Ratings265
Average rating4.1
Sabriel did a decent job of scratching a recent itch I've had for high fantasy novels, but it often felt unconvincing. While the world Nix has created is in itself interesting, the way it was explored and described left me acutely aware that I was reading someone's fantasy novel. Sabriel is a very isolated character until roughly halfway in when Nix introduces two compelling characters, Mogget (a demonic cat) and Touchstone (an amnesiac & fallen hero). It was only as Sabriel began to interact with them that I felt her personality became distinct and complex. Those two characters definitely didn't get enough time in the novel, and I think these relationships deserved to be explored a little more before the resolution of the story.
As far as I can tell, the only time I had any fun while reading this book, were the rare moments when Nix managed to knock a good joke into the narrative when I least expected him to.
I'm at a loss to explain the popularity of this book. Most everything I've read this year has been leagues better than this... tale. The lead character is, at best, boring. And there are only two other characters (noteworthy) in the story - yeah, a grand total of three main characters. The cat was interesting for a while, but then it was made obvious that his story wouldn't be told in this book, and he / it became a decoration, for the most part. The third guy is the obligatory romantic interest for our just-out-of-school heroine - another flat and uninteresting character whose story never really gets explored.
And then there's the weird, and frankly senseless magic system. Charter magic which... er... comes from these huge stones (??? never really explained) and is somehow seen as wriggling glyphs once they're in place. Oh, and ringing bells, and whistling that controls another form of magic (??? again, never explained) Or are they both the same thing? I wondered at one point why, if the basis of their magic system was that elementary, more people in the story didn't know it (at least a little). Sabriel's world has the most quixotic magic system I've encountered in (my short-term) memory.
In other words, skip this one, go re-read Harry Potter. Or delve into Bartimaeus's tales. Heck, even Percy Jackson and his merry band of demigods is a better bet.
disclaimer: I listened to the audio book version narrated by Tim Curry.
I've heard great things about this book, but could never get into it. Finally decided to give the audio book a chance.
The beginning caught my attention. Then it was a long slow march to the 50% mark. It takes awhile to understand what's happening. Most of the time I had to go back a few pages. Tim Curry kept me going.
I feel like this would be a great book to reread. It's hard to get into at first, because of the language, but I think I'd like to reread it at some point.
Listened to this driving back across the country. The writing style is a little melodramatic (a lot is accomplished through “the sheer force of her will!”), but the story snuck up on me and Tim Curry is an awesome narrator. Good enough that we went right into Lirael (The Abhorsen Trilogy, #2), and now I have to read #3 to find out what happens next.
A solid read but really failed to blow me away. Having heard a number of positive reviews, I expected more from Mr. Nix. It wasn't as fast-paced as I would have hoped and the pacing seemed inconsistent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to someone looking for a good stand-alone fantasy/paranormal read.
Very good read! A plot that moves along nicely, no veering off the storyline to discuss stuff I don't want to know about, not too many characters, and characters that I could get drawn into!
Nicely done world building! None of the throw you in the deep end and you either swim until the author gets around to it or you drown and throw the book into the recycle box.
The story is dark, lots of dead people and things in this one, but not as dark as some YAs I've read and not depressing as alot of books seem to be coming out as!
Be sure to listen to Tim Curry narrating! His speaking cat-shaped entity is wonderful!
I'll read the next book in the series.
One of my favorite book series. I love the characters and the world of these books and enjoy re-reading them every few years.
This is my second time reading Sabriel and honestly, I had to do it because I remember loving it and not much else. The beginning I had, the way Sabriel and Touchstone meet and that's about it. So one day at work I decided to listen to the audiobook and that was that.
Sabriel is a girl sent to a boarding school for girls. And she doesn't hate it! Hear me out, she is actually having a pretty good time living there and it's not about her being horribly mistreated. So why is she there? Because her dad is in an other country, one that is medieval and magical as opposed to the “real” world that already has black and white movies and tanks and such. Said dad is also the person tasked with making the creatures coming back from Death go back and leave the living alone.
Then one day his tools (a sword and a set of magical bells) get delivered to Sabriel, who needs to go to that other country to find her dad and to save the world, as it is inevitable. She is joined by a chaotic magical creature in the shape of a talking cat and a young man who was turned into a statue 200 years ago.
Generally I'm not too much into books about teenage girls. I was one at one point and I much prefer both my child and adult life, so that already is kind of difficult. Sabriel is cool though. She is fairly serious, not very emotional, she is special without being an invincible perfect little angel and very very important to me, she doesn't need to put others down to be cool. Often times I feel YA authors fall into the same mistake teenage girls do as well; having to compare the girl to everyone else to make her seem awesome, instead of doing well because it's in her and that's what she does for herself. It's either other girls or the men and boys around her, but someone needs to be the enemy who is the root of all her problems, because god help us, she is just naturally perfect otherwise. Sabriel is an integral part of her word, though instead of being above everyone.
She is also not defined by being a girl mistreated by men. Another issue I often have. We can have many interesting things going on with a female character other than going the cliche, cheap way of “men hate her, therefore she is suffering”. Okay? Show something new. Another point for this book, Sabriel does many things and she is regarded as a person and not Princess Oppressed.
The way it's written makes me feel like this book is much older and stands apart from its own genre in the best way possible. The ideas are great, the magic is fascinating. There is plenty of action and even a twist here or there, but the book itself stays actually very well-written. The prose is the kind I like, not too emotional and really fits the mood of the whole story.
The only thing I don't like that much is the end. After facing off the Big Bad of the book we get no explanations and no way to know how the characters are going to be after it. It was just sudden, which is especially sad because the protagonist of the second book is NOT Sabriel, but a whole new girl. This is not enough to make me rate the book any worse than I already did, but that's something you need to know. It's about the journey and the destination is just... functional. You don't get big emotional moments at the end, you just hope shit went as well as you want it to be for these people. (They get mentioned in book 2, so we get that, but t the same time you have to fill in between those points.)
I do recommend.
Really good. I liked how Nix balanced revealing secrets and keeping some back. It definitely has me interested in coming back to read book #2.
One of my favorite books - the concept is unique, the writing superb, and contains a strong female protagonist!
I don't know why this book never crossed my radar. It should be talked about more amongst fantasy enthusiasts. It's so great, with such an amazing magic system! It's simple, but not in a way that feels boring. More like a back to basics feeling, which is perfect when there's a lot of fantasy trying to have huge, sprawling stories (which I also love). It's almost a palette cleanser in that way. With a strong focus on necromancy, adventure and the main character finding her place in a world she wasn't completely aware existed, it both classic and fresh. I can't give a bigger recommendation for this book.
This is a book I previously read when I was much younger (can't recall exactly how young). I picked it up again because I remembered that I had enjoyed the series immensely, but that was literally all I could remember about it. That, and that it had ‘something to do with death'.
My younger self would probably have rated this 5/5. I have rated it only 4. The quality of the book has obviously not changed, but it was originally intended for those in their very early teens. Which I no longer am, by at least a decade.
This story is based around Sabriel, whose father is (the) Abhorsen. He is essentially a necromancer, except he puts dead things back ‘into death' rather than raising them from the dead. (No wonder I remembered this book had something to do with death, it's all based on death!)
When Sabriel was very young her father sent her to live at a boarding school in Ancelstierre, outside the Old Kingdom. Ancelstierre remained relatively unaffected by what was happening in the Old Kingdom while she was growing up, namely that the dead weren't staying dead. However in her last year of school Abhorsen goes missing, and she has to venture back into the Old Kingdom to locate him, and as she undergoes her journey she discovers more about herself, her heritage, and just how bad things are in the Old Kingdom.
Overall it is a wonderful, and highly imaginative story. The world that Garth Nix wrote about is intriguing and I loved reading about it. The creatures and the characters he created are unique, particularly Mogget and Touchstone.
However, there are certain points that I didn't enjoy as much.
1. Sabriel has very little knowledge of how to deal with the dead or about the roles of the Abhorsen and yet she defeats everything she comes up against, including essentially the ultimate bad dead guy of the bad dead guys in the Old Kingdom. But this is something you see often in YA/Fantasy novels so I'm not that bothered.
2. A lot of how the magic works in the world of the Old Kingdom is a little vague in my opinion, particularly the ‘free magic'.
3. At times the plot felt like it just draaaaaaaagged along.
In conclusion: I enjoyed it (mostly), I'll probably at least consider re-reading the rest of the series, but it's just not quite as great as I remembered it being.
I would recommend it for fans of young adult and fantasy novels. If you like things like His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman you'll probably like this (he was even a reviewer for it – look at the bottom of the cover).
A fantastic teen fantasy novel about a young girl assuming the role set out for her in youth to follow in her father's footsteps.
I always enjoyed Garth Nix books in the past, but I was worried they wouldn't feel as compelling now I'm older. The novel was fast paced and very interesting, I only wish there had been more.
Sabriel, The YA Protagonist All Others Hope to Be, Aka, the perfect mixture of personality traits and a decent level of competency while not being arrogant.
Sabriel is neither helpless nor too powerful or competent at saving the world, thinks clearly, doesn't do stupid things, and is, for the most part, an example of all the right things a person should say or do(and maybe this takes away from the book, removing a lot of character development in Sabriel from the book)
Not only does Sabriel not fall into the common faults I find in most recent YA heroines, but Sabriel the book avoids such flaws I find in most recent YA books as well (and not saying that I don't enjoy such books with some of these faults on occasion, but never in too high a concentration, please).Garth Nix, as with the Keys to the Kingdom series, which I read some time ago, creates a interesting world that is the perfect mixture of unique, fresh ideas and well-worn, trite fantasy.
The world isn't huge, isn't full of too much lore (or rather it isn't explored), but there is more than enough world building for a YA book.
And why has Sabriel lost a star?
Because its a bit boring sometimes.
Sabriel just felt..a little dull.I never wanted to do nothing else but finished the story; I wasn't enthralled in the book because I felt like I knew how it would go, knew how it would play out. It felt like I'd already read Sabriel. Everyone felt too good. It feels odd to say that this book felt dull. In only one book a schoolgirl has defeated a evil that has plagued the land of The Old Kingdom for 200 years.It just felt like a puppeteer was running the show and had planned out events from the start.
So... Sabriel goes here, kills this, escapes.
Goes here, does this, continues.
Stops, turns around, kills this.
Sabriel kills great evil. The End.
Not only that it felt too easy. That's it? That's all it takes. This is how I felt at the end of The Final Empire in many ways (although it was a longer book with more THINGS in it, so not so much). But then Sanderson reveals that it was not, indeed, as simple as that. Lets see what Lirael and a new PoV protagonist does to the series.
2 stars to the story, 4 stars to the audio book narration.
I just couldn't get into the story and nothing really happened? Everything seemed long and dragged out and although it did pick up a bit close to the end, I was still bored all the way through. The world is quite interesting though so I'm conflicted over whether or not to continue the series.
I was positively surprised. I didn't expect anything of this.
This is a story of a school girl, the daughter of the Abhorsen. What is an Abhorsen? Hard to say... They sort of control the dead... kind of like Death, except they aren't Death. Uh, just read the book, OK? :-D
She was sent to a school in the “outworld”, because of reasons - they are explained in the book - and her father visits her every now and then, but then one day, her father doesn't come, he sends a ghost to deliver his regalia, and Sabriel goes back to the Old Kingdom to find her dad. She finds out that he's missing, and she is now the Abhorsen. Her schooling becomes a bit of an obstacle, as there is so much she doesn't know. She insists on looking for her dad, and - well... things happen. In the end of the book she has accepted the role of the Abhorsen, and has grown to carry it.
There is also a cat who isn't a cat. I love him, even though... well... again, you have to read the book to know ;-)
I would say this is a YA fantasy, and not what I have thought all these years it would be.
It's interesting to wonder how this book would be received if it had been published in today's YA market instead of 25 years ago. (25 years!!) Some clues lie in the reprint covers with the large charter symbols that give it a more Hunger Games or Divergent feel to it. Would it get an updated title like “A Path of Bells and Spirits” or I even wonder if it would be a multiple POV book split between Sabriel and Touchstone? I even wonder if an editor today would encourage Nix to put more emphasis on the alternate history facet of the books.
I loved these books as a tween/teen and still do. I think they hold up well despite being a bit of a hard sell for kids. The old covers - though I love them and think they are beautiful - are VERY different from the kind of YA covers you see today and the new ones look like generic fantasy.
Anyway, it's fun to think about. I still feel strong emotions towards these books. I think I still want to be Sabriel and Lirael when I grow up. (I wrote about them a few years ago for WWAC if you want more emotions: https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2015/09/books-shaped-sabriel/)
I reread this now because I wanted something comforting and I wanted someone saying to me, “This is all hard and I'm scared and unprepared. But you can do it.” Sabriel does that for me.
Finally, if you haven't listened to the audiobook versions, I HIGHLY recommend them. They're read by Tim Curry and you haven't lived until you've heard him voice Mogget, an extremely bitchy cat.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
is an engaging fantasy novel that delves into a realm filled with magic and necromancy. The protagonist, Sabriel, is a young woman thrust into a role for which she is unprepared. She embraces this destiny to locate her father and rescue the Old Kingdom. This book marks my introduction to Garth Nix's work.
It's been awhile since I've read this one now.. but it's an excellent book and I recommend it to everyone.
I went into this book knowing pretty much nothing at all about it. It was recommended by a good friend who generally has good (i.e., similar to mine :D) tastes, so I felt good about picking it up! Funny enough, outside of Lord of the Rings, it's the oldest fantasy I've read. Which, I know I know, is hilarious, because it's only 20 years old. Haha. Fantasy isn't typically my gig, okay? Though lately I'm enjoying it more and more. Anyway!
My favorite part of this novel was the collision of old world and new - the archaic, medieval world “across the Wall,” and the more modern, WWII type world on the other side. The world (or worlds, I guess, even though they are definitely interconnected) is very layered and complex. Color me intrigued. Intrigued enough to keep reading, even when I felt the characters were kind of flat. Sabriel, god love her, was just...eh. Touchstone was slightly more interesting but also...eh. Mogget was definitely the most interesting character of the entire book. I...well, I'm not sure what I feel about Mogget! I want to love Mogget, but I'm kind of afraid to because...what is Mogget? As it is, the chain of events, piling sinister and weird on top of each other, was enough to keep me reading. Characters are, honestly, the biggest draw of a book for me. To not be totally in love with these was kind of a downer. They're sympathetic, don't get me wrong! Just kind of two-dimensional. Also, the romance? Better left out entirely than the way it was just thrown on top like too-stiff frosting. It could have been written so much better. That's really the only complaint I had about the writing though. The world descriptions were fabulous. I could see the gown Sabriel wore, could hear the winds behind the Paperwing and see its yellow eyes. I'll definitely be continuing with the series.
This turned into an unexpected ride and I'm glad I experienced it. I had some issues with pacing throughout the book, but I still really enjoyed reading about the world, Sabriel and her adventure. For those who like reading about necromancy and dead things this is a must read. I'm very stuck between 3 and 4 stars; I might change my rating later.
Contains spoilers
I first read this book when I was a kid, and truly, it made me develop an irrational fear of zombies for the rest of my life. Talk about formative.
I realize, as an adult, that this book isn't very scary - and while I try to re-read it every few years to see if it still holds the #1 spot in my heart, it's been a little while since my last re-read. So, this is my review of reading this book as an 11 year old, from 20-some years in the future. (Maybe I'll re-read it again soon and then delete this review in shame, but I doubt it).
The thing that continues to stand out in my memory is the pacing. The pacing made me feel like I was running for my life and it seemed like there was no room to even breathe. The consequences of inaction waited at every turn, and the tension and the sense of impending doom were oppressive. I have never been able to exactly recapture this feeling since. I was and am a relatively slow reader, but this was one of those books that I managed to read in one day (next-day-me, who had to wake up early for school, was not super pleased).
The second big thing for me was that this was my gateway read into fantasy. The concept of the charter magic system, which includes both necromancy and - er, reverse necromancy? I know that just sounds like killing people - were so new to me. I couldn't believe how much the author had packed into one book - charter magic, multiple set pieces, traveling between two different countries/kingdoms. I know this is all pretty standard fare in the genre, but I didn't know that at the time. Plus, the added splash of horror was so incredibly welcome to a kid that couldn't get enough ghost stories. I kept having to peek out my window to make sure there wasn't a dead thing creeping up on me.
The last big thing for me was the cover. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the original artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon, while less text accurate in what the main character looks like, was perfect and (for me) actually added more depth to the story. The solemn expression, the almost plain, almost austere design of the character - this was a new type of female character for me. I don't know how to exactly articulate this, but Sabriel was a girl who didn't know what she was doing but she was still...serious, competent, thoughtful, rational, heroic, smart, and surprisingly fearless despite being (rightly) terrified (and then grieving). I thought she was the coolest person ever.
So I guess it wasn't just the cover - it was the main character too. All of the characters were likable to me, but Sabriel is a character that I think I'll treasure for the rest of my life.