Book Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix
Sep. 23rd, 2008 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy/The Old Kingdom, Book One)
Author: Garth Nix
Published: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 292
Total Page Count: 67,108
Text Number: 193
Read For: personal enjoyment, checked out from the library
Short review: In a world where the Dead haunt the Old Kingdom and threaten its unprotected residents, Sabriel must leave the safety of her boarding school to take up her father's mantle as Abhorsen, a magic-schooled necromancer with the ability to journey to the land of death and set the world back to rights. Sabriel is distinctly high fantasy, which may require some adjustment, but the setting is imaginative and original for the genre. In this first novel, Nix's story telling is cumbersome and amateur, but the solid plot, unique setting, and strong female protagonist make up for it. This is an imperfect but engaging, vividly realized book, and I recommend it.
Presumably because this was his first novel (I've yet to read any of his others), Nix's narrative voice in Sabriel is mediocre—not outright bad, but cumbersome and amateur. It's chock full of awkward adverbs, uses a relatively small vocabulary (sometimes repeating words or phrases in consecutive sentences), and is altogether unexceptional. It feels like a first draft: all of the pieces are present, but the storytelling which ties them together is simply artless. As a result, the book begins slowly and feels like something of a disappointment before the plot gets going.
Thankfully, when the plot does get going, the book comes into itself—and it is a strong, original story. From the safety of school to the Old Kingdom across the Wall, journeying from her father's home to the ruin of a great city, Sabriel is a questing story of epic scope. The quest is feels realistically long and dangerous (but never drags), and the premise, challenges, and climax come together in a strong and intriguing plot. Sabriel and her companions draw the novel's epic quest back to a human level, and Sabriel in particular is a lovely character—strong, gifted, but not without fault, she is an inspiring and interesting character. Rising above all the rest is the setting: I don't often read high fantasy, but Sabriel reimagines the genre, doing away with common elements and reinventing magic as a complex, creative science which has been tainted by the encroaching presence of death. At once magical escapism and dark dystopia, the setting is intriguing and it sets this book apart: it is higher than the average young adult (urban) fantasy novel and more unique than the average high fantasy novel.
Because of the writing style, I was initially disappointed by Sabriel; I still have my reservations about the novel, and I wish it were more polished and mature. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I pushed through my initial disappointment, and I found Sabriel engaging and enjoyable. I will probably go on to read more of Garth's novels and this series, because the setting in particular captured my imagination. I recommend it, in particular to fantasy readers, who may love this change of pace, and to young women, who may find inspiration and companionship in the character of Sabriel.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
This is the 65th book which I've reviewed this year, which is the highest number of books that I've ever reviewed in a year. I originally began keeping track of book counts with the goal of reading 50 books a year; I read far more than that, of course, and don't review every book that I read, but I'm still proud to have produced so many book reviews in one year—and something tells me I'm not done by far. I'm also getting (slowly!) better about writing more concise reviews, and writing them faster—which, makes them easier to write and, I hope, more useful.
Author: Garth Nix
Published: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 292
Total Page Count: 67,108
Text Number: 193
Read For: personal enjoyment, checked out from the library
Short review: In a world where the Dead haunt the Old Kingdom and threaten its unprotected residents, Sabriel must leave the safety of her boarding school to take up her father's mantle as Abhorsen, a magic-schooled necromancer with the ability to journey to the land of death and set the world back to rights. Sabriel is distinctly high fantasy, which may require some adjustment, but the setting is imaginative and original for the genre. In this first novel, Nix's story telling is cumbersome and amateur, but the solid plot, unique setting, and strong female protagonist make up for it. This is an imperfect but engaging, vividly realized book, and I recommend it.
Presumably because this was his first novel (I've yet to read any of his others), Nix's narrative voice in Sabriel is mediocre—not outright bad, but cumbersome and amateur. It's chock full of awkward adverbs, uses a relatively small vocabulary (sometimes repeating words or phrases in consecutive sentences), and is altogether unexceptional. It feels like a first draft: all of the pieces are present, but the storytelling which ties them together is simply artless. As a result, the book begins slowly and feels like something of a disappointment before the plot gets going.
Thankfully, when the plot does get going, the book comes into itself—and it is a strong, original story. From the safety of school to the Old Kingdom across the Wall, journeying from her father's home to the ruin of a great city, Sabriel is a questing story of epic scope. The quest is feels realistically long and dangerous (but never drags), and the premise, challenges, and climax come together in a strong and intriguing plot. Sabriel and her companions draw the novel's epic quest back to a human level, and Sabriel in particular is a lovely character—strong, gifted, but not without fault, she is an inspiring and interesting character. Rising above all the rest is the setting: I don't often read high fantasy, but Sabriel reimagines the genre, doing away with common elements and reinventing magic as a complex, creative science which has been tainted by the encroaching presence of death. At once magical escapism and dark dystopia, the setting is intriguing and it sets this book apart: it is higher than the average young adult (urban) fantasy novel and more unique than the average high fantasy novel.
Because of the writing style, I was initially disappointed by Sabriel; I still have my reservations about the novel, and I wish it were more polished and mature. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I pushed through my initial disappointment, and I found Sabriel engaging and enjoyable. I will probably go on to read more of Garth's novels and this series, because the setting in particular captured my imagination. I recommend it, in particular to fantasy readers, who may love this change of pace, and to young women, who may find inspiration and companionship in the character of Sabriel.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
This is the 65th book which I've reviewed this year, which is the highest number of books that I've ever reviewed in a year. I originally began keeping track of book counts with the goal of reading 50 books a year; I read far more than that, of course, and don't review every book that I read, but I'm still proud to have produced so many book reviews in one year—and something tells me I'm not done by far. I'm also getting (slowly!) better about writing more concise reviews, and writing them faster—which, makes them easier to write and, I hope, more useful.
