Rating: 
Summary: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Review: OK, basically, i finished Abhorsen about 3 minutes ago and i'm so excited i can barely type!!! it was ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!! though i loved (and still do love) sabriel and lirael, this one completely blew them away!!! it was amazing!!! i can tell you hardly any of it but there are tons of surprises, plus you find out the true identities of Mogget and the Dog!!! the story basically revolves around lirael and sam trying to rebind the Destroyer (Orannis, or the Ninth) but includes lots of other favorite characters!! Garth Nix has completely outdone himself on abhorsen and i wait in anticipation for another book set in the Old Kingdom (which is hinted at throughout abhorsen)!! If you havent read Sabriel or Lirael yet, i recommend starting with those, but if you have read them, buy abhorsen as soon as you can because it is way more than worth it!!!!!!
~a completely obsessed sabriel/lirael/abhorsen fan
Rating:
Summary: 'Forever to lie there, wishing us ill...'
Review: This is the last part of a trilogy (the first two books are 'Sabriel' and 'Lirael') and as much, you should definitely read the first two books before reading this one, otherwise it might get quite confusing. This story begins directly after 'Lireal' ends. Lireal and Sam are still trying to stop Hedge's plans coming to fruition, with the help of the Disreputable Dog and Mogget.
Although not my favourite book of the trilogy (I like 'Lirael' best, especially the first eight or so chapters of it) 'Abhorsen' was still excellent. There was lots of action and a very dramatic ending. I thought that it was intresting seeing deeper into Death, with more detailed descriptions of the precints than there were in 'Sabriel'. The plot wasn't confusing and I was glad to see that Nicholas, my favourite character, appeared a lot more. Overall a very good read and a great series for anyone, whether you like fantasy or not. I don't usually read fantasy but I loved these books. I hope that Nix will write some more about this world, because there seems to be a whole lot of material left to explore. (I'd love to know more about the Wallmakers and the Clayr, for a start).
Rating:
Summary: Too Bad It's the Last in the Trilogy...I Want More!!!
Review: Incredible! This is one of the best books I've ever read. As soon as I finished it, I picked it back up and looked through it again.
Even better than the first two books, this is truly a great read. Gripping from start to finish, this book shines with adventure, fantastical characters, emotion, and power.
Rating:
Summary: A riverine Underworld
Review: As in "Sabriel" and "Lirael," Death is a riverine chasm from which the dead can be called back to the living by powerful necromancers. Only the Abhorsen (Sabriel) or the Abhorsen-in-waiting (Lirael) can pass from life into the river of Death, through the eight Gates of fog, whirlpools, waterfalls, and shadow, and do magical combat with the necromancers in their own dark realm... Well, the Disreputable Dog can splash into Death, too and in "Abhorsen" you'll find out who she really is, along with Mogget the bad-tempered cat (who reminds me of some of the grouchier Jack Lemon characters). "Abhorsen" is a worthy conclusion to Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy. Read "Sabriel" and "Lirael" before undertaking "Abhorsen," so that you can familiarize yourself with the Philosophy and Geography of Death. Nix isn't into summarization or repetition. He plunges his reader right into a whirlpool of death, animated corpses, and Charter magic. If you don't already know such characters as the Disreputable Dog, the necromancer Hedge, or his bone-headed companion, Nick, you might never figure out what's going on. This book is a direct continuation of "Lirael," with the ex-assistant librarian and her companion, Prince Sameth carrying on the battle against Hedge and the evil he is digging up at Red Lake. Although Prince Sameth was meant to be the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, heir to the powers of 'The Book of the Dead' and the seven bells, Lirael now takes up that role, and Sam seeks his destiny as a descendant of the mysterious Wallmakers, who built the barrier between the magical Old Kingdom and the mundane kingdom of Ancelstierre. The two will need all of the magic they can conjure up against an enemy that threatens not only the Charter, but all living beings. The swirl and cross-currents of life gradually ebb as the dead pass through gate after gate on Garth Nix's nameless river--a river like Styx or Lethe that runs through each of our subconscious underworlds as a legacy of our water-bound gestation. It is an eerie experience to remember that journey of birth--only this time in the wake of the dead--in this marvelous fantasy trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Met, but did not exceed, expecations
Review: Garth Nix began this delightful series with Sabriel, followed by Lirael, and now finishes with Abhorsen. Finishing the story started in Lirael, Abhorsen highlights the journey of Abhorsen/Necromancer Lirael, Prince Sameth, Lirael's trusty dog, and the mysterious free-magic creature Mogget as they travel to battle the evil necromancer Hedge and his army of undead and prevent them from unleashing an evil the world hasn't seen in billions of years. The story begins slowly, but then shoots off. However, right at an exciting moment in the story, it changes tack and we begin hearing more about a different character. While supposedly a "good hook" to make you keep reading, I found these swift changes irritating, and I was hard pressed not to just skip ahead. Nix went into deep detail with some rather unimportant things, but neglected to explain some key events in enough detail to understand it. The story was rather flawed at points, seeming as if Nix had tired of writing the story and wanted to hurry up and finish it. However, while not as good as it's prequels, I found Lirael a worthy read and would highly recommend it to a fan of the series or of good fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: "We Will Go by Way of the Well"
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: Abhorsen
Review: Abhorsen was, simply put-amazing. I loved Sabriel because of the excitement, and I liked Lirael even more because of the amazing characters. But Abhorsen, it tops them both. In this book, Lirael-daughter of the clayr and "remembrancer", the Disreputable Dog, Prince Sameth, Mogget, and the others of the "great charter's" blood line must defeat and bind Orannis, the most powerful of the nine original beings. The ending was breathtaking. I only wish that Nix had shown us the nine stages of Orannis' power, the imagery of the first two was so exciting! Well, anyways, definitely read Abhorsen, it's a far more sophisticated book than that "Harry Potter" series, and it's the only book that (in my opinion) can compare to the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
Read On :)
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is a wonderful book that draws you in from the very first words. It is about a young woman named Lirael, not sure about her place in life, until she found her nephew Prince Sameth and she became the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, Prince Sameth inheriting the power of the Wallmakers. Sameth and Lirael, accompanied by the Disreputable Dog and the Free Magic being in the shape of a cat ,Mogget,then set out to travel and save Sam's friend, Nick, who has unconsciously gottten himself mised up in the mess happening near the Red Lake. The necromancer Hedge ,accompanied by Chlorr of the Mask and several thousand Dead Hands, are digging up the silver hemispheres which hold the Ninth Bright Shiner, Orannis, prisoner. Lirael and her companions must get across the Wall to Nick 's LIghting Farm in time to stop the joining of the hemispheres which could mean the end of all life. Sam and Lirael face many difficulties on their way to Edge and even into Ancelstierre. But their strength as Charter Mages helps them along the way, along with the Dog and Mogget.The true identities of the Dog and Mogget are revealed along with several other shocking revelations. This book is fast paced and action packed. I would reccomend this book to everyone. It even leaves a little room at the end for your imagination, or possibly another book.
Rating:
Summary: Read a lot, and the Old World series by Garth Nix is ZE BEST
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: 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!
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