The first book in the Old Kingdom trilogy, this is compelling high fantasy in a gripping tale of a young heroine who must do battle in Death itself to defeat a powerful enemy.

'Weaving horror and fantasy into a rich, original story, Nix creates complex and fascinating lores, rituals and tools of necromancy ... a powerful, gripping quest story.' THE AGE'Sabrielis a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism. Here is a world with the same solidity and four-dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity and intelligence. I congratulate Garth Nix. And I look forward to reading his next piece of work.' PHILIP PULLMAN

Garth Nix has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth' s books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; and the cult favourite YA SF novel Shad' s Children. His fantasy novels for children include The Ragwitch, the six books of The Seventh Tower sequence, and The Keys to the Kingdom series. More than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world; his books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian and The Australian; and his work has been translated into 37 languages. He lives in a Sydney beach suburb with his wife and two children.