A young woman enters a dangerous magical kingdom to rescue her father from the realm of the dead
A quest into a land of magic and danger
Sabriel has grown up at a boarding school in Ancelstierre, a country much like Britain in the early twentieth century, across a great Wall from the magical Old Kingdom. Her father is the Abhorsen, a necromancer whose duty is not to raise the dead but to lay them to rest. When he goes missing and his sword and bells reach her, Sabriel crosses the Wall to find him.
Who will enjoy it
Teen and adult fantasy readers who enjoy a brave, practical heroine, original magic and an atmospheric, slightly eerie world.
What you will get
An atmospheric, original and gripping fantasy with a brave, resourceful heroine, an inventive magic system and a wonderfully sarcastic talking cat.
Sabriel Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Necromancy · Quest · Old Kingdom
Length
496 pages · ≈ 15 h
More about this book
Nix's world is one of the most original in young adult fantasy. In the Old Kingdom, Charter Magic is made of marks and symbols, while Free Magic is wild and dangerous. The Abhorsen carries seven bells, each with its own power, and can walk into Death itself, imagined as a cold river flowing through nine gates. Sabriel, eighteen and newly graduated, has been trained by her father but has never faced the real dangers of the Old Kingdom.
She travels north alone, then gains two companions: Mogget, a bad-tempered, sarcastic creature bound in the shape of a white cat, whose true nature is uncertain, and Touchstone, a young man she frees from an enchantment that held him for two hundred years. Together they fly, sail and fight their way toward Belisaere, the ancient capital, pursued by the dead servants of Kerrigor, a powerful enemy with a connection to Touchstone's past. The book has frightening scenes and a strong sense of menace, balanced with humor, a gentle romance and a heroine who solves problems with courage and intelligence.
Atmospheric, inventive and memorable, followed by Lirael and Abhorsen. About 496 pages in the HarperCollins paperback.
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A Storm of Swords