Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr
Garth Nix

Allen & Unwin 2001

430p pbk $16.95

1-86448-815-8         

Genre: Fantasy

Lirael is a fantasy novel aimed at a teenage audience that follows the adventures of two teenagers, Lirael and Sameth.  Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, an isolated group of charter magic users who can foretell the future.  Sameth is a prince of Belisere and son of the Abhorsen, a magic user who uses free and charter magic to banish the dead back into Death.  As Lirael becomes a powerful Mage and creates the Disreputable Dog, a magical talking dog, Sameth studies to become the next Abhorsen.  Four years later our heroes travel through the treacherous lands of the Old Kingdom to rescue Sameth's friend Nick from a Necromancer, an evil free magic user.  Unable to find the Necromancer the Disreputable Dog, Lirael, Sameth and Mogget, a talking cat, seek refuge in the Abhorsen's House.

Lirael appeals to the intended audience through convincing teenage characters and an exciting plot.  Although it is a fantasy novel, it deals with everyday problems such as fitting in, loneliness, lack of confidence, social expectations and pressures through the experiences of the two main characters.  As well as an understandable and descriptive language style, the book contains excellent illustrations of Lirael on the front cover and the map of their world at the front of the book.  The layout and size of the text is easy to read and it is a read-alone book.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend everyone who enjoys the fantasy genre to read it.

 Mark. Aged 14, Canberra, ACT

Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr is clearly a well thought out book, set in the same fantasy world as Nixs award-winning Sabriel. It is about the secret that links the lives of Lirael, lonely daughter of the Clayr, and Sameth, Prince of the Old Kingdom and son of Sabriel. The book details a resurgence of free magic (necromancy) in the Old Kingdom and the events that ultimately bring Lirael and Sameth together.

Having not read Sabriel previously, I expected it to be difficult to get into the book, but Nix explains the complex history and magic of the Old Kingdom well. Both Lirael and Sameth are multi-dimensional characters with their strengths and flaws. Liraels parents are long dead and she is the only Clayr her age not to have gained the ability of the Sight, but after passing a suicidal stage in her life, she soon discovers other talents working as a librarian. Sameth is an excellent cricketer and an able mage, but he is afraid of Death and reluctant to fill his mothers shoes as the Abhorsen.

There is an unpredictable twist when the secret is revealed, but the end is somewhat unsatisfying. The story of Lirael and Sameth is to be continued in the yet to be released Abhorsen. Overall, Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr is an original and interesting read for fantasy lovers.

Lirael is different in other ways too; her father's identity was kept secret by her
mother, who left the community, and later died. On top of these things, Lirael looks different, and likes to keep to herself, though this is in part caused by her
not fitting in very well.

 Prince Sameth is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, one day he will have to walk in Death, and combat the necromancers and the dead. The trouble is, he has a  terrible fear of the dead and Death.

The humanity of the characters, and the realism of this world, combined with the dense descriptive writing, make it a fantasy novel, which reads as if it  were not. The suspense and the relevance of the main themes of identity and belonging to the intended audience of teenagers/young adults aid the readability
even further.

This novel is well-written, and would be enjoyed by  teenage or young adult readers, wether they usually like fantasy or not.

Carl, aged 15, Canberra, ACT