Plot Summary: The series takes place in a fictional land called Ancelstierre which is similar to 20th century England, except it has magic. This land is bordered by the Old Kingdom, which is steeped in magic and old ways, where creatures from the dead can come back to life to haunt the living. Standing between these creatures and the living world is the Abhorsen who is tasked with putting the dead to rest, and maintaining the balance of Free Magic and the controlled Charter Magic. Our heroine, Sabriel, is the daughter of the current Abhorsen who must assume the role when her father is trapped in the world of the dead. The novel follows Sabriel as she struggles to find her father, take over the role of Abhorsen and right the balance of power between living and dead.
Critical Evaluation: Sabriel is breathtaking, start to finish. Nix creates two wonderful worlds of fantasy, both the somewhat conservative world of Ancelstierre and the scary and fantastic world of the Old Kingdom. In Sabriel he creates a memorable heroine, in the vein of strong female protaganists created by fantasy greats Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce, who is worthy of our adulation. He gives Sabriel enough vulnerability and fear that we're rooting for her, and at many times, scared for her, while showing her to have enough grit and strength to put us at ease. The descriptions of the magical creatures and the history of the Abhorsen and Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom draw in even the most reluctant reader. While the back story of the world's the story takes place in are lengthy and involved, the story that follows rewards the readers patience and the end result is a masterpiece.
Reader's Annotation: Sabriel has learned a lot about death and what it means to walk in the world of the dead. But now her father is in trouble and it's up to her to take on the role of abhorsen, at least temporarily, can she remember all she's learned and survive?
About the Author: Garth Nix was born in Australia in 1963. He attended University of Canberra and received his BA in professional writing in 1986. After working in publishing and game theory and design, Nix began writing children and young adult titles and has been a full time writer since 2001.
He writes fantasy and science fiction and has published numerous novels and even created an online role playing science fiction game. He lives outside of Sydney, Australia with his wife and two children and is a well respected member of the YA children's literature genres
Information retreived from http://www.garthnix.com/
Genre: Fantasy
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas: Create an alternate world like the old kingdom - what kind of people would it have?
Reading Level: 12+
Interest Age: 14+
Challenge Issues: Magic
Challenge Response: I would stand on the shoulders of giants and use the extensive defenses of other fantasy titles dealing with magic that exist while citing the high literary quality of this title.
Why is This Included: Breathtaking fantasy novel that will excite teen readers.
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