Sabriel's father is the Mage Abhorsen, a necromancer. But his charge is not to raise the dead, rather to lay them back to rest, to keep them from harming the living. When word comes from within the walls of the Old Kingdom where her father resides that he is missing, Sabriel realizes that she must be the one to find him. If he is not already dead, than he is trapped somewhere between the living and the dead, and the knowledge of Free Magic and the art of necromancy which he has passed on to her is the only thing which can help him. The young woman journeys into the Old Kingdom, traveling deeper and deeper the place where the darkness of death resides to meet a destiny she is not certain she is ready to embrace. Garth Nix has created an imaginative, intricately detailed world and finely drawn characters in a fantasy in which the forces of life and death are engaged in constant battle. (Ages 12-15)

Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into the world.

Though her journey begins alone, she soon finds companions: Mogget, whose seemingly harmless feline form hides a powerful-and perhaps malevolent-spirit, and Touchstone, a younger Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories.

With threats on all sides and only each other to trust, the three must travel deep into the Old Kingdom, toward a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death-and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hiddden destiny.

A tale of dark secrets, deep love, and dangerous magic, Sabriel introduces Garth Nix an exceptional new talent.

Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life -- and comes face to face with her own hidden destiny. . . Garth Nix's first young adult novel, Sabriel was recently nominated for the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Science Fiction in Australia.