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Sabriel (Abhorsen #1)

by Garth Nix (Goodreads Author)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 67,065 ratings · 2,461 reviews

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 m...more

Paperback, 311 pages

Published September 1st 2004 by Eos (first published January 1st 1995)

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Sep 23, 2008 Ceridwen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, zombies, grrrrl-power, mind-if-i-call-you-bruce, tolkien-uber-alles

Often in fantasy, magic is either arbitrary or stupid. It's either, let me put this plot point/metaphor in a bag that can only be awakened after these ridiculously specific things happen, or the magic in Eragon. Even Tolkien, who of course rocks, had pretty lame magic. I mean, really, a ring of power? Does it come with earrings? Maybe a nice broach, one that looks like a cat or something? But hobbits would look pretty stupid walking around with the super-boss heavy-metal belt buckle of power, en...more

129 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of LOTR and Fantasy Genre

Shelves: fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, favorites, australian-writer

I picked this book up from the library and noticed stickers on the book declaring that it was part of a reading challenge here in NSW for grades 7-8.

"This book is acceptable to read for 12-13 year olds? Fuck me, can we turn around and go back to the library?" I asked my husband.

He shook his head and smiled at me. "Just try it. You never know."

"It's for twelve-to-thirteen year olds! No sex! No swearing! Minimum violence! I don't fucking think so!"

In the end, we brought it home and I sulked the wh...more

122 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2011 Lyndsey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-2010, reviewed-2011, reviewed-2-stars, audiobooks, about-necromancy

This book really should have been exciting but I actually would have had a much better time had I just blared Monster Mash from my stereo and danced around like a zombie with chicken skin pasted to my face.

Jedi knight of the living dead!

I feel like this was probably really cool in the 90's and if I had read it then, as my pre-Harry Potter 10 year old self. I probably would have loved it. But now, my brain has descended into different forms of oblivion and I laugh voraciously at danger.

Ha-ha-ha...more

32 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2010 Suna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favourites, garth-nix

Alright: I was completely wrong about this book, for it sucketh not at all.

Mainly because of the incredibly clever idea of Sabriel's magical inheritance: She is a Death Witch. Huzzah and once more huzzah, because the Dantesque set-up of the Underworld is just brilliant, Styx-you-like and all.
It's clear what traditions, myths and legends are drawn on, but the result is lovely.
And how wonderful that Death is such a well-established and accepted concept in this story, with its own traditions, spell...more

30 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2012 Tanu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, owned, supernatural-fantasy, suspense-mystery, well-developed-plot, ya, all-time-favorite

This book takes an excruciatingly long time to really pick up its pace. To be honest, if I had not bought this book about a year ago, I would definitely have quit. I have picked it up and abandoned it quite frequently over the year, mostly because about 50 pages through the book, I would start yawning. Now that is a privilege especially reserved for school textbooks, thus my reluctance. But, once you go through those first mind numbing 100 pages, this book is actually pretty decent.

The novel is...more This book takes an excruciatingly long time to really pick up its pace. To be honest, if I had not bought this book about a year ago, I would definitely have quit. I have picked it up and abandoned it quite frequently over the year, mostly because about 50 pages through the book, I would start yawning. Now that is a privilege especially reserved for school textbooks, thus my reluctance. But, once you go through those first mind numbing 100 pages, this book is actually pretty decent.

The novel is set in two neighbouring fictional countries: The Old Kingdom to the north, where magic works and dangerous spirits roam the land and the :Ancelstierre, to the south, the “muggle land” with people blissfully ignorant except for those few who live near the border between the kingdoms. The dead refuse to stay dead, and are often raised by evil Necromancers to do their evil bidding. Here the Abhorsens comes to the rescue and puts the dead to rest. Sabriel, our protagonist, is placed with this huge responsibility of being an Abhorsen, when suddenly her father goes missing, thus, likes all fantasy heroes and heroines, she is placed with the duty of saving the world and rescuing her father. Need I mention that great adventure, life threatening dangers, amusing characters and a little romance greet her on this epic journey?

In some aspects, Sabriel definitely follows all the fantasy clichés. Yet, with a powerful plot, decent writing, loveable characters and good pacing (again, not for the first 100 pages!), I cannot bring myself to complain. The world building is amazing, with a lot of care given to minute details. The ingenious concept of death by passing through the seven gates, Saraneth and the bells, Clayrs and free magic soon made me forget about the agony of the slow start, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book.

So, 4 stars for the book, although I don’t reckon I would read the next part basically because, there is going to be a different set of characters, and I can’t imagine this series without Mogget.

I did mention the talking cat, right?
description

MOGGET, BEST CHARACTER EVER!
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8 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2009 Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, girl-power, favorites

When an otherworldly visitor tells Sabriel that her father has been trapped in the world of the dead, she has no choice but to leave her student's life in Ancelstierre and venture into the Old Kingdom to save him. There, in her father's absence, she must take up the mantle of Abhorsen, a necromancer charged with making sure that the dead stay dead.

Although she does not believe herself to be up to the task, Sabriel must make the journey, with only a mysterious talking cat named Mogget, and a re-...more When an otherworldly visitor tells Sabriel that her father has been trapped in the world of the dead, she has no choice but to leave her student's life in Ancelstierre and venture into the Old Kingdom to save him. There, in her father's absence, she must take up the mantle of Abhorsen, a necromancer charged with making sure that the dead stay dead.

Although she does not believe herself to be up to the task, Sabriel must make the journey, with only a mysterious talking cat named Mogget, and a re-awakened amnesiac guardsman, Touchstone, by her side.

Garth Nix is easily my favorite YA fantasy author of the moment, and one of my favorite authors full stop. Sabriel made him popular and respected among fans of the genre, and I can see why.

It's a brilliant, fast-paced book that is quite impossible to put down. This means a lot coming from someone like me, with an average attention span of 20 pages or less. It has a solid plot, realistic characters, and a unique world built so seamlessly, it's entirely believable.

Garth Nix is a good world builder in that he lays down the foundation of a brand-new world and lets the "fantastic" details seep through not by long-winded info-dumps but by winding them so neatly through the narrative that you hardly notice what he's doing. The world and magic of the Old Kingdom is unlike many magic systems I've come across, and it's great how he never once spends more than two pages to explain things away. Of course, this means that a number of things are left unexplored but I suppose since there are two more books in the series, there's still time to explore them there.

His characters are also some of the most human I have ever come across. Sabriel and Touchstone are competent as heroine and hero, but are flawed enough to be interesting without ever falling into the "emo" or whiny and melodramatic pits that adolescent characters are wont to do in this genre. For all the strangeness of the world they live in, the characters are as real as can be, and the relationship between Sabriel and Touchstone develops with taste and subtlety.

Most admirable is how Sabriel is portrayed as a normal girl with normal concerns rather than either a weeping, confused damsel or an overly masculinized (is that a word?) warrior woman. Also, she doesn't dissolve into a spineless, sex-obsessed sap when presented with a boy, despite clearly having the usual anxieties and feelings in that regard. She proves to be a quick-witted heroine, and Garth Nix doesn't cheapen her character and throws her into some really awesome, breathtaking conflicts.

As a last note, although this is the first book of a trilogy, it's a solid story all on its own so you can pick it up with no worries as to whether you should complete the series or not.(less)

17 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2007 Moontail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young Adult, Adult

Shelves: readandloved

Possibly one of the greatest fantasy adventures of our times, Garth Nix's first novel is a lush, magical, dark-witty adventure about a young woman's battle with the hideous Dead.

The story starts with a flashback in which a special necromancer named Abhorsen saves his baby daughter Sabriel from a creature called Kerrigor, in the spiritual river of death. Many years later, at an English-esque boarding school, Sabriel must take up her father's magical sword and bells and try to find out what has ha...more

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Sep 05, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, multi-dimensional, owned, zombies, reviewed, 2009

If you don't know already, I love zombies. Because of this, I was really, really looking forward to reading this book. And I really enjoyed it.

Sabriel, the character, is a bit complex. One the one hand, she's 18. She wants to be young and pretend responsibilities don't exist. Unfortunately, she can't do that. Her dad kills Dead things, and is bound to complete this service at the sacrifice of his own life (the kind with kids, a wife, a dog, white picket fence, etc), and from a young age, Sabrie...more If you don't know already, I love zombies. Because of this, I was really, really looking forward to reading this book. And I really enjoyed it.

Sabriel, the character, is a bit complex. One the one hand, she's 18. She wants to be young and pretend responsibilities don't exist. Unfortunately, she can't do that. Her dad kills Dead things, and is bound to complete this service at the sacrifice of his own life (the kind with kids, a wife, a dog, white picket fence, etc), and from a young age, Sabriel was taught how to kill Dead things too in preparation for when she'd have to take his place. I'd say that this matures a person kind of quickly. So, while she WANTS to have fun, she knows that responsibilities come first.

She's been taught about the kinds of things her world has to offer, and they are not all pleasant. Learning how to walk in Death and kill Dead things does give one a little hint of Badassness. She's got a healthy amount of "OH Crap! It's Time To Run" in her pocket, but she's also got a goodish amount of "You Wanna Piece Of Me?!?" stashed away too. When it comes to it, she knows which pocket to go for.

I actually liked this trait in Sabriel. It's commendable to know when to stand and fight, and when you're outmatched. Sabriel is brave, but bravery is not the same as stubbornness.

So, about the zombies: They aren't called "zombies", but they are walking corpses, among other things. See, when living beings die, they pass into Death, and from there their spirit goes through a series of Gates, or stages of death. The usual, natural way of things, is to die, and have the spirit go through all 9 gates into permanent death. But some spirits aren't ready to die, so they either fight their way back on their own to inhabit a recently dead body, or they are called back as the servant of a necromancer. Either way, they aren't truly alive, and must feast on the living in order to keep the parasitic spirit in the host body, so to speak.

There are quite a few different kinds of Dead things, and I won't go into all of them, but they are all cool and different in their own way. Perfect for zombie lovers. :)

Anyway, moving on. I really loved the way that Sabriel's world is a mixture of medieval & modern. Well, sort of modern. They are just getting around to flying machines and films (black and white), but they, as most cultures do, have a wide range of weapons. Their scientific advances are more like the non-magical people's way of making life easier for themselves, kind of like how Muggles use 'eceltricity', except that the non-magic and the magic all co-exist in Sabriel's world, and there is no "EEEK! A WITCH!" reactions either. Anyway, the two (meaning magic and science, not magic people and non-magic people) cannot co-exist. Magic outranks science, and science gets all subservient and lays down with it's belly up.

I was a bit confused by the magic though... I don't really get how Free Magic is the "bastardization" of Charter magic. I would think that Free Magic would have come first, seeing as how magic has to originate somewhere in order to be learned, tamed, organized and formed into the Charter. But then maybe I am looking at it the wrong way - maybe "Free Magic" is magic that originated within the Charter and broke free of the rules when it went "bad". I don't know.

One thing that I did notice, and I'm not sure how intentional this was, is that the Charter seems almost as if it is a form of religion, only without the figurehead worship. They abide by the rules or laws of the Charter, swear by it, baptize with it, etc. What I mean by wondering if it is intentional is if it was supposed to take the place of a religion, or if the Charter is just the prevailing source of power. I don't know anything about Nix's religious views, so I won't wager a guess.

Anyway, I did like this, and I look forward to the other books in the series, even though I hear that they are only related to Sabriel, and not a true sequel. I'll keep you posted! :)(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, aficionados-best-fantasy-list, romantic, mature, historical-fantasy, library

I really enjoyed Sabriel. I didn't have any expectations going in, and found it a unique and enjoyable ride. Set in an alternate early 20th Century England, Sabriel knows little more about the magical Old Kingdom across the wall than we do, and we all have to figure it out while on the run towards unknown danger in a kingdom that is clearly falling apart. As matters become more obviously serious, we encounter the malicious dead not staying in death, and Sabriel's incomplete training as a necroma...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

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...more Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

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.
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Mar 15, 2010 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: LOTR & Eragon fans

Recommended to Annalisa by: Cami

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

I found Nix's world where Sabriel is born to step into death and enforce the boundary of death and life very intriguing. The nine gates to death, the bells that control the dead, the different forces set to keep control over death, Mogget forced servitude, Sabriel's excursions into death, all very vivid in my imagination. It did take Nix a while to get into the story and at times I was confused by his descriptions, but when the story got intense, I found myself very involved and anxious for Sabr...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Hiroshi Sasaki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

I had originally rated this YA fantasy at 4.5, but now find it a full 5 stars. Why the change? The world this book creates is so fun to think about. I'm delighted that the goodreads.com YA F&SF Discussion group is exploring this yarn as March's group reading: it's Nix's debut (jealousy!), and while it can stand alone (as it provides lovely closure), it's also followed by two other books rounding out a trilogy, which means I'll get to hang out in this world I love so well with characters so v...more I had originally rated this YA fantasy at 4.5, but now find it a full 5 stars. Why the change? The world this book creates is so fun to think about. I'm delighted that the goodreads.com YA F&SF Discussion group is exploring this yarn as March's group reading: it's Nix's debut (jealousy!), and while it can stand alone (as it provides lovely closure), it's also followed by two other books rounding out a trilogy, which means I'll get to hang out in this world I love so well with characters so vivid they live on in my mind as fellow travellers.

On the surface, Nix is a master plotter: starting with the archetypal hero's quest plot template (think: Gilgamesh, Homer's Odysseus or Aeneas, Orpheus, Jason & the Argonauts, The Fellowship of the Ring, et al.), Nix overlays it with a bildungsroman / coming of age saga; develops a fully rounded main character; thrusts her into the unknown of adulthood, discovery, family legacy, self-knowledge, and championing the forces of good versus the opened floodgates of death, darkness, and a vividly imagined evil; propels her story forward with searing urgency through a stunning cliff-hanging scene-structure; all while generating rich and fascinating mythopoeia.

The structure of the tale is elegant: the prologue does what prologues should by prefacing all of the themes, conflicts, and even the seeds of the denouement, all in the first few pages; and the epilogue mirrors the beginning (begging the question of Nietszche's Amor Fati, or Love your fate, or how to live the life you love / love the life you live by considering the thought experiment of the Eternal Return), coming full circle with a difference.

The mythos Nix creates resonates with powerful ethnographic, folkloric, and literary archetypes: what lies beyond death; living who walk in death and return; dead who plague the living; magicks that require sound, composition, mental concentration, mudra-like hand positions and choreography, matching of image and physicality; summonings that evoke vodoun, necronomica, and dark alchemy; bindings of otherworldly beings as well as knowledges that cannot be spoken; death as a river with vortices; death as having multiple levels/stages; etc.

I hope you read it, and come join this month's discussion so that I don't have to worry about spoilers.(less)

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Dec 01, 2008 Terran rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Terran by: Susan via David via, I think, Amanda

Shelves: for-fun, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed this book overall, though I thought that there were some flaws in it. Not big enough to keep me from being very engaged and from feeling satisfied when I was done, but enough to catch my attention and detract a bit. Still, it was worth reading.

No kidding. Serious spoilers below. You have been warned.

At the core, this is a traditional epic quest fantasy novel. Girl, on the verge of adulthood, is thrown into great events and has to grow in order to overcome the Great Enemy. She discovers...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-challenge, fantasy, children-s-literature

Warning there may be a few spoilers ahead but I'm not botherign to hide them. Just be careful with those eyes of yours.

I'm going to be honest and say that as an overall novel there were parts where this felt like a three star book and parts that felt four star. For instance upon reading the author's name this felt like a four star book (Garth Nix - good writer and a fellow Australian). But after delving fifty pages into the world of Sabriel I was less than impressed. However upon completion my i...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Moira rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

11.1.2013:
Tři věci:
Prubíř je zlatý!
Macek je zlatý!
Starý Abhorsen je zlatý!

Ehm, doporučuju přečíst. :D

5.5.2012:
Co k této knize říct? Poslední dobou se mi zdá, že lidičkové se zaměřují především na knižní novinky, nebo naopak na úplnou klasiku. Ale co knihy, které vyšli někde mezi tím, úžasné knihy, které stojí za pozornost?

Já takové knihy pomalounku načítám a užasnu na tím, jak jsou dobré, nebo naopak nad tím, jak je některé knižní "novinky" vykrádají. Sabriel je originální příběh, ukazuje nové...more 11.1.2013:
Tři věci:
Prubíř je zlatý!
Macek je zlatý!
Starý Abhorsen je zlatý!

Ehm, doporučuju přečíst. :D

5.5.2012:
Co k této knize říct? Poslední dobou se mi zdá, že lidičkové se zaměřují především na knižní novinky, nebo naopak na úplnou klasiku. Ale co knihy, které vyšli někde mezi tím, úžasné knihy, které stojí za pozornost?

Já takové knihy pomalounku načítám a užasnu na tím, jak jsou dobré, nebo naopak nad tím, jak je některé knižní "novinky" vykrádají. Sabriel je originální příběh, ukazuje nové pojetí nekromancie, nové způsoby magie, nový svět a nové zvyky. Je to kniha spíše pro mladší čtenáře, pro milovníky pravé krvavé fantasy se tam toho moc nenajde, kompenzuje to však plno originálních myšlenek, dobře vedený děj, skvělý styl psaní a sympatické postavy.

Kniha Sabriel v sobě pojí dva světy. Překvapilo mě to už u Howlova putujícího zámku, u Hvězdného prachu a znovu tady. Máme jeden svět, kde bojujete meči a šípy, a hned kousek svět technologie s žárovkami a automobily. Překvapilo mě to, ale nevadilo. Nix umí psát a dokázal oba světy spojit tak přirozeně, že to nebylo křečovité ani nepřirozené. Byl to prostě svět Gartha Nixe. :)

Hlavní postavou je Sabriel. Je nekromantkou, což mě dost překvapilo. Nix píše stylem hodícím se spíše pro "pohádky", není to primárně určeno dospělým čtenářům, proto je zde nekromancie popsána mírnějším způsobem, není to samé maso, orgány, tělesné tekutiny a odporný mrtvolný puch, na jaký jsem zvyklá. Samozřejmě, když jednáme s mrtvolami, těmto sympatickým slovíčkům se nevyhneme, ale autor to dokázal napsat takovým nesurovým, elegantním způsobem, který tak nějak... nepobuřuje. :D

Sabriel mi jako postava sedla, líbila se mi a většinou se chovala tak, abych ji neměla chuť utrhnout hlavu. Sedly mi i ostatní postavy, které Sabriel doprovázely, obzvláště jsem si zamilovala Macka. I s těmi jeho pár... ehm... uklouznutími.

Líbil se mi i děj knihy, líbilo se mi jeho vedení i zpracování. Autor si s příběhem pohrál, dokázal jej svižně vést, takže se kniha rychle četla. Mrzí mě jen, že tam nebylo trochu více popisů. Ano, někdy je ho hodně a někomu možná kniha vyhovuje ve stavu, v jakém je, mě však nějaké chyběly. K pořádné klasické fantasy to prostě patří a ačkoliv Nix překypoval nápady a neuvěřitelnými místy, které nám v knize představil, více rozebrat to mohl.

Na druhou stranu - svět, který si vytvořil, a bytosti, které do něj zasadil, jsou další kapitola, kterou bych mohla rozebírat dny a stejně bych své nadšení nedokázala pořádně vyjádřit. Bude vám muset stačit, že to autor zvládl špičkově. :)

Děj možná byl lehce předvídatelný, konec však byl napínavý a celkově byla kniha plná zvratů a překvapení. Rozhodně se ji nestydím doporučit milovníkům klasické fantasy a jsem zvědavá na pokračování. x))(less)

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Jun 05, 2012 Simon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

UPDATED BELOW. I started this and wanted to give up in frustration about one fifth of the way in. But the book gets an awful lot of love from many well-respected friends on GR and I'm tempted to give it another go. My problem was mostly with the quality of the writing, which I found awful, to be frank. There are various things that just seem wrong, although one can make out the intended sense. And there is much more that just seems heavy and clunky: odd word choices, labored explanations of the...more UPDATED BELOW. I started this and wanted to give up in frustration about one fifth of the way in. But the book gets an awful lot of love from many well-respected friends on GR and I'm tempted to give it another go. My problem was mostly with the quality of the writing, which I found awful, to be frank. There are various things that just seem wrong, although one can make out the intended sense. And there is much more that just seems heavy and clunky: odd word choices, labored explanations of the characters' thoughts, motivations, and behavior, and so on. I'd be interested to know if the book's fans here like it despite the writing, or if they differ from me in their opinion of the writing's merit. Anyway, I may come back to this when I finish "Wolf Hall," which I took up instead.

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Added on 6/5 after finishing the book:

I ended up liking the book a bit more than at the start, but not liking it greatly. I'm still somewhat mystified by the props it gets from many of my friends here on GR. As I mentioned above, I found the writing clumsy. For example, Sabriel, the heroine, refers to her father as "Dad" just once in the whole book, I think. The tone of the familiar "Dad", totally unprepared and arriving at a particularly solemn moment, was like a fart in church. Another example: “Kerrigor laughed again, an obscene cackle that rose to a manic crescendo, before suddenly cutting to an ominous silence”. The series of three adjective-noun pairs makes one feel that there’s an adjective or two too many. And the particular adjectives seem hackneyed with their respective nouns (especially the use of “obscene” with “cackle”). Also, a crescendo is a process, not a state that terminates a process. Well, rather than go on, let me make a point about….

Names. I’m reading a history of the fall of the Roman empire and many of the players, Alans, Sarmatians, Huns, etc., left no written record of their culture. Nonetheless, scholars today know something of the languages these peoples spoke owing to the preservation, in Roman histories and perhaps other places, of (personal and place) names they used. The names in Sabriel seem a bit of a mess to me. First, “Sabriel” itself, along with the names of some of the necromantic bells she wields – “Mosrael” and “Astarel” – are clearly reminiscent of Hebrew angel names like “Michael”, “Raphael” and so on. But the world building of the book involves no reference to ancient Hebrew culture. The name of the land to the south of the Old Kingdom is “Ancelstierre”, which evokes a Latin etymology that puts its meaning as something like “Land of the ancestors”. Again, why the Latinity here? The chief villain was called, in Life, Rogir, a slight twist on the Norman “Roger”; and in death, he goes by “Kerrigor”, which is a childhood nickname, an inversion of “Rogirek” (I don’t remember whether “Rogirek” was the full form of “Rogir” or itself already a game). For the greatest of the Dead to go by the backwards version of his name is… well, incongruous. Finally, there is “Abhorsen”. This is originally presented as a proper name, of Sabriel’s father. (He introduces himself thus: “I am called Abhorsen”.) Later, we learn it is actually a title. Someone is an, or the, Abhorsen. Thereafter, the use of the term wavers unstably between name and title. I can’t settle in my mind whether this is simply carelessness on the part of the author, or whether something is meant to be made of it. The issue is dwelt on enough that it seems deliberate, but I can’t figure out what its significance is. Finally, the name “Abhorsen” itself is very odd. (The) Abhorsen is, essentially, a good if feared and strange figure. But the word conjures up “abhor” and “abortion”, both very strange resonances for the character(s) involved. (It also vaguely suggests the “…son” suffix of Germanic names, to add to the Hebrew and Latin resonances of other names in the work.)

Perhaps all this agonizing about the names is misplaced. But I found it both distracting and somehow symptomatic of the failure of world building in this novel.
(less)

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Apr 26, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of dark fantasy with female protagonist and horror elements

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, owned-copy, dark-fantasy, zombie, necromancy, father-daughter-relationship, capable-heroine, favorites, heroine-i-adore, part-of-a-series, favorite-or-autobuy-author

I shall write a wee bit about my thoughts on this book as I read, for I do not trust my foggy brain to keep up with them if I wait until the last minute.

*I like the juxtaposition of 20th Century (early) Ancelstierre with a medieval-esque world of the Old Kingdom. It threw me for a loop at first, how the prologue was very medieval (pre-Industrial), and the first chapter was modernesque. I was thinking, are they immortal or something? But further reading clears that up.

*I don't read as much pure f...more

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Jan 31, 2009 Miss M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, strong-female-lead

I've been on a bit of a fantasy kick lately, and Sabriel does not disappoint. The world Garth Nix creates is rich and expansive. It's darker fantasy, and the treatment of magic is much more deep and interesting than shouting a simple 'Expelliarmus!'

Sabriel is the daughter of Abhorsen--A man who is a 'Good Necromancer', of sorts. Rather than raising the dead, he puts them to rest. It's a daunting task, and Abhorsen is the only one who can perform it. Sabriel finds out that her father is in troubl...more

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Aug 18, 2007 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, youngadult, teen-books-adults-can-enjoy

Sabriel is at school in Ancelstierre when she receives a message from her father that he is in danger. He sends her his bells, the tools that he uses as a necromancer to send the dead back where they belong.
Sabriel must journey home to the Old Kingdom, where magic works, to reach her home and save her father. But danger lies in her path, and she doesn't know who she can trust.
Sabriel makes her way north, bravely wields her father's bells against creepy dead spirits, has a magic cat-like compani...more

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May 16, 2007 Philip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, favorites

this was a great yarn. i think of this trilogy as often as i think of harry potter. in some ways i like it quite a bit more. (of course it's apples to oranges - and harry potter rocks.) sabriel starts off dark though, and the darker harry potter books are better. (according to me) it could be because they are more developed. sabriel starts off dark. she doesn't take 3 years of hogwarts to get there.

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Mar 17, 2009 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: trash cans

piece of trash. dont even bother starting this, i was bored the whole time. Its totally weird and what the heck. i never really got what they were doing and why they were doing it. I never got what the bad guys were. This book is confusing and so boring you dont even want to try to figure out whats going on. Dont waste your time on this, you have better things to do like hitting your head agaisnt the wall.

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Dec 07, 2012 cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, dragfrs-girls-kick-ass, indonesian

W O W!! ^_^

ripiu nyusul, mata udah nagih utang tidur nih.

editted 14/12

Nah, ini pertemuan serius pertama saya dengan Garth Nix. Sebelumnya, saya pernah bertemu sekilas dalam Wizards: Kumpulan Kisah Magis dari Pakar-Pakar Fantasi Modern. Cerpen Besi dan Holly cukup meninggalkan kesan mendalam sampai-sampai saya mencatat dalam hati untuk lebih mengenal sang pengarang. Kesempatan datang melalui buku ini, dan tokohnya, wanita muda bernama Sabriel yang mampu berjalan bolak-balik dunia nyata dan dunia...more W O W!! ^_^

ripiu nyusul, mata udah nagih utang tidur nih.

editted 14/12

Nah, ini pertemuan serius pertama saya dengan Garth Nix. Sebelumnya, saya pernah bertemu sekilas dalam Wizards: Kumpulan Kisah Magis dari Pakar-Pakar Fantasi Modern. Cerpen Besi dan Holly cukup meninggalkan kesan mendalam sampai-sampai saya mencatat dalam hati untuk lebih mengenal sang pengarang. Kesempatan datang melalui buku ini, dan tokohnya, wanita muda bernama Sabriel yang mampu berjalan bolak-balik dunia nyata dan dunia kematian benar-benar tidak mengecewakan.

Berbeda dengan kisah high-fantasy yang lain, dalam dunia fantasi yang satu ini, tidak ada werewolf ataupun vampir, sedangkan sihir bukan hanya mantra dan ramuan, namun sebuah kekuatan tak terbantahkan yang melingkupi Old Kingdom. Old Kingdom sendiri berbatasan langsung, hanya dipisahkan tembok tua dan wilayah dmz, dengan negeri Ancelstiere yang rupa dan rasanya mirip dengan dunia logis kita ini. Jadi bisa dibayangkan warni-warni kehidupan di wilayah perbatasan ini. Logis versus sihir. Simbol versus mesin. Di wilayah perbatasan inilah, Sabriel dibesarkan dalam sebuah sekolah berasrama khusus wanita(!). Ayahnya berasal dari Old Kingdom, dan bergelar Sang Abhorsen, orang yang mampu menghidupkan yang telah mati, namun sebenarnya bertugas menjaga yang telah mati tetap mati. Kematian sendiri adalah sebuah sungai dingin kehampaan (seperti Styx??) dengan 9 gerbang kematian yang harus dilewati para jiwa. Namun di bawah pengaruh para Necromancer, jiwa-jiwa ini bisa dipanggil kembali ke dunia kehidupan, lengkap ataupun tidak, dengan jasad yang telah tidak lagi hidup, menjadi makhluk kegelapan, budak bagi pemanggilnya.

Saat Sang Abhorsen menghilang, Sabriel terpanggil untuk memasuki wilayah Old Kingdom dan mencari ayahnya sekaligus mengemban tugas sebagai Abhorsen. Bersenjatakan sebilah pedang dan 7 buah lonceng kematian, dan ditemani seekor 'kucing' bernama Mogget dan seorang 'bekas patung' bernama Touchstone, Sabriel menjelajah sampai ke jantung Old Kingdom, membuka kisah-kisah lama dan kengerian-kengerian baru, rahasia masa lalu dan tanggung jawab yang harus dilakoninya, yang pada akhirnya membuatnya harus kembali ke seberang tembok, ke wilayah Ancelstiere untuk menuntaskan tugas yang sudah terkatung-katung 200 tahun.

Selain tentang premis awal sihir dan fantasi, karakter Sabriel juga berbeda dengan para tokoh fantasi yang lain. Cewek ini, walau masih cukup muda - usia menjelang 18 tahun (yang dalam cerita sihir berarti setara dengan umur 40-an *rolling eyes*), cukup kompeten, bertanggung jawab, lumayan bisa diandalkan, tidak ragu-ragu dan tahu apa yang dia maui. Kurang pengalaman, ya tentu saja, namun tidak naif. Kurang pengetahuan, ya memang sedikit kuper, namun tidak bodoh. Saat melangkah masuk ke wilayah Old Kingdom, ia sudah sadar betul tentang pilihan yang diambilnya itu. (view spoiler) Jadi cerita ini bukan dimulai karena kebetulan ia menemukan telur naga, atau kebetulan ia lahir pada tanggal tertentu sesuai ramalan yang dipercaya you-know-who. Cerita dimulai karena ia memilih untuk memulai jalan hidupnya sebagai Abhorsen.

Gaya penulisannya sendiri, aku lumayan suka. Temponya cepat dan tidak berpanjang-panjang, deskripsinya jelas dan karakter-karakternya lugas. Touchstone sedikit membosankan pada awalnya, tapi selanjutnya tidak terlalu jelek (untuk kakek-kakek berumur 2 abad, wakaka... ) Sedangkan Mogget masih sedikit misterius dan membingungkan. Suka juga dengan ending yang diberikan untuk Sang Abhorsen, ayah Sabriel. Pas dan tidak dipaksakan. Dan yang pasti, Sabriel sendiri sudah jadi salah satu jagoan cewek paporitku.(less)

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Aug 19, 2012 Ivy Le rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. SPOILERS!

After reading the reviews on Sabriel, I was eager to see what Garth Nix was going to offer me. Eager in a good way! Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

One of the reasons the book fell short was because of the characters themselves. Even with Sabriel as the protagonist, I hardly got to know her. I understand that she was young and that she is venturing off into a world that she was kept ignorant of up until the disappearance of her father. I understand that she that seems t...more SPOILERS!

After reading the reviews on Sabriel, I was eager to see what Garth Nix was going to offer me. Eager in a good way! Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

One of the reasons the book fell short was because of the characters themselves. Even with Sabriel as the protagonist, I hardly got to know her. I understand that she was young and that she is venturing off into a world that she was kept ignorant of up until the disappearance of her father. I understand that she that seems to have a photographic memory and she can recall certain chapters from "The Book of the Dead," to retrieve information when needed. Beyond that, I felt as though she was just going through the motions. I got bored with her character and her observations. Her relationship with Mogget was mildly entertaining, but nothing too noteworthy. Her romantic story was haphazard. Sabriel and Touchstone met each other, had minimal interaction/conversation, and yet small incidences made them realize they loved the other. Sabriel found herself jealous because she thought Touchstone was with another woman. Touchstone finally acknowledged Sabriel was a "pretty girl" and not just another Abhorsen. Those were the determining factors for their love. Alright.

This brings me to the narration. While the book is written in third person, typically novels are still written more so in the perspective of the protagonist only. This leaves room for him or her (and the reader) to get to know other characters from one perspective. Nix's narration jumped between the Sabriel's and Touchstone's randomly within a chapter. I personally felt like Nix was cheating in this manner. A steady, detectable character and relationship development is unnecessary if you can just tell the reader what all both characters are thinking throughout the book. Sigh. This was mainly what ruined it for me.

There are highlights for the book though. The overall storyline was very original. Necromancy isn't a storyline I come across often. Witches, wizards, random births of people with gifts that are called different names... sure. Necromancy. NEW! The world Nix created was absolutely fascinating. He used bells to control the dead, a charter system of magic involving stones and certain bloodlines, and ring-like relics to entrap evil beings... Very creative indeed. Also, one aspect to Sabriel's character I could really identify with was the love she had for her father. While Sabriel herself and her love story was an absolute bore, I was eager to see her rescue her father. I can say I knew it wouldn't be an entirely happy ending here, but their reunion was bittersweet and satisfying.

Oh. And I kind of wished I could have witnessed what Kerrigor's personality would have been like as a cat. Oh well.

Not one of my favorites. I don't see myself reading the rest of the trilogy or looking into other novels by Nix.

(less)

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Mar 26, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

"Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?" p27 & last words of The Book of the Dead
Sabriel 18, nearly graduates boarding school Wyverly College, Est 1652 for Young Ladies of Quality, her home since the age of five, in the mechanical electrical Ancelstierre realm. But her father, the 52nd Abhorsen p224, Charter Mage and Necromancer binder of the Dead, sends his emerald in bronze hilt spelled sword and bandolier with seven Bells of power, the tiniest silver with deeply polished...more "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?" p27 & last words of The Book of the Dead
Sabriel 18, nearly graduates boarding school Wyverly College, Est 1652 for Young Ladies of Quality, her home since the age of five, in the mechanical electrical Ancelstierre realm. But her father, the 52nd Abhorsen p224, Charter Mage and Necromancer binder of the Dead, sends his emerald in bronze hilt spelled sword and bandolier with seven Bells of power, the tiniest silver with deeply polished mahogany handle calls sleep (the rest I cannot spell, remember, or bother with, some break or gone anyway in the end). His spirit is trapped in the Nine Gated Precints of Death (areas annoy me like dreams and virtual realities), separated from his body trapped in the magical Old Kingdom. Mogget looks like a white cat, talks like a benevolent advisor, but his trapped Free Magic has a malevolent side bent on murdering Abhorsens, not serving them.

Light humor, when former student lays "marks of silence and immobility" on pompous Mrs Umbrade "gulping like a golfish" p268 contrasts with overall running and battling danger and death. Perhaps one happy scene is when, instead of being or marrying a prince, our hero(ine) rescues one. Warmed by cat(nip-like)balm, Mogett suggests "a breath would do, but you have to start kissing someone sometime" to wake the naked madman, frozen as wooden ship figure-head for a long rest cure, he offers to get a covering blanket if she wants "to keep staring" p124, and he designates the amnesiac, fool, Touchstone. The revived curly-haired "sworn sword hand" hops, unable to fit tight leather trousers on "heavily muscled thighs" p129, so dons gold striped red kilt over matching red striped gold leggings, turned down thigh-boots of russet doeskin, and red leather jerkin, wide belt with two swords, two large gold hoop earrings in bleeding pierced lobes p131. His overly humble "milady" annoys the slim girl with long "black hair gleaming like raven's wing" p257. Sabriel starts layered in linen, doeskin, leather leggings, light stone-like mail, hobnail boots, blue-silver stripe wrapped helmet, untearable deep blue surcoat shimmering with tiny repeated embroidered silver key motif and well-equipped leather backpack lost immediately p90. More are the duo battered and bloody, sodden and sagging. Gruesome monsters are oft described, but pretty visuals are spare.

From soaring the skies in a Paperwing, silver stripes on powder blue with alert yellow falcon eyes, to underground "crazed and twisted chamber of horrors" p229 battle with lines of Shadow Hands and roaring Mordicant, the evil Kerrigor will keep returning to Life until they find and destroy his empty body. Corruption forbids speaking of essential facts, leaking over seawater, erratic enough, thankfully without oracles, only the one riddle about Five Great Charters p166 explains bloodlines: the Royals, Abhorsen, Clayrs, and Mogget's ring relict of the Wallmakers left after the Wall and Stones built p217. Before continuing scary series, I'll need comic relief.

Spoilers
We see her beloved father for only "a hundred hundred heartbeats" p 219 "his hair was ragged at the back, the silver stubble just showing on his chin and sideburns .. the same sort of clothes as she .. not quite as tall as she remembered" p 215. I cheered to see Colonel Horyse again, despite his foreboding Sight; without his help, defense was impossible. The "confusing their when" time-challenged Clayrs p234 are deus ex machina. I did not understand why Sabriel hangs outside school watching our guys get snuffed when she could have tried bells or hoofed to the coffin, instead she delays, plods, everyone drinks tea waiting for her; they should have started long before; over half the soldiers pay.

Typos
p31 "he past by" for he passed by(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Gwynneth White rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magic, adventure, sci-fi, loved-it, young-adult, paranormal-dead

3.5 stars - After due consideration (see comments below) I give this a full 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The magic is original and exciting and the world-building interesting. That said, I would have like more background to the two countries and how the Wall came into being. At times I felt a little lost with the Charter Magic - it almost seemed as if I had missed the first book in the series - which I haven't.

Although the plot follows a tried and tested formula, (unwilling heroine who is...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternative-history-future, award-winner, awesome-inner-dialogue, sequel-lookout, ya-loved

This story was nothing whatsoever of what I expected.

I was a little confused at first that this is a mix of modern/mid 20th century (I assume) and of an Old Kingdom, without modern conveniences and ripe with Charter and Free Magic.

It is extremely well written and creative and really held my interest. I thought the story arc was top notch, as some fantasy stories have this willy-nilly feel to it. Like, Let's do as much running around to and fro because we need something to happen. Not so here....more

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Apr 07, 2011 Graham Herrli rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, for-young-adult, sci-fi-fantasy

I have to admit when I read on only the second or third page that Abhorsen has the power to raise the dead, my hopes for the quality of the story were significantly dampened because I feared that eliminating the finality of death would compromise the emotional depth of the story. (It's hard to empathize with a character if that character's never in any real danger.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that Nix headed off this potential weakness through the several means of placing the Abhorsen in...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Milo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: golden, undead, well-played-sir

I took an extended leave from the fantasy genre; yesterday afternoon, I decided to come back to the world of witchcraft and sorcery. Highly recommended by fellow peers, I chose Garth Nix's well-known 'Sabriel'. Frankly, I was so impressed and drawn into the story that I finished it in two days and rushed to write an amazingly complementary review.

The plot was fantastic and fast-paced; there wasn't a moment I wasn't on the edge of my seat. Exhausting chapters of worthless garble is a common trait...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Read this quite some time ago and have been meaning to get to the sequels for some time...so first I reread this one...:)

This is an interesting YA novel set in a world that is split. There is Ancelstierre, the southern Kingdom which is a technological society about at the level of World War I era Earth (that would be our Earth). It seems much like the UK (as they play rugby and cricket at the boarding schools). There is no magic in Ancelstierre. As a matter of fact they (mostly) regard magic and...more Read this quite some time ago and have been meaning to get to the sequels for some time...so first I reread this one...:)

This is an interesting YA novel set in a world that is split. There is Ancelstierre, the southern Kingdom which is a technological society about at the level of World War I era Earth (that would be our Earth). It seems much like the UK (as they play rugby and cricket at the boarding schools). There is no magic in Ancelstierre. As a matter of fact they (mostly) regard magic and all things magical as superstition. This is actually a problem because they share a border (in the North) with the Old Kingdom, where magic is the rule. Technology fails near the border (especially if the wind is from that direction) and unfortunately occasionally, the dead get up and attack. That is they do unless they are bound by The Abhorsen.

The novel concerns Sabriel (you might have intuited that from the title). She is a young woman from the Old Kingdom who has been sent to a boarding school in the south. This is a school near the border where magic is recognized and taught, even though it is in the southern kingdom. Sabriel is waiting for a visit from her father Abhorsen, when the book opens. He doesn't show up.

But a dead sending does come with a message from him. He is apparently trapped in death.

Thus begins Sabriel's adventure. Very quickly she finds that her father's name isn't Abhorsen, but that he is THE Abhorsen. The Abhorsen is a sort of reverse or good necromancer who doesn't call dead things back into life from death, but lays them to rest and/or binds the ones that want to came back and feed on the living in death. Things are changing in the Old Kingdom, as a matter of fact they have been for some time, and Sabriel having been south is sadly uninformed about it all. Now she finds herself responsible for saving her father, possibly everyone in the Old Kingdom and maybe everyone else in the world as well.

The book does a good job of drawing us in, explaining the world and giving us an intro into the magic system of this world. This is a YA book but don't let that put you off. There are quite a few books considered YA that transcend that definition and are simply good novels. This is one. This is an excellent fantasy.

C.S.Lewis said, "...a children's story which is only enjoyed by children is a bad children's story". This one can be and I think will be enjoyed by all ages. (less)

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Sep 06, 2009 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-epic-and-series, read-in-2009, young-adult

4.5 - I really enjoyed this book. It was a well paced and highly creative YA novel. The system of magic is especially unique and interesting. Sabriel’s magical abilities are channeled through bells. Sound and harmonics are a strongly woven theme throughout the novel. To me, it was reminiscent of the concept known as Music of the Spheres.

I have only two criticisms of this novel. Foremost, I was disappointed in the lack of character development in the main character. While I was drawn in by plot,...more

6 likes · like · see review

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Forever Young Adu...: May meeting date	27	30	5 hours, 5 min ago
What's The Name o...: Fantasy, black demons, consume humans, female hero, rivers [s]	4	12	May 05, 2013 03:37am
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About Garth Nix

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.

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Books by Garth Nix

Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #1)

Drowned Wednesday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #3)

Lady Friday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #5)

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Quotes from Sabriel

“Touchstone watched, suddenly conscious that he probably only had five seconds left to be alone with Sabriel, to say something, to say anything. Perhaps the last five seconds they ever would have alone together.
I am not afraid, he said to himself.
"I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.” — 164 people liked it

“Five Great Charters knit the land
Together linked, hand in hand
One in the people who wear the crown
Two in the folk who keep the Dead down
Three and Five became stone and mortar
Four sees all in frozen water.” — 69 people liked it

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Sabriel (Abhorsen #1)

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