Great fun

This is a worthy sequel to Lireal (sp?) which I also enjoyed. This book has a bit more depth. The talking dog and cat still made me roll my eyes a little (is it Disney or Jar-Jar?) but it didn't spoil the story. Plus they are more than they seem, like every other character in this book. The ending was satisfying and worth the two-book wait, although the last couple of pages were a little predictable. I had a hard time putting this one down.

2 people found this helpful

I love the Abhorsen story but...

This book starts very, very slow. Also Nix’s struggle to completely realize a character shows clearly. However, the last quarter of the book takes a sudden (very) dramatic turn. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Abhorsen story and will be going back for more. I just wish Nix would add another 50 pages to his stories so that we can get a clear picture and an ebb/flow of drama.

1 person found this helpful

An OK book in an OK trilogy

After reading the third book I guess this series is just not my cup of tea. I know I’m in the minority but this series was just OK to me and almost even on the unlikable side. If you liked the first two though I will say this is more of the same so you’ll probably like this as well. I did really like the concept of the world Nix has created in these books but I just don’t think we see enough of it. Whereas some books I really get a picture in my mind of cities, homes, characters and the world as a whole I’m just not seeing it with these books. I also never really felt connected to any of the characters or care what happened to them. Like the last book, I did enjoy the Disreputable Dog and Mogget way more than any of the human characters. Their dialogue was enjoyable and humorous especially when they were interacting with each other. They were the one bright spot of the book, and maybe if there was a story with those two traveling around having some sort of adventure I’d be interested in this series more but I don’t think I’m going to continue with the prequel novel and the follow up book. I also didn’t really find the antagonists that scary or feel a sense of dread that something might happen in the story. Chlorr of the Mask was kind of interesting as a third tier villain but that was about it. Hedge and Orranis were just OK but and Nix tried to make them threatening but it just didn’t come across for me. I don’t want to spoil anything but one bright spot was the final battle with Orranis, the eighth and why the eighth did what they did. Overall just an ok series that I may have enjoyed much more if I had read this when I was younger. I liked the world but I don’t see myself going past the original trilogy. Once again Tim Curry was as a narrator was just like this book, OK. It was clear, but it wasn’t anything special that got me into the story more.

1 person found this helpful

A bit disappointing ending

Overall a good book with great storytelling but I feel that ending was being made to be the grand fight from the second book. !! Spoiler !! But in the end, I feel disappointed because the first time they sealed the Destroyer it basically killed all of the casters (forces) and only their "shadows" remain and their power. Now, on the other hand, we have their ancestors doing the same thing without a single loss. Made the last battle underwhelming. When I was reading these three books, I always felt that anybody could die at any moment. It made me feel for the characters because I knew they could be gone in a moment. Now I know that the writer will not kill anybody ever and there are no consequences for anything. It makes me pass on reading more of his book.

1 person found this helpful

Tim Curry Rocks!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend the whole series. It was a little dark so I would not recommend it for very young listeners, but for adults who enjoy fantasy, it's a definite yes. Tim Curry is one of the finest narrators I've ever listened to and I've listened to a lot of audio books. The only downside to the series, and the reason I did not give it five stars, is that the author seems to be a bit of a sexist. Every second scene has the female leading characters either wiping away a tear, having tears roll down their cheeks, or their eyes filling with tears. Really? It's 2016, can we finally allow women be strong characters without constantly demeaning them by having them burst into tears in every second scene?

What did you like best about this story?

Strong female characters (except for all the tears that the male characters never seem to be afflicted with). Mind you, from the other perspective, the male characters seem to have weaknesses that require them to be rescued by the female lead characters time after time.

Any additional comments?

Leave out the tears and it's a pretty darn good tale.

1 person found this helpful

Third Time Not a Charm

I made it to this third volume due chiefly to the soothing voice of Tim Curry. The first two held my interest better. I found the plotting and characterization in SABRIEL and LIRAEL to be more engaging. The coming of age drama of the first two books and the conflict over evil seemed more accessible and interesting. Here in ABHORSEN, the culmination of the series, the drama falls flat and the story nearly incomprehensible. Tim Curry is always entertaining. He is hampered here with a weak and thin story.

1 person found this helpful

splendid

Firstly, the narration was extremely well-done. The only thing that I didn't like very much was Mogget's voice, though this is only a matter of preference, and I cannot fault the narrator for that.
The book itself is very engaging and a good read/listen, though I have to agree with one of the other reviewers about the heroine: she is too whiney and distraught over something she really should have been used to by this point. Being a Remembrancer should be enough for her, especially since she's the only one in the world, but she can't seem to get over not being able to see into the future. This is tiring after a while. Other than that, it's a good story.

3 people found this helpful

Don't Miss This Thrilling Conclusion!

My only complaint is that it has to end!!!

This series is remarkable on so many levels. Garth Nix is a genius at creating rich, fantastic worlds fraught with gritty emotion and thrilling excitement and this final installment in the "Old Kingdom" series does not disappoint!

The characters are engaging, the story is tight, and Tim Curry is perfect.

Don't miss this one!

3 people found this helpful

Good voice, good story

Tim Curry has a great reading voice. He loses his character's voices a couple times, but overall very good. The story is deep fantasy, with lots of complex, arcane magic; deep, inferred history; and evil necromancers. Story sags just a little near the end, but overall, Highly Recommended.

2 people found this helpful

Amazing!!!

This is an excellent conclusion to the Old Kingdom series as well as a perfect conclusion to the story begun in Lirael. I would suggest reading the two previous books in the series first because this book picks up right where the last one left off. This means that the action begins in the first chapter, keeping your interest until the end. The main characters continue their journey to stop an ancient being from destroying the world. This book is filled with magical fights that would rival those in Harry Potter. You will NOT want to stop listening.

2 people found this helpful