Abhorsen (Old Kingdom, #3)

by Garth Nix

The long-buried secrets of the Old Kingdom and the Ninth Gate are revealed in the sequel to Sabriel and Lirael.

Orannis, the Destroyer, has been freed from its subterranean prison and now seeks to unleash its terrible powers. Only Lirael, Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping this enemy of all Life. As she and her companions – Sameth, the Disreputable Dog and Mogget – set out on their fated journey, Lirael has no idea of what lies ahead.
Only days earlier, Lirael was merely a Second Assistant Librarian. Now, with only a vision from the Clayr to guide her and without the experience of Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone, she must search both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer. Before it is too late…

• ISBN13: 9780007137350
• Publish Date: 3 January 2005 (first published 7 January 2003)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 21 February 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[smartflutist661]

We finally learn more about the Beginning and the formation of the Charter. Mogget and Dog shine. We see the entirety of Death-the-boundary. And there’s a climactic final battle with noble deeds, decision, and sacrifice. I’m not sure what more you could ask.

[ladygrey]

I think I liked this better than [b:Lirael|47624|Lirael Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen, #2)|Garth Nix|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266458951s/47624.jpg|2067752] because the action finally started to come together and people came into themselves and their powers so it was more interesting.
Ideally, I think I'd like for them to have been published as a single book since they really are so much of a single story. Even if that would be a very long book.

At first, I really disliked how the book opened, but I'd absolved him of it by the end. A little bit I felt like it ended too abruptly. Mostly just because I wanted to know more; how things came together in the aftermath and who people were or became and, I just wanted more.

The Dead were really disturbing but I loved that he didn't go into excessive detail so it could be dark without being grim or really awful to read.

Overall, there were a lot of things I liked, and I liked the characters more thoroughly than in [b:Lirael|47624|Lirael Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen, #2)|Garth Nix|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266458951s/47624.jpg|2067752]. [a:Garth Nix|8347|Garth Nix|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg]'s greatest strength is really the world he's built which is fascinating and powerful and I'd totally read more about adventures within it.