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Sabriel
(The Old Kingdom #1)
by
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.
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen seri ...more
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen seri ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, First American Edition, 491 pages
Published
September 30th 1996
by Harper Collins
(first published May 1995)
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Start your review of Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)
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
"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
3.5 stars
Only they can confront such creatures and send them back to the gates of death.
Then, during the first semester of Sabriel's school, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing and Sabriel is unwittingly promoted to the Abhorson.
Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.Sabriel and her father have a very unique brand of magic. They can communicate with the dead and the damned from the Old Kingdom.
Only they can confront such creatures and send them back to the gates of death.
Then, during the first semester of Sabriel's school, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing and Sabriel is unwittingly promoted to the Abhorson.
Does the walker choose the path, or the path...more
UPDATE: $1.99 Kindle US 8/22/19
Tim Curry rocks the narration 😊💕
Oh, what a wonderful little book. I loved Sabriel so much. She was so tough and just got things done.
She received a message from her fa ...more
Tim Curry rocks the narration 😊💕
"Yes," said Abhorsen. "I am a necromancer, but not of the common kind. where others of the art raise the dead, I lay them back to rest. And those that will not rest, I bind-or try to. I am Abhorsen . . ."
He looked at the baby again, and added, almost with a note of surprise, "Father of Sabriel."
Oh, what a wonderful little book. I loved Sabriel so much. She was so tough and just got things done.
She received a message from her fa ...more
Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1), Garth Nix
First published in 1995. It is the first in his Abhorsen (Old Kingdom) series, followed by Lirael, Abhorsen, and Goldenhand.
The novel is set in two neighboring fictional countries: To the South lies Ancelstierre, which has a technology level and society similar to that of early-20th century Australia, and to the North lies the Old Kingdom, where both Free magic and Charter Magic exist — a fact officially denied by the government of Ancelstierre and disbeli ...more
First published in 1995. It is the first in his Abhorsen (Old Kingdom) series, followed by Lirael, Abhorsen, and Goldenhand.
The novel is set in two neighboring fictional countries: To the South lies Ancelstierre, which has a technology level and society similar to that of early-20th century Australia, and to the North lies the Old Kingdom, where both Free magic and Charter Magic exist — a fact officially denied by the government of Ancelstierre and disbeli ...more
i read this entire story about sabriels journey and i honestly couldnt tell you one thing about her, other than shes a necromancer of a sort (which is a fact thats given in the synopsis).
this book does do a lot of things right - theres a fast moving plot with imaginative magic and has really accessible writing. so im shocked at how lacking the characters are. they are so flat, so devoid of any development that it made me really hard to care about them, connect to them. which in turn lead to me n ...more
this book does do a lot of things right - theres a fast moving plot with imaginative magic and has really accessible writing. so im shocked at how lacking the characters are. they are so flat, so devoid of any development that it made me really hard to care about them, connect to them. which in turn lead to me n ...more
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.
...more
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.
...more
Very good YA fantasy! The adventures of Sabriel, an innocent young woman, and her run-ins with various types of dead, undead, once dead, sorta dead and should-be-dead people and creatures. Luckily for almost everyone concerned (except the forces of evil and the dead ones they control), Sabriel is by heritage and training a necromancer, with a fair amount of power over death. Unluckily, some of these once-dead and should-be-dead creatures have apparently killed Sabriel's father, the necromancer-i
...more
Mar 22, 2009
Danielle The Book Huntress
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Fans of dark fantasy with female protagonist and horror elements
Reread completed on September 17th via Audiobook.
I just wanted to post a quick review of my thoughts on the reread.
This book definitely stands up to my memory. What I am so glad about is that I forgot many of the plot twists, so it was like reading it again for the first time. I love when horror/scary elements are thrown in with fantasy. There are some very chilling moments in the book and the villain is really really bad.
I love the story of a young woman coming into her own and realizing wha ...more
I just wanted to post a quick review of my thoughts on the reread.
This book definitely stands up to my memory. What I am so glad about is that I forgot many of the plot twists, so it was like reading it again for the first time. I love when horror/scary elements are thrown in with fantasy. There are some very chilling moments in the book and the villain is really really bad.
I love the story of a young woman coming into her own and realizing wha ...more
Sabriel was probably the oldest (numbering wise) fantasy sitting on my Goodreads shelf. When I first came across it, I was in one of those weird periods where I only liked to read about female protagonists... yeah, don’t ask. And from the cover, I’ve assumed that Sabriel is a boy.. And then it just wasn’t the right time and it sat there until I mentioned to my friend that I want to read it this year. We ended up buddy reading it last week and we shared the same opinion basically. Both of us have
...more
“Then Sabriel hears it - the massed grinding of Dead joints, no longer joined by gristle; the padding of Dead feet, bones like hobtails clicking through necrotic flesh.”
Now, I’ll admit a book involving the dead (or zombies if you will) wouldn’t be a normal pick for me. Despite this, Sabriel kept my attention and there was plenty of magic and world building to hook me in!
Sabriel’s father is the Abhorsen - a necromancer with a difference! He returns the dead to their resting place, sends creature ...more
Now, I’ll admit a book involving the dead (or zombies if you will) wouldn’t be a normal pick for me. Despite this, Sabriel kept my attention and there was plenty of magic and world building to hook me in!
Sabriel’s father is the Abhorsen - a necromancer with a difference! He returns the dead to their resting place, sends creature ...more
“Let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.”
I really wish I had liked Sabriel more than I actually did. It had a decent idea, however, as I kept reading I continuously kept thinking about events in my life or my plans for the next day. My mind kept drifting off because I was purely so bored. I believe merely saying a book is boring isn’t a convincing or a valid reason to conclude that the book wasn’t good.
Have you ever read a book where endless things are happen ...more
#1 Sabriel ★★★☆☆
#2 Lirael ???
#3 Abhorsen ???
#4 Clariel ???
#5 Goldenhand ???
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.
I first read Sabriel as a preteen, and while I know I loved it – I must have, as I asked my parents to buy me the second book in the series, too – I never continued the series, nor did I remember any of the details wh ...more
Apr 03, 2007
Heather Turner
rated it
it was amazing
·
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
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
3.5 stars
May 18, 2017
Caz (littlebookowl)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned
4.5 stars
Years before I was aware of the online bookish community, the YA genre was one I was never exposed to. I read primarily classics, fantasies, and thrillers for lighter relief. One day my auntie deposited a stack of books next to me and ordered to read them all. Some of the titles included were The Hunger Games series, the Divergent series, and the first two or three books in the Abhorsen series. There were others, that I have now forgotten, but these three series are ones I can vividly recall rea
...more
Sabriel is a captivating and original tale of destiny.
Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
I picked up this book because Brandon Sanderson recommended it in his review for Goldenhand, the 5th book in the Abhorsen series. He termed this as "one of the fundamental experiences that helped me shape my philosophy on magic systems and worldbuilding." With such an endorsement from my favourite author of all time, I cannot possibly pass over this book. And I am glad that I didn't.
As ...more
Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
I picked up this book because Brandon Sanderson recommended it in his review for Goldenhand, the 5th book in the Abhorsen series. He termed this as "one of the fundamental experiences that helped me shape my philosophy on magic systems and worldbuilding." With such an endorsement from my favourite author of all time, I cannot possibly pass over this book. And I am glad that I didn't.
As ...more
"Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"
I’ve had a long-term project going for about five years now, where I try to hunt down and read all the YA adventure series that I was supposed to read when I was in middle school (instead, I spent those years re-reading the Prydain series, and also every single one of those Royal Diaries books – no regrets!). Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix, checks off another box on that list, although I’m pretty sure t ...more
I’ve had a long-term project going for about five years now, where I try to hunt down and read all the YA adventure series that I was supposed to read when I was in middle school (instead, I spent those years re-reading the Prydain series, and also every single one of those Royal Diaries books – no regrets!). Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix, checks off another box on that list, although I’m pretty sure t ...more
Where was this book when I needed it?
5 stars!
Seriously, this book was GLORIOUS. If you want fast-paced, will-keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, action-packed book, this one is for you.
Mogget is hands down my favourite character in this book. He's so sassy and sarcastic and morbid and fluffy and I just love him!
The character development of Sabriel and Touchstone was brilliant especially Sabriel's. Sh ...more
5 stars!
Seriously, this book was GLORIOUS. If you want fast-paced, will-keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, action-packed book, this one is for you.
Mogget is hands down my favourite character in this book. He's so sassy and sarcastic and morbid and fluffy and I just love him!
“It sounds like a terribly brilliant plan to me,” muttered Mogget. “The genius of simplicity…”
The character development of Sabriel and Touchstone was brilliant especially Sabriel's. Sh ...more
This left me very unmoved throughout. I was initially somewhat intrigued by the original depiction of the realm of the Dead, and I’m always interested in an exploration of magic interacting with dead (and undead) creatures and beings. But I would hope that a story that has so much death in it would also have some sense of the impact of death on life, and on the living, and it barely scratched that surface for me.
The writing is competent, the dialogue mostly flows, but the plot just feels like on ...more
The writing is competent, the dialogue mostly flows, but the plot just feels like on ...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- ...more
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
Jul 30, 2021
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
marked it as wishlist
Coming up next in my YA reread challenge. I actually have only read the first book and while cleaning out my hoard, I found out that I own the first three books in the series, plus the bonus collection of short stories, ACROSS THE WALL.
Have any of you read this book? I barely remember it at all, but I know I loved it.
Have any of you read this book? I barely remember it at all, but I know I loved it.
Sabriel is one hell of a kick ass character. No whinging, no feeling sorry for herself - she gets shit done! Anyone who loves ya fiction, magic and dystopian universes definitely needs to give this book a try!!
Tim Curry narration!!!!! OMG! Imma gonna pee my pants!
So far a strong 3.5 storyline 5 Tim Curry
His voice for the cantankerous cat spirit is superb!
This was quite engaging, especially the last couple of chapters. I can see why it instantly became a classic YA fantasy series.
Sabriel searches for her father, the Abhorsen, a sort of necromancer, who is lost in the land of the dead. Along the way she meets a spirit under the control of the Abhorsens for about fourteen centuries and a sailor nickna ...more
So far a strong 3.5 storyline 5 Tim Curry
His voice for the cantankerous cat spirit is superb!
This was quite engaging, especially the last couple of chapters. I can see why it instantly became a classic YA fantasy series.
Sabriel searches for her father, the Abhorsen, a sort of necromancer, who is lost in the land of the dead. Along the way she meets a spirit under the control of the Abhorsens for about fourteen centuries and a sailor nickna ...more
Wickedly amazing world building but sadly too little character portrayal, if that's even a thing? It was too adventure-driven for my taste and while the setting immediately fascinated me, I never felt like I knew the characters and thus could never rly connect with them.
...more
Really enjoyed this one! Although there wasn't much character development, I didn't really care because Sabriel is a total badass. I'm very excited for the sequel.
...more
Aug 16, 2013
Argona
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
magic,
zombies-undead,
dark,
fantasy,
high-fantasy,
reviewed,
romance,
next-to-read,
royals,
all-time-favorites
I have read many fantasy books and I can say with certainty that this is one of those stories that stand out. Sabriel is a very unique, interesting, complex story. Like many other fantasy books, it takes a little time to understand what is going on and really get into the story, but when that happens, you will most likely take a deep breath, dive in and refuse to come out before the end.
Sabriel is a young girl but she is an adult inside. A strong female character is a gem! She is not annoying or ...more
Sabriel is a young girl but she is an adult inside. A strong female character is a gem! She is not annoying or ...more
Sabriel's father is the Abhorsen, the most powerful of necromancers who can bind the dead and stop them breaking through to the real world.Since her mother died when she was born, Sabriel is sent away to boarding school and only sees her father twice per year. The Kingdom they live in is divided into two parts with a wall protected by strong magic. Ancelstierre, the southern kingdom, where Sabriel is sent to school is safe and people live uneventful lives without the use of magic but the norther ...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 ...more
The novel is ...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 ...more
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
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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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“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?”
—
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“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.”
—
298 likes
More quotes…
I am not afraid, he said to himself.
"I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.”
