Sabriel Analysis

Sabriel's adventures revolve around two different worlds, separated by a vast, guarded Wall. On one side, we've got the Old Kingdom: an ancient, uncharted magical realm. On the other, Ancelstierre,...

In Sabriel, we have the advantage of a third person omniscient narrator, allowing us to hop in and out of different characters' heads as needed. Usually we are treated to Sabriel's point of view, s...

Sabriel fits pretty neatly in the classic coming of age genre. Even though our protagonist is nearly done with her teenage years, her story is about her transition between a sheltered life at schoo...

Nix is a man on a mission with this book, and he doesn't waste readers' time with a lot of flowery descriptions and metaphors. He's got an exciting story to tell, and he gets straight into the acti...

Magic is a way of life for many of the characters in Sabriel. There are no holy cow moments of astonishment or whimsy when we first see the Old Kingdom—nope, it's snowy, dangerous, and lonely. Th...

Sabriel. It has a certain directness about it, don't you think? It also gives our heroine a rock star vibe. Think about all the celebrities who only need a single name: Madonna. Prince. Cher. Adele...

So here's where Sabriel is kind of an unusual book: it ends abruptly. Really abruptly. After a dramatic build-up culminating in a cinematic final battle at Sabriel's alma mater, where Sabriel and T...

Packed with action, this book is a serious page-turner and should be smooth sailing once Sabriel's journey gets going. No flowery descriptions here—Nix keeps things pretty simple so the adventure...

I See Dead PeopleSabriel's a student at boarding school, but the magic she studies isn't taught in class. Her dad's a necromancer, and he's been teaching her necromancy most of her life. What does...

Nope, he's not another British fantasy author… Garth Nix is Australian, even though Ancelstierre seems to be based on England. (Source.) Yep—Garth Nix is his real name. He's often asked about...

Like many coming-of-age novels, Sabriel deals with topics like sexual attraction and romance. When Sabriel first sees Touchstone, he's a naked statue on the prow of a ship, and the first thing she...

Touchstone (Throughout the book; a reference to Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It)Abhorsen (Throughout the book; a reference to the executioner in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure)