Sabriel
core novel 1995 The Old Kingdom
Record
| First published | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.16 (221,894 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 496 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780060273224 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Sabriel is the first novel of Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, set in a world divided by an ancient wall between the industrial nation of Ancelstierre, resembling early twentieth-century society, and the magical Old Kingdom to its north, where Free Magic and Charter Magic hold an uneasy balance. Eighteen-year-old Sabriel, nearing the end of her schooling at a boarding school in Ancelstierre, is visited by an undead messenger carrying her father's tools of office and a warning that he, the Abhorsen, has been overcome by a powerful Free Magic being and cast beyond the Seventh Gate of Death. Sabriel must cross into the Old Kingdom, take up her father's dangerous role and his necromantic bell and sword, and attempt to rescue him before the malign entity known as Kerrigor can return fully to the living world.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Old Kingdom
- Series: The Old Kingdom core; position 3 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Garth Nix
Awards (verified)
- Aurealis Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1995: won
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 1995: won; Joint winner with Deucalion (Brian Caswell).
- Mythopoeic Award (Children's Literature), 2005: finalist; Awarded collectively to the trilogy (Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen), not to a single volume.
- Ditmar Award (Novel), 1996: 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 1 of 6: next Lirael (2001)
- Internal chronology, within The Old Kingdom: position 3 of 6: previous Terciel and Elinor (2021) · next Lirael (2001)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Kingdom
- Garth Nix official site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabriel
- Aurealis Awards
- https://www.sfadb.com/Garth_Nix
- https://www.mythsoc.org/awards/awards-fantasy.htm
← The Old Kingdom dossier · All universes
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