It doesn’t take much more than ‘morally grey queer folks with mechs in space’ to get me to read a book, and true to form, I waited with bated breath for The Genesis of Misery. This trilogy opener packs a punch with its baked-in religious zealotry, delusions (or are they?) of grandeur, and a protagonist who defies easy labeling of any sort.

Fans of Gideon the Ninth—the first book specifically, not necessarily The Locked Tomb trilogy as a whole—will find a lot to enjoy in this one. A sci-fantasy setting, dogmatic religious institutions as government, a narrative voice that borrows from popular internet slang (yeet, f**k around and find out, etc), and a protagonist whose impulsive behavior is all about reaching heaven through violence all contribute to an adventurous, sometimes brutal ride.

Misery themself was, as you may guess from the title, the star of the show and easily the most developed character. I have a fondness for grifters and charlatans, and Misery is certainly that at her introduction. They are mean, ambitious, opportunistic, headstrong, and ultimately captivating; I was compelled by her journey. The character arc across the course of the novel was intriguing and believably executed and I am curious to see where it will go next.

The enemies to lovers romance was great and took some surprising turns I definitely wasn’t expecting. Lady Alodia Lightning is the definition of a hot mean princess, and while I freely admit to my weakness for that particular archetype, she had enough development to make her more robust and intriguing than a simple trope.

The Genesis of Misery also presents a seamlessly queernorm world, and in particular, goes out of its way to normalize multiple subsets of nonbinary identities. I found this refreshing, as well as the normalizing of introducing a character by their pronouns in the narration. This seemed to be a sticking point for other reviewers, but to me, it really isn’t much different than taking the time to introduce oneself in the real world and including your pronouns.

There were a few critiques I had of this novel. I really wish we’d gotten worldbuilding that was a bit more fleshed out, but from my understanding, this is the first book in a series, so there is likely more to come. Additionally, I wish characters aside from Misery were more developed. They’re one of the only characters who I got a true sense of personality and motivation from—in addition to her delusion, Ruin, oddly enough. The story-within-a-story format also felt more like a vehicle to be able to ‘tell’ away some of the time gaps instead of showing them and felt a little clumsy besides. Also, I wanted more mechs, but because of [spoilers redacted] I am reserving judgment on that front.

 Fun, fast-paced, and at many points dark and harrowing, The Genesis of Misery was an entertaining ride from start to finish. Fans of queer space opera with intentionally and delightfully problematic characters will likely find a lot to enjoy in this novel.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.