I've been reading an awesome book the last few days called Lirael, by Garth Nix. I've had this sitting on my bookshelf for over a year, but have finally pulled it out to read. What a fabulous story I've been missing!
Lirael is the sequel to Sabriel, and is a brilliant fantasy novel, with kings, queens, princes and princesses, the undead, and one very unusual Dog.
Here is the summary:
Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother and ignorant of her father's identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large, extended family living in the Clayr's Glacier. She doesn't even have the Sight - the ability to See into the present and possible futures - that is the very birthright of the Clayr.
Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clayr, and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny.
I have some suspicions regarding the identity of Lirael's father, but I'm not going to say here in case anyone reading wants to read the novels. Start with the first book though, Sabriel. I think Lirael would be a bit confusing without the background knowledge that exists in Sabriel.
And on that note, I'm off to delve into the Old Kingdom once more. Happy reading!
