Collect Abhorsen (Abhorsen, #3) Executed By Garth Nix Depicted In Physical Book
series just keeps getting better!
We find Lirael and Sam immediately after book, on the hunt for Sams friend Nick and the evil he has accidentally gotten himself trapped in.
Along with the Disreputable Dog and Mogget the cat we are taken on a fantastic ride through a world where the dead dont stay dead!
“Confused Dead Hands staggered out of her way, gobbling their distress from their decayed throats.
”
Nix has created such an incredible magic system with both Charter Magic the fixed and governed magic but also Free Magic the powerful and uncontrolled magic often used for evil.
We even get to visit death with its nine gates and mysterious allure,
A power known as The Destroyer is rising, to destroy the Charter and create a world of fire where the dead rule.
“There would be plenty of bodies for all, ”
It takes everything in Liraels power to use the bells of the Abhorsen and save both Ancelstierre and The Old Kingdom.
“With sighs and groans and gurgles and the clicking of frozen joints and broken bones, the Dead Hands marched forward, sending the fog swirling all around them.
”
I was gripped from start to finish, there are constant shocks throughout and I had to see what would happen, even shed a few tears at times.
I need the next book now!
“For everyone and everything, there is a time to die, Some do not know it, or would delay it, but its truth cannot be denied, ” This is the third instalment in the Abhorsen series,
Decades divided the events between the first and second books, but this one followed directly on from the former instalment, Lirael is the abhorseninwaiting, Sam is descended from Wall Makers, and their animal companions, who are less easy to classify, make up the rest of the fearsome foursome intent on saving the kingdom from the dark designs of the dead.
Action dominated but tears marked the end and I was not okay! i'm a mess sitelinkSabriel will always be my favourite but after the horrors of sitelinkLirael, the third installment to the series was a much welcomed improvement.
Remember that this is not a trilogy in the strictest sense, as both Lirael and Abhorsen focus on different protagonists, whereas Sabriel is a perfect stand alone.
Let me repeat my previous warning, If your love is for Sabriel and Touchstone only, leave the other two books alone, They do make an appearance there, but only as secondary characters,
Nevertheless, Abhorsen brings the best flavours of Sabriel back, the main heroine in this book may also be named Lirael but she is most definitely not the girl we meet in the previous book.
she is sensible, smart and funny,
"Bossy, isn't she" remarked Mogget to Sam, who was following more slowly, "Reminds me of your mother, "
Indeed, Lirael grows into her role similarly we can observe nice character development when it comes to Sam, Abhorsen left few unanswered questions , has a couple of tinyweeny plot holes , repeated certain motives explored in earlier books , but all in all was a very satisfying finale of the trilogy.
Perhaps not an exquisite feast, but definitely a wholesome meal, And it does leave you thinking about seconds,
Also in the series:
, sitelinkSabriel
. sitelinkLirael
please note, there are two more instalments in the series as of now, but I am not sure I want to continue my journey A betterpaced story than Lirael in part because Lirael and Abhorsen are basically one complete story split into two, and while Lirael's plot involves the Old Kingdom being snared in the villain's plans while the two main characters angst
about their role in life Abhorsen's plot is full speed ahead to confrontation.
One thing bothers me about the worldbuilding though, The Old Kingdom exists thanks to an ancient binding contract that depends on three bloodlines, And there's an awful lot of people getting killed in this story, more or less in the background, while the descendants of these three bloodlines get the important stuff done.
Quite a few of them have names, and a couple are main characters, but there's this strong sense that all the real, important people of this story are the ones with the bloodlines, and the rest are there so that someone can die to demonstrate how dark and desperate the battle is.
Abhorsen is a great conclusion to a narrative arc which started with Lirael, the second book in the series,
The two main characters introduced in the previous book, Lirael and Prince Sameth, have now accepted their respective legacies and fate in what is to become a fight for the survival of the very world itself.
Finally, we have a lot more action, a lot less moping and some solid character growth with two young protagonists, both who have vast potential stemming from their unique bloodlines.
There is also a third pointofview which surfaced more regularly in this volume Nicholas, a friend of the Prince from beyond the Wall to the south, who has fallen into the hands of the enemy and was manipulated in bringing forth ancient powers.
Braving the overwhelming odds stacked against them, Lirael and Sam, together with the Disreputable Dog and Mogget, have to attempt to stop the enemy from manifesting.
Else, all will be lost,
As I have mentioned before, the key strength of this series lies in its worldbuilding a world between Life and Death and its magic of the wild and free, and the constructs which aimed to give such magic structure and direction, with which it can also bind and break.
The narrative around these fantastical elements progressed through the series with more revelations on the lore surrounding the history of Charter magic, and deeper exploration through Death and its Nine Gates.
Given that this third volume serves as the final and climactic act to the story which began in the second, I will not deign to include further commentary on the plot.
Even though I struggled a bit with the characters of Lirael and Sam initially, the development of their roles eventually made sense within the context of what they are becoming.
In the face of the imminent and overwhelming threat to the world, both not only managed to overcome their angst but each drew upon their respective strengths as nothing but their best will suffice.
The tone of the book is engaging throughout, and the narrative grabbed me right from the start,
Even though I have not read much of the YA genre, I can safely say that this is probably one of the better ones out there.
There is enough depth in the storytelling and characterization, which without the corresponding ages of the main protagonists, one can easily mistake it for just another classic fantasy novel.
And I'll say this again the world and its magic are positively fascinating, I do recommend this series to those who want to read a classic fantasy with a difference,
This review can also be found at sitelinkBooknest,