Goldenhand
core novel 2016 The Old Kingdom
Record
| First published | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.12 (19,774 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 368 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780061561580 |
| Internal chronology | 6 |
Synopsis
Goldenhand is the fifth novel of Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, continuing soon after the events of Abhorsen. Lirael, now serving as Abhorsen-in-Waiting and fitted with a magical gilded steel hand in place of the one she lost, discovers Nicholas Sayre unconscious and near death, and uses her power to save him, though the encounter leaves him contaminated with Free Magic. The two set out together toward Lirael's childhood home at the Clayr's Glacier in search of help. At the same time, a young woman named Ferin travels from a distant northern land carrying an urgent warning, passed down from Lirael's long-dead mother, about a figure known only as the Witch With No Face. The novel follows these converging journeys as Lirael and her companions try to learn who the Witch is and what she intends.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Old Kingdom
- Series: The Old Kingdom core; position 6 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Garth Nix
Awards (verified)
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 2016: nominated
Notes
- 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 5 of 6: previous Clariel (2014) · next Terciel and Elinor (2021)
- Internal chronology, within The Old Kingdom: position 6 of 6: previous Abhorsen (2003)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Kingdom
- Garth Nix official site
- https://www.garthnix.com/books/the-old-kingdom/goldenhand/
- Aurealis Awards
← The Old Kingdom dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.