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Sabriel

Sabriel

FantasyHigh Fantasy
Pages
480
Published
2001
Language
English

Synopsis

Sabriel has always lived outside the Old Kingdom, a land of dangerous magic and restless dead. But when her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, she must venture into this forbidden world to find him. Joined by an enigmatic cat and a freed but tormented Charter Mage, Sabriel faces a perilous journey into the heart of the Old Kingdom, confronting the forces of life and death and discovering her own destiny.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

AdventurousDarkTenseMysterious
QuestChosen OneFish Out of WaterReluctant Hero

Genres

Fantasy High Fantasy YA Fantasy Young Adult

About the author

G
Garth Nix

Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer of fantasy for children and young adults. Born in Melbourne and now living in Sydney, he worked as a bookseller, editor, literary agent and marketing consultant before writing full time. He is best known for the Old Kingdom series, which began with Sabriel (1995) and continues through Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel and Goldenhand, and for The Keys to the Kingdom septet, one volume per day of the week from Mister Monday to Lord Sunday. His...

Characters

SabrielProtagonist

A Charter Mage raised and schooled in Ancelstierre, far from the Old Kingdom she was born to, who takes up her missing father's bells and sword to search for him.

KerrigorAntagonist

A powerful, ancient sorcerer of Free Magic who commands the Dead and stands as the central threat Sabriel must face in the Old Kingdom.

MoggetSupporting

A small white cat bound by an ancient collar of Charter Marks, whose composed, sardonic manner hints at a far older and more dangerous nature underneath.

TouchstoneSupporting

A young man Sabriel frees from a long, tormented confinement, who joins her journey north while still struggling to remember who he once was.

TercielSupporting

The reigning Abhorsen and Sabriel's father, whose disappearance into the realm of Death sets his daughter on her journey to find him.

All characters in Sabriel

Frequently asked questions

  • What order should I read the Old Kingdom series in?

    Sabriel is the first book published in Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series and the best place to start. It's followed by Lirael and Abhorsen, with the prequel novel Clariel, the prequel Terciel & Elinor, and the sequel Goldenhand filling out the rest of the timeline.

  • Is Sabriel appropriate for younger teen readers?

    Sabriel is generally recommended for readers age 12 and up. It's a young adult fantasy with dark themes — death, necromancy, and fantasy violence — handled seriously but without being especially graphic.

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