Sabriel

Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Sabriel is my favorite book I have ever read. Garth Nix is a genius in writing this amazing book about a young girl named Sabriel. I cannot wait until the third book in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Sabriel: A Great Book!
Review: The book "Sabriel", written by Garth Nix, is an excellent book. It is filled with adventure and mystery. Although the beginning is a bit slow to begin with, you must not give up on it, because after the beginning, the book slowly gets more exciting. If you are a reader with a short attention span, I suggest you not read this book. This book requires all of your attention in order to understand it; otherwise, I guarantee you that you will be lost and have absolutely no idea what the story is about. This book has an exciting plot, has good description of characters, and has great style.
In addition to being a great book, the plot is also really good, but it is complicated. If you are a person that enjoys fantasy books, the Harry Potter books, or books by Phillip Pullman, you will probably like this book. It starts out introducing Sabriel's father, the Abhorsen. Everyone in the Old Kingdom and in Ancelstierre knows the Abhorsen, he or she is a necromancer (a person that raises the Dead), but the Abhorsen is not a "normal" necromancer. The Abhorsen, instead of raising the Dead, puts the Dead to rest. When one Abhorsen dies, the Abhorsen-in-waiting must take over. The Abhorsen is a very respectable figure in the towns and villages in the book. Anyway, the book starts out with Sabriel being born, but she was upposed to be dead. The Abhorsen pulls her spirit back to her body, so she can live and be the next Abhorsen when he dies. That's the prologue.
Then, 18 years after Sabriel is born, she graduates form her boarding school, Wyverly College. In those 18 years, the Abhorsen has taught her all about necromancy, so that she can prepare to be the next Abhorsen. Sabriel now knows a great deal of necromancy, (she's practically memorized the Book of the Dead), and is also good at Charter Magic. One night, when Sabriel is waiting for a visit from her father, (he only come twice a year, on Mid Summer and Mid Winter) she realizes that something must be wrong, because the Abhorsen does not come. So she sets off to find out what has happened to her father. Before she sets off on her journey, her father's spirit mysteriously comes to her and quickly shoves a sack into Sabriel's hands, then is immediately sucked into a nearby river. Inside the sack, there are 7 bells and the Abhorsen's sword. The 7 bells are necessary for a necromancer. They each have different purposes and they help the Abhorsen rest the Dead. The Abhorsen's sword is necessary as well, she can fight off any spirit that is weak and doesn't need any bells to deal with. Naturally, Sabriel wonders why her father handed this sack to her. That's the beginning of the first part of the plot. If you want to know what happens next, you'll just have to read the book yourself!
Another thing that I enjoyed about this book was the way the author described the characters. I think that is one of the greatest things about this book; the author gives very vivid descriptions on each and every one of the characters. He does it so well that you can practically picture the characters in your mind. For example, here are some of his descriptions..."The Abhorsen revealed his face that looked like he had taken paths far from sunlight, for his skin was a deathly white. His paper white face drew back from his equally white teeth. Sabriel was as deathly white as her father, with her night black hair, fashionably bobbed, hanging slightly over her face".... Isn't that described with great detail? That's one of the things that I really like about this book.
Not only does the book have an awesome plot and good character description, it also has excellent writing style. The author seems to combine both mystery and adventure into this book. A good combination, if you ask me. He writes it almost like a mystery book, but weaves action and adventure into it as well. This is another reason why you should definitely read this book.
In conclusion, a good plot, excellent character description, and nice writing style mainly make up this book. At first when I picked up this book it looked a little overwhelming to me, but once I got into the story, my opinion changed. I highly recommend that you read this book. If you do read this book and finish it, I suggest the sequel to it, "Lirael". It is just as exciting as "Sabriel". I hope that you will have fun reading "Sabriel", as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Breaking the Mold
Review: Sabriel is a very well written book with an intricate plot featuring a complex conflict. It's about a young necromancer (Sabriel) that has to visit a magical realm to defeat a mysterious evil force and save her father from death. Throughout her perilous journey of trying to discover a way to destroy Kerrigor (the villain), she acquired two fascinating companions. One is a powerful free magic spirit, trapped in the form of a cat, named Mogget. The other, a young man she saved from death, nicknamed. I loved how the author created the magical realm of the "Old Kingdom" with such realism and persuasiveness. The author's method of describing the atmosphere and characters was also very appealing. They were down-to-earth yet very adventurous and heroic. An amazing work of art that exceeds the mundane expectations of nowadays fictions. Garth Nix's Sabriel is truly a one of a kind fantasy novel with its mystical plot, intertwining conflict, and pragmatic setting.
Sabriel is a book gifted with the power to enable its readers to literally experience the treacherous, breathtaking quest. For example, when Sabriel uncovered Kerrigor's body, the atmosphere became tense and full of anticipation. I felt like I was there with Sabriel and the soldiers, looking down upon the charter spell inscribed coffin. Images of the shape, color, and design of the coffin and the scenery just flooded into my head. Another event that pulled me into the story was when Sabriel fought with a free magic spirit called Thralk. This evil monstrous creature feeds off of life and lives in corpses of the deceased. It was just as if I were standing there next to Sabriel, waiting in fear and nervousness for Thralk to appear. Sabriel's ability to bestow upon you the emotions of the characters/surrounding is unbelievable.
I was blown away by Sabriel's intertwining conflict and elaborate plot. The author mentions miniscule details in the beginning of the book, and somehow weaves it into the explanation/cause of the problem. This is quite impressive because it gives the story many unexpected twists and turns that made the plot both clever and suspenseful. For instance, Touchstone, the young man that Sabriel brought back from death after a two hundred year spell, didn't seem likely to be much of a determining factor in the story. But it turns out that Touchstone plays quite a vital role in the development of the plot and conflict (which you will find out why once you've read the book). Also, when Mogget gave Sabriel a free magic ring, no one suspected a thing. That is, until Mogget overcame the spell that bound him to his cat shape and became something deadly that threatened to kill Sabriel, and that's when the ring came into play (find out how and read the book). Now I realize how even the tiniest piece of information can affect the outcome of the whole story.
The magical realm of the "Old Kingdom" was a brilliant creation by Garth Nix. It was both enchanting and modern in a way. Nix's blended in magic to the every day life of the people of the "Old Kingdom" successfully without appearing artificial. Charter magic was a common thing for both people who were knowledgeable towards it and those who weren't. Unlike the secret world of wizards and witches in the Harry Potter series, where ordinary people were ignorant to the existence of magic. I prefer the more realistic setting of the "Old Kingdom" in comparison to the naïve and phony setting of a world where wizards and witches exist in concealment (afraid of being discovered by normal folks).
Sabriel by Garth Nix is a one of a kind fantasy novel, capable of satisfying anyone's thirst for romance mixed with adventure and heroism. This charming story is a cut above the rest with its enthralling plot/conflict and deep character descriptions. The way the author disguises key elements to be minor details in the beginning and then incorporate them into a bigger picture later is very witty. I'd recommend this to readers of any age group as long as they're into fiction fantasy stories. Sabriel keeps you on the edge of your seat with an elaborate plot, diverse conflict, and fascinating setting.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Stunning!!
Review: Sabriel is the brillant beginning of what now seems to be a trilogy of books set in the magical and frigtening world beyond the Wall. This book is perfect for reading late at night...a little creepy...but mixed together with action, romance, tons of adventure, and a little white cat with attitude. Sabriel is a darker fantasy...but definately worth reading...and to make it even better, the second book Lirael is just as good..I haven't read the third book yet...but I am definately looking forward to the outcome of this trilogy :)

Rating:
Summary: Young adult?
Review: My copy of the paperback doesn't aim this book at the young adult market explicitly (although the glowing reviews on the back from Philip Pullman and Lloyd Alexander could have given that away) and I must say that I didn't find it particularly young... I found it a dark and powerful book.

_Sabriel_ contains a startling original look at magic. The idea of a kind of necromancy controlled by bells is different from anything I've seen before and realized here in a unique way. Sabriel is caught in a world where nothing and noone is as they seem and where she has to fight alone to save her father. Definitely one of the new must-reads in fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: amazing and very well written
Review: Nix does a very good job with this book. It has all of the elements of a really good book: imagination, a touch of mystery, romance, comic relief and a lot of action.
The charactors are really well developed, and the information all makes sense. There is a ton of creativity in this book, and I think that it is good for students and all sorts of people to get veiws on foreign fantasy and sci-fi.
This is a good example of just that. Very good plot.

Rating:
Summary: BRAVO!!
Review: I have just finished the book yesterday n am already on chapter 3 in the next book LIREAL. SABRIEL is truly a great book. It didn't take me to long to finish it because I couldn't put it down. Even when your not reading it your thinking about it. When you read it it's as if your in another world. I definatley recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books with adventure, action, and suspense with a little bit of romance mixed in with all of them.

Rating:
Summary: This book is wondeful
Review: This book is seriously one of the best books I have ever read. It combines the right amount of adventure and romance to keep you hooked all the way through. I can't wait until Garh Nix publishes the rest of the series. BE WARNED: take your time reading this book and Lireal because the next one doesn't come out until Feb.

Rating:
Summary: Sabriel
Review: A really good book; exciting and makes you want to know what's going to happen. Recommended!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Non-Epic
Review: Fantasy, as a genre, is longer the most: multi volume epics filled with cataclysmic events spanning years.

And then, there's Sabriel. Size: one volume. Page count: just under 500 pages. I polished this off in a couple days.
But what a couple of days.

I like long things. If a book doesn't drag, then I don't care how long it lasts. Hell, I read all 1,400 pages of Les Miserables, unabridged, (took like six months) and it is quite a book. But that doesn't mean I dislike short books. Sabriel is a good read: a universe with simple rules that you are always on the verge of understanding, with inference instead of exposition. The opening is well written: it follows the tried-and-true method where you are given useful information that pertains to the plot, sucks you into the story, and allows the main part of the story to begin calmly all the same. The Fellowship of the Ring, film version, begins similarly.

The universe itself is impressive, avoiding the traditional swords, wizards, fireballs, and demons. The undead are familiar to any fantasy reader, but not these undead. Necromantic magic uses literal bells and whistles; death is a river leading from life to the beyond. Pure magic has its own set of rules, rules that are never explained so much as danced around. And modern technology exists, adding instead of taking away from the power of magic.

So, if you're looking for a quick read, without the length of the Lord of the Rings, much less the Wheel of Time or Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, then here's a treat for you: compact, but stirring for the time it lasts. One thing keeps you from begging for more: there's no need to say more.