I saw this plugged a few times on reddit for fans of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. They were perhaps recommendations that led me to expect more than Tamsyn Muir ever intended to deliver, particularly for a first novel.

I completely understand the connection though. There are plenty of superficial similarities, and perhaps even direct inspiration, but what it shares in vibes and select plot points it lacks in complexity and erudition. The prose in Gideon the Ninth is at times quite unique, with laconic descriptions carrying an imagistic heft that outstrip their brevity. However, every time I read a nice turn of phrase it was immediately followed with jolting, capeshit dialogue.

Nevertheless, the novel is sets up an interesting circumstance of identity that I hope the sequel can employ cleverly with it's reputed use of second-person narration.