Original Publication Year: 1995
Genre(s): YA, Fantasy
Series: Abhorsen #1
Awards: Aurealis Award
for Fantasy Novel and Young Adult Novel
Format: Audio and in print
Narrated by: Tim Curry
I’ve decided, based with an n=2*, that the most imaginative writers
of young adult fiction are Australian. They
certainly make me the happiest and I love the way they see the world. With
Sabriel, Garth Nix has created a beautiful and vivid fictional world and placed
within it a fast paced and exciting adventure story. It is lovely and charming, and scary and
suspenseful and romantic and pretty much everything you want in YA Fantasy.
Sabriel Abhorsen is 18 and just finishing up her schooling
in Ancelstierre when a messenger comes from her father bearing his sword and
bandolier of bells. As we learn very
quickly, Sabriel is a powerful though inexperienced magician and necromancer
who was born under unusual circumstances in The Old Kingdom. Her father is also a powerful necromancer and
in order to protect her he sent her away to the less dangerous (and less
magical) Ancelstierre when she was five to attend school. Unfortunately he now appears to be in very
serious trouble and Sabriel sets off to find and help him despite her inexperience
and woeful lack of knowledge of The Old Kingdom. Her quest will see her chased by all manner
of dead things, rescuing a prince who has been turned to wood, and sparring with
a cantankerous cat who is really a magical and possibly dangerous creature that
has been bound in Cat form.
The world that is created is complex, imaginative and easily
pictured. Ancelstierre is reminiscent of
Georgian era England while the Old Kingdom seems more Rennaissance. The two countries are separated by a wall and
while there is some leakage around the edges, Ancelstierre is a country of
science and technology while the Old Kingdom is governed by magic. The Old Kingdom has also been falling into
anarchy for 200 years and the denizens of Death have started to take over more and
more of the kingdom. As Sabriel learns,
Abhorsen is an official title for a necromancer who serves as one of the protectors of the Old
Kingdom and she is the heir apparent with her father missing. The Abhorsen is meant to keep the world from
being overrun by creatures escaping Death. The Abhorsen keeps the dead at bay, by using a series of bells all with different
properties. It is seriously cool and very
well used in the story.
The characters were also pretty great and believable. Sabriel is very recognizable as an
exceptionally brave, but bewildered teen who recognizes her weaknesses but
doesn’t lack confidence. In fact she can be a little overconfident as teenagers are prone to be at times. She’s a
good strong female character and her relationship with her father is pretty
heartbreaking. Mogget serves as her sidekick/mentor for much
of the story and has a personality suitable for a talking cat and also presents
many mysteries. If I have any
complaints, it is that most of the rest of the characters - Touchstone,
Kerrigor–don’t get developed as much as I would’ve liked, mostly because the
book covers a lot of ground and moves quickly.
It’s not until you sit down to write about the characters that you realize
that Touchstone is good and likeable but a tad generic and Kerrigor is a little
one dimensional.
There is a little romance as well which is nice. It’s a
little abrupt but I appreciated that the narrative wasn’t overly focused on it
and there was very little angst.
I listened to the first half of the book narrated by Tim
Curry and he was as amazing as you would imagine. He also had the perfect voice and tone for
this type of story. I was really bummed
when I had to return the audio book to the library because it was requested.
I have in the past
read and really enjoyed Garth Nix’s short fiction and his middle-grade series
The Keys to the Kingdom so the Abhorsen series has been pretty prominent on my
TBR for a while. I am so glad I finally started
it and that it did not disappoint in any way!
Final Verdict: A fast
paced YA adventure story with unique and imaginative world building. I think it’s safe to say Garth Nix has a
distinctive style and I am definitely a fan.
*The second Australian young adult author I encountered this
year was D.M. Cornish and his Monster Blood Tattoo series was super imaginative
and a favorite.
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