Sabriel

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Summary: SABRIEL--GARTH NIX
Review: Sabriel, born in the Old Kingdom, a place of magick, is sent by her necromancer father, the Abhorsen, to live in Ancelstierre, where she will become a proper lady. But when her father doesn't visit, she knows something is wrong. She takes up her father's magickal tools--a set of magical bells, to defeat the evil spirit who is imprisoning her father in death.

One of the best books ever written! There is nothing bad to say about this book! If you enjoyed it, read the sequels--"Lirael" and "Abhorsen"

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Summary: Prolly my favorite book ever
Review: If I had to choose a favorite book, it would be either Sabriel or Lirael. Sabriel isn't at all cliche, but it has magic, a combination I heartily approve of. The characters are good, although I wish we knew more about Sabriel's father. Even if there is little explaination about the history of this world in this book, we know enough. Also, I really like that there is a sequel, but you can choose whether or not to read it, it's not like Lirael's just a continuation of Sabriel, although Abhorsen is only a continuation of Lirael, and I dislike it for that.

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Summary: Magic with a touch of realism
Review: During my American Lit class, my teacher was ranting on about how stories were better when they were realistic, as fantasies were too predictable; I disagreed, but I had trouble thereafter of finding a good fantasy. This broke his theory entirely, as it showed that the laws of magic follow a convincing set of rules of their own, and it made me want more action. The ending was a tad melodramatic, but it showed greater realism than his so-called realism genre (they tended to end as a tragedy, whereas these ended bittersweet).

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Summary: Outstanding for Young Adults and Parents Alike
Review: We bought the audio book version of Sabriel on a whim for an all-day drive with our 11-year old daughter. True luck! The trip was a pleasure as we journeyed into a wonderful world of heroes, magic, and fertile imagination. This is not just another tired fantasy re-telling of dragons and trolls. Indeed, Garth Nix has built a world that resonates with meaning and relevance. All this in a book written for young adults. Immediately upon returning home we purchased the next two books in the trilogy (Lirael and Abhorsen), also on tape. Tim Curry did such a great job with the narration that we sat around the tape player as a family and listened before bedtime. I'm sorry we're now finished.

This is a particularly good series for girls aged 10-14. The most important figures are young women of strength and character.

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Summary: Ho Hum...
Review: I had heard Sabriel was a fantastic, awesome, you-have-to-read-this sort of book. I love fantasy, or any other good fiction, but Sabriel just didn't keep me interested. I eagerly started this book, anticipating a great story, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Maybe my expectations were too hight, or something. Garth Nix seems to be trying to be another bold fantasy writer, but he lacks description skills, and it was very confusing at times. I found myself rereading things because I was so sure I'd missed something. The whole concept was reallly cool, actually, what with the magic bells and stuff, but it didn't work. And that love between Sabriel and Touchstone is so... forced. Touchstone was incredibly boring. Neither he nor Sabriel meant anything to me, and if they had died at the end, quite frankly, I wouldn't have cared. Mogget was an intersting character, though. You know how authors say that they start writing books and then the charachters take over? It seems that Nix's characters are so flat that he has to force them to do what he wants, and it doesn't quite work. I don't think I'll read the second or third one of these unless I am seriously bored.

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Summary: This is a childrens's book????
Review: For a book that's considered for children, I have to say that this book is a very excellent read!!! I feel this book borders the lines of semi-dark fantasy. I feel Garth Nix down played allot of scenarios due to it's considered a children's book. To be honest, this book is rated 4.5 stars due to the fact that it only 216 pages long & allot was left unexplained and unsaid. The ideas of Charter magic and Free magic is an excellent idea indicating it separating the old ways of magic and the new. Having the Old Kingdom divided by a wall to prevent dead and vile creatures such as a Mordicant to the New Kingdom implies that there are two separate almost alien worlds are working at hand here. The Old Kingdom has mostly dead roaming the land and free magic flows. The other where people are schooled in magic and having modern technology such as rifles and vehicles like trucks. From beginning to end you are definitely whisked away to an uncharted adventure. This book indeed has an excellent story to be unraveled. In the beginning of the story Abhorsen, Sabriel's father, came upon a group of villagers where a village woman give birth but the newborn died. Abhorsen had the magic ability of going to the gates of Death and bring the child back to life. Coming back from entering the gate of life he claims the child his own. Later in the story, Sabriel is looking for her father and sooner learns that she is having the difficulty to take on the burden of the title of Abhorsen, which in fact, she thought Abhorsen was her father's name and not a title. Don't want to give away any much more of the story but this book it truly unique and standing up to holds its own!!

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Summary: Sabriel and Tim Curry
Review: Sabriel is the daughter of Abhorsen, a name which denotes a title (a hereditary title charged with the fullfillment of a task) - The Abhorsen is a necromancer. In other words, the Abhorsen can bring back the newly dead, and also send those undead farther away to the final gate of death. Sabriel must try to find and save her father, who has sent his necromancers' tools of the trade (bells and sword) to Sabriel at her school in the New World. Sabriel travels to the Old World to find her father and encounters many pitfalls on the way.

This audio book is an excellent example of how the right narrator/reader can enhance a book. Tim Curry is a very masterful storyteller. His voices are varied and he does not falter when switching back and forth between characters. It does not matter whether Mr. Curry is in female character or male character. With his talents either sex are believeable. I can still hear his voice in my mind! Mr. Curry makes Sabriel real and transports the reader to this amazing world.

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Summary: Very gripping
Review: I read this book in a single sitting. The ideas were fresh, the setting sucked me right in, and Garth Nix's descriptions had me walking right along with Sabriel through death.

I especially liked Mogget and the tension of not knowing whether he was good or bad. The way Touchstone was met was very unexpected, and I liked the different types of dead they met--very creepy.

One review said something about not liking the sex scenes--to be honest, I think that's a personal issue for that reviewer, as I can't even clearly remember the sex scenes and certainly wouldn't have pointed them out independently of the rest of this fabulous book.

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Summary: Slow Beginning
Review: The first hundred pages go a little to slow for me, but once you start to get more into this complex world, it becomes a page-turner. I liked this book, and I am about to start on it's alluring sequal. Good luck fantasy fans.

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Summary: INCREDABLE!!!!
Review: THIS IS AN AMAZING BOOK!!!! From start to finish I couldn't put the book down, it was that good. I suggest this to anyone who likes faantasy or sci-fi even remotly. (The sequals are just as good, if not better; they're "Lirael" and "Abhorsen".) Get this book!!!!