Gideon the Ninth

“But for now,” said Harrow, “I will be your Lyctor, Lord, if you will have me.”

The Emperor said, “Then rise, Harrowhark the First.”

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my very great appreciation for my agent, Jennifer Jackson, both for her enthusiasm and her tireless work on behalf of Gideon the Ninth. My thanks are also extended to my incredible editor, Carl Engle-Laird; I can’t begin to outline everything he has done for me and this novel, except to say that if it was a labour of love on my part it was a hundred labours of love on his. Thanks for being a Sixth House stalwart to the end, Carl.

Particular thanks are due to the staff at Tor.com—Irene Gallo, Mordicai Knode, Katharine Duckett, Ruoxi Chen, and everyone else on the team—whose hard work and support I have deeply appreciated over the editing and publishing process.

I would like to acknowledge the work of Lissa Harris, who advised me on use of the rapier, off-hands, and the Zweihänder throughout this novel. Anything good, true, or beautiful about swordplay here is due to her; any mistake or rank stupidity is mine, probably because I ignored her advice in the first place. I’m thankful for her patience, wit, and insight, but would like to remind her here that hard-boiled eggs shouldn’t be added to potato salad. Fight me.

Special thanks also to Clemency Pleming and Megan Smith, my friends and first readers, whose support means I now possess a kitchen apron embroidered with the worst deleted meme from the manuscript. Their good humour and sympathy kept me sane—and also, now I have an apron.

I am grateful to my excellent Clarion instructors of 2010, and wish to particularly thank Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, knowing Jeff won’t mind if I especially highlight years of support, goodwill, and enthusiasm from Ann. Assistance provided by my classmates, whose work I enjoyed, whose advice I solicited, and whose boundless sympathy I took advantage of constantly over the years, proved invaluable. (Thanks, suckers.) For special services to this novel I’d like to thank Kali Wallace, the living embodiment of nolite te bastardes carborundorum; John Chu, for wholehearted kindness; and Kai Ashante Wilson, who gave me the gentle kick up the rear I needed to send out the manuscript.

Various people have supported me and this novel in general. I’m grateful for the love and support of my friends and family, in particular my brother, Andrew Muir, the guy who believed in my writing even when I was eleven and publishing turgid Animorphs fanfiction. His support for me in every avenue of my life has made me who I am today. Also, thanks for leaving critical anonymous reviews on my fanfiction.net masterpieces, jagoff.

Finally but most importantly, I acknowledge the ongoing contributions of Matt Hosty, who mopped blood, brewed tea, and corrected drafts with the patience of Griselda. Two more books and then I’ll never mention bones again, I swear to God.

About the Author

Tamsyn Muir is a horror, fantasy and sci-fi author whose short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. A Kiwi, she has spent most of her life in Howick, New Zealand, with time living in Waiuku and central Wellington. She currently lives and works in Oxford, in the United Kingdom.