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99th out of 423 books
—
140 voters
Across the Wall (Abhorsen #3.5)
by
Garth Nix (Goodreads Author)
Nicholas Sayre will do anything to get across the Wall.
Thoughts of Lirael and Sam haunt his dreams, and he has come to realize that his destiny lies with them, in the Old Kingdom. But here in Ancelstierre, Nick faces an obstacle that is not entirely human, with a strange power that seems to come from Nicholas himself.
With Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case Garth N...more
Thoughts of Lirael and Sam haunt his dreams, and he has come to realize that his destiny lies with them, in the Old Kingdom. But here in Ancelstierre, Nick faces an obstacle that is not entirely human, with a strange power that seems to come from Nicholas himself.
With Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case Garth N...more
Mass Market Paperback, 415 pages
Published
2005
by Eos
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Jun 22, 2011
Annemarie Solon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories-i-actually-like
Disclaimer: This is a collection of short stories and I have a history of not enjoying short stories all that much. Often, I am too frustrated by an extremely lopsided ratio of questions raised to questions answered to appreciate any craft in the writing.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the stories here I did like. I picked up Across the Wall because I was missing the Old Kingdom, and while only the first story in the collection relates to that, I found it satisfying. Nicholas...more
However, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the stories here I did like. I picked up Across the Wall because I was missing the Old Kingdom, and while only the first story in the collection relates to that, I found it satisfying. Nicholas...more
I loved this collection! All of the stories are new and interesting with strong characters and great plots. I enjoyed every minute of this book! My favorites were the Abhorsen novella and the paragraph-based game. I also really enjoyed how this book has a good balance of both serious stories as well as humorous ones. Garth Nix actually has a very funny sense of humor, and he is very personable. It was fun to read the introductions to each of the stories because I learned a lot about how he write...more
For some time, I had been reluctant to read this book because I had assumed it would be a collection of short stories about Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom in the aftermath of the last book in the Old Kingdom series, The Ahborsen. A sequel of sort. While I had certainly loved the Old Kingdom series and would be the first in line to read another book about the abhorsens of the past or distant future, I had felt that the conflict with The Destroyer had been too epic to follow up with any sort of...more
Across the Wall is a collection of short stories by Garth Nix, author of The Old Kingdom series (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen). While I don't usually do short stories - I find the lack of long term character and plot investment challenging and unrewarding - I really loved The Old Kingdom series and as this book purportedly contained an Abhorsen tale, I decided to give it a go.
I have to say I really, really enjoyed every short story in this book. All were instantly and completely engaging and gav...more
I have to say I really, really enjoyed every short story in this book. All were instantly and completely engaging and gav...more
This is one of those books of short stories and novellas that I absolutely loved. I still think about some of the stories at times, like the space port in the middle of an Australian farm or the choose your own adventure story or the Merlin and Morgana story. This is a wide-ranging collection that I bought (or even heard of for that matter) for the sole purpose of reading the Abhorsen novella in it. That story was pretty decent...but I wouldn't give it a 5, maybe a 4. (I only have vague recollec...more
I was initially hesitant to jump into this collection of short stories as the first is set in Nix's Old Kingdom. It's been quite some time since I read "Sabriel," "Lirael," and "Abhorsen" and I was nervous that I would not remember enough of the details of those stories to enjoy "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case" without spending most of the time while reading it trying to remember what/who was being referenced. If that started happening, I would be forced to re-read the entire 1,744...more
I'll be honest. While I like Garth Nix's writing in general, I really just wanted a follow-up to the events of Abhorsen.
While there is no full closure to the events that ended the trilogy, I was happy to see more of Nick in the short "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case." Nick is beginning to come into his own as he deals with his contact with Orannis, which leads him back to the Wall and ultimately back to Lirael, which I hope means that he and Lirael make good on that romantic tension...more
While there is no full closure to the events that ended the trilogy, I was happy to see more of Nick in the short "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case." Nick is beginning to come into his own as he deals with his contact with Orannis, which leads him back to the Wall and ultimately back to Lirael, which I hope means that he and Lirael make good on that romantic tension...more
I just want to start off by saying that I'm sad there are no more Abhorsen books. This book is a collection of short stories written by Nix. He is such a great story teller and I will miss the Old Kingdom.
With that being said, this book was a delight and change of pace from his former books. We get a sneak peak at the author's writing career through the collections of his short stories. Each one was composed at a different stage in the author's life and is prefaced by an explanation into the sto...more
With that being said, this book was a delight and change of pace from his former books. We get a sneak peak at the author's writing career through the collections of his short stories. Each one was composed at a different stage in the author's life and is prefaced by an explanation into the sto...more
For the most part, I liked this book, though I did wish there was more of a glimpse of Lirael and the other Old Kingdom characters. I wished, but it wasn't as if I didn't expect there to be a minimal amount of it. The ending of Abhorsen seemed pretty conclusive to me, and anything further than that might have been overkill (unless, of course, there's a new adventure, I wouldn't mind that!). Nicholas Sayre is fantastic, and I'd always liked him, even in his slightly catatonic state in Abhorsen.
I...more
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A collection of short stories by the author of Sabriel and the Seventh Tower series. Nix has compiled a bunch of short things he’s published in magazines and other collections into his own collection. The first story is the longest, and it is a short tale of the Abhorsen, so fans of Sabriel will pick this up for that aspect alone. The other stories cover a variety of genres, as he’s been asked to write certain things for various magazines, but they all have a touch of fantasy to them. Each story...more
What an excellent chap he is!
As much as I enjoyed the varied stories, I enjoyed his explanations even more; it was a lovely insight into his writing life and he's a very witty mister, too.
I don't really understand nor like the many complaints about there only being one Abhorsen tale, as the cover clearly states ...and other stories underneath.
So the publishers went for the sure fire selling point. And?
This is an extremely well rounded cross-section of a writer's style and oeuvre.
It is a bit nar...more
As much as I enjoyed the varied stories, I enjoyed his explanations even more; it was a lovely insight into his writing life and he's a very witty mister, too.
I don't really understand nor like the many complaints about there only being one Abhorsen tale, as the cover clearly states ...and other stories underneath.
So the publishers went for the sure fire selling point. And?
This is an extremely well rounded cross-section of a writer's style and oeuvre.
It is a bit nar...more
Aug 18, 2010
Heather
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult
This is a collection of short stories by the author of the Abhorsen trilogy and the Keys to the Kingdom series for younger readers. Although the subtitle ("A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories) and cover design would indicate that this is being marketed to readers of the Abhorsen series only one of the short stories is set in the same world as the Abhorsen series and an Abhorsen only turns up on the last page of that story. Having said that, the Abhorsen story (The Creature in the Case) was...more
I quite liked the title story (really more of a novella), which is a sequel of sorts to the Abhorsen series and involves Nicholas Sayre and an Old Kingdom monster running loose in Ancelstierre. I found the other stories a mixed bag: I liked "Hope Chest" (which I've read before in one of the Firebirds anthologies) and the short but poignant "Three Roses", while not getting on at all with the choose-your-own-adventure send-up or "From the Lighthouse", which I just didn't think went anywhere. Still...more
To be honest, I bought this book because I wanted to read Across The Wall, the final novella in the Abhorsen series. Imagine my delight then, when I discovered twelve other wonderful short stories, almost all with Nix’s characteristic fantastical twist! Enchanted, that’s what I was.
Let me deal with the shorties first before I review Across The Wall.
I really am hard-pressed to choose a favourite, but I think the joint award goes to Hope Chest, Under the Lake, Heart’s Desire and Hansel’s Eyes.
What...more
Let me deal with the shorties first before I review Across The Wall.
I really am hard-pressed to choose a favourite, but I think the joint award goes to Hope Chest, Under the Lake, Heart’s Desire and Hansel’s Eyes.
What...more
With a subtitle like "A Tale of the Abhorsen" you'd expect there to be an Abhorsen in the story somewhere, no? While this did not satisfy my need for more of the Old Kingdom, it was still fun. It was a lot like a Dr. Who episode with Nicholas Sayre in the place of the Doctor. The only other familiar character we got to see was Lirael, who arrived to stab a monster with a thistle and be awkward with Nick for a couple pages. I still want to know what else happens.
As for the rest of the stories in...more
As for the rest of the stories in...more
To be totally honest, I read this book solely for the main novella, "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case." I adore Nick Sayre with every fiber of my being, even when he’s all weirdly hunched over and appears to have been attacked by a madwoman with a spray-tanner, as per the illustration on the cover. (Dear Garth Nix! What do I need to pay you to write me a Lirael/Nick story of lurve?! I will give you all that I have and more!!) There's intrigue, and convertibles, and blood-sucking monst...more
I have never been a fan of short stories but I had to read this collection by Garth Nix because it includes the final epilogue, if you will, of the Old Kingdom series.
The first story in the book is the novella ‘Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case’ which takes place about 6 months after the events of Abhorsen. I really enjoyed this story – it was brilliantly written and conceptualised and was a great conclusion to the Old Kingdom series. The best thing about it was that it finally answe...more
The first story in the book is the novella ‘Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case’ which takes place about 6 months after the events of Abhorsen. I really enjoyed this story – it was brilliantly written and conceptualised and was a great conclusion to the Old Kingdom series. The best thing about it was that it finally answe...more
Garth Nix remains one of the most underrated writers in the fantasy genre. His Abhorsen trilogy was fairly popular among young readers, but I've read most of his books and loved all of them. This is my favourite.
This book collects a huge variety of short stories belonging to every different genre. It's more or less a compendium of all his work that didn't fit into one of his series. Because of that, there's a lot of variation in this book, but I think that every part works well. Part of the valu...more
This book collects a huge variety of short stories belonging to every different genre. It's more or less a compendium of all his work that didn't fit into one of his series. Because of that, there's a lot of variation in this book, but I think that every part works well. Part of the valu...more
Intesting collection of stories. Has the humorous, the serious, the literary. The choose your own adventure one was quite enjoyable since it was ages since I read one, but the parody made it fresh.
Not as good as some of his serious novels but has elements of good writing. A couple things here are not meant for youth though, mostly the sleezy Parisian underside in the choose your own adventure, and the Merlin/Nimue one had something objetionable. The Hansel and Gretal re-telling was a bit gritty,...more
Not as good as some of his serious novels but has elements of good writing. A couple things here are not meant for youth though, mostly the sleezy Parisian underside in the choose your own adventure, and the Merlin/Nimue one had something objetionable. The Hansel and Gretal re-telling was a bit gritty,...more
Since this is a collection of short stories, I will be rating stories individually, as I read them.
"Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case" ****
This is the reason I wanted this book. It is a direct continuation of the Abhorsen series. For me, it functioned as an epilogue to Abhorsen. I loved it! I only wish it were longer and went more into the creature's background. I'm left rather confused as to what it was, why it was so far south of the Wall, and why it wanted to go back.
"Under the Lake...more
"Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case" ****
This is the reason I wanted this book. It is a direct continuation of the Abhorsen series. For me, it functioned as an epilogue to Abhorsen. I loved it! I only wish it were longer and went more into the creature's background. I'm left rather confused as to what it was, why it was so far south of the Wall, and why it wanted to go back.
"Under the Lake...more
A re-read - due to my somehow forgetting to mark down that I'd read the book, and finding another copy at the thrift store for $1. The stories are good enough that I didn't mind re-reading.
Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case — This story features characters from the 'Abhorsen' series, but relates a stand-alone adventure. Nicholas gets involved with secret agents and has to save the aristocratic attendees of an annoying party from a vicious and magical creature from Across the Wall. Very...more
Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case — This story features characters from the 'Abhorsen' series, but relates a stand-alone adventure. Nicholas gets involved with secret agents and has to save the aristocratic attendees of an annoying party from a vicious and magical creature from Across the Wall. Very...more
Not a bad collection, all things considered. I went into it expecting a collection of stories from The Old Kingdom - Abhorsen based stories. Instead, only the first story, "The Creature in the Case", takes place in that world. We follow old Nicholas Sayre on a brief adventure, that left me wanting oh so much more. I didn't realize how much I missed the magic and creatures in Sabriel's world.
There were two humorous stories included, which actually made me laugh out loud several times. Down to the...more
There were two humorous stories included, which actually made me laugh out loud several times. Down to the...more
I don't normally read short fiction, mostly because I want more story and more character development. But Garth Nix is a good author and the stories in Across the Wall are all interesting. Some of them seem like they are glimmers of stories with so much room to become more. But they're all developed enough and say enough that they don't seem lacking. And some of them fit as short stories very well.
But it's a little bit hard to read so many short stories knowing there isn't enough there to really...more
But it's a little bit hard to read so many short stories knowing there isn't enough there to really...more
After reading the three books in the Old Kingdom trilogy, I became more intrigued about the future of both Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom. To be completely honest, I wanted more "trips" to the world halved by science and magic that Garth Nix so cleverly crafted in the first three books; you know, even just 'canon' information about the geography or history of the place would be okay. Thinking that I'd gain a few more glimpses of the realms through this anthology, I excitedly secured a copy. I...more
Eh. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I enjoyed parts of it. For instance, I liked Charlie Rabbit, From the Lighthouse, stories seven through to ten and Three Roses. But the rest were so very meh.
I guess I was just hoping for some more epic Old Kingdom stories, but only got two. Garth Nix, I am disappoint!
It's a very easy read, though. I probably would have easily finished it in a day if I had the time.
But if you're looking for more Abhorsen-esque stories, you won't receive it...more
I guess I was just hoping for some more epic Old Kingdom stories, but only got two. Garth Nix, I am disappoint!
It's a very easy read, though. I probably would have easily finished it in a day if I had the time.
But if you're looking for more Abhorsen-esque stories, you won't receive it...more
Garth Nix is a wonderful writer. I haven't read his Abhorsen series so I skipped over the Abhorsen story in this collection, but I read all the others and thoroughly enjoyed them all. "Under the Lake" was weird but brilliant, and "Down to the Scum Quarter" was incredibly fun. The latter story is written in 100 paragraphs and the reader sort of makes his own story by being directed to certain paragraphs depending on what objects he has chosen to carry with him and/or what he wants his character d...more
This collection of short stories includes another installment of the Abhorsen stories, which is one of my favorite children's fantasy series. Nicholas Sayre also happens to be one of the more amusing characters that Nix has come up with in the series.
Each of the short stories has a small forward, which I always enjoy reading as I love getting just a little more of what an author was thinking of during the process of writing. Really, it just makes me feel better about my own writing and the oddne...more
Each of the short stories has a small forward, which I always enjoy reading as I love getting just a little more of what an author was thinking of during the process of writing. Really, it just makes me feel better about my own writing and the oddne...more
I loved the Abohorsen Trilogy with a burning, undying love and I was happy to see that the author had written a short story that would produce at least a little closure for the series.
In the introduction, Nix remarks about how he has never been one to do the whole world-building thing. If he needs something, he makes it up, rather than the other way around. In other words, he is not JRR Tolkien. Or Terry Pratchett, for that matter. This is rather to disappointing to people like me, who would gla...more
In the introduction, Nix remarks about how he has never been one to do the whole world-building thing. If he needs something, he makes it up, rather than the other way around. In other words, he is not JRR Tolkien. Or Terry Pratchett, for that matter. This is rather to disappointing to people like me, who would gla...more
This book of short stories was a real insight into Garth Nix's literary brain. Each story is prefaced with a couple of pages where he talks about his motivations behind the text. There is also an interesting Q&A section at the end of the book to answer his fans' FAQs.
I especially enjoyed 'Down To The Scum Quarter', which is a parody on "Choose your own adventure" books, where each numbered paragraph tells you which number to follow next. Nix has a laugh at the fantasy genre which is refresh...more
I especially enjoyed 'Down To The Scum Quarter', which is a parody on "Choose your own adventure" books, where each numbered paragraph tells you which number to follow next. Nix has a laugh at the fantasy genre which is refresh...more
It was definitely a nice collection of short stories. It was good to go back to the world of the Abhorsen books with "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case". I always thought that a story from Nick's perspective--especially when he was under the thrall of the Destroyer would have been cool. So, even though this story isn't exactly that, it was good to hear from him.
Some of my other favorites were: "Under the Lake", "Lightning Bringer" and "Hope Chest"
A few felt quite rushed or unfinished...more
Some of my other favorites were: "Under the Lake", "Lightning Bringer" and "Hope Chest"
A few felt quite rushed or unfinished...more
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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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