Terciel and Elinor
core novel 2021 The Old Kingdom
Record
| First published | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.19 (8,465 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 338 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780063049321 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
Terciel and Elinor is a prequel within Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, telling the origin story of Sabriel's parents years before her birth. Terciel is an orphan in the Old Kingdom being trained as Abhorsen-in-Waiting under his aunt Tizanael, learning the dangerous craft of keeping the Dead from returning to the living world. Elinor is a sheltered young woman living a quiet, isolated life in Ancelstierre, a steam-powered land where Charter Magic normally cannot reach. Their separate worlds collide when a scheme set in motion by an old enemy of the Abhorsens draws Terciel and Tizanael south into Ancelstierre, triggering a chain of dangerous events that pulls Elinor unexpectedly into the Old Kingdom and binds her fate to Terciel's ongoing struggle against the forces threatening both realms.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Old Kingdom
- Series: The Old Kingdom core; position 2 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Garth Nix
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2022: finalist
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 2021: nominated
Notes
- Prequel; Sabriel's parents' story, shortly 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 6 of 6: previous Goldenhand (2016)
- Internal chronology, within The Old Kingdom: position 2 of 6: previous Clariel (2014) · next Sabriel (1995)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Kingdom
- Garth Nix official site
- https://www.garthnix.com/books/the-old-kingdom/terciel-elinor/
- Aurealis Awards
- https://www.mythsoc.org/awards/awards-fantasy.htm
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