Sabriel by Garth Nix

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:

Sabriel is the first book in a trilogy sometimes called the Abhorsen trilogy, other times referred to as the Old Kingdom series. It takes place in two countries that might as well have been two separate worlds - Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom. Ancelstierre is the closest we can get to our world of today, but before the time of cellphones and the internet. The Old Kingdom is where magic still prevails. The two countries are separated by the Wall, which in turn is guarded by perimeter guards to ensure that no one crosses without permission.

In Ancelstierre we begin our story with Sabriel, who receives a message from her father that makes it clear that she has to save him from Death. Her father is the Abhorsen, one who is charged with keeping the Dead dead, and keeping necromancers and other evil forces at bay by transporting them to Death. When Sabriel enters Death to try and communicate with her father, she gets handed his tools - the Abhorsen’s sword and a bell bandoleer. The bells are used to control, subdue or banish the Dead.
Sabriel is charged with the task of not only saving her father, but also to banish an evil spirit returned to Life. With her she has Mogget, a dubious servant to the Abhorsen in the form of a cat, and later she also joins forces with Touchstone, who has connections to the now broken line of the royal blood of the Old Kingdom.

The story is infused with what we come to know as Charter Magic and Free Magic, and is a truly engaging read. When I had finished the seventh and last Harry Potter book, I felt sure that no book could ever compare. Then I bought the Abhorsen trilogy on a whim, and was proven wrong almost the instant I opened the first book. Drawn in and utterly mesmerized, I could hardly put the book down to go sleep.
As the book is aimed at an audience of 12+, the language is easy, which makes it a less time consuming read than The Lord of the Rings. Yet it is in no way childish, and it is rich in descriptions of people, surroundings and magic.

My favourite part of the whole book has to be Sabriel’s arrival at the Abhorsen’s house, where she has her first meeting with Mogget, the wonderfully snarky cat. This part is also where she first somewhat realises that she is the new Abhorsen, and this in many ways opens up a whole new world to her, it is without doubt life-altering.

So if you are a fan of Harry Potter, or of fantasy in general, I suggest you give Sabriel a go. Word of advice though: keep the other two books of the trilogy within close reach, because when you’ve turned the last page of Sabriel, you’ll be itching to get a start on Lirael, the second book. If you choose to read these books, then I envy you, because you have many hours of good reading ahead of you.

See also: Lirael, Abhorsen

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 20:32. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “Sabriel by Garth Nix”

    Telcontar Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 11:05

    If you haven’t read them yet I really would like to recommend the Midkemia-series by Raymond E. Feist. It is without a doubt some of the best fantasy I have read, especially with its combination of high and low-fantasy. Start with “Magician” and work you way up :)

         Wattle Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 14:11

    YAY! Wonderful review. I picked up these books on your word and I’ve not been disappointed yet *lol* Which is a good thing, otherwise you’d have an unhappy me on your hands ;) I shall definitely try to read as much as possible over the weekend. I’m still where I was the other day, but geesh. I see myself being sucked in easily :P

         Julie Says:
    September 21st, 2007 at 12:29

    I love these books, I`m gonna have them as my assignement in Norwegian this year, including the “His Dark Materials” triology by Philip Pullman. `So far I`ve read Sabriel and Lirael, and I can`t wait to get my claws on Abhorsen :D
    It was when I was searching for resymes of the Old Kingdom triology that I found your page! :) Looks really cool, so there!
    I`m from Bergen by the way *waves, puts down hand, raises indication finger and admits* I`m Julie, and I prefer writing in English! Is it the same with you? Oooooor?
    I`ll make sure to pop in at least a couple of times more! Which I probably will seeing as you`ve written those book reviews :)

    And it`s Friday, which means…..
    WEEKEND! :D
    Have a good one :D

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