Abhorsen by Garth Nix

[meganbmoore]

I found Sameth much less annoying here than I did in Lirael, but then, he didn’t have time to whine. I still would have rather been reading about Lirael and Ellimere.

I didn’t like this as much as I did Lirael, mostly because it didn’t have the Library, and because Lirael had already done most of her character growth in Lirael, and mostly just needed to get it all tied together. But I really liked the revelation about Mogget and Disreputable Dog’s identities, and I wish there had been more of Sabriel and Touchstone. (And wasn’t this the first time we learned Touchstone’s real name? Or did I just forget it?) I liked Sabriel and was ok with but not interested in Touchstone in Sabriel, but really like their older versions.

I feel like, since this is a continuation of Lirael, instead of a new story, I said everything I had to say when I posted on Lirael. But now people don’t have to bite their tongues when commenting on it!

I know that Across the Wall is a collection of short stories, at least one of which is set in the same world, but has anyone read Nix’s other series, or know if he plans to write anymore in this world? (Preferably about Ellimere or set later in Lirael’s life, but I accept that writers don’t get paid just to cater to me.)

Comments

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I honestly did not know what to think! Genre expectations had me thinking "well, of course they miraculously survived, they're far too powerful and too important to their world and the other characters to be bumped off so early, and in such an ignominous fashion". But between Abhorsen getting killed off at the end of Sabriel, and Lirael's subversion of those same sorts of genre expectations for what should usually happen when an unhappy orphan discovers their long-last family background and special magical heritage...I really couldn't tell which direction he was going to go for.

[maxineofarc.livejournal.com]

"Well, of course they survived, this is a fantasy book" was my first thought, but then I just couldn't shake the thought that no, he'd really killed them off For Real. I think the way this trilogy made me doubt my own genre expectations (even if ultimately reinforcing them) was a big point in its favor for me.

[genarti]

Same; I was leaning towards going with genre expectations, but I fully believed Nix to be capable of subverting that for the punch of it. So I wasn't exactly surprised when they resurfaced alive, but I wasn't totally certain they were going to.