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Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Charter-Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life—and comes face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
April 23, 2002 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739329771
- File size: 308793 KB
- Duration: 10:43:19
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 1000
- Text Difficulty: 5-7
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Reviews
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Harry Potter fans will likely be drawn to Garth Nix's fantasy, with its magical incantations and young protagonist. In fact, SABRIEL is more evocative of Tolkien's RINGS trilogy--it's an epic journey in a world as richly realized as Middle-earth and much darker and bloodier than Harry's trials at Hogwarts. Unlike THE LORD OF THE RINGS, a young woman's voyage of self-discovery is at the heart of the story. Tim Curry brings authority to the reading, grounding the fantastic elements with nuance of character and depth of emotion, particularly in his portrayal of the eponymous heroine, Sabriel, a magic-wielding necromancer. But he also gets the chance to show off some vocal acrobatics, as when he purrs and growls his way through the mysterious cat-guide, Mogget's, dialogue. As the breathless adventure comes to a close, listeners can rejoice in being able to continue the series with LIRAEL and ABHORSEN. J.M.D. 2003 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine -
September 29, 1997
PW gave a starred review to this Australian fantasy about a young necromancer, calling it "rich, complex, involving, hard to put down." Ages 12-up. -
Starred review from October 2, 1996
Sabriel is her last year at Wyverley College, a private school in Ancelstierre, where Magic does not work, but near the Border with the Old Kingdom, where it does. She and her father are also highly skilled necromancers, who fight the dead who seek to return to Life. But when her father is somehow trapped in Death, she must journey into the Old Kingdom to find him. She does not know that it is wracked by struggle (like that in Ursula LeGuin's The Farthest Shore)-a magician has brought chaos by refusing to die and hopes to use Sabriel and her father to further consolidate his power. Sabriel goes on a long journey throughout a densely imagined world, learning as she goes, and meeting such strange characters as Mogget, a raging natural force contained in the shape of a cat. She also develops a relationship with Touchstone, a young man who turns out to be as crucially involved as she is. Although Sabriel is possessed of much heavy knowledge ("A year ago, I turned the final page of The Book of the Dead. I don't feel young any more"), she is still a teenager and vulnerable where her father and love for Touchstone are concerned, making her a sympathetic heroine. Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, this first novel, an Australian import, is excellent high fantasy. The suitably climactic ending leaves no loose ends, but readers will hope for a sequel. Ages 12-up.
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