Goldenhand: The Old Kingdom 4

By Author / Illustrator

Garth Nix

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Hot Key Books

ISBN

9781471404467

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

01-06-2017

Synopsis

The hugely anticipated return to Garth Nix's New York Times bestselling Old Kingdom series.Lirael is no longer a shy Second Assistant Librarian. She is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, with dead creatures to battle and Free Magic entities to bind. She's also a Remembrancer, and wielder of the Dark Mirror.When Lirael finds Nicholas Sayre lying unconscious after being attacked by a hideous Free Magic creature, she uses her powers to save him. But Nicholas is deeply tainted with Free magic and Lirael must seek help for him at her childhood home, the Clayr's Glacier.But even as she returns to the Clayr, a messenger is trying to reach Lirael with a dire warning from her long-dead mother, Arielle, about the Witch with No Face. But who is the Witch, and what is she planning?Once more a great danger threatens the Old Kingdom, and it must be forestalled not only in the living world, but also in the cold, remorseless river of Death.Praise for Garth Nix:'Sabriel is a winner . . . a world with the same solidity and four-dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity and intelligence' Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series'One of the best worldbuilders in fantasy . . . I love the Old Kingdom series' Brandon Sanderson'There is no joy like returning to the Old Kingdom . . . Nix sets the standard for fantasy'Leigh Bardugo'One of the greatest living fantasy writers . . . I will never get enough of the Old Kingdom' Sarah J. Maas

Reviews

Goldenhand is the very welcome return to the world of the Old Kingdom, continuing the story of Lirael, former Second Assistant Librarian, now Abhorsen-in-Waiting. This new and rather unexpected role means that she has dead creatures to battle and dangerous Free Magic entities to bind. Saving Nicholas Sayre after he has been attacked and left unconscious by a hideous creature, she finds he is deeply tainted with Free Magic. The only hope of saving him is to return to the Clayr's Glacier, her childhood home. A messenger is also on their way there, to warn Lirael that great danger is threatening the Old Kingdom, with an attack from the Witch With No Face. Just as Lirael feels she has found a new life, family and love for the first time, she faces losing it all. A perilous journey, in this world as well as in Death, and much courage will be needed in order to save everything she holds dear. Garth Nix is indeed a master fantasy writer, creating a wholly believable world, peopled with characters the reader comes to care deeply about. His attention to detail brings the world of the Old Kingdom alive, imbuing every page with Charter Magic so real you can almost feel it at your fingertips. If you have not read his work before, I urge you to seek out this spellbinding series; if you are an aficionado, then prepare to be enthralled once more. 432 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Jayne Gould, school librarian.