From the Publisher
A unique magical system based on angel summoning and icons, deft characterization—including male and female protagonists and LGBTQ representation—and an affectionate rendering of Dumas’s style will delight teen and adult fans of swashbuckling romance.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Nix’s complex system of angelic magic, and the toll it takes, is fascinating, and he weaves an exciting adventure full of intrigue and action while portraying women in power in a refreshingly casual way. An original and gripping adventure.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The vivid characters . . . jump off the pages. Their growing relationships steal the show. But there are plenty of embellishments that enhance the more personal aspects of the story. And kudos to fantasy stalwart Nix for a story with gender and racial equality.” — Booklist (starred review)
"A character-driven fantasy that still stays true its adventure roots. [with] thoughtful, complex world building. Well-wrought differences in the character and voice of those teens . . . add nuance and depth to their racial diversity, while the novel as a whole recasts angels and familiar characters alike in ways that play on gendered expectations. Overall, this is a captivating and memorable tale that will please longstanding Nix fans and other lovers of intelligently written fantasy." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"With their complementary personalities and easy affection, the four friends are an endearing, sibling-like group; Liliath, “ferociously single-minded,” makes a fascinating antagonist. . . . the pace picks up with plenty of court intrigue, beastling attacks, witty banter, and the posturing of rival military factions. In addition to its fantastical elements, Nix’s setting is characterized by welcome gender equality, orientation inclusivity, and racial diversity." — Horn Book Magazine
Praise for Goldenhand: “A masterfully spun tale well worth the years long wait.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Fans will cheer this latest volume- tightly paced with a satisfying resolution, capable and relatable female characters, plenty of action, and reappearances by beloved characters-and fervently hope for more to come.”
— Horn Book Magazine
“Nix has included strong female characters and a no-nonsense approach to sexuality. Recommended for high school libraries and for readers looking for fantasy with a historical literary flair.” — School Library Journal
“There is no joy like returning to the Old Kingdom. Once again, Nix sets the standard for fantasy, bringing us a tale full of old friends and new enemies, gruesome monsters, and heroines of wit, will, and imagination.”
— Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and The Grisha Trilogy
“Goldenhand reaffirms why Nix is a master of the genre: his exquisitely detailed world-building is unparalleled, and his characters are so tremendously alive and compelling that.”
— Sarah J. Maas, author of the best-selling Throne of Glass series
“Garth Nix is one of the best worldbuilders in fantasy, and this book is merely further proof. I love the Old Kingdom series, and Goldenhand is an excellent continuation, packed with the excitement and passion of a storytelling virtuoso at the height of his abilities.” — Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker, The Alloy of Law, The Way of Kings, Rithmatist, and Steelheart.
Praise for the Old Kingdom series: Praise for Clariel: “Between striking characters-from the heroic if not entirely competent young Abhorsen-in-Waiting, Belatiel, to the enigmatic, catlike Mogget-and Nix’s brilliantly complex magic system, this superb tale is exactly the book fans of the series have been awaiting.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Themes of freedom and destiny underpin Clariel’s harrowing, bittersweet story, and readers will delight in the telling (and in fan favorite Mogget’s return).”
— Booklist (starred review)
“Clariel is a deeply sympathetic character faced with complicated choices, the consequences of which are frighteningly uncertain as she is pulled between the wild Free Magic and the disciplined Charter.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Nix’s tale provides a complete experience unto itself. But his focus on this strong character whose overriding passion is to go her own way provides a hugely satisfying background to the other Abhorsen books. A suspenseful prequel to the much-loved Abhorsen books, showcasing the independent Clariel.”
— Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Praise for SABRIEL: “Sabriel is a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism. Here is a world with the same solidity and four dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity, and intelligence. I congratulate Garth Nix. And I look forward to reading his next piece of work.”
— Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials trilogy
Praise for LIRAEL: “What makes Lirael a delight is the magic that Nix brings to his story and to his characters.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Riveting.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for ABHORSEN: “Breathtaking, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“At once an allegory regarding war and peace and a testament to friendship, this is thought-provoking fantasy.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A swashbuckling adventure with lashings of swordplay, dastardly intrigue, and the most original magic I’ve seen in years.” — Joe Abercrombie, bestselling author of the First Law Trilogy
Horn Book Magazine
"With their complementary personalities and easy affection, the four friends are an endearing, sibling-like group; Liliath, “ferociously single-minded,” makes a fascinating antagonist. . . . the pace picks up with plenty of court intrigue, beastling attacks, witty banter, and the posturing of rival military factions. In addition to its fantastical elements, Nix’s setting is characterized by welcome gender equality, orientation inclusivity, and racial diversity."
Sarah J. Maas
Goldenhand reaffirms why Nix is a master of the genre: his exquisitely detailed world-building is unparalleled, and his characters are so tremendously alive and compelling that.”
Booklist (starred review)
The vivid characters . . . jump off the pages. Their growing relationships steal the show. But there are plenty of embellishments that enhance the more personal aspects of the story. And kudos to fantasy stalwart Nix for a story with gender and racial equality.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"A character-driven fantasy that still stays true its adventure roots. [with] thoughtful, complex world building. Well-wrought differences in the character and voice of those teens . . . add nuance and depth to their racial diversity, while the novel as a whole recasts angels and familiar characters alike in ways that play on gendered expectations. Overall, this is a captivating and memorable tale that will please longstanding Nix fans and other lovers of intelligently written fantasy."
Leigh Bardugo
There is no joy like returning to the Old Kingdom. Once again, Nix sets the standard for fantasy, bringing us a tale full of old friends and new enemies, gruesome monsters, and heroines of wit, will, and imagination.”
Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Nix’s tale provides a complete experience unto itself. But his focus on this strong character whose overriding passion is to go her own way provides a hugely satisfying background to the other Abhorsen books. A suspenseful prequel to the much-loved Abhorsen books, showcasing the independent Clariel.”
Brandon Sanderson
Garth Nix is one of the best worldbuilders in fantasy, and this book is merely further proof. I love the Old Kingdom series, and Goldenhand is an excellent continuation, packed with the excitement and passion of a storytelling virtuoso at the height of his abilities.
Joe Abercrombie
A swashbuckling adventure with lashings of swordplay, dastardly intrigue, and the most original magic I’ve seen in years.
Philip Pullman
Praise for SABRIEL: “Sabriel is a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism. Here is a world with the same solidity and four dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity, and intelligence. I congratulate Garth Nix. And I look forward to reading his next piece of work.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A character-driven fantasy that still stays true its adventure roots. [with] thoughtful, complex world building. Well-wrought differences in the character and voice of those teens . . . add nuance and depth to their racial diversity, while the novel as a whole recasts angels and familiar characters alike in ways that play on gendered expectations. Overall, this is a captivating and memorable tale that will please longstanding Nix fans and other lovers of intelligently written fantasy."
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"A character-driven fantasy that still stays true its adventure roots. [with] thoughtful, complex world building. Well-wrought differences in the character and voice of those teens . . . add nuance and depth to their racial diversity, while the novel as a whole recasts angels and familiar characters alike in ways that play on gendered expectations. Overall, this is a captivating and memorable tale that will please longstanding Nix fans and other lovers of intelligently written fantasy."
Booklist (starred review)
The vivid characters . . . jump off the pages. Their growing relationships steal the show. But there are plenty of embellishments that enhance the more personal aspects of the story. And kudos to fantasy stalwart Nix for a story with gender and racial equality.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-07-14
In Nix's (Let Sleeping Dragons Lie, 2018, etc.) latest, a cruel and power-hungry angelic mage, set on reuniting with her Archangel lover, sets her sights on four very special teens.
In this fantasy world, humans use icons to call on angelic assistance for tasks ranging from trivial to life altering. Almost 140 years ago, Liliath, a renowned icon maker and preternaturally skilled angelic mage, unleashed the Ash Blood plague, which transformed its victims into horrific beastlings, upon Ystara. Now she has awakened and seeks to use four young men and women to meet her goal: Agnez Descaray, a cadet in the Queen's Musketeers; budding doctor Simeon MacNeel; Cardinal's clerk Henri Dupallidin; and Dorotea Imsel, a uniquely talented icon maker. The friendships they forge may be the key to stopping Liliath. Nix's complex system of angelic magic, and the toll it takes, is fascinating, and he weaves an exciting adventure full of intrigue and action while portraying women in power in a refreshingly casual way. Agnez, full of swagger, biting wit, and an often troublesome eagerness to duel at every opportunity, is a joy, and the obsessed Liliath is heedless of the death and destruction she brings about. Liliath, Simon, Agnez, and Dorotea, along with many of the most powerful characters, have brown or black skin, Henri is pale, and there is a wide variety of skin tones throughout the cast.
An original and gripping adventure. (hierarchy of angels, maps) (Fantasy. 14-18)
