Abhorsen

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: "Sabriel" and "Lirael" are my two favorite books of all time. Now, "Abhorsen" joins them right at the top. Abhorsen continues the story written in Lirael, following Sam and Lirael, the new Abhorsen-in-Waiting, on adventures throughout the Old Kingdom and Anclessteire. This is no adventure though. They are on a mission to stop a most powerful being from being unleashed upon the world. The return of many chracters are brought here, including Sabriel, Touchstone, Ellimere, The Clayr, the hideously funny Disreputable Dog and Mogget, among others. I applaud Garth Nix on this excellent piece of work. It ties the series together nicely, but we would all still be very gracious for another one. Scratch that- we NEED another one!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Read !
Review: "Abhorsen" is a fitting end to the wonderful Sabriel series, it embarks on a journey from the Old Kingdom to Ancelstirre to the Ninth Gate.

While "Abhorsen" is quite wonderful story, at its conclustion, I found myself longing for more, because Garth Nix's storytelling is mesmerizing...

Rating:
Summary: The final book in one of the best fantasy trilogy in years
Review: Lireal was once a second assistant librarian and the daughter of the clayr but she isn't anymore. She has found out that she is destined to be the Abhorsen, a necromancer who serves the charter in keeping the dead away from life, in a most inconvenient time. An evil necromancer named Hedge, with the help of another necromancer named Chlorr who ha been dead for years, has been working hard on bringing back an evil of epic proportions and it looks like he might suceed. And because Lireal is the only possible Abhorsen in the Old Kingdom, it's up to her to stop him from raising this evil. But she isn't alone. She is working with Prince Sameth of the Old Kingdom, a wallmaker; Mogget, a servant to the Abhorsen in cat shape who's history is much more dark than anyone would expect; and the Disreputable Dog, her dear friend. But even they cannot stop Hedge alone for Hedge is working with Nick, a friend of Sam's who is unknowingly assisting a great evil in more ways than one.

I loved this book. I was in a state of shock after reading it because it was this book. The character development is superb. Lireal continues to grow from the scared 14 year old we saw in Lireal and Sam finally accepts his responsibility as a Prince and a wallmaker. You finally find out all of the secrets that Garth Nix has been hinting about for the past two book. All the questions are answered including, how is Dog connected to the seven and, most importantly, who really is Mogget? This is truly an astounding book. It has a sort of epic feel to it that the last two book lasts. The "big bad" has an aura around it that reminds me much of Sauron from Lord of the Rings or from Philip Phullman's big bad from His Dark Materials.

Even though this is the final book in the trilogy I truly hope that Garth Nix decides on visiting the worlds of the Old Kingdom, even if it doesn't involve the characters in this book. Garth Nix has created what many fantasy authors often strive to do but fail, an original, believable world.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a worthy sequel to Sabriel and Lirael!
Review: "I'll sing you a song of the long ago -
Seven shine the shiners, oh!
What did the Seven do way back when?
Why, they wove the Charter then!
Five for the warp, from beginning to end.
Two for the woof, to make and mend.
That's the seven, but what of the Nine -
What of the two who chose not to shine?
The Eighth did hide, hide all away,
But the Seven caught him and made him pay.
The Ninth was strong and fought with might,
But lone Orannis was put out of the light,
Broken in two and buried under hill,
Forever to lie there, wishing us ill."

So ends Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr, providing a rare bit of insight into the making of the Charter, and setting the stage for Abhorsen. As the third part of the story unfolds, the King Touchstone and his Abhorsen Queen Sabriel, of the Old Kingdom, are in Ancelstierre. They are frantically attempting to keep the Ancelstierrans from sending hundreds of thousands of Southerlings (fleeing from civil war in their own country) across the border into the Old Kingdom, where they could fall prey to who knows what Greater Dead Adept or Free Magic necromancer. Their daughter Ellimere, heir to the throne, is at home in Belisaere, acting as regent and trying to keep her country in order while her parents do their part for the same cause. And, their son Sameth, has recently discovered that he is not the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, but that his aunt Lirael, daughter of the former Abhorsen and a woman of the Clayr, is. He and his newly-discovered aunt are hiding in the Abhorsen's house while the Dead beset them on all sides. And, to top it all off, Nicholas Sayre, childhood friend of Sameth's from Ancelstierre, is unwittingly digging up the one thing that could destroy the world: Orannis, the Ninth. Together, Sam and Lirael must rescue Nick and avoid the evil clutches of Hedge the necromancer and his flunkie Chlorr of the Mask, all while trying to keep the two halves of Orannis separate so that the Destroyer will not ride again. It's a pitched battle for the fate of the world, and once again, Garth Nix does not disappoint in his storytelling.

Rating:
Summary: Why did it end!
Review: I was floored by Nix's mastery of story-telling. I was hooked through "Sabriel" and "Lirael" and the wait for "Abhorsen" was physically painful! I'm just in shock. These characters are alive and real. Lirael is so Strong and is a great role model for young girls. Girsl should love this and guys should too! I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that there's MUCH more to come.

Rating:
Summary: A worthy sequel to Sabriel and Lirael
Review: This book is everybit as good as SABRIEL and even better than LIRAEL. Almost everything that you learn in the first two books comes into play in this book, so if you are new to the series, I'd recommend that you start at the beginning with SABRIEL.
The story begins with a nearly successful assassination attempt on Sabriel and Touchstone (whose real name you learn later on in the story). This event sets the pace for the rest of the book: fast paced and incredibly intense.
You learn more about the characters throughout the story. The relationship (if you can call it that) between Dog and Mogget is extremely interesting, and you find out about their past histories. I had already guessed what Mogget was in the beginning, but Dog's past came as a suprise to me.
For the most part Nix has tied up all the loose ends, but he leaves room for another sequel. I sort of hope he doesn't write it though. I've seen series drag out for too long and I wouldn't want that to happen to this series.

Rating:
Summary: A fitting conclusion
Review: Abhorsen is the long-awaited conclusion to the trilogy that began with Sabriel and Lirael. While Sabriel was a stand-alone novel, Lirael and Abhorsen are clearly two parts of one large book. In Abhorsen, Nix continues his gripping plot, unique world, and intriguing characters. Though few new characters are introduced in Abhorsen, the main characters from Lirael continue to grow and mature and keep the reader's interest. I highly recommend this trilogy to both children and adults. I had this book on reserve before it was available and I was not disappointed. I reread the first two books with enthusiasm and then thoroughly enjoyed the series' fitting conclusion.

Rating:
Summary: cant wait to buy it and finish it
Review: i absolutely love sabriel and lirael, so i'm sure that i (and all readers) will like abhorsen just as much. i've already read the first six chapters of it online (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~garthnix/) and they are fabulous!! nix did't post the prologue on his site because it supposedly has a huge spoiler in it...i cant wait to read it!! even just in the first six chapters, the characters have become more developed and the plot is getting more complicated and intense, as readers of sabriel and lirael will know it was bound to. i'm planning on buying abhorsen as soon as possible and i recommend for others to do the same!!

Rating:
Summary: A stunning conclusion
Review: Abhorsen starts out with a bang (literally) and only gets better as the story progresses. This book is truly a worthy successor to Sabriel and Lirael.

As readers of Lirael will remember, Nicholas Sayre and Hedge the necromancer are digging for the two silver spheres that bind Orannis, the Destroyer. Releasing Orannis will mean, effectively, the end of the world. So, all Lirael, Prince Sameth, and company must do is stop them.

Of course, that couldn't be any harder, for they face legions of Dead, Chlorr of the Mask, Hedge, and Orannis himself, who was once the strongest of the Nine Bright Shiners.

This volume also finally reveals the true natures of Mogget and the Disreputable Dog, and the gifts of Lirael and Sameth.

The whole book is tremendously exciting, building up to a climactic battle that is one of the best I have ever read, reminiscent of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields from The Lord of the Rings.

Abhorsen is simply an awesome fantasy book. It is one of the few I deem worthy to be kept on the same shelf as The Lord of the Rings. I highly recommend it to all readers who have read the previous volumes.

Rating:
Summary: ignore the editorial reviews and just read
Review: The first thing you should know about this book is that it doesn't stand alone. It and the previous novel of this series, Lirael, together form one complete story arc, and the exposition at the beginning of this third volume will seem gratuitous to those who have read Lirael and will only confuse everyone else. Sabriel and Lirael are both deeply enjoyable reads, though, so getting caught up shouldn't be too unpleasant. Once past a slightly bumpy introduction, however, this book is easily recognizable for what it is -- a satisfying conclusion to one of the best recent fantasy series. Almost too much happens (the book is nonstop action from start to finish), all the old favorite characters return, and Nix manages the enviable trick of explaining away much of the magical underpinnings of his created world without ruining the carefully cultivated sense of mystery. In the end, this book is not as atmospheric as Sabriel or intricate as Lirael, but it shares their weight and their occasional flashes of wry humor. Smart kids will enjoy these books, but so will anybody else with a brain and even a mild taste for well-crafted fantasy. This book (and the rest of the series) are especially recommended to fans of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart books -- like Pullman, Nix writes female characters of unusual depth and strength.