Review Detail

This is one of my new favorite books. I only read it recently, to prepare for the arrival of the sequel, Lirael. I wish I'd read it sooner. Sabriel is a beautifully imaginative work. It has a touch of darkness to it that serves to highlight the light and hope that also shine through.

Garth Nix is an all-too-rare commodity in the fantasy genre: an authentic world builder. The world described in Sabriel stands up to close examination and promises much to be discovered in the future.

Sabriel, the main character, is a young girl who finds herself caught between two worlds, two ways of life and even between life or death. Her father is the Abhorsen, a man with the skills and the blood line to defeat evil necromancers.

He is a citizen of the Old Kingdom, a dark and sometime brutal fairy-tale land of powerful magic. He sends Sabriel to live in Ancelstierre, a world across the wall... a world more like our own.

She grows up there, but learns much from her father during his frequent visits. But when she is nearly ready to graduate, she gets a frightening and stunning call for help from her father.

She crosses into the Old Kingdom and finds herself faced with dangers and adventure galore. Along the way, she learns more about her father, her station in life and how the world(s) work.

I really loved this book and the sequel, Lirael (see the review of Lirael). But you don't have to take my word for it. See for yourself how engrossing Sabriel's world is by reading the first chapter in our excerpts area.