden, or an intense response to trauma? Is she physically injured, or emotionally wrecked by Gideon’s death? Has she changed herself in some way, and if she has is it a result of that; or is this something longstanding we’ve merely never seen before? Is she sleepwalking, or is Gideon sleepwalking her, or is The Body, or is something/one else? Is Cytherea a hallucination, or a cruel prank, or a revenant, or is she Haunted? Does physical evidence truly contradict her memories or is this a hallucination too? Harrow can’t be sure of any of this and neither can the reader, and this taste of her experience helps the reader to sympathize with her plight.

And, by confusing the nature of The Body, Cytherea, and what happened to Gideon(all “Bodies” from Harrow’s past in one way or another; some excellent wordplay whether intentional or no), the plot is obscured so that it can develop in a naturally suspenseful way. All these other possibilities obscure the possibility of Wake’s haunting, even though she and revenant possession are mentioned repeatedly throughout the book, laying out the development hidden in plain-sight. And that, in turn, works mechanically to allow these related plotlines -What’s up with The Body; what’s going on with Gideon; who’s the Narrator- spool out in a smooth, naturalistic, engrossing way as well.

It’s obvs by the end, and spcl given the reveal about Alecto’s eyes and how she leaves just when the Resurrection Beast arrives(ie just when it would start making a spirit leaving difficult), that “The Body” -Alecto- is a real visitation; from the moment they become gold on at least. I’m still not sure if her presence going back to Harrow opening the tomb are real or fabricated; I feel like she’d have told this to Gideon with all the rest. But: they didn’t have much time together, and it wouldn’t make much sense to fabricate visions which began post-Lyctor back into her past when the transformation itself could be blamed for them, so there’s good reason to think this aspect of her remembered “madness” was real even if the rest seemed to be part of the backstory needed to “make her a different person”(e.g. in fact she disdained grave dirt on the trip to First House and perennially disdained comforts or reliance on others of any kind, but the her she remembered not only always took the dirt, but also told Ortus about her “madness” immediately when it became pertinent. Pre-Surgery Harrow would never do that).

As to the Body and her visitations by it, based on what was said about Alecto(that she wasn’t really “dead” just sort or “turned off”) and the mechanics of revenant-possession/spirit-visitation(running along thanergic links created through relevance and physical contact/called up by powerful necromancers), I think that Harrow, through her religious devotion to the Tomb-turned romantic ecstasy(and what a cool callback to medieval sexualization of faith THAT is!), and by physically TOUCHING Alecto(who maybe was still spiritually aware even if her body was “turned off”) probably created an avenue for Alecto to remain in contact with her through the River wherever she went(though I can’t remember her mentioning having Visions of The Body on Canaan House? I need to look through Harrow again to see), potentially further amplified by Harrow unknowingly summoning her through sheer emotional need. Gideon’s description of “surfacing” pretty definitely nixes the idea that any of those visions were overlays masking interventions by her.

Jumping off from there to the sleepwalking/body-sharing/possession... Gideon makes it clear her “surface” moments were incredibly short(she kept getting “clotheslined down”) and that she never manifested or had any control over Harrow’s body until the climax. The description of how Harrow’s Memory-Stage works states Harrow’s soul “emptied” from her body whenever she was on the Stage, which was everytime she slept or otherwise became unconscious(I really need to go back and see if the Break Chapters always followed “Whole” chapters ending in sleep/unconsciousness) but, as above, Gideon was too well partitioned to ever take over until the moment near the end. Wake was in Gideon’s sword(thinking back to GtN, Harrow DID have an odd antipathy for it even then), and at somepoint post-Lyctor(post-surgery? That makes sense given that’s when the Dream Stage was built and Harrow’s defenses would have been down) she jumped to possessing Harrow herself. It must have been Wake who sleepwalked her to impale Cytherea, perhaps so she could transfer her “anchor” from the sword to her corpse. Though maybe revenants can haunt multiple objects at once from their anchor; I find it Ominous that Pent kept mentioning the need to exorcise the anchor there at the end and that no exorcism took place. Could the sword STILL be haunted? But what role could she possibly have to still play in the story?

As to Gideon herself... I really cannot see Muir killing her off like that. Is it possible for a bound cavalier soul to break it’s link to the Lyctor’s body? It is possible that -given the empty Tomb in Harrow’s final chapter and what that place could potentially represent- Alecto is now in Harrow’s body, but Alecto has HER OWN Body(which apparently looks nearly IDENTICAL to Harrow with Gideon’s eyes, which adds a humorous line of narcissistic accusation to Harrow’s attraction to her; hope Gideon picks that up in AtN :p), and it’d be the easiest thing in the world to have the trauma of resurfacing, somehow given she lacks Necromancy, from The River give Gideon in Harrow’s body amnesia. That chapter DOES have the implication, with those bones, that she’s doing Necromancy though, so who knows. It’s possible what we’re seeing there is finally a true merger of the two, though I doubt that given how I read the ending; I think the possibilities are either Gideon with amnesia(and potentially Necromantic now due to Harrow choosing not to return and her powers “ceding” to her body’s current occupant. Still not sure where the line btw physical&metaphysical is with necromantic ability), or Alecto in Harrow’s body, with both Gideon and Harrow “dead”(in or over the River due to Harrow’s choice) atm. One Flesh, One End, afterall owo owo owo

#Harrow the Ninth #Harrow the Ninth Spoilers #HtN Analysis #HtN Theories #zA's Wildeyed Guessings #analytic posts

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