BONNIER Sabriel: The Old Kingdom 2

Sabriel is classic fantasy book hands down! Garth Nix is a genius. On of my top fantasy books ever. Deserves way more attention then some overrated homophobic books.

This was my first fantasy novel that a friend introduced me to and now I'm hooked. Great book if you want to escape life for a moment and read about magic and other things. I'm greatful to be able to now say I own the series. :D

I had always just borrowed this book from the library, but for my third read-through, I decided it must be MINE. Description was accurate and shipped quickly.

I read it when I was young and loved it. And while I have yet to read it again, I knew I had to add it back into my collection for my future use.

I adore Sabriel. I discovered the Abhorsen trilogy at the age of around ten and was instantly captivated by the innovative storyline and the compelling and mysterious Abhorsen introduced in the prologue. Never have I read a fantasy series as creative or original as this one - more than 8 years have passed since I first read Sabriel, and the magic and thrill of the novel has not faded in the slightest! Every reread brings new insights to the characters and plot that I had never noticed before, such is the intricacy and cleverness of Nix's writing style.I think that more than anything it is the richness of the storytelling in Sabriel that so enthralled me (and continues to do so now!) - a fantasy novel in which the settings, creatures and characters jump out of the page at you in their realness is definitely a rare find and one to treasure. I still have the occasional mild nightmare about various Dead creatures (especially the Mordicant Sabriel encounters) after reading Sabriel late at night! This book, despite being set a considerable time in the past, is also unquestionably timeless - even if the characters live in an epoque of austere boarding schools and gas lamps where cars are a novelty, the actions and emotions of the characters (particularly the romance element - no spoilers!) are as fresh and true-to-life as they could possibly be.I could happily rave on about this book and its sequels for days, but to put it concisely Sabriel is the best fantasy novel I have ever read - and I am in little doubt that it and the others in the trilogy are the best books I will EVER read. It has that clichéd 'bit of everything' people demand - action, adventure, horror, romance, mystery... The key point, however, is Garth Nix's uncontestable ability to make everything seem so thrillingly REAL - in reading Sabriel, I too felt my limbs numb with cold after a snowy voyage into the Old Kingdom; I too felt the sheer terror at being face-to-face with the fiery eyes of the Greater Dead, regret for the burnt Paperwing, and annoyance at Mogget's insouciance. And throughout the entirety of the last two chapters, I could have sworn my heart nearly stopped.Congratulations, Garth Nix, on creating a masterpiece that will undeniably stand the test of time (and much more besides - if you can create a heroine with the ability to destroy the greatest enemy humankind has ever faced, what can you NOT do?)