Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy/Old Kingdom, #1)
Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. 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 … .
Author: Garth Nix | Publisher: Harper Collins
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Rating: 4 / 5
“Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?”
I’m ashamed to say that until recently, I hadn’t even heard of Sabriel. But my friend Simone and I have recently embarked on a quest to read more classic / foundational fantasy, and this was first on her list because Tim Curry narrates the audiobook (YUP).
I started with audio (which was just as great as you’re imagining) but ended up switching to print because I was afraid that even ten seconds of a wandering mind would cause me to miss key world-building details. Personally, I just find it much easier to listen to nonfiction books and read fiction.
Anywho, I hadn’t heard of Sabriel, but as soon as I started reading it I found out how not-on-brand that is for me. I had several friends tell me they loved this trilogy — one (whose opinion I trust very much) said it is her favorite series behind Harry Potter! Where had I been???
Alright, well I’m here now, y’all. And I thought Sabriel was great. She’s our main character, and she’s the daughter of the Abhorsen, a kind of super-necromancer who is extremely powerful and travels the world, using a set of magical bells to control, banish, and bind the dead who should (but don’t always) remain that way. But then her father disappears, and Sabriel must take his place in order to save him. Along the way she picks up two friends, and together they find themselves tangled up in a centuries-old plot that must be stopped.
The style feels very classic — Garth Nix is straightforward and narrative, using a type of world-building that’s pretty different from what we’re used to with modern fantasy. Often, rather than including details in the natural course of conversation or action and relying on you to file them away in your mind, he just comes out and tells you what you need to know. This really makes it feel like he’s telling you a story, which I loved. I could imagine my mother reading this to me in elementary school. For example, from the description of her seven magical bells:
"Saraneth." The deepest, lowest bell. The sound of strength. Saraneth was the binder, the bell that shackled the Dead to the wielder's will. And last, the largest bell, the one Sabriel's cold fingers found colder still, even in the leather case that kept it silent.
"Astarael, the Sorrowful," whispered Sabriel. Astarael was the banisher, the final bell. Properly rung, it cast everyone who heard it far into Death. Everyone, including the ringer.”
One thing I learned when I was about halfway through the book was that the other two in the Abhorsen trilogy — Lirael and Abhorsen — are not told from Sabriel’s perspective. Still, I found myself surprised when Sabriel turned out to be a story contained in itself; I’m so used to sprawling stories that stretch across three books. But this makes me very curious to read the other two and see what’s in store for the Old Kingdom.
Overall, reading this one was fun and made me feel like my personal fantasy canon is a little more full. On to the next!