Clariel
core novel 2014 The Old Kingdom
Record
| First published | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.89 (31,132 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 382 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780061561559 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Clariel is a prequel within Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, set some six hundred years before the birth of Sabriel. It follows Clariel, a young noblewoman descended from both the Abhorsen line and the royal family, who longs for a simple, solitary life in the Great Forest rather than the political entanglements of her prominent family. Her hopes are disrupted when her parents pressure her into an unwanted marriage, a dangerous Free Magic creature is loosed within the city, and a quiet conspiracy takes shape against the aging King Orrikan. Drawn into efforts to capture the creature, Clariel discovers she possesses unexpected magical abilities of her own, powers that come with real danger, and must decide how far she is willing to go to escape the future being chosen for her.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Old Kingdom
- Series: The Old Kingdom core; position 1 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Garth Nix
Awards (verified)
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 2015: nominated
- Ditmar Award (Novel), 2015: nominated
Notes
- Prequel, set ~600 years before Sabriel.
- From the series record (The Old Kingdom): Publication order (Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen/Clariel/Goldenhand/Terciel and Elinor) diverges sharply from internal chronology (Clariel and Terciel and Elinor are prequels). No 7th novel confirmed announced; series status (open/closed) is unconfirmed either way.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Old Kingdom: position 4 of 6: previous Abhorsen (2003) · next Goldenhand (2016)
- Internal chronology, within The Old Kingdom: position 1 of 6: next Terciel and Elinor (2021)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Kingdom
- Garth Nix official site
- https://www.garthnix.com/books/the-old-kingdom/clariel/
- Aurealis Awards
- https://www.sfadb.com/Garth_Nix
← The Old Kingdom dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.