Book Review: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Goodreads Synopsis: To win an impossible war Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.

Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress.

The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao–because she might be his next victim.

Author: Yoon Ha Lee

Title: Ninefox Gambit

Publisher: Solaris

Date: 2016

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee has been nominated for a handful of awards for best novels. I knew before the first page that it should be a decent read. I knew after the first page that it was going to be entertaining; humour underlying serious themes that include mass-murder and manipulation to the extreme.

I have to admit, it took me a few chapters before I decided that I actually liked the book. One trait that makes science-fiction enjoyable is that you never know what sort of world you will end up inhabiting. Unfortunately, a few chapters in, and I still had no idea. I couldn’t get my head around how this system was working and the characters couldn’t develop when I couldn’t put them in any sort of setting.

Although I still can’t explain the world to someone else, I got the hang of it after a few chapters. Then the enjoyment could begin.

“I don’t think they can force-feed someone a ghost corpse,” Jedao said, “but to my knowledge it’s never been tried. I wouldn’t recommend it anyway. The Nirai believes that having pieces of my brain inside you would drive you crazy even if I weren’t crazy myself.”

I liked Cheris from the beginning. She is talented but modest – her position as a Kel means that her life is mapped out for her and all she has to do is follow orders. But as the book progresses, that isn’t enough for Cheris and she starts thinking for herself. Cheris’ compassion and self-doubt makes her a likeable character despite the actions she has to take later on.

Jedao is supposedly mad. But he was also the best character due to his dry wit throughout. His general lack of trustworthiness – he never tries to prove himself – made me instinctively like him, despite his track-record as a murderer.

The narration follows Cheris, but flashes to other characters to give you the bigger picture of events. For most novels, this would feel like cheating, but Lee weaves it so effortlessly that you accept a brief snapshot from someone else before returning to the main drama.

The writing is humorous. This is mainly through the dialogue, specifically between Cheris and Jedao as no one else can hear him, allowing for his comments to say what Cheris herself cannot. But there are humorous tones hidden throughout. One squad are known as nervous and steady engineers, highlighting their characteristics without in-depth description.

Although it is difficult to understand the complexities of the system and who are the true heretics, I understood enough to get my head around the different types of people (Cheris is a Kel, meaning orders override any self-preservation instinct) and how they deployed their battle tactics (formations for Kel are far more than just standing in the correct place).

The plot is twisted together with the past and the present blending as both the reader and Cheris start to understand more about Jedao. Questions rise throughout about who can be trusted and whether Jedao is actually mad, or just someone with a bigger goal.

Despite the complexities, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I remained engaged throughout, the humour stopping the destruction from being overwhelming. The pace was steady and the characters likeable. Very entertaining.

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