Synopses & Reviews
Imagine a world where your fourteenth birthday is your last
In a brutal city of the future, human, life is in the hands of the evil Overlords who have decreed that no child live a day past his fourteenth birthday. On that Sad Birthday, the child is the object of an obscene harvest--his brains and muscles are used to construct machine-like creatures whose sole purpose is to kill.
Where only one thing can save them The mysterious Shade--once a man, but now more like the machines he fights--recruits the few children lucky enough to escape. He gives them food, shelter, and the training they need to fight the Overlords. But Shade's sent many children out on missions--and fewer of them are coming back.
And where even your protector may not be trusted By luck, cunning, and skill, four of Shade's children--Ella, Drum, Ninde, and Gold-Eye--have come closer than any to discovering the source of the Overlords' power--and the key to their downfall. But the closer the children get, the more ruthless Shade seems to become...In the brutal world of the future, an unspeakable fate awaits the human children of the Dormitories when they turn fourteen. It is from this Sad Birthday that Shade's Children'Ella, Drum, Gold-Eye, and Ninde'have escaped. Hunted ceaselessly by savage mutant creatures, they join forces to form a resistance movement. Cunning, clairvoyance, and sheer desperate force of will help them. But ultimately their fate rests with the charismatic Shade, who calls himself their friend . . .
This complex, suspenseful, thoroughly absorbing tale of the future fulfills all the promise of Sabriel, Garth Nix's debut young adult novel.
Praise for Sabriel:
?Rich, complex, involving, hard to put down, this first novel is excellent high fantasy.' 'Publishers Weekly
?The action charges along at a gallop'a page turner for sure.' 'Starred Review/Booklist
01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.) and 00-01 Tayshas High School Reading List
Review
“A slick, dark, engrossing novel. Grim, unusual, and fascinating.” Horn Book Magazine
Review
“An exciting read.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Fast-paced, exciting, well-written, and engaging.” School Library Journal
Review
“The alternate world he [Nix] creates is amply imagined and the twists and turns of the action-filled plot compelling.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“This pitch-dark, post-apocalyptic thriller will keep you reading and wild-eyed. Fast, brutal and brilliant.” Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies
Synopsis
From renowned fantasy author of the Old Kingdom series, Garth Nix, comes a dystopian fantasy perfect for fans of Hunger Games and Divergent.
Imagine a world where your fourteenth birthday is your last and where even your protector may not be trusted....
In a futuristic urban wasteland, evil Overlords have decreed that no human shall live a day past their fourteenth birthday. On that Sad Birthday, the children of the Dorms are taken to the Meat Factory, where they will be made into creatures whose sole purpose is to kill.
The mysterious Shade--once a man, but now more like the machines he fights--recruits the few teenagers who escape into a secret resistance force. With luck, cunning, and skill, four of Shade's children come closer than any to discovering the source of the Overlords' power--and the key to their downfall. But the closer they get, the more ruthless Shade seems to become.
Synopsis
The Key to Survival
Rests in the Hands of
Shade's Children
In a futuristic urban wasteland, evil Overlords have decreed that no child shall live a day past his fourteenth birthday. On that Sad Birthday, the child is the object of an obscene harvest resulting in the construction of a machinelike creature whose sole purpose is to kill.
The mysterious Shade -- once a man, but now more like the machines he fights -- recruits the few children fortunate enough to escape. With luck, cunning, and skill, four of Shade's children come closer than any to discovering the source of the Overlords' power -- and the key to their downfall. But the closer the children get, the more ruthless Shade seems to become ...
About the Author
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing Hail the Conquering Hero Comes or possibly Roll Out the Barrel. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a trunk full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publishers sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before becoming a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to writing full time again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
Garth currently lives in a beach suburb of Sydney, with his wife Anna, a publisher.