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adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Considering that for the first time in years, one of my immediately family members gifted me with a book I wanted for Christmas (Clariel), it was high time I read it. Which naturally means rereading the entire Abhorsen series, starting with the story that started it all: Sabriel. As an added bonus, it’s a buddy read with Megan! (Even though she did get way ahead of me as I finished reading the book she gave me, [b: Wizard’s First Rule|43889|Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1)|Terry Goodkind|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385248539s/43889.jpg|1323305]. Well, I can’t always be the one that’s ahead, can I now?)
From the very first pages, the story draws you in, surrounds you in this world of magic and technology, of Life and Death. Sabriel has grown up in Ancelstierre, south of the wall that divides the magic of the Old Kingdom from the technology of Ancelstierre. While she does not know all she probably should about the Old Kingdom, she knows the essentials of Charter magic and more importantly, its combination with necromancy which is her heritage as the daughter of the Abhorsen.
It is with a message and gifts from her father of the Abhorsen’s bells and sword that she learns that her father is in danger, possibly dead or trapped in Death, and sets her off on a journey into the Old Kingdom to find him and rescue him. Her first stop is Abhorsen’s House, though she does not get there easily, and leaves there with even more difficulty. It is her first step in realizing just how little she knows about the Old Kingdom, despite all the knowledge she has learned from her father over his years of teaching and having her read from The Book of the Dead. Luckily, she meets people who will help her along the way, one of whom is Mogget, a talking white cat who is more than he seems. With her new traveling companions, they will uncover the darkness that is breaking the Old Kingdom, and do their best to combat it.
Their journey, Sabriel’s journey, is more than just finding her father, more than doing what they can to save the Old Kingdom from the Dead that seek to invade it and take it over. It is also a journey of self: of self-discovery, of learning who she thinks she is, and who she really is. Her question of identity – Sabriel, or Abhorsen? – is something that weaves through the story. At the beginning she receives the bells and sword of the office of Abhorsen. Then along her journey, the people she meets recognize in her the Abhorsen, and refer to her as such. At first she requests that they call her Sabriel, but few if any do; they know who she is, and the mantle she is destined to bear.
Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? (page 57)
This identity crisis, if you will, is all but resolved by a final conversation near the end with; she will ultimately have no choice in who others perceive her as. She is Abhorsen.
The world Nix has created here, as briefly mentioned, is a world of contrasts: magic and technology, Death and Life. Each has their realm, their power, their role, and yet, they are intricately intertwined. The closeness of Death and Life is especially evident, with the Dead who seek to live again, and the living who seek to avoid the Final Death beyond the Seventh Gate. And the Abhorsens, who lay the Dead to rest when (rogue) necromancers would have them walk again, or when the Dead themselves refuse to pass to their Final Death. The world is rich, despite the lack of many living people encountered by Sabriel in the Old Kingdom. I cannot wait to jump right into Lirael, and continue this journey in the Old Kingdom with Abhorsens and Free Magic and Dead and Charter Magic!
Another favorite quote that just didn’t quite fit into the review above:
Fear and realization of ignorance were strong medicines against stupid pride. – page 110
From the very first pages, the story draws you in, surrounds you in this world of magic and technology, of Life and Death. Sabriel has grown up in Ancelstierre, south of the wall that divides the magic of the Old Kingdom from the technology of Ancelstierre. While she does not know all she probably should about the Old Kingdom, she knows the essentials of Charter magic and more importantly, its combination with necromancy which is her heritage as the daughter of the Abhorsen.
It is with a message and gifts from her father of the Abhorsen’s bells and sword that she learns that her father is in danger, possibly dead or trapped in Death, and sets her off on a journey into the Old Kingdom to find him and rescue him. Her first stop is Abhorsen’s House, though she does not get there easily, and leaves there with even more difficulty. It is her first step in realizing just how little she knows about the Old Kingdom, despite all the knowledge she has learned from her father over his years of teaching and having her read from The Book of the Dead. Luckily, she meets people who will help her along the way, one of whom is Mogget, a talking white cat who is more than he seems. With her new traveling companions, they will uncover the darkness that is breaking the Old Kingdom, and do their best to combat it.
Their journey, Sabriel’s journey, is more than just finding her father, more than doing what they can to save the Old Kingdom from the Dead that seek to invade it and take it over. It is also a journey of self: of self-discovery, of learning who she thinks she is, and who she really is. Her question of identity – Sabriel, or Abhorsen? – is something that weaves through the story. At the beginning she receives the bells and sword of the office of Abhorsen. Then along her journey, the people she meets recognize in her the Abhorsen, and refer to her as such. At first she requests that they call her Sabriel, but few if any do; they know who she is, and the mantle she is destined to bear.
Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? (page 57)
This identity crisis, if you will, is all but resolved by a final conversation near the end with
Spoiler
her father, who tells her how the office of Abhorsen consumed his life despite himselfThe world Nix has created here, as briefly mentioned, is a world of contrasts: magic and technology, Death and Life. Each has their realm, their power, their role, and yet, they are intricately intertwined. The closeness of Death and Life is especially evident, with the Dead who seek to live again, and the living who seek to avoid the Final Death beyond the Seventh Gate. And the Abhorsens, who lay the Dead to rest when (rogue) necromancers would have them walk again, or when the Dead themselves refuse to pass to their Final Death. The world is rich, despite the lack of many living people encountered by Sabriel in the Old Kingdom. I cannot wait to jump right into Lirael, and continue this journey in the Old Kingdom with Abhorsens and Free Magic and Dead and Charter Magic!
Another favorite quote that just didn’t quite fit into the review above:
Fear and realization of ignorance were strong medicines against stupid pride. – page 110
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not the worst book I've read and to be fair its written by an Australian so that could be why the writting didn't click with me.
My biggest problems are
1)I felt lost. The world building isn't subtle you're just dropped right in so it took me 100 pages to figure out the terms like Charter mage, free magic, mordant ECT. I felt like I was reading a sequel.
2) I felt lost in the setting too. I kept reading it as medieval fantasy but it seems to take place in modern times (or close since there were rotary phones) and when modern technology is mentioned it's jarring to me.
3) a bit childish. I know it's young adult but a cat sidekick, magic bells, singing magic all felt childish to me.
4) the cliche comedic relief cat sidekick who's really a demon/magical creature that despite being powerful and intelligent is degraded and treated like a real cat.
5) some of the writing had me lost which again could be the dialect differences.
"The voice belonged to a young soldier, whose bristling mustaches were more evidence of martial ambition than proof of them" or maybe I'm just stupid but I don't know what Nix just said.
Also the scene on page 156 in response to a door "without handles or hinges"
"How do we open it?"
"I don't know"
"Maybe we should try pushing it"
Also it apparently required synchronized pushing and since sabriel pushed on "3" but Touchstone on "push" it took "a few seconds" to synchronize and push it open.
I will say I liked the idea and the characters were good if a bit bland and the writing did pull me in despite not understanding what was happening.
My biggest problems are
1)I felt lost. The world building isn't subtle you're just dropped right in so it took me 100 pages to figure out the terms like Charter mage, free magic, mordant ECT. I felt like I was reading a sequel.
2) I felt lost in the setting too. I kept reading it as medieval fantasy but it seems to take place in modern times (or close since there were rotary phones) and when modern technology is mentioned it's jarring to me.
3) a bit childish. I know it's young adult but a cat sidekick, magic bells, singing magic all felt childish to me.
4) the cliche comedic relief cat sidekick who's really a demon/magical creature that despite being powerful and intelligent is degraded and treated like a real cat.
5) some of the writing had me lost which again could be the dialect differences.
"The voice belonged to a young soldier, whose bristling mustaches were more evidence of martial ambition than proof of them" or maybe I'm just stupid but I don't know what Nix just said.
Also the scene on page 156 in response to a door "without handles or hinges"
"How do we open it?"
"I don't know"
"Maybe we should try pushing it"
Also it apparently required synchronized pushing and since sabriel pushed on "3" but Touchstone on "push" it took "a few seconds" to synchronize and push it open.
I will say I liked the idea and the characters were good if a bit bland and the writing did pull me in despite not understanding what was happening.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I once tried to read this book way back in my teen years while waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out (this was 2007-08), and it didn't grip my attention then, so I never got close to finishing it.
Now, I can see why Sabriel by Garth Nix is a beloved old-school fantasy adventure, though I myself have no nostalgia points to award it. It's plot-focused over being character-driven. It expects you to go with the flow on the magic system (Charter Magic vs. Free Magic), the world-building (the establishment of Ancelstierre vs. the fall of the Old Kingdom), and the character relationships (Sabriel's relationship with her father and her sudden romance with Touchstone) without spending a whole lot of exposition, fuss, and time on any of it. This is truly about the coming-of-age adventure of an inexperienced, fish-out-of-water student rising to the occasion to become the next Abhorsen and hero of the day.
Overall, I found it deeply okay. By no means a badly-written novel but certainly not one of my favorites. I can at least forgive my younger self more for her lack of commitment.
I'm mostly not one for plot-driven stories anymore unless the plot is really something special, and given how much I read and the amount of other media I've been exposed to, that's a tall order to ask of a novel written in 1995. Indeed, Sabriel's plot is pretty by-the-book for a fantasy adventure: young girl goes on a quest to save her loved one and defeat a rising evil. Nix's depiction of necromancy is the true stand-out here, with the wanderings into Death, its many Gates, and the hierarchy of dead spirits. I greatly enjoyed watching Sabriel wield her tools of the trade (I adored the bells), even while I wished that he'd spent more time on distinguishing Charter Magic from Free Magic.
I also wish Ancelstierre's existence and relationship to the Old Kingdom had been explained even a little bit, because going from such a banger of a prologue to there suddenly being cars and rifles was incredibly jarring. Just a little bit of work to marry these two worlds together couldn't made all the difference to setting the overall atmosphere of the novel.
And y'know, I really do love that prologue with the Abhorsen saving a dead infant from the clutches of death, of the reveal that she's his daughter. I was riding such a high from that opening that I was bummed that the rest of the novel never quite matched that energy again. Instead, I felt like Sabriel's, Touchstone's, and Mogget's characterizations were stifled against the tide of the plot, and I didn't feel that closeness between them (or for them) that I instantly got between Sabriel and the Abhorsen. (Woe is me for what becomes of that here. Again, very formula and very much a let-down. But I can't judge a book too harshly for being a product of its time.)
Sabriel's depiction especially suffers from Nix's expectations of what an older teenage girl should sound like and care about with none of the introspection. Because he did not work on establishing her voice or anything much about her beyond her training as a necromancer, I never felt especially close to her or that she was truly "there" in the story. Sabriel here is merely the vehicle through which the plot must move and she is steered by it in turn. This is fine for some, but for such a beloved novel featuring a prominent female character, I expected and hoped for more.
And I mean, look, the breakneck romance between her and Touchstone was nothing short of "huh?" Feelings developing are fine. Exchanging sudden "I love you's" when they've barely talked about anything because Touchstone is so traumatized? We could've saved this for the next books, is all I'm saying. But clearly, romancing a near-comatose prince is what a teenage girl must want, so that's what Nix gives to poor Sabriel. I'll at least award him points for treating the situation concerning her father with the weight it deserves. I guess what I truly wanted was for this book to be about this father and daughter, and instead, it was more a motivation for the adventure than anything.
All that aside, the novel does drop hints of mystery and intrigue that I hope the sequels dive into further: what Mogget really is and what he's owed, what spell has been placed on the population to prevent them from talking about the past and why, what Kerrigor's whole deal is, what Touchstone will grow to be, and of course, how Sabriel's role as the new Abhorsen will develop.
I've long nursed a burning curiosity behind this series, and for the moment, I can say that curiosity has been sated. I'll probably check out the other books eventually, but too many others are pulling my attention now with much greater success. Yes, I've checked out too many books from the library, and yes, I deeply regret it.
Now, I can see why Sabriel by Garth Nix is a beloved old-school fantasy adventure, though I myself have no nostalgia points to award it. It's plot-focused over being character-driven. It expects you to go with the flow on the magic system (Charter Magic vs. Free Magic), the world-building (the establishment of Ancelstierre vs. the fall of the Old Kingdom), and the character relationships (Sabriel's relationship with her father and her sudden romance with Touchstone) without spending a whole lot of exposition, fuss, and time on any of it. This is truly about the coming-of-age adventure of an inexperienced, fish-out-of-water student rising to the occasion to become the next Abhorsen and hero of the day.
Overall, I found it deeply okay. By no means a badly-written novel but certainly not one of my favorites. I can at least forgive my younger self more for her lack of commitment.
I'm mostly not one for plot-driven stories anymore unless the plot is really something special, and given how much I read and the amount of other media I've been exposed to, that's a tall order to ask of a novel written in 1995. Indeed, Sabriel's plot is pretty by-the-book for a fantasy adventure: young girl goes on a quest to save her loved one and defeat a rising evil. Nix's depiction of necromancy is the true stand-out here, with the wanderings into Death, its many Gates, and the hierarchy of dead spirits. I greatly enjoyed watching Sabriel wield her tools of the trade (I adored the bells), even while I wished that he'd spent more time on distinguishing Charter Magic from Free Magic.
I also wish Ancelstierre's existence and relationship to the Old Kingdom had been explained even a little bit, because going from such a banger of a prologue to there suddenly being cars and rifles was incredibly jarring. Just a little bit of work to marry these two worlds together couldn't made all the difference to setting the overall atmosphere of the novel.
And y'know, I really do love that prologue with the Abhorsen saving a dead infant from the clutches of death, of the reveal that she's his daughter. I was riding such a high from that opening that I was bummed that the rest of the novel never quite matched that energy again. Instead, I felt like Sabriel's, Touchstone's, and Mogget's characterizations were stifled against the tide of the plot, and I didn't feel that closeness between them (or for them) that I instantly got between Sabriel and the Abhorsen. (Woe is me for what becomes of that here. Again, very formula and very much a let-down. But I can't judge a book too harshly for being a product of its time.)
Sabriel's depiction especially suffers from Nix's expectations of what an older teenage girl should sound like and care about with none of the introspection. Because he did not work on establishing her voice or anything much about her beyond her training as a necromancer, I never felt especially close to her or that she was truly "there" in the story. Sabriel here is merely the vehicle through which the plot must move and she is steered by it in turn. This is fine for some, but for such a beloved novel featuring a prominent female character, I expected and hoped for more.
And I mean, look, the breakneck romance between her and Touchstone was nothing short of "huh?" Feelings developing are fine. Exchanging sudden "I love you's" when they've barely talked about anything because Touchstone is so traumatized? We could've saved this for the next books, is all I'm saying. But clearly, romancing a near-comatose prince is what a teenage girl must want, so that's what Nix gives to poor Sabriel. I'll at least award him points for treating the situation concerning her father with the weight it deserves. I guess what I truly wanted was for this book to be about this father and daughter, and instead, it was more a motivation for the adventure than anything.
All that aside, the novel does drop hints of mystery and intrigue that I hope the sequels dive into further: what Mogget really is and what he's owed, what spell has been placed on the population to prevent them from talking about the past and why, what Kerrigor's whole deal is, what Touchstone will grow to be, and of course, how Sabriel's role as the new Abhorsen will develop.
I've long nursed a burning curiosity behind this series, and for the moment, I can say that curiosity has been sated. I'll probably check out the other books eventually, but too many others are pulling my attention now with much greater success. Yes, I've checked out too many books from the library, and yes, I deeply regret it.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes