Sabriel by Garth Nix

Published in 1996, this is one of those books that seeped into my awareness, and I'm not sure exactly how. Partly, I'm sure it's due to the cover art which is more than just striking. I immediately recognized it in the pile of books that Wilfrid gifted my classroom library. So, I finally made time to read it..

Sabriel is a about Sabriel, a young girl whose father is the Abhorsen of the magic ridden Old Kingdom. She, however, has spent most of her life in a boarding school in Ancelstierre where they've mostly isolated themselves from magic. So when an undead creature invades the school, Sabriel isn't exactly helpless, but she's at the start of a journey where she discovers just how ignorant she really is.

She's soon through the wall that divides the two lands and in search of answers. Things go from bad to worse for her though, as she discovers that her father was some sort of magical undead hunter that protects the kingdom. With him dead or missing, she's the new Abhorsen.

This is confusing to say the least. However, she keeps learning and putting the pieces together.

Nix's great skill here is putting together believable characters. He manages a confused panicked teenage girl without making her irritating or unbelievably capable. He describes a guilt-wracked young man who wants only to make good without being whiney. Nix even manages to put together an ineffable magical creature that acts consistently without being too human.

It all comes together in the end, that actually had me half-believing the protagonist was going to die at the end.

Sabriel features a good strong female protagonist. While there are romantic elements here, that is not at all the feature of the story. The plot is linear, but references the world's history enough that it could be confusing to an unpracticed reader in the genre. I particularly liked the magic system in this world. While it was complex, it was also easy enough to absorb the rules. All around good fanstasy.