"To preserve life, the Abhorsen must enter death."
This is one of my absolutely favorite fantasy series, and I think it deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
Sabriel begins in Ancelstierre, a sort of Victorian England, where Sabriel is finishing her schooling at Wyverly College for girls. Before she can graduate, a shadowy creature appears, bringing her father's bells and swords - the tools of a necromancer. Her father, the Abhorsen, has dedicated his life to putting the dead to rest. Now Sabriel must travel across the wall and take on the role of Abhorsen in order to save the Old Kingdon, a place rampant with magic, because the dead are rising and evil is threatening to take over the land.
Lirael is one of the Clayr, but unlike her sisters, she does not have the gift of Sight. She hides her pain by immersing herself in the massive library of the Clayr, where she befriends the Disreputable Dog and begins an adventure that takes her all over the Old Kingdom.
Abhorsen brings together Sabriel and Lirael's stories in a conclusion that pits the Abhorsen, Clayr, and royal family against an ancient evil with the power to destroy the entire world.
Nix's world of Ancelstierre and the Old Kindgom is mesmerizing. It's high fantasy without the typical dragons, elves, and fairies, but just as detailed as Middle Earth and Hogwarts. The characters are complex and realistic, and it's hard to not fall in love with them.
The fourth book in the series Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen is coming out on October 14! I can't wait!
This is one of my absolutely favorite fantasy series, and I think it deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
Sabriel begins in Ancelstierre, a sort of Victorian England, where Sabriel is finishing her schooling at Wyverly College for girls. Before she can graduate, a shadowy creature appears, bringing her father's bells and swords - the tools of a necromancer. Her father, the Abhorsen, has dedicated his life to putting the dead to rest. Now Sabriel must travel across the wall and take on the role of Abhorsen in order to save the Old Kingdon, a place rampant with magic, because the dead are rising and evil is threatening to take over the land.
Lirael is one of the Clayr, but unlike her sisters, she does not have the gift of Sight. She hides her pain by immersing herself in the massive library of the Clayr, where she befriends the Disreputable Dog and begins an adventure that takes her all over the Old Kingdom.
Abhorsen brings together Sabriel and Lirael's stories in a conclusion that pits the Abhorsen, Clayr, and royal family against an ancient evil with the power to destroy the entire world.
Nix's world of Ancelstierre and the Old Kindgom is mesmerizing. It's high fantasy without the typical dragons, elves, and fairies, but just as detailed as Middle Earth and Hogwarts. The characters are complex and realistic, and it's hard to not fall in love with them.
The fourth book in the series Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen is coming out on October 14! I can't wait!
The Abhorsen Chronicles by Garth Nix
Click on the author's name to learn about that person and his/her books.
- J K Rowling
- Scott Westerfield
- Neal Shushterman
- John Green
- Shannon Messenger
- Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Suzanne Collins
- Rick Riordan
- Lois Lowry
- Tui T. Sutherland
- Christopher Paolini
- J.R.R. Tolken
- Victoria Aveyard