Has anyone read Garth Nix's "Lirael" ? If you have, is it good?

Answer 1

I second the first answer. Lirael is a great book, but read them in order. Garth Nix is a good writer and a talented storyteller. If you like those books, try the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman, starting with The Golden Compass. You might also like Shannon Hale, Diana Wynne Jones, Sherwood Smith and Robin McKinley's Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.

Happy Reading!

Answer 2

It's Awesome - one of my favorite books.

Actually I read "Lirael" 1st (before Sabriel!) I recommended this trilogy all the time to people I know or on Y! answers and I always suggest reading them in the order I read them - Lirael, Sabriel and then Abhorsen. This is why: Lirael is really a much better book than Sabriel. It's also the kind of book that you can read on its own - they tell a different story (the story threads all come together in Abhorsen so I would always say read that last.) If you read Lirael 1st, what happened to me will (hopefully) happen to you: you will fall in love with the "world" and the characters and then reading the weaker "Sabriel" will make you happy because you're learning more background.

I think I'm stubborn about the order because I have a couple of friends who read "Sabriel" and then didn't go on to the other two because they weren't in love with it. Sabriel is a fine book, but Lirael is a book (and a character) you can get really attached too. I especially love the parts in the library (I think a book where librarians go into the stacks armed and use their study carrells to carry out secret magical experiments is a pretty rockin' book.)

Lirael has some of the intricate feel of the "Golden compass" series, in terms of the detail that the characters and the world are given. It has some of the modern spunkiness and realism of the Harry Potter series (not as funny though) and the characters are really real and "relatable" - ie; their problems feel like real problems even though their problems are things like fighting zombie crows.

Probably the real reason I adore Lirael is that is has one of the best doggie characters in modern literature (imho), the entirely unique Disreputable Dog. (Maybe I like Lirael over Sabriel because the parallel character in Sabriel is a cat.)

I hope you love it (whatever order you read it in!)

Answer 3

It's very good! However, "Lirael" is the second book in the trilogy. "Sabriel" is first and "Abhorsen" is last. If you've read the first book, you'll want to read Lirael and Abhorsen, too. It is really, really good.

Answer 4

yes you should read it. it moves a little slowly at first, but it picks up.