Revisiting the Old Kingdom

During COVID-19 lockdown/self-isolation, I read and audiobook a lot! And, as you probably see from a month or so back, I hit a reading wall and was on verge of reading slump and blogging slump. So, I decided to reread Sabriel, the first book in the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. This is usually my Go-To book when I'm on the verge of or in a reading slump as I adore this book!

Plus, me rereading this series is a long time coming as, for the past 18 months, I have openly said that I would reread Lirael, the second book in the series. I've been wanting to reread this for such a long time as, while I adore Sabriel, Lirael has a soft spot in my heart as does Goldenhand (I will explain why a little further down).

So, the past few months, I finally sucked it up and reread the whole series. Expect, I've not reread them. I have audiobooked them, and while I've only ever audiobook Sabriel, so this is a new experience for me, and yet, not quite at the time same.

So, what do I class this? A Reread Post (aka re3 post) or a new post? A mix of both? An experience post?

Not sure where to start, so let's talk about rereading these books and me falling back in love with this world.

I suppose I should explain what the series is about, though that is a little of a hard one to explain. The Old Kingdom series is a high fantasy series which, primary, is set in the Old Kingdom, a kingdom where magic exist (well, two types. Charter Magic and Free Magic) and the Dead can walk, pulled back into Life by nercomancers or Free Magic adapts. Only the Abhorsen can lay the Dead to rest and force them into the cold river of Death and, hopefully, through the Nine Gates.

I suppose I should, also, explain reading order and history as, even as a fan, this is a weird one. Sabriel is the first, published in the UK in 2002 but published in Nix's homeland of Australia in 1995. This was, originally, a standalone so you can easily read this and you would be perfectly fine. Lirael and Abhorsen was published in 2003 and 2004. Set around 20 years after the events of Sabriel, this is one story told over two books, so you have to read this duology together. Clariel is a tricky one - almost the black sheep of the family - as it's a prequel, set around 300 years before the events of Sabriel and things happen in there that have an effect on the series. And Goldenhand takes place six months after the events of Abhorsen.

Which leads to reading order. There are, to my knowledge, three ways you can read this series, if you wish. You can read it in publication order (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel and Goldenhand with the two novellas, Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case and To Hold A Bridge before Goldenhand - yes, there are short stories set in this world, but not gonna touch on them in this post!), you can read in timeline order (Clariel, Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen and Goldenhand) or you do publication order but flip Clariel and Goldenhand about so the order would be Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Goldenhand then Clariel.

I know, that last order sounds weird, but it does work and make sense. Because Clariel is a prequel and hints at one or two things to come, you can either read it before or after Goldenhand. You can read it before and go "Oh, that's what happened" or you can read it after and go "Oh, that's what happened!"

But, in either way, I do say read Sabriel first as it sets up the world and magic system and Lirael and Abhorsen is one story told over two books and, if possible, read Clariel and Goldehand as close together if possible, though this isn't essential.

So, my reread and thoughts. Well, to no one's surprise, Sabriel and Lirael are wonderful books. I will happily push these two onto people. They are wonderful and am shocked that it's taken me so long to reread these. The same goes Wirth Abhorsen, though I don't have as much affection to it compared to Sabriel or Lirael. I feared at one point that this would be four stars, but Garth pulls it back right at the end!

Clariel and Goldenhand are odd balls. I've not read these as much compared to the others (only once or twice) and I have read affection for these. I read Goldenhand while in New York City on holiday with my partner who proposed on that trip, hence my soft spot. And with Clariel, I've been waiting for this book for such a long time and, while not my fave in the series, I do keep thinking about the main character, Clariel, quite often as she is quite a complex character.

But this reread was different. And I have two reasons for this. The first is I was audiobooking this time round and, because of that, I had three different narrators. Tim Curry, Graeme Malcolm and Heather Wilds. Now, I have listened to the audiobook of Sabriel many years ago so I have heard Tim Curry reading and I adore his voice. It just fits (plus, how he does Mogget is wonderful) so, I knew I would love his reading of Lirael and Abhorsen. And I did. Hugely.

But, as we all know, he suffered a stroke several years ago, meaning he was unable to continue acting and reading the series. Hence, Graeme and Heather stepping in to read Clariel and Goldenhand. And this is a bit jarring when you are doing one audiobook after another. I am going to be honest here, I see why Graeme was chosen to do Clariel, but I never warmed to his voice. The same goes, up to a point, with Heather. I see why she was chosen and I did like her reading, but some of the choices she made with character's voices were puzzling.

Plus, I did audiobook Goldenhand at the worst possible time in my life (I will explain in further but not now. At the time of writing, it'a too soon and too raw).

But I am, overall, really glad I revisited the Old Kingdom. And with the sixth book in the series coming out the end of next year (it will either be called Terciel and Elinor or Terciel [not sure as getting conflicting info on that front), I can;'t wait to come back into this world. Or maybe reread a book or two before diving straight back!

OLD KINGDOM CONTEST!

Why, hello there!

Earlier this week, I was invited to an special thingy (I won't say event but it was something - keep an eye on Hot Key Books's social media outlets in the coming few days/weeks...) at Hot Key Books in connection with Garth Nix.

As you guys are aware, I love Garth Nix's writing and I love the Old Kingdom series. I adore Sabriel and I think it's time to reread the whole series (once I've done my Harry Potter reread. It's been an age since I reread Lirael!)

And those lovely peeps at Hot Key Books have given me something that I am giving away. It's kinda an exclusive as they aren't out till 4th June.

One very lucky person will win a copy of Clariel in paperback, also well as To Hold The Bridge, Garth Nix's latest collection of short stories, which includes an Old Kingdom novella (which is the title of the collection).

If you don't know the series, Clariel is a good place to start. It is a standalone, a prequel and a sequel to the series and To Hold The Bridge is a collection of short stories so if one story doesn't suit you, another will.

I am excited to host this contest!

Ok, the rules. This is a UK only contest which will end on Monday 25th May at 6pm. The winner will be picked at random via Random.org and I will email the winner for your address so I can get it sent to you as soon as I can (Tuesday or Wednesday).

GoodRead - Clariel

I am probably breaking a ton of secret book blogger rules - aka Da Rules (yes, let's throw a random Fairly Oddparents reference at you. Anyone remember that show?) - but I was very lucky to win a very special hardback ARC of Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen. And I finished it VERY LATE last night! So, I wanted to talk to you guys about it.

And keep it as spoiler-free as possible! But I want to talk about it. I want to talk about it now, even though this isn't out till October.

Set around 600 years before the events of Sabriel (the first book in the Old Kingdom series - and you should really read Sabriel), Clariel has been forced to moved by her parents to the Old Kingdom's capital, Belisaera. She missed her old life in her small town of Estwael, the forest surrounding it and her possible future of living off the forest and joining the Borderers. Instead, she's trapped in a city with high walls, with people using her to serve their ends.

When a Free Magic creature is discovered loose in the city, Clariel might have a chance to prove herself and escape. But events spiral quickly out of control and soon, Clariel finds herself desperate for help. But help comes out a price. With everyone using her to further their own ends, Clariel must be careful who to trust...

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker...?

Now, because this book isn't out for another two months, am choosing my words very carefully, but I adore this world. And Garth Nix is great with world building and adding new ideas into this world. Clariel is set 600 years prior to the events of the other three books (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen) so we see Belisaera before. And it's very different, which took a while for me to get use to. I'm not sure why as I knew this was a prequel, but I wasn't ready for changing it in my head...

Another thing I really like about Garth Nix is how he writes female leads. We start with them at one point but they change and grow. Sabriel was a strong character at the start of Sabriel but she becomes an even stronger character. She grows from being a teenager into a woman. Lirael is the same. Over the course of Lirael and Abhorsen, Lirael grows into a strong female lead, even though she was quite meek at the start of Lirael. Clariel might annoy some of you guys but she does have character growth - but for the better or for the worse... Well, you'll have to read to find out...

Without trying to spoilers, some of you guys might not like Clariel because of two reasons. The first is Clariel, for a while, is a hard character to like at the start of the book. Like I said, she does grow as a character, but you have to get over that hurdle.

The second is the world itself and if you're a new reader to Garth Nix's Old Kingdom. If this is your first Old Kingdom book, you might struggle with the understanding of the world. Understanding of the Great Charter, Charter Magic, Free Magic and a few other things. My advice would be if you REALLY want to read this, read the trilogy or, just read Sabriel. Sabriel is great book to understanding this world as, when first published, Sabriel was meant to be a standalone novel but, a few years later, Garth Nix had an idea that turned into Lirael and Abhorsen.

So, if you are a fan of the series (and, like me, have been waiting 12 years for it!), this is a must! If you're new to the series, read Sabriel first! And now, off I go to wait for the next book in the series (a sequel that take place after Abhorsen and the short story/World Book Day 2005 novella, The Creature In The Case [or Nicholas Sayre and the Creature In The Case from the short story collection; Across The Wall]). Will it be another 12 years? I hope not as Hot Key Books have got the UK publishing rights so soon... SOON, or I will go over to the Free Magic side...

Oh, before I go, while trying to google a nice pic of Mr Nix, I found this pic of a fan having a tattoo of the Charter Marks on her back, and it ROCKS! Take a look!!!