The Old Kingdom Trilogy: Sabriel, Lirael & Abhorsen

What does a social media junkie do without TV or internet? The answer may shock you. I...read. I'm the kind of person who likes reading but never buys books. I don't keep up with bestseller lists or even use my library card very often. I rely on recommendations (and loans) from friends and that's how I came to read Sabriel, the first in this trilogy. Immediately drawn into a world of charter and free magic, necromancers and the undead, I ate it up in a matter of days and subsequently read the other two books: Lirael and Abhorsen. They are collectively known in the UK as The Old Kingdom Trilogy but in America as The Abhorsen Series.

You see, there are dark magic beings called necromancers who can summon the dead (there are 9 gates of death as it turns out and until you pass the 9th gate, you can still be resurrected - well in a manner of speaking). And there is also an ultimate evil trying to find a way to be unleashed (with the help of powerful necromancers). These forces want to bring darkness and evil into the living world. To counter this is an Abhorsen who, using their special bells (yeah that's right: BELLS, who knew!), can enter death (and move through the gates), destroying the evil spirits or releasing spirits into final death and peace. And it's the Abhorsen who is our protagonist in this trilogy. In addition there are those with "the sight" known as the Clayr, as well as a number of other magical beings. This is a world where unpredictable and dangerous magic has been given structure in the form of Charter Magic whose rules and laws govern society. So good vs evil type of a thing, you follow? And I dug it reading all 3 books back to back!

Let's break down my 3 reasons why I enjoyed these books so much:

1. Not a Lord of the Rings reading challenge
This fantastical and engrossing plot required use of my imagination but wasn't too taxing. An easy read, it still held such thorough descriptions of charter and free magic, magical beings as well as the vivid descriptions of beasts, monsters and the dead, all of which created incredible images in my head. More than once I thought, "Wow, I'd love to see how this could be made into a movie".  And each time I reopened the books to read the next chapter, I really looked forward to this wholly different and intriguing world.  

2. If Harry Potter was a chick
It was fun to follow and cheer for heroines in this trilogy. But it wasn't an "in-your-face, girls kick butt" plot. It was actually a moving account of Sabriel and Lirael, who in their individual quests (a bit reminiscent of Bilbo Baggins) were outsiders, struggling to find their strength, questioning their lineage, abilities and destiny.

3. An ensemble with a difference
The Abhorsen alone has to walk through the gates of death, but the battle against evil and powerful magic is not one Sabriel or Lirael could do alone, especially as they each struggle with their self-belief and learning the skills they were born into but have little training or preparation in. They are supported by unusual and entertaining supporting characters including "The Disreputable Dog", Mogget the free magic cat (who gets some of the best and snarkiest lines), Touchstone who is a half blood prince but has been frozen in a wooden sculpture for the last couple hundred years (so is trying to get up to speed as fast as possible) and more.

I think...if you enjoy engrossing fantasy fiction that doesn't require a lot of hard work, these books do the trick!

Image courtesy of:
bobsbooks.wordpress.com