Excellent Traditional Fantasy with a Difference
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I came across this book later in its history, as a fantasy & science fiction fan of some 30 years. Favourite books being Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Dune etc.
Sabriel isn't really like those books at all and not just `cause it's (allegedly) written for young teenagers.
It's different due to its more downbeat and sombre tone and the feeling that the evil forces might actually win.
It does remind me a little of C.J. Cherryh's "Chronicles of Morgaine" in that it has a totally believable & completely un-stereotypical heroine (Sabriel) and with a similar down beat tale of a dying world.
The book is also a little like Harry Potter in that there is some magic in the `real' world but there is another world next to it were magic is much more in evidence, with characters moving between both worlds.
This world is full of danger and unpleasantness and Nix does a really good job of drawing the reader into this nightmare world, where the dead's threatening presence prevails even when not specifically mentioned in the text.
The characters are interesting and well drawn, being recognisable and likeable (on the good side) with very human failings.
Essentially the story is the standard fantasy Good v Evil, with magic, demons, enchanted swords etc etc but Nix creates such a believable world that it all seems new and fresh.
The writing is good, moving the plot along at a pace that really encourages turning the pages. The two worlds - the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre are sketched in just enough detail and the book contains enough new ideas and unfinished business to make the remainder of the trilogy as essential reading as the first.
100% recommended to adults & children aged 11 ish and older.
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Not enough depth for adults
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I agree about the severe lack of character development. The story is OK, but it lacks the depth of Pullman and Rowling. It was OK and a pleasant enough read, but I wasn't able to engage with it enough in order to want to read the sequels.
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A MUST read
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This trilogy can be summed up in one word: unforgettable. I finished the trilogy a couple of months ago and was both exhilarated and upset (as there were no more books in the series). If you love to read you should definately get this book, along with all the others in the trilogy (Lirael,Abhorsen). Im personally not particular fan of science- fiction novels but these books really are something else- in a world of their own. I couldn't put it down so I really cannot understand why some have rated it 3* or less. The only problem is,along with any first book, that it takes a while (a few chapters)to get you hooked but do not let this stop you from reading it/them. If a fan of the Northern Lights trilogy(Philip Pullman)then these books will definately be for you as they are similar in quality. There is no doubt in my mind that this book, and the others, deserve 5*.
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Courtesy of Teens Read Too
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The first thing that hit me when I finished reading this book was that I should have read it much sooner. I'd been meaning to read it for the past six or seven years but never quite getting around to it--and that was a mistake. In SABRIEL, Garth Nix introduces the reader to a compelling fantasy world that comes alive through the actions of the title character and others.
The Old Kingdom is a place of magic, both Charter magic, wielded by those with some connection to the ancient Charter that bound magic to benevolent purposes, and Free Magic, the creatures that escaped the binding and defy the Charter. Free Magic is also used by necromancers desiring to defy the Charter by animating dead bodies. Only one person, the Abhorsen, combines use of Charter and Free Magic for the purpose of returning dead spirits to their final rest and dead bodies to their graves. As the Abhorsen's daughter, and herself Abhorsen-in-Waiting, Sabriel must learn how to use the Abhorsen's tools to venture into Death and bind destructive spirits so they cannot cause harm to others.
However, things in the Old Kingdom are becoming more and more dangerous by the minute, and as a result Sabriel grows up in Ancelstierre, the Old Kingdom's southern neighbor, close enough to the border that she is able to learn and practice Charter Magic, but far enough removed that she is ignorant of the customs and traditions of her home country. The story begins when eighteen-year-old Sabriel, about to finish preparatory school in Ancelstierre, receives a messenger from her father, carrying the bells and sword of the Abhorsen, a signal that he is in danger and requires her help. Sabriel must cross over into the Old Kingdom, a place she knows little about, and somehow find a way to save her father from whatever fate has befallen him before his spirit is pulled too far into Death. Along the way, she meets a fickle magical spirit in the form of a talking cat named Mogget, the traditional helpmeet of a long line of Abhorsens, and a former Royal Guard called Touchstone who has been frozen in the form of a ship's figurehead for the past two hundred years. Together, Sabriel, Mogget, and Touchstone journey through the Old Kingdom as they learn more about the necromancer who has tried to kill Sabriel's father and who will wreak destruction upon the land on both sides of the border if they cannot stop him.
Nix's writing is lean and easy to read, creating characters whose thoughts are clear and whose motives are intensely human. The relationship that develops between Sabriel and Touchstone is emotionally real and rich, and I enjoyed reading about all of their interactions. Even secondary characters are detailed and have personalities of their own. I was also impressed by Nix's concept of magic, which is deeper and more textured than the point-and-spell world of Harry Potter or countless other similar stories (although this book will certainly appeal to fans of the former class of fantasy). In the Old Kingdom, performing magic depends upon a deep knowledge of the required Charter marks, and in Sabriel's case, upon her mastery of the seven bells that assist the necromancer's trade by helping command the dead. This book is truly original--I have not seen anything like it before.
Reviewed by: Candace Cunard
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amazing!
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No matter how many times I read this book it never dissapoints! The characters are all so lifelike and the emotions they feel are so real. Garth Nix has created an amazing world and paints a picture of death so vividly and the following books only improve on this original materpiece which is sure to gow down as one of the new modern classics among the ranks of Harry Potter, His Dark Materials ect. I would advise anybody who loves storys full of action, romance, death, life, magic and great plotlines to buy this book right away!
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