”Lirael” by Garth Nix is the second book in the “Abhorsen" trilogy. I read the first book, "Sabriel" and thoroughly enjoyed it despite some obvious writing flaws. “Lirael" is a book that truly shows Garth Nix’s writing in a more impressive light. The novel is much longer than the first book in the series, which gives more time to the characters and a better-developed plot.
I’m going to start with the characters. In “Sabriel," I felt that much of the character development, plot and overall story structure was somewhat rushed. I also didn’t connect with Sabriel as a character as much as I connected with Lirael. From the very first chapter, we see her struggling to fit in with her very large family of Clayr, a group of people who can see the future. Nix is able to weave larger questions like identity and belonging into an otherwise action-heavy fantasy novel. Lirael’s struggles with questioning if she belonged with her family resonated deeply with me.
While Nix tackles some deeper issues such as belonging, and suicide, he also manages to weave intelligent humor into these novels. "Lirael," especially, had me laughing several times. Lirael’s companion, the Disreputable Dog was especially entertaining. Seeing her interactions with Mogget, the Free Magic cat that was the talking animal companion in the first book, had a kind of full circle effect that I really appreciated.
This is a fantasy novel, so of course there is action. Compared to “Sabriel," “Lirarel" is more of a classic hero’s quest story. There was not as much time spent in the magical school south of the border. It was focused mainly on where Lirael and Sameth were supposed to end up because of a prophecy predicted by Lirael’s large family, the Clayr. The magic system is equally interesting. The Abhorsen binds the dead with a set of seven bells that each has their own unique abilities. Some of them even affect the wielder if they are not careful enough in how they use them. Garth Nix explains his worlds very well.
Although these books were published a while ago they’re very easy to understand. I’m really looking forward to finishing this original trilogy. I think he has more short stories and another novel set in this world, but I’ll wait to read those in the summer. Overall I’m really enjoying this trilogy. I think “Lirael" was much more rounded than “Sabriel" was, probably because he had more space to develop his characters and plot. As of this second novel, I highly recommend reading Garth Nix. Nix is especially a great introduction to fantasy if you’re someone who has read very little fantasy and is looking for something unique, or if you’re a veteran fantasy reader and appreciate a good magic system.
