Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen Trilogy #2)

Who is Lirael?

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, 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 Clay; 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.

In this sequel to the critically acclaimed Sabriel, Garth Nix draws readers deeper into the magical landscape of the Old Kingdom and weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.

"In Nix's sequel to Sabriel, readers return to the entrancing and complicated Old Kingdom: a world of necromancy, seers, dangerous monsters, and talking animals (the cat Mogget is back). The relationships between the Kingdom's various realms and the magic may take some unraveling for readers new to the series, but the heroine's plight will be instantly compelling....[S]tartling subplots abound and keep the pages turning." Publishers Weekly

"This is pure-quill epic fantasy, with satisfyingly intricate world building that still propels the plot. Nix subtly invests minor characters, objects, even the landscape with vivid life, and his villains are acidulous distillates of pure malevolence....Readers who like their fantasy intense in action, magisterial in scope, and apocalyptic in consequences will revel in every word..." Kirkus Reviews

"There is some contrivance in the story, but the characterizations are appealing, and Nix not only maintains the intricate world he created for the earlier book but also continues the frenetic pace of the action and the level of violence." Booklist

"Nix invests the Old Kingdom of his story with a Gothic ambiance that is at once dark, heroic, and resolute....Nix's imaginative magical descriptions, plot intrigues, and adventure sequences are outstanding..." Horn Book

AT THE BOTTOM STEP, the Clayr stopped and held up her wand. Lirael's heart leapt inside her, while her stomach knotted in anxiety. It was exactly as she had imagined. So like it that she felt sure that it hadn't been imagination, but the onset of the Sight.

Sohrae, as her wand declared, was currently the Voice of the Nine Day Watch, the Voice who made the announcements when the Watch Saw something of public importance to the Clayr or the Kingdom. Most important, the Voice also announced when the Watch had Seen the girl who would be next to gain the Sight.

"Know one, know many", proclaimed Sohrae, her clear voice carrying to every corner of the Refectory and the kitchens and the scullery beyond. "The Nine Day Watch with great gladness announce that the Gift of Sight has Awoken in our sister . . ".

Sohrae took a breath to go on, and Lirael shut her eyes, knowing that Sohrae was about to say her name. It must, it must, it must be me, she thought. Two years later than everyone, and today my birthday. It has to —

Garth Nix was born in 1963 and grew up in Canberra, Australia. After taking his degree in professional writing from the University of Canberra, he slowly sank into the morass of the publishing industry, steadily devolving from sales rep through publicist, until in 1991 he became a senior editor with a major multinational publisher. After a period in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia in 1993, he left publishing to work as a marketing communications consultant. In 1999, he waas lured back to the publishing world to become a part-time literary agent. He now lives in Sydney, a five-minute walk from Coogee Beach, with his wife, Anna, and lots of books.

Garth is also the author of Sabriel and Shade's Children.