Old Kingdom: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Sabriel.jpg|frame|[[Improbable Weapon User|Bells have never]] [[Musical Assassin|looked so awesome.]]]]

{{quote|''"Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"''|'''The Book of the Dead'''}}

{{quote|''"Your work?" asked the man, shivering a little, though it was no longer cold.''<br />

''"Yes," said Abhorsen. "I am a necromancer, but not of the common kind. Where others of the art raise the Dead, I lay them back to rest. And those that will not rest, I bind. Or try to. I am Abhorsen."''|'''Terciel,''' ''from the first chapter of '''Sabriel.'''''}}

A young adult fantasy series by [[Garth Nix]] consisting of three volumes -- ''Sabriel'', ''Lirael'' and ''Abhorsen'' -- plus—plus at least one novelette, "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case" (appears in ''Across The Wall'', a collection of short fiction), a sequel of sorts to the trilogy. A prequel -- ''Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen'' -- and—and a sequel are set for 2013.

Set in a world sharply divided into the Old Kingdom, where magic rules, and the Southern Nations, where science is law, the Old Kingdom series revolves mostly around the conflict between two varieties of magic -- Chartermagic—Charter and Free, which correspond roughly to the traditional alignments of [[Order Versus Chaos|Law and Chaos]]. Charter magic is defined by the Charter, a runic language, which gives structure and purpose to sorcery to make it a beneficial and constructive force; Free magic is wild, uncontrolled and given to corruption and wanton destruction. Poised between the two is the Abhorsen, who partakes of both to defend the people of the Charter from the undead and other monsters that Free magic and its servants spawn in order to work their wills.

The first book tells the story of Sabriel, daughter of the Abhorsen, who discovers that since something bad has happened to her father, she must protect the world from the hordes of undead that threaten it. The second and third are set some years later and follow several other protagonists as they attempt to prevent [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can|a great evil from escaping its prison]].

Although parts of the setting bear a superficial similarity to the "stock" medieval fantasy, Nix quickly heads off into new territory, bringing a unique and different flavor to what might have otherwise been yet another fantasy [[ClicheCliché Storm]]. The magic systems used in the book are radically different from the expected and contribute signficantly to its originality. One of the more interesting touches is the presence of the more advanced technological lands to the south of the Old Kingdom -- inKingdom—in particular Ancelstierre, home to many of the characters, which comes across much like England circa 1910-1920.

** In Nick's defense, his brain was operating rationally on the subject {{spoiler|until Hedge planted a shard of the Destroyer's [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can|prison]] in his heart}}.

* [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]]: The Dead, who even when not affiliated under a necromancer will kill anything that moves, if only to eat their life force. Being a walking and animated sin against the cosmic order will do that to a person.

* [[Apocalypse How]]: It's suggested that it happened north of the Wall two hundred years before the story opens, in response to Kerrigor's assassination of the royal family, and his armies of Dead ravaging the land. In ''Lirael'', Class 5, ''Planetary Extinction'', is the [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]]'s goal.

*** Or, as the Clayr can see the future and tend to plan ridiculously far ahead [[Fridge Brilliance|maybe they're kept there waiting for some important reason in the future,]]({{spoiler|like they did with the mirror for Lirael.}})

*** It's also stated that by living so much in the future they tend to forget the present. There may be a bit of '[[Somebody ElsesElse's Problem]]' mentality if they don't See themselves doing something about it.

* [[Bad Powers, Bad People]]: Averted for the heroes. The Abhorsens have the same abilities as necromancers, namely those of awakening and otherwise controlling dead bodies and spirits. The Abhorsens' bells, however, are fired through with Charter Magic, hence their commitment and ability to keep the Dead journeying down the river of death.

* [[The Call Put Me Onon Hold]]: Get used to it, Lirael.

** Also, "I love you. I hope you don't mind."

* [[Dark -Skinned Blond]]: The Clayr.

* [[Death Byby Childbirth]]: the first book opens with Sabriel's mother dying after giving birth to her.

* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: There are two metallic hemispheres, explicitly described as denser than gold. Even when divided, they emenate harmful energy. When forced together, {{spoiler|they explode in blinding light, flash-incinerating everything within 10 miles and raising a towering, mushroom-shaped cloud}}...

* [[Door StopperDoorstopper]]: ''Lirael'' is around 700 pages long. Since it was [[Divided for Publication]], along with ''Abhorsen'', the full story is over 1000 pages.

* [[Embarrassing Nickname]]: Touchstone. Mogget gives him the name, and Touchstone finds it quite annoying, ([[As You Like It (Theatre)|it's a fool's name]]) -- yet [[My Greatest Failure|he can't argue with it.]]

* [[Eternal Recurrence]]: Lirael discovers in ''Abhorsen'' that the world has been destroyed and remade seven times in the past.<ref> Well, that or the Destroyer annihilated seven or so other planets before he got to theirs. It's not totally clear.</ref>

* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]: Sabriel was rather surprised to find out that Abhorsen was not actually her father's name, but instead his title.

* [[Evil Is Hammy]]: Kerrigor.

* [[Fantastic Nuke]]: The second of [[Eldritch Abomination|Orannis's]] nine forms. Not merely equivalent in role, either... See [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]].

* [[Foreshadowing]]: Quite a lot regarding [[The Reveal]] of {{spoiler|the Disreputable Dog's [[God Was My Co -Pilot|identity]] as Kibeth, the Walker}}:

* [[Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!]]: The Dog is prone to biting people who she feels [[Wangst|deserve it]].

* [[God Was My Co -Pilot]]: {{spoiler|The Disreputable Dog (Kibeth) and Mogget (Yrael)}}.

* [[Go Mad Fromfrom the Revelation]]: The Book of the Dead has a mechanism built in to prevent readers from remembering some of the less pleasant parts unless they need them, since otherwise they risk this.

* [[The HerosHero's Birthday]]: Lirael's book opens on her fourteenth birthday, completely despondent because she has not yet received the Sight.

* [[Heroic Self -Deprecation]]: Lirael ''and'' Sam. Even Touchstone, to an extent.

* [[I Lied]]: [[The Reveal]] that {{spoiler|The Disreputable Dog is [[God Was My Co -Pilot|Kibeth]]}} directly contradicts an earlier statement, when {{spoiler|she said she wasn't one of the Seven}}. This is the explanation: {{spoiler|"After all, I am the ''Disreputable'' Dog."}}

* [[Kid Withwith the Leash]]: Played with with Mogget. The Abhorsen has his leash, all right, but there's a very good reason they keep him on it.

* [[Kill It Withwith Fire]]: One of the ways of dealing with the Dead, especially those who aren't fazed by running water.

* [[Kill It Withwith Water]]: Nearly all of the Dead have trouble crossing running water; this is why the Abhorsen's House is built in the middle of a river, right above the edge of a waterfall, only reachable on foot by hopping across a series of rather precarious stepping stones. And if the Dead decide to lay siege... well, the river's fed by the Clayr's glacier, and the Abhorsens keep a block of ice in their basement for a reason.

* [[The Kingdom]]: [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|The Old Kingdom]], capitol city: Belisaire.

* [[Laser -Guided Amnesia]]: Most of the stuff written in the Book of the Dead is forgotten the moment it is read, and [[The Call Left a Message|the reader only remembers when it is required]].

* [[Lineage Comes From the Father]]:

** For Sabriel, {{spoiler|Lirael}} and Ellimere. However, averted with Sabriel's father -- hisfather—his aunt trained him -- andhim—and with Sam, who {{spoiler|inherits neither of his parents' [[Heroic Lineage|Heroic Lineages]]s}}, since Ellimere is the heiress to the throne {{spoiler|and Lirael is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting}}. {{spoiler|Luckily for Sam, he gets his own ability as a Wallmaker - the first in nearly a millennium.}}

* [[Magic Music]]: The necromancers' and Abhorsens' bells. Each of the seven -- namedseven—named for the creators of the Charter -- hasCharter—has a different effect. One of the bells casts the listeners deep into the realm of Death, but if you're appropriately skilled and/or powerful, you can just walk back.

* [[Magical Gesture]]: Charter Magic is done by drawing the signs on the air, with hands or with sword-tip. A diamond of protection is drawn with one's sword. And, of course, using the magical bells requires gestures (different ways of ringing will produce different effects), so this all crosses over into [[Ritual Magic]].

* [[Magical Library]]: The Library of the Clayr. It's carved out of glacier and is the largest repository of magic books and monsters around. It's keept in order by [[Crazy Prepared]] [[Magical Libarian|Magical Libarians]]s.

{{quote| “Really, this is impossible!” the [[Muggles|doctor]] began, till a cold glance from one of the guards convinced him that his conversation was currently not required.}}

* [[The Mind Is a Plaything of Thethe Body]]: Lirael can make skins that allow her to take on the form of an otter, or a bear, or an owl, but each one alters her temperament and perception for a while, even when she takes them off (the otter-skin gives her a great craving for fish, the bear-skin makes her extra irritable, and the owl-skin makes her more sensitive to light, for example.)

* [[Muggle Born of Mages]]:

* [[Naked Onon Arrival]]: Touchstone

* [[One -Gender Race]]: Though there are ''some'' male Clayr, seemingly all of the named ones are women. They're also all blonde, willowy, and tanned. There is no plot reason why there ''shouldn't'' be many male Clayr, though. They're just not common.

** The Clayr take lovers from among the wider population of the Old Kingdom, but they don't wed or stay together; the men go back to their lives. It's possible that boys born to the Clayr are much less likely to have the Sight than girls, and un-Sighted boys are sent to live with their fathers. Though this seems like something Lirael would have noticed.

* [[OrphansOrphan's Ordeal]]: In ''Sabriel'', Sabriel's father has vanished and sent her the Abhorsen's tools of the trade. She heads up to the Old Kingdom to investigate, and must come to terms with how little she really knows him, and {{spoiler|how she cannot save him.}}

* [[Raven Hair, Ivory Skin]]: Sabriel and Lirael.

** But there is [[AuthorsAuthor's Saving Throw|an impediment on anyone's ability to talk about the Charter]] in the first book.

* [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]]: Lots, ranging from the seriously dangerous to all but the very skilled to the World-Destroying God-Thing. The Clayr Library, for starters, keeps sets of tools lain out centuries ago for precisely the main character, as well as various Free Magic monsters and {{spoiler|an artifact capable of summoning one of the beings which created the world.}} And it's an effing ''library.''

* [[Sealed Evil in Aa Teddy Bear|Sealed Chaos In A Teddy Bear]]: {{spoiler|Mogget}}.

* [[Self -Fulfilling Prophecy]]: The Clayr ''live'' on these. They initiate new members into their ranks when they See themselves initiating her! Although presumably, their powers awake shortly after. And they do occasionally hand out jobs which haven't been forecast.

* [[Semi -Divine]]: Four of the Nine poured most of their power into mortal bloodlines; the Clayr, the Abhorsen, the royal family and the Wallmakers. Consequently, although not directly related to a deity, they all do have powers inherited from a god (or close enough).

* [[Shout -Out]]: The job of Sabriel's family, Abhorsen, shares a name with the executioner in ''[[Measure for Measure (Theatre)|Measure for Measure]]''.

* [[Sociopathic Hero]]: Mogget toestoes—or -- or paws -- thepaws—the line between this and [[Hidden Agenda Villain]].

* [[Songs in Thethe Key of Lock]]: A shortcut to Abhorsen's House in ''Sabriel'' will only open to the sound of Mosrael, a bell which is otherwise never used in the series (it sends the ringer into Death.)

* [[Top -Heavy Guy]]: Kerrigor. In ''Sabriel,'' his construct body is described as being ridiculously tall and barrel-chested, as though he was trying to remake his old self, but lacking "taste, memory, or skill." (How un-fabulous.)

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: {{spoiler|In the novella, Nick}} fights an ancient Free Magic elemental and an army of evil shadow government agents with basically whatever's handy. {{spoiler|[[Word of God]] says that this story was intended to be something of a joke: Nick looks like a Badass by normal standards, but he faints during his failed attempt to poison the elemental, only to have Lirael (still a novice Abhorsen-in-Waiting) swoop in and defeat the creature with nothing but a thistle.}}

* [[Two -Part Trilogy]]: ''Lirael'' and ''Abhorsen'' were conceived of as one book.

* [[Weakened Byby the Light]]: Lesser Dead creatures aren't so keen on traveling by day.

* [[Wham! Episode]]: The prologue to Abhorsen is an account of {{spoiler|the brutal assassination of Sabriel and Touchstone on foreign ground, using modern weaponry. They received very little screen time in ''Lirael'' and are only revealed to have survived a third of the way through ''Abhorsen'' (and the attack still killed all but one of the royal escort),}} making it especially shocking, particularly if reading the trilogy start to finish. {{spoiler|Their deaths are even more convincing due to a subtle perspective shift in the narration which falls just short of lying to the reader's face.}}

* [[When You Coming Home, Dad?]]: Sabriel's father, Sabriel herself, and even Lirael's mother, sort of.

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