Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr

This book was a surprise. I thought it might just be for young readers, but it was a fantasy tale for all. The characters were well-told and the story moved quickly. It was always believable and kept me turning the pages. It's the first of a trilogy and I purchased the next two books with great anticipation.

Very good story, but unlike Sabriel, this book contained a beginning and middle but no end. To be continued is not a satisfactory ending which is why I only gave it 3 stars. Would have been 5 otherwise.

While not as good as Sabriel or Abhorsen, Lirael is a good story in itself. The main complaints I have with it is a somewhat drawn out beginning, and no strong conclusion (fixed by simply reading Abhorsen next.

One of my favorite books - I recommend it for any age level. I first read this book when I was 12 and after re-reading it at 23 I can guarantee that it gets even more enjoyable after reaching adulthood.

Good sequal to Sabriel. It seems like the story is not as strong, but i think that's because Sabriel has a lot of discovery (not suprising, it's the first book). The other thing is that the prince is a little annoying, but thankfully that doesn't last.

The second book in the trilogy takes a fresh perspective on the universe with a new set of characters, beginning their own story. This book and the final, Abhorsen, operate as a pair and are a more traditional fantasy book format.

Garth Nix's "Sabriel" is a fascinating teen fantasy, one that gave us a unique fusion of worlds and a determined, spirited main character that's still dear to my heart. I was a little disappointed to pick up the next book in the series and discover that it follows a different set of characters entirely, but the world of the Old Kingdom and its magic, walking dead, and heroes and villains was one I loved too much to give up on simply because Sabriel ceased to be the main focus. And the second book actually ended up being quite fascinating and enjoyable as well... when it focused on the title character. When the focus slides aside to the secondary main character about halfway through the novel, not so much... but even this unlikable new character isn't enough to deter me from finishing the series.

The title character of "Lirael" is a young girl of the Clayr, the women gifted with the Sight -- the ability to see the future -- who help protect the Old Kingdom from the threats of Free Magic, the dead, and necromancy. Lirael, however, has not yet developed the Sight, and so feels like an outcast among her own kind. She consoles herself by taking a job in the Clayr's library, where she studies magic, defeats creatures of Free Magic who lurk among the library's nooks and crannies, and befriends a mysterious creature who calls herself the Disreputable Dog. But when the Clayr have a vision that puts Lirael at the forefront of an event that will decide the future of the Kingdom, she must set off on her own quest, accompanied by the Dog, the prince Sameth who fears his own destiny as the Abhorsen, and a creature of magic in the shape of a cat named Mogget. Together, these two young people and their magic companions must face a terrible threat and save their kingdom... or die in the attempt.

I loved the Old Kingdom constructed in the first book of this series, and it was wonderful to see it fleshed out more in this book. I enjoyed seeing the Clayr, who were only touched on in the first book, explored in further depth in this book, as well as more information given on Free Magic and the creation of the Charter. Sabriel and Touchstone, the protagonists in the first book, are reduced to minor characters in this book, but it was still nice to see how much they've grown and changed since "Sabriel." And it was a pleasure to meet Mogget again -- his snark and dry wit made the first book even more enjoyable, and were welcome in this book.

Lirael is a fine protagonist in her own right -- a capable heroine much like Sabriel, but unique enough to not simply be a clone of the former. She has her moments of self-pity and despair, but is able to overcome them and press forward regardless, and find her own ways to cope despite being an outcast among her people. Her companion, the Disreputable Dog, is likewise a snarky bit of comic relief much like Mogget, but with a personality all her own so she isn't just a weak copy. Had the book followed these two characters and no others, it would have been just fine by me.

BUT -- you sensed a but coming, I'm sure -- another protagonist is introduced halfway through the book, and Lirael must share page space with a much less sympathetic character in Sameth, Sabriel's son and the Abhorsen-in-waiting. Sameth, despite being toted as a star student and magic-user by the text, ends up being a spoiled and whiny character, dodging responsibility and complaining about having to follow in his mother's footsteps. I found myself unable to sympathize with his character, and had the book shifted entirely from Lirael's perspective to Sameth's I might have given up on it entirely. Thankfully Lirael still manages to keep a foothold on the spotlight, and I found her storyline much more engaging and sympathetic than Sameth's.

While not quite as good as its predecessor, "Lirael" does a fine job of building on the world of "Sabriel." And though it ends without a proper resolution (another pet peeve of mine regarding literature), it was still a good read, and I'm still eager to pick up the next book in the series and see where Lirael's adventures take her. And I certainly hope Sameth does some maturing in the next book...

The saga continues! I had some serious doubts going into this sequel since the beginning of Sabriel was such a freaking bore. But once again, the promise of Mogget and Tim Curry made me take the dive and I’m happy I did. So far this Old Kingdom series hasn’t been pulse-racingly thrilling, but it’s a fun adventure with talking animals. That’s all I really need.

THE REHASH
*For some reason, this summary is super long. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Feel free to skip my rantings and head straight to the review on the bottom. I promise not to be offended.*

The prologue opens with a mysterious man named Hedge carrying the bells of an Abhorsen, instantly making the reader question where in the Old Kingdom timeline this is taking place. Last we heard, Sabriel—the new Abhorsen—was definitely female. Is this far in the future, or far in the past? He begins speaking with another powerful sorceress named Chlorr and it becomes obvious that they are followers of Kerrigor, the evil-being Sabriel defeated in the first novel. Hedge makes Chlorr his new servant and apparently these two goons are the new evil dream team.

This book is broken up into four parts, the first taking place 14 years after the ending of Sabriel. We see a girl named Lirael, who’s turning 14 and hates birthdays. They’re just a reminder of everything she doesn’t have. She’s a member of the Clayr, a group of mostly women infamous for their ability to see into the future, and Lirael has waited her whole life to get the Sight without success. Plus, her whole aesthetic is the complete opposite of a normal Clayr who are tan skinned with blonde hair, while Lirael is pale and dark featured. Now she is alone, her father’s identity a mystery and her mother long gone, with only an abrasive aunt as family. She is an outcast in every way—no easy thing for a 14 year-old—and goes to great lengths to push people away so she can’t get hurt.

After an abysmal birthday morning, Lirael spends most of chapter two listing all the benefits of suicide and plotting how to do it. In the end she settles for jumping off a cliff. You know, casual. The Clayr’s home is already set in the mountains and they have a paper plane hanger that would be perfect to throw one’s self from, so Lirael sets off. She arrives after a long hike and immediately hides, waiting for the guards to get lost to make her final move. As she waits, a paper plane comes gliding in and we finally see Sabriel and King Touchstone. They’ve come to visit the Clayr hoping for a vision that could help their current quest. Hedge is purposely causing problems as a distraction, though they don’t know this yet—only see the effects of his actions. The older Clayr deny having any related visions, and the now married couple set off again, but not before Sabriel spots Lirael hiding in the snow. Once the two are gone, the older Clayr demand to know what Lirael is doing and she breaks down. Without giving away her plan for suicide, she admits how miserable she’s been and how worried she is about not gaining the Sight yet. For some reason, the Clayr women are shocked and ask if it would help to have a job to take her mind off things. Um, duh. Lirael is overjoyed and accepts a position in the library, making you wonder why no one offered this to the poor thing earlier.

Contrastingly, fast forward four years and Prince Sameth is busy being a wholesome, trouble-free teen playing cricket with his cricket team. On the way home from a game, they belatedly realize that the driver has been going the wrong way and leading them straight into a trap. There’s a whole lot of zombies coming and Sam demonstrates his prowess as a leader, which is important because you’ll want to slap him in the coming chapters. Recognizing that the undead are being controlled by another necromancer, Sam decides to go into death to find them. On the other side, he sees Hedge who immediately tries to cast a control spell. It’s obvious that this entire plot was a grand scheme to get to Sam specifically and he just manages to thwart Hedge with some pretty kick ass moves. Sam goes back to reality barely making it out alive, with Hedge following close behind, determined to get control of the prince. For an awful moment it appears that Hedge succeeds, embedding something evil in his opponent’s heart, but we learn that he mistakenly hit Sam’s friend Nicholas instead. Nick is now unknowingly the host of an awful spirit that the creepy Hedge is trying to please. It’s all very Harry Potter, Professor Quirrell-esque. The cricket team narrowly escapes and they all go home, unaware that the danger has just begun.

While Sam recovers from the attack physically, he still suffers from post-traumatic stress and has become paralyzingly afraid of death (the place, not death death)—not too convenient for the Abhorsen-in-waiting. For a long while we follow Sam while he mopes about the castle, wondering how to tell his mother he doesn’t wish to be the next Abhorsen. We also see him get bossed around by his insensitive older sister Ellimere, which is apparently suppose to show us that she’ll be a great Queen someday. Just as the two royal siblings get word from their parents that things in the kingdom have gone from bad to worse, Sam receives a letter from Nick saying he’s coming to visit. This would be good news, but Nick didn’t want to bother Sam to come pick him up, so he decided to hire a random guide instead. It’s so obvious this “guide” is Hedge that even Sam sees how sketchy the situation is and decides to sneak out of the castle to go save his friend.

The now 18 year-old Lirael, on the other hand, is having a grand time working at the library by day and exploring it’s hidden rooms at night. She’s very gifted with charter magic and uses it to sneak around after hours. During one of these excursions she accidentally unleashes a freaky praying mantis monster and in the chaos, finds a little dog figurine. Once she manages to get away safely, she casts a spell to bring the dog figurine to life and OH MY GOD THERE’S A TALKING DOG NOW. Sassy Tim Curry dog is just as amazing as sassy Tim Curry cat and ALL MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE. Together they team up to defeat the scary praying mantis and explore the library in more depth, eventually finding the secrets of Lirael’s past hidden in one of the old rooms. The elder women of the Clayr help her find some answers and confess they’ve seen Lirael in a vision helping a sick young man.

They send her on a quest to find him, where she sails—quite literally—into Prince Sameth and they discover they’re looking for the same person. Both Lirael and Sam join forces to save Nick and *crosses fingers* defeat Hedge. In the end, we’re left on a cliffy and have to read book three to find out what happens.

THE GOOD
My main gurl Lirael is awesome and I really loved the parts told from her perspective. Even when she was having a major pity-party at the beginning, on the verge of throwing herself off a cliff, she was still relatable. What person hasn’t felt like an outcast at some point during their life? Plus, the Clayr seemed so oblivious to her plight that it really made me feel for Lirael. Once she gets the job in the library, though, she becomes a magical bad ass and it was amazing to watch her grow as a character.

Plus, let’s not forget Lirael’s bff, the TALKING DOG. Mogget the cat really saved me during the first novel and the Disreputable Dog (I’m calling her DD for short—that name is way too long.) saved me during this one. It’s kind of poetic. I’m really hoping this is a theme that runs throughout the series and we’ll just get more and more talking animals. Talking dragon. Talking horse. Talking bird. Talking fish. The possibilities are endless. When Mogget and DD finally met and bantered together towards the end it made the whole book for me.

I also think Garth Nix did a good job in the way he arranged the plot, and it really made everything more exciting. The way he switches perspectives between the two characters is great, and it helped build a lot of excitement for when Sam and Lirael finally meet. At the end of Sabriel, there was a time crunch and a sense of urgency that this book was lacking since it cuts off before the main confrontation. Breaking it up into different parts and characters was a good way to compensate for that.

And I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Tim Curry makes this audiobook worth listening to. He has the best voice and does an amazing job acting out the story. I have already mentally added “animal voices” to the list of reason why I love Tim Curry so much.

THE UGLY
By the end, Sam is not my favorite person. It’s odd because I started off really loving him after that whole cricket team battle, but my opinion just got progressively worse and worse as the story went on. When he goes into death to hunt for Hedge, some horrible things happen and it’s completely understandable that this would freak him out. I never blamed him for the post-traumatic stress, and even felt for the guy when he went back home and had to deal with his awful sister without any help from his parents. After a while though, his whining starts to get old and by the end I wanted to kick him. My new literary best friend Lirael is making plans to go save Nick, and Sam says he wants to stay back and let her go without him. What?!? Are you kidding me right now? After everything you’ve been through and the countless times she’s saved your sorry butt, you’re just going to let Lirael rescue Nicholas (who’s your friend to begin with, by the way) alone? UGH. GTFO. I think part of the problem is that the book cuts off and we only see half of Sam’s character transformation, but that doesn’t make it any less infuriating.

Plus, I can’t lie, parts of this book were a little boring for me. Particularly Sam’s sections that depict him depressingly roaming about the castle and dancing terribly as a bird. I loved Lirael so much that I found myself anxiously awaiting her parts and not paying too much attention to his. It was nowhere near as dull as the first one, but still a little on the subdued side nonetheless.

FINAL WORD
This was really fun to listen to and definitely a better overall book than the first one. How often does that happen? If you liked the ending of Sabriel and loved the characters, this is definitely worth reading. All of the good ones come back and I really enjoyed seeing the story continue. On to the third!

And again, do yourself a solid and LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK.

I really enjoyed the first section of the book, though the angst level was just a little too high for me. I would have absolutely loved it when I was a teenager though. But even with the high angst, the story was still good.

I was thrown a bit when well into the book we hit section two and a POV change. I had no real interest in changing POV by that point in the book. And the prince was honestly a wet rag and annoying to read. But thankfully the whole section wasn't from his POV. We do start moving back and forth between Lirael and the prince. He also does improve over the course of the book.

The plot is very interesting overall but left me wanting to read the next book right away. Luckily I didn't have to wait.

Overall a solidly enjoyable book.

It took me 3 months to read Lirael… it typically takes me about 1 day to a couple of weeks to finish a decent book. Lirael was an exception to my usual policy of putting down and stepping away from books that bore me for at least a few years. I stuck with Lirael because I enjoy the Old Kingdom and I was/am excited about reading the other books. I really wanted to love this book’s characters and final result, unfortunately I ended up hating a few things right away.

Lirael was a strange character. She is certainly one like I have never read before. She’s a young teenage girl who wants to kill herself because she isn’t like anyone else… in the beginning of the book! I had to keep reading to find out how she gets out of her situation. It was interesting to see how she progressed and how Sabriel fit into everything. Lirael’s innate sense to become a librarian and to stick with books is something I can relate to, and I appreciated the wonders of the Clayr library. (I hope we see more of it in the future or in the short stories.) The disreputable dog was brilliant. I loved her. I thought I loved Mogget, but that was in a completely different way! Towards the end of the book you really get to see the amount of trust and the bond that is Lirael and her dog. It was touching.

Sameth. Oh, Prince Sameth… how I hate you! The only thing I enjoyed learning about Sameth was his ability to create things like a “layman” (in their world, anyway). I thought that Sameth, from his very first chapter was a whiny brat. He really got on my nerves, and it’s actually why it took me so long to read the book. I kept having to put it down whenever Lirael’s chapters finished. I had to keep telling myself “it’s almost over… soon… just hurry… more Dog soon”. It was terrible. I want to say I liked him in the end, but I have a feeling Sameth will be a similar obstacle for me in Abhorsen.

The story was one that I appreciated. This book had better world-building than Sabriel. There were many twists and turns and I appreciated the nod to the first book with creating helpful but worrisome sidekick creatures and quirks of the protagonists.

Lirael has been raised as a daughter of the Clayr--part of the extended family who live within the Clayr's glacier seeking to understand their visions of the future. But Lirael has never fit in among the Clayr despite years of trying. She does not look like any of her Clayr family. She has no knowledge of her father. She was abandoned by her mother.

Worse, and far more shameful to her, Lirael does not have the Sight which allows all of the Clayr to see into possible futures. Instead, a full two years after she should have developed the Sight, Lirael is left feeling the outsider.

With little else to occupy her in the Clayr's glacier, Lirael begins to experiment with Charter Magic. In honing her natural affinity with the Charter, Lirael summons a strange companion and also sets herself on a path to oppose an ancient evil and choose her own future in Lirael (2001) by Garth Nix.

Lirael is the second book in Nix's Old Kingdom series. It takes place roughly 18 years after the events in Sabriel. (Readers unfamiliar with Sabriel should still be able to jump into the series with the help of background passages for key information.) On the other hand, readers familiar with Sabriel will recognize familiar characters as well as relatives of characters featured in Sabriel.

Although Lirael is a very different heroine from Sabriel, this story treads similar territory as Lirael tries find her own identity and make a place for herself in the Old Kingdom. Lirael is savvy and smart. Although she makes mistakes including some rash decisions, Lirael learns throughout the story and her growth is obvious as she comes into her own.

Lirael is another beautifully evocative fantasy from Nix. The blend of high fantasy elements with action and adventure continues in this second installment as Lirael learns more about her past and meets some unlikely friends and allies along the way. Page-turning twists and shocking reveals will leave readers eager for the next installment.

Possible Pairings: Plain Kate by Erin Bow, Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Fire by Kristin Cashore, Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst, The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This is a great sequel. In Lirael, Garth Nix introduces a new generation of characters and delves further into the Old Kingdom than the first volume. The "Interregnum" landscape of the first book - little more than a desolate war zone -- is now populated with inns, travelers, constables and soldiers. Nix cleverly imagines the world of the Clayr -- a high-minded bureaucracy and ancient institution that, despite its benevolence, leaves little room for nonconformity. We also see world of the Capital City, the palace and the Regent, and the vast landscapes of the kingdom, along with the familiar wall and contrasting world of Ancelstierre.

Lirael grows up in the glacier and comes of age as a librarian, which gives her plenty of opportunities to explore the deep mysteries of the Clayr, practice her magic and agonize over her purpose in life. She has much in common with the young Sabriel of Book 1, but with no knowledge of her own destiny; where Sabriel was trained in her inheritance by her own father, Lirael is cast about, on her own, to put the pieces together. Prince Sameth, in his own parallel story, is also lost in a role he doesn't understand. And where Sabriel skirted the surface of Charter magic, racing from one chase to another, Lirael and Sameth dive deep, finding skills and courage beyond what they had been raised to imagine.

This book has plenty of adventure (and scary monsters) but is not the desperate rush from one danger to the next that Sabriel had. I especially liked reading how Sameth struggled along his journey -- so many YA "heroes" automatically know how to ride horses and sleep outdoors in the rain, but Sam is awkward if not naïve (he packs slippers!)

This book has some familiar characters (like the cranky, sinister Mogget) but enough new settings to feel new and refreshing. Not surprisingly the evil is larger than life, the stakes have been raised, and the threat to the Kingdom is greater than ever. It should be noted that, while Book 1 (Sabriel) is a generation before, Books 2 and 3 (Lirael and Abhorsen) take place in the same time frame -- more like "2A and 2B" of the series. Lirael, on its own, has a cliffhanger ending, making it an exciting race to that third installment of the trilogy. True addicts might want to grab them both at once, or buy the whole set, so you don't have to slow down in between volumes!

Garth Nix had a definite and compelling concept that people could wade into the river of death, making critical decisions correctly, least they be swept away. And his concept that some people are more magical than others can be believable. However by "Lirael" the serious failings in his writing are already becoming apparent. Countless sensual encounters with "Charter Magic" (never well explained), and "Free Magic" (ditto). Lots of voodoo mumbo-jumbo about which of seven bells is appropriate for a sorcerer task, when the reader can't tell Christmas from Cleveland on the subject. Lights flashing around, "sensations", random events, blah-blah. The reader is correct in thinking "Sabriel" and "Lirael" could have been among the great teen classics. Bluntly, they aren't, and from his later chapter books, it's clear Nix never really had a shot at it. He was successful because his wife is a publisher. End of story. Today's publishers, struggling against online distribution, are making more profound mistakes than they ever did when assisting literary quality was understood to be the litmus test of a publisher's worth.

Lirael continues the great story and magical structure, but it suffers from things that put Sabriel at a higher standard. I ended up enjoying Sabriel more and it nearly took me months to finish this episode. The reason being, is that I just really couldn't keep focus on the new characters.

I won't say that the novel is bad, because it's really not. Lirael has a great story and is generally unpredictable. Mogget continues to be hilarious as one of our new characters, the Disreputable Dog, compliments the cat very nicely. Garth Nix is an extremely talented writer, with a knack for creating a whole new fresh world for fantasty fanatics to enjoy.

Now wheres the problem? My problem is that Lirael and Sameth throughout the novel are very dislikable characters. Sameth seems like he has a huge tendency to become selfish and betray. He ultimately becomes a hero, but he starts as a real self-loathing, annoying character. Lirael seems to mimic this personality as well. She starts as a quiet, depressing, and suicidal individual. I overall understood the purpose of the personalies, but I didn't find my salvation in anyone, because every character was mean and pessimistic. With the effect of this and the reduced intensity(action) I read this novel a lot slower than the first book.

So in the end, Lirael steps down Nix's ladder a bit, but Nix has a very strong selection. Shade's Children and the Seventh Tower series really moved me. Maybe the reason for that was an array of very heroic, admirable characters. I tend to connect more with stories of outstanding heroism. Where as Lirael tended to avoid the heroism and save it for the third novel. I am very confident that Abhorsen will be an excellent novel, but thats because Lirael and Sameth got over their small problems in the huge scope of the novel. I look forward to reading the next installment, but I am going to keep it real and say the book was good, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I longed to.

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

The second book in Garth Nix's ABHORSEN trilogy picks up fourteen years after Sabriel leaves off, and begins to focus on a new generation of characters; for this reason, it's definitely best to read the trilogy in order. Part One is centered on Lirael, a member of a race known as the Clayr, renowned for their ability to See into the future. Unfortunately, Lirael at the age of fourteen still has not received the Sight, something nearly unheard-of in Clayr society. To make matters worse, her dark hair and pale skin mean that she doesn't even look like the other Clayr. Her mother, a Daughter of the Clayr, disappeared in Lirael's childhood, and she never knew the identity of her father. Eventually, Lirael begins to work in the Library in the Glacier where the Clayr live, but even the work she does there cannot distract her from her continued lack of the Sight.

Meanwhile, problems are mounting both in the Old Kingdom and in Ancelstierre. The Abhorsen Sabriel and her husband, Touchstone, restored to his position as King, have been ruling the Old Kingdom and doing the best to keep the Dead from disrupting life, but after twenty years of their rule things are still chaotic. Prince Sameth, their youngest child and widely known as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, encounters a necromancer while at school in Ancelstierre, there are wars in the far South, and unrest mounts within the Old Kingdom itself. A series of events lead Lirael to leave the Glacier in search of a boy the Clayr have Seen her with, since they have also Seen that this possible future is the only way to avoid the destruction of their world as they know it. Along the way she meets Sameth, with his own personal reason for finding the same young man as Lirael, and the two of them try to work out the secrets of their shared past and uncertain future.

While at first I was disappointed that the story no longer focused on Sabriel, who I'd come to love in the previous book of the trilogy, Lirael quickly grew into a character in whom I was equally interested. Her personal struggle between her desire to belong as Clayr and the nagging knowledge that she was meant for some other purpose in the world was well-written and believable. Her companion, a construct of Free and Charter Magic known only as the Disreputable Dog, was a satisfying enigma of a character. And while Sameth was at times more annoying than regal, there is no denying that his fear of Death and pursuing the calling of the Abhorsen was compelling. I was also glad to see that Sabriel and Touchstone didn't disappear entirely from the narrative. Though they played dramatically smaller roles in the storyline, I enjoyed every scene that they were in together.

The end of this book took me by surprise, as the major external conflict had not been solved by the end of it. It's not a book you want to finish if you don't have the following novel on hand! However, the book does come to an emotional climax and conclusion; although the external threat has not been dealt with, the characters are certainly in a different place at the end of the story than at the beginning, and the development of this book proves necessary for the actions that they undertake in the third and final book of the trilogy. If you're looking for lots of apocalyptic battle sequences, this is not quite the right book, but as a story of emotional and personal growth, the novel sparkles.

Reviewed by: Candace Cunard

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

This is the second book in the Abhorsen trilogy and I fear it suffers from "second book" malaise just a tad. Second books of trilogies (I've found) often have the burden of conveying so much information in order to get us to the third and resolution book that they can meander a bit.

That said, I did still enjoy this book. Lirael is a wonderful heroine, and I found her story fascinating. Sameth, the Prince, was a little less engaging, and much of the book is focused on his backstory. It is necessary, for Lirael and Sameth are... connected in a way, but with the book titled Lirael, I was slightly less compelled with Sameth's story than Lirael's.

There is a twist in this book, which is well hidden until about 10% before it is revealed. I only knew for certain about 2% before it was confirmed, and hints were present throughout the book, but not so obvious that you'd know much in advance, which I think is a great accomplishment for a writer.

I still highly recommend this book, but I hope that the third book will pick up the pace a bit and finish strong.

"Lirael" is neither the beginning nor the end (thank goodness) of this remarkable fantasy series by Garth Nix. If you haven't already read "Sabriel", you might want to put "Lirael" aside and begin at the beginning. The middle book could stand alone, especially the story of Lirael herself, but you will miss nuances of the Philosophy and Geography of Death if you don't start with "Sabriel". The only work I can compare this series to is Philip Pullman's "Golden Compass" trilogy, although I prefer Nix's magical world-building. If I ever die and go to fantasy heaven, I hope it resembles his immense library beneath glacier and mountain, where each door opens into a separate mystery. In the catacombs beneath the library, Lirael discovers how to turn herself into an ice otter or a barking owl, reads "The Book of Remembrance and Forgetting", and duels with the monstrous Stilken.

However, "Lirael" isn't just about Lirael. Prince Sameth, heir apparent to Sabriel as the Old Kingdom's champion against evil necromancers, also comes of age in this volume. There are plenty of evil necromancers to go around. In fact, at the end of this book, it appears as though they are winning the war to turn the Old Kingdom into a kingdom of the dead.

One fault should be noted. The two main characters spend too much text feeling sorry for themselves. Lirael pursues an impossible dream, while Prince Sameth tries to escape from an impossible nightmare. I think the author's editor must have read "Sabriel" and said, "Garth, this is a great fantasy but your heroine, Sabriel is pretty darn self-sufficient. Readers can't relate to that. You need to make your characters more vulnerable." So that's exactly what Nix did in Volume Two. Vulnerability often shades over into self-pity in "Lirael"---too often for my liking. It's not enough of an annoyance to bypass this fantasy. Hopefully, in the yet-to-be-published "Abhorsen", Lirael and Prince Sameth will stop whining and take up the burden of defending the Old Kingdom. Lirael is already headed in that direction, along with her friend the Disreputable Dog.

Garth, I advise you to stop listening to your editor. You were pitch-perfect in "Sabriel". Retune `Astarael, the Sorrowful' that "casts all who hear it deep into Death" and finish this marvelous trilogy the way you began it.

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

"Lirael" picks up some fourteen years after "Sabriel" ended. Sabriel and Touchstone may have defeated the Dead and saved the kingdom once, but it was only a stopgap measure. There are other, far worse things out there that want control of the Kingdom, magic, and all the lives they can take. Sabriel and Touchstone (now Queen and King of the Kingdom) do what they can to stem the tide of destruction, but this time it's up to the next generation to take the fight to the Dead things.

Sam, the son of Sabriel and Touchstone and a prince of the realm, is the Abhorsen-in-waiting and Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, those who can See into the future. The problem is, Sam is terrified of Death and has no desire to be the Abhorsen, and Lirael doesn't have the Sight. Neither is lacking in courage, though, no matter what they might think of themselves when despair comes over them.

In order to rescue a friend from his school days in Ancelstierre, Sam sneaks away from the palace and the overwhelming weight of responsibility to become the next Abhorsen. But things are far from being as simple as he thought. Traveling alone with no practical experience at doing for himself, he quickly finds himself in over his head.

Lirael becomes an assistant librarian in order to keep her mind off of her lack of Sight, and in time she begins her own study of Charter magic, finding her way into places no lowly assistant is meant to go. She grows in power as a Charter mage -- with the help of Dog, whom she "creates" (much more complicated than that) -- and eventually comes into a destiny she neither sought nor really wants.

Two young people who both have hard lessons in life to learn, and truths neither of them want to accept. They both cling to a vision of what they, or others, want their lives to be, and letting go of that may be the hardest thing they've yet to do, even after going up against necromancers and the Dead.

There is no nice wrapped up ending in this book; it will (hopefully) be concluded in the third one, but this one doesn't suffer from being only one half of a whole. The writing is engaging, even with the switching points of view, and although Sam spends too much time in whining and self-pity, he and the other characters are likeable and well fleshed out. The big revelation at the end of the book is pretty obvious, from the first time we meet Lirael, actually, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. This is definitely a good follow up to the first book.

Garth Nix is back again with another extraordinary fantasy book. He continues his amazing trilogy with Lirael: Daughter Of The Clayr. This book is the sequel of Sabriel, and it switches the main character from Sabriel to Lirael. There is a very interesting setting, a new puzzling character, and an unseen evil causing trouble in the Old Kingdom that make this book even better than the last one.

The new setting of this book takes place in the Clayr's glacier. One place in particular that I like is the Great Library. Past the dusty bookshelves and behind hidden doors, are many mysterious, and possibly dangerous creatures and items. Lirael travels through these passages in search of adventure and answers to her many questions. Lirael discovers many things about her past, but some things are better left unknown and forgotten.

In Lirael, the main characters seem to have animals for companions very often. Lirael's animal companion is named the Disreputable Dog. The D-Dog is very loyal to Lirael, and serves as her friend and guardian. The D-Dog was magically bought to life by Lirael from a figurine. She(the D-Dog) has much knowledge about the lower levels of the mysterious passages in the Library. Beneath the D-Dog's normal exterior, lies a magical being who's powers are unpredictable.

The evil in this story is shady. There is an evil necromancer named Hedge. Very little is told about this necromancer until the next book, but the little told about him is intriguing. It makes you guess what he is trying to do, who he is after, and where he is going to strike. Throughout the book, Hedge's plan is revealed little by little and it is very suspenseful. He is after Lirael and the King of the Old Kingdom's son, Sameth, but neither of them know it.

I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good fantasy book. The problems and twists in the story make it fun to read. Nix combines interesting characters and very detailed settings. Overall, this book was a very fast paced page-turner.

S.Brown

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

"Lirael" is the sequel to Garth Nix's best selling book "Sabriel", and the second of his "Old Kingdom" trilogy. Set fourteen years after the events of "Sabriel", this book surrounds the actions of two main characters. Prince Sameth is the capable, but rather unexperienced son of Touchstone and Sabriel, overshadowed by his elder sister and disheartened by the fact that he is the next Abhorsen - the necromancer chosen to put to rest undead legions with the help of seven magical bells. Lirael is an orphan of the Clayr: clairvoyant allies of the Royal Family who live in a vast glacial community. Unlike all of her brethern, Lirael does not possess the Sight, and so spends her days as librarian, sometimes going for months on end without speaking to another human being.
But of course, fate has other ideas for these two - evil is once more abroad in the Old Kingdom. A terrible necromancer named Hedge is causing trouble in the West, beginning the first steps of a plan that threatens both the Clayr and the Royal Family - not to mention the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre, the non-magical country across the Wall. When Lirael unleashes and brings to life a mysterious magical dog known as the Disreputable Dog, and Sameth runs away from home in order to find his ignorant Ancelstierrean friend Nick who crosses the Wall, the two are thrown into the path of Hedge and so destined to stop his evil. And there is yet more going on, a secret bond between Sameth and Lirael that they are unaware of, but need to discover if they are to understand what is truly expected of them.
Once more Garth Nix has written an amazing book: a rich, mysterious fantasy world, an intriguing, twisting plot, strong and realistic characterisation... Nix really is a master at all of these areas. The Old Kingdom has been added upon, especially in regards to the Clayr, who were just distant allies in "Sabriel". Now we get to see deep inside their home and customs, including the huge library that is surely every book-lovers dream: not just a place of endless levels of manuscripts but even deeper chambers of monsters, magic, artifacts, underground gardens, buriel chambers...I could have wandered in there with Lirael forever.
Lirael and Sameth are very different from Sabriel as protagonists: where Sabriel was confident, strong and focused, Sameth and Lirael are more hesitant about their chosen paths. In doing so, Nix has made them more realistic, but readers may miss the Nancy Drew-like qualities of Sabriel that made her such a popular heroine. I must say I had quite a soft spot for Sameth - unfortunatly some readers have dismissed him as a bit of a wimp, but I completely understood his fear over the huge responsibility that was placed over him, and as another reviewer pointed out, he is one of the few fantasy characters that is not just reluctant about his duties, but downright terrified of them! Either way, I found his fear easier to grasp than Lirael's suicidal decision to chuck herself off the Clayr glacier.
The Disreputable Dog and Mogget are the highlights of the story: their meeting was exactly what I expected it to be (throw a cat and a dog together in a boat and watch the fireworks!) and provide most of the comic relief in the story, whilst dropping a few clues that there is more to their identity than meets the eye. Mogget (my favourite) is introduced a little later than I would have liked, but is still the bad tempered, superior white cat that we all remember from "Sabriel".
Of course Touchstone and Sabriel aren't forgotten, and I thought it was a nice touch that their eldest daughter Ellimere was named after one of Sabriel's school friends that died at the end of the first book. However, I did catch one continuity error - in "Sabriel" Mogget called Sabriel's father 'Emeritus', but here he is named as 'Terciel'. Given that "Lirael" was written six years after "Sabriel" was published, its hardly surprising that this tiny detail was missed, but still...
Basically, "Lirael" is one of the best, most original fantasy books you can read, certainly up there with the likes of Rowling, Tolkien, Pullman and Lewis in terms of readablity and popularity. Be sure to read "Sabriel" first, and you'll definitely be reading for its sequel in a hurry.

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

In the Old Kingdom, the daughters of Clayr all have the gift; all except one. Lirael is "Sightless" while all the other women have the "Sight". Already feeling like an outsider as her mother deserted her years ago, her difference leaves her even lonelier as she believes everyone seems to look down on her since she failed to move on two years ago like they all did.

Now fourteen years old, Lirael releases a Stilken (female human crustacean from a glass- coffin). That kindness leads Lirael to meet her great-great-grandmother, a renowned healer. The elderly woman encourages her descendent to befriend the insolent "Disreputable Dog". She and her disrespectful companion meet tense Prince Sameth, son of Sabriel (title star of the first book; not yet read by me). This trio of alienated outcasts soon uncovers a plot to destroy the Old Kingdom.

This is an intriguing reprint of a young adult quest fantasy that grips readers from the moment Lirael meets her ancestor and never slows down; in fact nothing critical is resolved by the end leaving the audience disappointed yet anxious for ABHORSEN. The lead trio is solid fully developed characters with the two humans having anxiety issues and the dog remaining an unresolved enigma. Newcomers and those who read the first tale will feel spellbound by the Old Kingdom's magical realm in which the paranormal seems normal.

Harriet Klausner

If you love a book with suspense, magic, a kingdom at stake, and the dead roaming the earth, you'll love Garth Nix's Lirael.
Lirael is the sequel to Sabriel. In Sabriel, the hero is the young Abhorsen (the kingdom's sworn protector). She defeats a strong dead free magic monster using the sounds of magic bells.
Lirael is a book with a whimsical storyline, with a kingdom, magic and all sorts of fairy tale creatures (for example, Lirael's companion the disreputable dog, the Abhorsan's servant, Mogget, a free magic being disguised as a cat and several other things).
There are four things you should know before reading this book: the Abhorsan is the sworn protector of the kingdom and the living and must set the dead to rest; the Clayr are group of women who are able to see into the future; free magic is a type of ancient magic that is very strong and deadly; and the charter is a form of free magic consisting of marks that are woven to create a spell.
If you don't like a thriller of a book or you think what I'm writing is completely bogus then STOP READING NOW.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr. Yet still at the age of 14 she has not the power of the sight. She is different. She stands out from all the younger Clayr, almost twice as tall as some of the children. They all have blond hair and blue eyes; Lirael on the other hand has black hair and brown eyes. She's teased and can't seem to talk to the others.
Desperate she thinks of committing suicide. But when she finds a secret tunnel, with her magic creation, her friend the Disreputable dog she has hope she finds that she has the gift of looking into the past. On the Clayr's nine day watch sees her she has to seek out what trouble lurks near the Red Lake.
With her trusty dog and her boat called Finder she is sent forth from the Clayr's home. All seems well. But more and more dead have been seen killing innocent people. Could that have some thing to do with the trouble near red lake? But when she meets up with Prince Sameth, Sabriel's son, all changes .She sees what she has to do. She has to find the non-magic boy and bring him back to the castle and stop the madness of the evil necromancer who has been trying to kill the 2 travelers. But suddenly they get the news that 2000 southerlings have disappeared. Could the insane necromancer trying to make an attack?
This book was even better than the 1st one. I couldn't put it down. The characters were so interesting. I would have liked it if there was more of the history behind the magic. But the suspense and action was extreme. I loved this book; I thought it was funny, suspenseful and great for grades 6-100. I'm in full praise of the author. It was such a well thought out storyline but it leaves you hanging in the end, so you know there will be a sequel. I wished it would never stop. I severely enjoyed this book and if you chose to read it I hope you will too.

Garth Nix changed the face of dark fantasy (usually just horror with a prettier cover) with his instant hit "Sabriel," which provided fans with a unique magical system, a well-crafted alternate world, and talking animals that were anything but cute. "Lirael" follows closely in "Sabriel"'s footsteps, and might be even better than the first book.
Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, but she won't be a full Clayr until she gains the Sight. But now she's fourteen, and is the oldest girl to not yet have gained the Sight. After contemplating suicide, Lirael is assigned to work in the library. She inadvertantly sets loose a hideous Free Magic creature, a Stilken that will call other Free Magic creatures and destroy the Clayr. Desperate to deal with her mistake, Lirael calls up the Disreputable Dog (somehow made both of Free and Charter Magic) and soon ends up finding out more about her past -- and her future.
Elsewhere, Sabriel's son Sameth is pursued by the Dead, and is almost killed in the process; the only thing he gets for his trouble is a threat from a mysterious necromancer. Sam is supposed to be the future Abhorsen, but the problem is that he's petrified by the things his mother handles easily. And he's helped loose Free Magic on a world increasingly torn by a mysterious masked necromancer...
Nix takes the rich world he created in "Sabriel" and makes it even richer. It's a bit like a melding of typical high fantasy with an early twentieth-century setting (phones, buses, cricket matches, electricity, guns). Old faves like Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget appear here (although Mogget's appearance is a bit brief), along with new and equally likable characters.
Some readers may not like Lirael as well as they liked the more self-assured, kick-butt Sabriel, but Lirael is in a vastly different position. Sabriel knew who she was, where she was coming from, and knew what she needed to know, while Lirael is only learning those things. She becomes stronger and more self-assured as she learns more about Charter magery and her background. The Disreputable Dog is a lot like Mogget, in that she's more than she seems and a handy source of info, but not as quietly menacing as Mogget was. Sam is endearingly unsure of himself, and is one of the few fantasy characters to be genuinely terrified of his "duties," not just apprehensive. His sister was the one character who fell flat; she seemed a little too "bossy princess."
"Lirael" has the same balance of humor and horror as the first book. We have things like the bodies of refugees being turned into decayed Dead Hands, the clawed insecto-human Stilken, or just the aura of darkness around the Book of the Dead. But we also have funny things like Nick or the running joke about the Dog and food.
The biggest problem with "Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr" is that it ends on a "to be continued" note. So be sure to have the concluding novel, "Abhorsen," ready while you read this book. Dark, funny, creepy, and immensely well-written.

This book was a big improvement over the first one, Sabriel.
The book has two story lines that run in parallel.
The first line, about Sameth, son of Sabriel, suffers from some of the same problems as the first book. He keeps running into those masses of zombies ("Dead") all the time and when he's not outside, he's moping around his castle being picked on by his sister, which is better than running around outside with the zombies, but pretty tedious.
The second line, about Lirael, is *much* better. Lirael is exploring this great library full of magic creatures and magic books. She's trying out all kinds of things and becoming more and more powerful. Granted she has a nasty case of depression, but she gets through it and builds herself up to be truly exciting. I think the sequence of Lirael in the library makes the book worth while. I could have stayed in that library forever.
This is a bit of a spoiler, so you might want to stop reading at this point.
Anyway, the bad thing is that Lirael gets out of the library and then she's out there with all those zombies and Sameth. And there are more and more of the putrid things. The more she kills, the more there are. It's the ultimate sisyphean task. This series is kind of like the story of a bunch of glorified exterminators who spend their lives ridding the world of disgusting and dangerous pests. Unfortunately, I was reading the book in a cockroach infested dormitory, which did not help.

Still, the book has good suspense, a real page-turner, and a lot of the stuff is very creative, not at all like other fantasy books. The land of death that Nix creates is very unusual.
On the whole, I recommend the book.
Warning: the ending is a cliff hanger. You might as well just buy the whole series together. It's not very likely you're going to be able to walk away from all this suspense without finding out what happened.

Unlike Sabriel, which stands alone as a complete novel, Lirael ends on a cliffhanger, with its completion in Abhorsen. This is not a complaint, since the same can be said of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a whole. More significantly, though, than the continuity of plot in the last two novels, is that the last two novels complete the cosmological implications of the first novel -- elevating this world and its story to something more than merely a cool or interesting place (more than a fantasy), and into the status of significant myth. What I mean by that, is that the story begins to take on larger dimensions than merely a story of a few interesting characters in an interesting world. It becomes a story of the contrast between order and chaos (a dimension in every founding myth), and of the tension between different kinds of order (a tyranny and a democracy are both ordered states). It also becomes (especially in Abhorsen) a profound meditation on the metaphysical dimensions of freedom: something to be seen, for example, in the contrast between the "Disreputable Dog" and the "cat" Mogget (whereas the cat is a "free magic" creature who is bound against his will by the charter; the dog is apparently a free magic creature who has taken upon herself the charter, submitting herself to its ordering principles). While there is a sense in which this is a classic story of the struggle of good against evil, these underlying tensions make it much more interesting. The story thus raises philosophical questions like: is genuine freedom to be unbound? is mastery the only form of power? is order better than chaos? More than just a great read and a well told story, this trilogy aims to provide subtle and interesting answers to such questions.