Editorial Review
To preserve life,the Abhorsen must enter Death
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Customer Reviews
Good series 
2007-08-31
This is a highly enjoyable and well-written series. Garth Nix is an author that I'll be watching for to see what he does next.
Good quick service 
2007-08-09
I recieved the product before the date that i was supposed to recieve it in the mail. The books were in awesome condition. Thanks for the excellent service.
A path seldom taken ... 
2007-04-13
The land of death opens up in front of the reader of this surprising fairytale. The author adroitly juxtaposes a realistically drawn modern world with an ancient magical kingdom where the doors between life and death open easily, and the perilous journey into darkness becomes more often than not reversible. The epic quest entices the reader with unique tools of enchantment, such as the charmed servants and paper planes, to explore the differences between the rational and the intuitive world, and dares them to trod the path not easily taken.
The character that readers can probably identify with the most of the triology is Lirael. As child and young adult she feels thoroughly alienated by her immediate surroundings, a feeling that no doubt is shared by many. In the end she discovers that much like the ugly duckling she has powers far beyond those of her peers, leading to a thoroughly satisfying ending of the triology. Lirael much reminded me of the woman in The Woman and The Raven.
A must read for fantasy lovers 
2007-03-11
This is one of my favorite story series. I love the strong female characters. I am really thrilled to see a very strong and clear writing style. There is depth to the characters, clarity in the relationships, and a forward moving plotline. The best part is that Nix wraps it all up with a satisfying conclusion, leaving us with an appetite for more, rather than being overdone on it!
This was a really well imagined and developed realm that almost seems real.
Excellent choice of book.
I Want Those Bells Man.... 
2007-02-19
I've only read the first book thus far, but I figured I'd better review it now because it might take me a while to finish the series and, honestly, I don't want to look at the review reminder in my e-mail inbox that long. So...
...This was a well written, tight fantasy. It has enough depth to make the world of the Old Kingdom believable, yet spares unnecessary details whenever it can. Nix uses an intesting tool to create a world nearly as well realized as Middle Earth without nine appendicies (props to Tolkien for persistance. You would shudder at our ADD world my fantasy writing friend...) Anyhow...where...oh yes; Nix creates detail without frills by refering to plot elements and then not explaining them right away. This sounds like bad writing, but it's not. One just has to have the patience to realize that eventually we'll figure out what Charter Magic is, and what that rhyme means. In the meantime, we're given a world where characters and narration flow naturally, without pausing for lengthy explanations. I like it.
As far as the content goes, it's a good story. As in all things, there's nothing new, but I try not to read books and tell the world where the author stole his plot elements from. There's nothing new under the sun, every artist is, at their best, a glorified hack. And Nix does a good job of making the old new again. I love how his magic is so real, how bells are weapons, death is a swiftly flowing stream and all such things. I'm interested to see where Nix goes with this series.
The Abhorsen Trilogy 
2008-04-18
Australian Author Garth Nix writes a trilogy of charter magic, necromancy, the power of life and death and the thin line that seperates both.
Fantastic series, great for adolescent and young adult readers.
Fast paced 
2008-04-06
This is a very fast paced novel. I have only finished the first book in the trilogy but have found this to be an enjoyable fast read. I look forward to the next two books. The world Nix creates is different from any other. If you like fantasy or video games even, I believe you will like this series. I felt a bit like I was playing a video game with all the magic gadgets, spells, characters and secret places.
Familiar yet never cliche 
2008-03-19
Nix's world is always familiar enough enough to be comfortable but always different enough to feel completely fresh. His style leaves a hint of mystery to his characters and world that carries through the entire trilogy. I bought it becuase a friend told me that it has the most satisfying ending to a trilogy that she'd ever read, and it didn't disappoint.
The only point I disagreed with her on is that Mogget is cooler than the Disreputable Dog. Not by much, but enough.
One Of My Favorite Authors 
2008-02-28
Garth Nix has always been one of my top favorite authors, and his Abhorsen trilogy is definitely why. These books kept me so enthralled, it was impossible to pull away. They made such an impact, I still remember every scene. I have read these again and again, and I never tire of them.
Here's a different take 
2007-09-07
I found the first book, Sabriel, readable, if not fantastic. The second book, Lirael, is really quite awful, and I only made it 100 pages or so. The writing is poor....blocky sentences and remedial storyline. Anyways, the love fest for this trilogy needed some perspective.