Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: This book is truly remarkable in the complex world it creates. The reality is confusing at first, but Garth Nix has a skill like no other author I have read besides Frank Herbert in his Dune series, to explain an intricate concept without just sitting down and telling the reader straight out. Captivating for any age this book went right around my school (ages 10 to 15) and then circulated among a few of the parents. Several younger kids enjoyed the thrill of having this book read to them as well.
An inspiring fantasy book that never grows old.
-Herm
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't like it...period.
Review: When I saw so many people here raving about this book, I thought I'd give it a try. I read to page 120 and I haven't picked it up again. I found it to be extremely confusing and kinda boring at that. I dunno, I just didn't get into the plot and I felt so distance from Sabriel; where I usually find a connection, feel sympathy, or respect towards a character. I really did try to read it, waiting to see if the plot would finally entice me, yet it never did. I got so frustrated and annoyed I just couldn't even bear to finish it. I love fantasy novels and everybody seems to think Sabriel is great but I guess it just wasn't for me.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasies of the last decade!
Review: High and complex fantasy at its very best, "Sabriel" has an original and fascinating heroine, a unique world that places a medieval land beside a version of George V's England, and reams of magic and action. Unlike the many fantasy novels that try to copy Lord of the Rings by piling on enormous amounts of complex information and plot strands, Sabriel maintains a simple narrative thrust that drives the story at a fast pace. It will fascinate both the young adult audience at which it is aimed, and also older fantasy fans. Garth Nix's world is accessible to the teenage reader, and dazzlingly inventive to entrance the older reader. The heroine, Sabriel, is a sorceress in training at Waverly College, an all-girl's school in the land of Alcestierre, a country that resembles World War I-era Britain. Across a great wall near the school lays the magical Old Kingdom, where Sabriel's father, the Abhorsen, works as a necromancer, using magic to keep the dead from crossing into the world of the living. Sabriel discovers that her father has become trapped in the world of the dead and she must cross the wall and enter the Old Kingdom to find him and rescue him. She is joined in her quest by a free magical creature trapped in a cat's body, Mogget, and an immature boy named Touchstone. Opposing them is a fearsome greater dead creature, Kerrigor, who desires Sabriel's death for his own fiendish purposes. The protagonist is the book's strongest feature. Sabriel resists the female action-hero stereotype of women who simply act like muscle-bound males. She is intensely feminine and emotional, a teenager at heart but an adult in mind, and shouldering a heavy burden of responsibility that gives her a somber attitude. Almost any teenager will understand Sabriel's problems, for they are only slightly removed from their own: obedience to parents, the conflict of awakening maturity, and finding a place in the adult world. Sabriel also casts an air of mystery-she's an image of the beautiful unattainable, and can hold her own in a sword fight. Sabriel's romantic foil Touchstone is also a departure from fantasy norms. He is no swashbuckling he-man or equal to his female counterpart, but is something of a child. We can understand why these two begin to fall in love but at the same time cannot let it fully flower. The roster of supporting characters is short, and Mogget is the most interesting. The cat creature's cynical attitude contrasts with Sabriel's inexperience and creates tension that carries much of the story. Abhorsen serves as an Obi-Wan Kenobi figure, and Kerrigor is a delightfully hideous and disgusting villain. The action and spectacle of "Sabriel" are almost non-stop. Adventure constantly brews, suspense and danger always mount. There are a number of terrific action-set pieces, and the finale sounds like an outrageous combination of different elements (WWI soldiers, an army of the dead, an all-girl's school) but is one of the most exciting conclusions I've ever read.(...)
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written fantasy
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend after she had raved about it, and within a few pages, I was sucked in. The fantasy was extremely well-written, with a curious ease that makes the whole Charter world seem real. The characters are easily admired and captivated me from the start. Sabriel wins my award for best High Fantasy novel of the year. It's worth spending $8 on, for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Of All Time
Review: Sabriel is truely one of the greatest fantasy epics of all time. Written in third person, Sabriel tells the story of a yong woman named Sabriel who is blessed with the powers of charter magic and necromancy. Born in the Old Kingdom, a land of magic and mystery much like Europe in the middle ages, and forced in to the post 1920's country of Ancelstierre, she leads an unusual life living at a small school not far from a powerful barrier the separates the two worlds. Soon after discovering that her father, the Abhorsen, has either been captured or killed, Sabriel leaves her home in Ancelstierre and sets out on a quest to rescue him in her homeland. Unknown to her, dark powers controlled by a new found menace named Kerrigor threaten to destroy not only the Old Kingdom, but all of Ancelstierre as well. Now Sabriel is caught in a war of unimaginable powers,and the only things that can stop it are the majestic bells that she wears around her neck. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone over twelve years of age who enjoys an excellent detail saturated heart stopping page turner.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest bits of fantasy I've ever read...
Review: I don't normally read too much fantasy/sci-fi books unless I'm familiar with a series or author. When I got Sabriel, though, I knew right away that it was one of those few sci-fi's that can actually keep me interested the whole way. The plot is very intriguing, and the characters can be both serious and hillarious at the same time. Somehow, Garth Nix has managed to create a magical, yet realistic world filled with suspence, romance, and action. It was this book that inspired me to become a fan of Nix, making him one of my favorite writers of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: "Do Not Tarry, Do Not Linger, Do Not Stop..."
Review: "Sabriel" is one of the best fantasy books out there, full stop. Although not up to the deep literary analysis of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" or Pullman's "His Dark Materials", it is a realistic, fantastical, intriguing and thought-provoking novel that's right up there with the best of them. Garth Nix creates a dark, almost Gothic world that echoes with age and believability that is intoxicating to explore: the magically-imbued Old Kingdom that lies across the Wall from the more scientific-orientated Ancelstierre, which has the mechanics and technology of a post-Victorian Britian (by my estimation anyway). It is within these two totally different, but connected worlds that our protagonist Sabriel lives. Sabriel is an eighteen year old girl about to finish her education at Wyverley College in Ancelstierre, though her true home is across the Wall in the Old Kingdom, that she has not travelled to since she was a child. More interestingly though, she is the daughter of the Abhorsen - a necromancer that does not raise or disturb the dead like his evil counterparts, but lays them to rest and speeds them on their way to Death. But now he has gone missing, and after recieving his last gift to her (the necromancer's tools: a spelled sword and a bandolier of seven bells) Sabriel sets out into her homeland that she hardly knows in order to find him, and go up against the ancient evil that is steadily snaking over the land... On her quest she comes up against a number of obstacles, both terrifying and fascinating, (but thankfully all serve a purpose and are not just there for their own sakes) and landscapes that are described so vividly they can be seen with perfect clarity in the mind's eye. From her father's house on an island at the brink of a waterfall where she joins up with a mighty power in the shape of a tiny white cat, to an underground harbour of buriel ships where a wooden figure-head is returned to life, Sabriel's journey is filled with amazing and original occurances. Garth Nix somehow creates this world with perfect clarity, and his writing style is insightful, descriptive and clear - in other words its wonderful to read. Out of all his imaginative creations two stand out: that of his nature of Death as a Hades Styx-like river that flows throughout Nine Gates that can be traversed by both the living and the dead that refuse to properly die, and the bells of the necromancer - each has a name, a title, a purpose and different note: a perfect example of the depth and beauty of the world he's created. A further delight is the character of Mogget - the white cat that accompanies Sabriel, but is in many ways more of a hinderance (not to mention a danger) than a help. If cats could speak in real life, they would sound like Mogget - and the idea concerning the ring and his collar is inspired! Sabriel is the latest in a steadily growing line of strong female protagonists. For centuries there were the standard damsels in distress. Then with the wave of feminism came the stronger but still rather insipid "I'm spunky and spirited...but I *still* need to be rescued from captivity" female figure. But now come the women that have long been dormant - beginning with Tamora Pierce's heroines and Phillip Pullman's Lyra, Sabriel follows in their tradition of being intelligent, resourceful, brave, compassionate and in charge of her situation. It can't be just a coincidence that most of the people she rescues in her travels are male! Though I would love to give "Sabriel" five stars, I have to take a point off for the instigation of two of the most cliched and over-used fantasy plot developments of all time - that of the "misplaced royal heir" and the "true love" senario. When Sabriel rescues Touchstone he claims himself to be one of the guards of the royal family of the Old Kingdom. Don't think I'm spoiling anything for you when I say he *isn't*, as his "secret identity" is almost painfully obvious. Likewise, the romance between him and Sabriel is sudden to say the least, with them both awkwardly confessing their feelings near the end of the book. Nix could have gotten away with using one of these plot lines, but both together?...No. Despite this however, "Sabriel" is intoxicating reading, and very difficult to put down. Combining the genre of fantasy with touches of horror and Old World technology, Nix's "Old Kingdom" trilogy must be brought, not borrowed! Look out for a sequel that gets even better than this - "Lirael", followed with the third installment "Abhorsen."
Rating:
Summary: a book no person can put down
Review: I first read Sabriel in 8th grade and absolutely loved it. Since then I've had to buy two more copies because mine fell apart from reading them so often. Now that I'm a senior in H.S. I still read the trilogy over and over again. Nix ensares his readers with fantasy that reads like realism. His descriptive style compels us to want to know what happens next though we've read it a dozen times plus a few. The magic in this book, and the imagination, as well as the danger and fear make this book seem like gold. Beautiful, valuable, and rare. It's a book that every person should add to his/her collection, young or old.
Rating:
Summary: Sabriel
Review: This book, the first of the series, is a VERY well written book. Garth Nix carefully weaves magic and reality to gether so cunningly that it's almost a reality into it's self! Garth Nix is a great author and full of tricks and twists its most definately a good read!
Rating:
Summary: REALLY good, but kinda confusing
Review: I really loved this book, and think that sabriel and touchstone are both really strong charecters, but this book's only downfall is the lack of explaination. i read at a high high school level, and found it confusing. Nix doesn't explain what the magical elements of the book are, like free magic. i spent half the book thinking 'what the heck is free magic?' but over all, it's a really good book, and i loved it all.
|
