Abhorsen

Description

In the final book in the Old Kingdom trilogy, master of fantasy and globally bestselling author Garth Nix returns to the fantastic world of Sabriel for an unforgettable conclusion. “Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable.” *After centuries in captivity, the Destroyer is nearly free.Beneath the earth, a malignant force lies waiting, greedy for freedom from its ancient prison. As the Old Kingdom falls once more into a realm of darkness and terror, the people look desperately to the Abhorsen, the scourge of the Dead, to save them. Yet Abhorsen Sabriel is lost, missing in Ancelstierre.

Only Lirael has any chance of stopping the Destroyer. With her companions Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog, she travels across the Old Kingdom in a race against time, battling Shadow Hands and dark necromancers to reach Ancelstierre before it is too late. But what hope can one young woman have against a terrible evil with the power to destroy life itself?

This eagerly awaited conclusion to Garth Nix’s extraordinary trilogy of Old Kingdom books is a complex and vividly imagined story, powerful, terrifying and compelling.
“Terror, courage, bitterness, love, desperation, and sacrifice all swirl together in an apocalyptic climax that pits both Life and Death together against the destruction of everything.”  —Kirkus*

Orannis the Destroyer has been freedAnd only Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping it. She and her companions — Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget — have to take that chance. If Orannis’s unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With the help of her companions and a vision from the Clayr to guide her, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer — before it is too late. . . .

“Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable.” <strong “At once an allegory regarding war and peace and a testament to friendship, this is thought-provoking fantasy.” <strong “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.” Praise for SABRIEL: “Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, excellent high fantasy.” “Nix has created an ingenious, icy world. The action charges along at a gallop. A page-turner for sure.” “By turns rousing, charming and slyly funny, Sabriel is an engaging tale that slays sexual stereotypes along with its monsters.” <strong “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.” “A wonderful new fantasy filled with rich and complex imagery.” “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.” “A compelling fantasy. The story is remarkable for the level of originality and leaves readers to explore for themselves.” Praise for LIRAEL: “Riveting.” “Superb characterization.” <strong “Startling subplots abound and keep the pages turning.” “The action charges along at a gallop–a page turner for sure.”

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