Lirael

Who is Lirael?

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, ignorant of her father's identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large extended family living in the Clayr's Glacier. She doesn't even have the Sight -- the ability to See into the present and possible futures -- that is the very birthright of the Clayr.

Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil -- one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clay; and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny.

In this sequel to the critically acclaimed Sabriel, Garth Nix draws readers deeper into the magical landscape of the Old Kingdom and weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.
show more

"Riveting." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Superb characterization. -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

-- Publishers Weekly

"The action charges along at a gallop--a page turner for sure." -- ALA Booklist (starred review)

Praise for SABRIEL: "Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, excellent high fantasy." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Nix has created an ingenious, icy world. The action charges along at a gallop. A page-turner for sure." -- ALA Booklist (starred review)

Sabriel is an engaging tale that slays sexual stereotypes along with its monsters." -- San Francisco Chronicle

Sabriel is a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism. Here is a world with the same solidity and four dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity, and intelligence. I congratulate Garth Nix. And I look forward to reading his next piece of work." -- Philip Pullman

"A wonderful new fantasy filled with rich and complex imagery." -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"Nix's monsters are scary and repulsive, his sense of humor is downright sneaky, and he puts his heroine through engrossing physical and emotional wringers. This book is guaranteed to keep readers up way past their bedtimes." -- School Library Journal

"A compelling fantasy. The story is remarkable for the level of originality and leaves readers to explore for themselves." -- Horn Book Magazine

Praise for ABHORSEN: "Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"More than three hundred pages of breathless chases, near escapes, and intense confrontations. Nix's intricately imagined fantasy world is peopled by complex players worthy of both their dramatic backdrops and their moral dilemmas." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
show more

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth's books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen; Clariel, a prequel in the Abhorsen series; the cult favorite teen science fiction novel Shade's Children; and his critically acclaimed collection of short stories, To Hold the Bridge. His fantasy novels for younger readers include The Ragwitch, the six books of the Seventh Tower sequence, the Keys to the Kingdom series, and A Confusion of Princes. His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the Guardian, and the Australian, and his work has been translated in forty languages. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.
show more