Customer Reviews

Abhorsen

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Abhorsen" is the final book of Garth Nix's "Old Kingdom" trilogy, which could basically translate into the second half of "Lirael" (the first installment "Sabriel" stands on its own, but its follow-up "Lirael" needs "Abhorsen" in order for the story to be completed). In the final chapter of "Lirael", our four travellers Lirael, Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog have found sanctuary (albeit temporarily) at the Abhorsen's House where further revelations concerning Lirael and Sam's connection are discovered. With the missing pieces of her family's history now set into place, Lirael realises that the burden of Abhorsen-in-Waiting has now been placed on her.

Yet there is no time to dwell on that, as their enemies plans are now becoming clearer: the necromancer Hedge, along with his servant Chlorr have been raising two great silver hemispheres out of the earth. Sam's friend Nick is an unknowing accomplice in this activity, being the vessel of a tiny shard of silver from the spheres, a shard that contains within it the spirit of Orannis: the Destroyer. Orannis is the Ninth of the ancient "gods" (seven of which are remembered in the bells of the necromancers) that once shaped both the world and the benevolent Charter Magic, but as his name suggests he only tore down what the other raised up. And now, if the two hemispheres are joined, he will once more wreak havoc across the world.

And of course, it is up to Lirael and Sam to stop him: first by kidnapping Nick, and then in a desperate race to beat Hedge to the Lightening Farm in Ancelstierre, the non-magical kingdom across the border where Touchstone and Sabriel hit by hired assassins.

The pace doesn't let up for a moment in Nix's much anticipated conclusion, and if you've already invested a lot into the characters and situations of the first two books then it will be difficult to put down "Abhorsen" until the last page is read. Where "Sabriel" was an exciting read, and "Lirael" was fascinating and meandering, "Abhorsen" is quite simply explosive. There is barely a page where something drastic isn't happening, where our heroes aren't fighting, crawling, sneaking or running for dear life. It is quite simply an exhaustive read.

"Abhorsen" takes us further than we've ever gone into Death, all the way past the Ninth Gate, and I was pleased at how Nix presented the ultimate nature of Death. I had recently finished reading Phillip Pullmans "Amber Spyglass" and was rather depressed at his gloomy, despairing view of death, and Nix's realm of hideous zombies and dark rivers weren't really helping to cheer me up. However, without giving too much away, what Lirael finds in the final precinct of death is a place of both peace and future possibilities: nothing to dread at all.

Although Sabriel and Touchstone are not as prevalent as I would have liked, readers are treated to a nice reunion between all the major characters at the climax, and Mogget and the Dog's true identities are finally revealed. However, Nix leaves many questions unanswered and subplots left hanging - I (and many others) like to have a decent wrap-up to a book. "Abhorsen" however ends in the aftermath of the final battle, and I was dying to know what happens next! Where are Mogget and the Dog headed? Do Nick and Lirael fall in love? How does Lirael get on with her new family? What does the future hold? Furthermore, Mogget drops a tantalising little hint that reveals that Chlorr was once an Abhorsen, and yet nothing more is given on this subplot that just begs to be explored. The Old Kingdom itself is one of the most fascinating imaginary worlds I have come across, seeped in magic, mystery and history, and Nix often does little more than whet our imagination. Hopefully the quantity of dangling threads mean that he will eventually write more books on the gold mine that is the Old Kingdom - I hope so, as I'm eager to explore further.

If LIRAEL lacked in action compared to its predecessor, SABRIEL, ABHORSEN makes up for that by functioning as an extended climax of events from the previous book, focused around the need to find and defeat the necromancer Hedge to stop him from reawakening an old and malevolent power known simply as the Destroyer. The story picks up directly after the end of the previous book, with Lirael, Sameth, Mogget, and the Disreputable Dog in a race against time to stop Sam's school friend, Nicholas Sayre, from going through with his plans to reconnect two large metal hemispheres, which when connected will release the Destroyer. This power, also known as Orannis, was first bound when the Charter was created and is inimical to all forms of life.

ABHORSEN really feels like it ought to have been part of the end of LIRAEL, not only because the latter book is a continuation of the former in terms of plot. It might be possible for a reader to understand LIRAEL having not read SABRIEL, but ABHORSEN does not stand alone in this way. Rather, the characters, plot, and worldbuilding knowledge from the prior book is assumed by the author in this book. This isn't much of a problem, though, because Nix's writing still takes the reader on marvelous adventures. I just wouldn't advise trying to read this trilogy out of order. In fact, even reading this review without knowing the background of the series is probably difficult.

I also felt that some portions of the story moved along too quickly; I would have liked to see a mix of action and introspection, with more character development. However, in comparison to LIRAEL, whose action took place over a period of four years, the major events in ABHORSEN take place over less than a month of time. I recommend reading ABHORSEN directly after finishing LIRAEL for maximum effectiveness.

My biggest problem with this book was that it ended! While the primary concerns of the trilogy were nicely concluded, there were many new storylines and new questions posed that might have been nonessential, but that I still wanted answered--mostly because I don't think Nix is done with these characters, and I want to see more of them! I've got my fingers crossed that Nix will decide to write more short stories in this universe (the short story collection ACROSS THE WALL contains one story set in Ancelstierre), if not more novels. I'd be willing to read anything he'll write!

Reviewed by: Candace Cunard

This book MUST be considered a modern classic. In fact, the entire trilogy should be hailed as one of the best in its genre. I've read Sabriel and Lirael (both amazing books) that lead up to this one, epic conclusion. The ending to this trilogy could not have been any more glorious than what has been written in Abhorsen.

Once again, Garth Nix has been able to conjure up a marvelous novel. Like it's sequels, Sabriel and Lirael, Abhorsen keeps its reader hooked and always wanting more. The plot developes quickly and there is never a dull moment as you read. It is, indeed, difficult to put the book down. The series itself is quite addicting-- after reading the prolouge of Sabriel, I immediately logged on to Amazon.com and ordered its sequels.

Although its ending had been abrupt, I didn't mind too much when I discovered that its sequel, Across the Wall: Tales of the Old Kingdom and Beyond, would be released July 2005. I only wish it weren't so far away, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

Overall, it is INDEED a captivating novel~ Although I'm not much of a book-buyer, the Old Kingdom Trilogy has been proven to be worth the price. :] in other words, I LOVE IT. GO READ IT.

I agree with the above reviewers that the ending is quite sudden and "abrupt". I remember placing the book down with tad annoyance that- that was it. The book was over. I really wished that Mr. Nix would have written a few more pages to satify his readers.

But overall, it was a good book. Recommended to all that enjoy reading magical, fantasy sort fiction-novels.

OK, Nix left you on the cliff with the previous book, so you had to get this one. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. You're going to have to read it. The only way to not read it is to not read Lirael.

Now there are some good points here. The character development is improving. You start to have a feel for them all, know where they stand. You get to meet the Gods of this world & a lot of it is very poetic. The names of the Gods are graceful. The land of the dead is captivating as well as suspenseful. The familiar animals, Mogget & the Disreputable Dog, are a nice sort of comic relief.

Unfortunately, the fields of destruction and death are pretty overwhelming. And, once again, the main characters can't turn around or take a breath without coming face to face with a zombie, in true video game like quality. I find this constant attack, attack, attack pretty dismal after a while.

And, of course (though this may be a spoiler) much like Sabriel, the ending is very abrupt. I would have liked to linger longer and savor some of it, but no. It's just over.

Speaking of spoilers, the editorial review reveals the name and identity of the secret bad guy who isn't revealed until near the end of the book. How dare they! A lot of this book is about mystery about who is being fought & what the enemy wants. These guys need about 1000 lashes with a wet noodle.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the Abhorsen Trilogy, but I don't feel like it was written to fit into three books. There are still too many loose ends to make the books a coherent set that begins and ends. At the end of this third book, I turned the last page and wondered why there weren't more volumes. For example, there was absolutely no reason for Mogget to slip and almost say that Chlorr was a former Abhorsen ... but only if the trilogy really is a trilogy, with no more volumes. It didn't do anything for the plot: we never saw Chlorr again, and we already knew that Mogget likes dropping hints of his fundamental superiority and his impressive wealth of knowledge. Why include that bit of information if isn't designed to go anywhere?

Again, on the whole, I loved the books--I read the last two in a day and a half, not really wanting them to end. That said, I keep hoping that more books will be added to this finely constructed series.

In this continuation to Lirael, the young woman along with Prince Sameth and their two loyal companions, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog are at the Abhorsen's House. Alas, they must head to Red Lake, where they are trying to stop Hedge and his team of Dead Hands and other faithful servants from joining two silver hemispheres. If the two hemispheres are reunited, Orannis, the Ninth Bright Shiner, will be unleashed and all Life will be destroyed. In their quest to prevent this from happening, the reader is transported from the Abhorsen's House all the way across the Wall to Ancelstierre. The path Lirael and her friends take is filled with many dangers, and this book is filled with action and suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat and always begging for more. However, the end of the book is a little bit disappointing. Even though Mogget and the Disreputable Dog's identities are finally revealed, I kept hoping Garth Nix would introduce a bit of romance between Nicholas and Lirael, and many of my questions are still left unanswered. I also found that Sabriel and Touchstone were not present enough. Apart from these almost insignificant disappointements though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is impossible to put down and makes me hope that there will be some sort of continuation to this story. Abhorsen is a must read!

There's no other way of putting it. It is amazing how clearly this book stands head and shoulders above *every* other book I've ever read (except for the first two of the series). I also love movies, but can't pick out any favorites, since there have been none that are so far superior. This series took my breath away. Both I and my wife read them in single sittings and have both started rereading them... Until he writes another sequel (an interview with him indicated that he *might*) or otherwise returns to the Old World what he has created will just have to do. Truly fantastic stuff. Given the absolute depth and sincerety of his writing and the way it resonates as being true to the harsh realities, and surprising joys of life is truly unique. I haven't read any of Garth Nix's other writings, as I hold him in such high regard for the Old World series and don't want to tarnish that. Anyway, I don't often take the time to write reviews, but I just had to put in my praise of these books! Abe

This whole series is amazing, but this is definitely the best one. It's just...too cool for words. A cat, a dog, a Remembrancer, and a Prince fighting the Destroyer. What could be better? Anyways, read the books. I'm reading this one for the fourth time in a year, they're that good. So, read them!