Abhorsen - (Old Kingdom) by Garth Nix (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

In the final book in the Old Kingdom trilogy, master of fantasy and globally bestselling author Garth Nix returns to the fantastic world of Sabriel for an unforgettable conclusion. "Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable." *

After centuries in captivity, the Destroyer is nearly free.

Beneath the earth, a malignant force lies waiting, greedy for freedom from its ancient prison. As the Old Kingdom falls once more into a realm of darkness and terror, the people look desperately to the Abhorsen, the scourge of the Dead, to save them. Yet Abhorsen Sabriel is lost, missing in Ancelstierre.

Only Lirael has any chance of stopping the Destroyer in this high-stakes young adult fantasy. With her companions Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog, she travels across the Old Kingdom in a race against time, battling Shadow Hands and dark necromancers to reach Ancelstierre before it is too late. But what hope can one young woman have against a terrible evil with the power to destroy life itself?

This eagerly awaited conclusion to Garth Nix's extraordinary trilogy of Old Kingdom books is a complex and vividly imagined epic fantasy story, powerful, terrifying and compelling.

"Terror, courage, bitterness, love, desperation, and sacrifice all swirl together in an apocalyptic climax that pits both Life and Death together against the destruction of everything." --Kirkus*

• Ancient Evil: After centuries of imprisonment, the Destroyer is on the verge of freedom, threatening to plunge the Old Kingdom into a realm of darkness and terror.
• Strong Female Protagonist: With the Abhorsen Sabriel lost, the fate of the world falls to Lirael, a young woman who must embrace a dangerous destiny she never expected.
• Complex Magic System: Follow Lirael and her companions--the prince Sameth, the enigmatic cat Mogget, and the Disreputable Dog--as they wield necromantic bells and Charter Magic against Shadow Hands and dark sorcerers.
• Coming of Age Fantasy: A thrilling race against time that tests the courage of two young heroes as they confront a power that could destroy life itself.

From the Back Cover

After Centuries in Captivity, the Destroyer Is Nearly Free.

The Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone are missing, leaving only Lirael--newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting--to stop the Destroyer. If Orannis's unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her and the help of her companions, Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the evil destructor--before it is too late. . . .

The apocalyptic conclusion to the series of events that began with Sabriel and continued in Lirael, the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen is an electrifying reading experience not to be missed.

Review Quotes

"A brilliant mix of subtlety and tension, darkness and light. Nix's Old Kingdom is a world as fully realized as Narnia or Cittagazze." - VOYA

"A riveting conclusion to a powerful fantasy." - Locus

"Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"More than three hundred pages of breathless chases, near escapes, and intense confrontations. Nix's intricately imagined fantasy world is peopled by complex players worthy of both their dramatic backdrops and their moral dilemmas." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Praise for Lirael: "Riveting." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"At once an allegory regarding war and peace and a testament to friendship, this is thought-provoking fantasy." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"What makes Lirael a delight is the magic that Nix brings to his story and to his characters." - Locus

"Startling subplots abound and keep the pages turning." - Publishers Weekly

Praise for Sabriel: "Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, this first novel is excellent high fantasy." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The action charges along at a gallop-a page turner for sure." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"Sabriel is a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism. Here is a world with the same solidity and four dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity, and intelligence. I congratulate Garth Nix. And I look forward to reading his next piece of work." - Philip Pullman