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

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Game of Thrones fans will love the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen series. Sabriel, the first installment in the trilogy, launched critically acclaimed author Garth Nix onto the fantasy scene as a rising star.

Dark Secrets, Deep Love, and Dangerous Magic

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories.

As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death--and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

"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." --Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials trilogy

• A Unique Magic System: Wield the seven magical bells of a necromancer, each with a different power over the border between life and death.
• Coming of Age Fantasy: Follow a young woman's journey from a sheltered boarding school to a powerful protector of the living, forced to confront her family's dark and dangerous legacy.
• Epic World-Building: Cross the magical Wall into the Old Kingdom, a land where the Dead refuse to stay buried and Free Magic seeps from the very soil.
• Unforgettable Characters: Travel with mysterious companions, including Mogget, an ancient and powerful being bound in the form of a cat, and Touchstone, a charter mage trapped by the past.

From the Back Cover

Dark Secrets, Deep Love, and Dangerous Magic

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death--and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear--and sometimes disappears altogether.

Review Quotes

"I think Garth Nix has created a really remarkable and persuasive world; and done it in the grand style of heroic romance-with some wonderful twists and turns. His Sabriel is a herione truly worthy of that role." - Lloyd Alexander, author of The Black Cauldron

"By turns rousing, charming and slyly funny, Sabriel is an engaging tale that slays sexual stereotypes along with its monsters." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Sabriel has a fast pace, drama, vivid descriptions, excitement and humour. Packs of putrefying zombies, too. What more could you want?" - Guardian Unlimited, Susan Price, author of The Sterkarm Handshake

"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

"Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, excellent high fantasy." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Nix has created an ingenious, icy world. The action charges along at a gallop. A page-turner for sure." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"A wonderful new fantasy filled with rich and complex imagery." - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"Nix's monsters are scary and repulsive, his sense of humor is downright sneaky, and he puts his heroine through engrossing physical and emotional wringers. This book is guaranteed to keep readers up way past their bedtimes." - School Library Journal

"A compelling fantasy. The story is remarkable for the level of originality and leaves readers to explore for themselves." - Horn Book Magazine

"An involving fantasy that takes off running and doesn't let up the pace until the final page. The pacing is exquisite, the suspense rising and falling and rising again until the truly edge-of-your-seat finale. A winner for fantasy and adventure lovers." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books