"Across the Wall" (A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories) by Garth Nix

Existing fans and newcomers alike will quickly fall into this latest title from Garth Nix as he proves his versatility as a storyteller. A wide and interesting array of subjects and settings provides fantasy readers with a good read. ACROSS THE WALL is a collection of the author's previously published short stories. However, it opens with "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case," a novella Nix wrote out of "the desire to see what happened next" to character Nicholas Sayre from The Abhorsen Trilogy.
Throughout the book, Nix is candid with readers about facts that went into the production of each short story. Information about his writing techniques and practices also are sprinkled among the pages. Readers who already appreciate Nix's fantasy adventure stories will enjoy the snippets as they add interesting background to each story. As a writer, I found it intriguing to follow Nix's patterns of note taking, ideas, and outlining so much that I chose to visit his website where I found even more details on how he creates his work.
Nix claims to be "someone who doesn't like the Arthurian mythos," but provides readers two stories written from his fantastical perspective of King Arthur and surrounding characters, primarily Merlin. "Under the Lake" explores Arthurianna from the eyes and mind of The Lady of the Lake. "Heart's Desire" retells the story of Merlin and Nimue "in a different light." Both present a sort of History Camelot and both clamor with the empty sounds of choosing power over love.

"Abhorsen" (Abhorsen Trilogy, Book 3) by Garth Nix

As in "Sabriel" and "Lirael," Death is a riverine chasm from which the dead can be called back to the living by powerful necromancers. Only the Abhorsen (Sabriel) or the Abhorsen-in-waiting (Lirael) can pass from life into the river of Death, through the eight Gates of fog, whirlpools, waterfalls, and shadow, and do magical combat with the necromancers in their own dark realm...

Well, the Disreputable Dog can splash into Death, too and in "Abhorsen" you'll find out who she really is, along with Mogget the bad-tempered cat (who reminds me of some of the grouchier Jack Lemon characters).

"Abhorsen" is a worthy conclusion to Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy. Read "Sabriel" and "Lirael" before undertaking "Abhorsen," so that you can familiarize yourself with the Philosophy and Geography of Death. Nix isn't into summarization or repetition. He plunges his reader right into a whirlpool of death, animated corpses, and Charter magic. If you don't already know such characters as the Disreputable Dog, the necromancer Hedge, or his bone-headed companion, Nick, you might never figure out what's going on.

This book is a direct continuation of "Lirael," with the ex-assistant librarian and her companion, Prince Sameth carrying on the battle against Hedge and the evil he is digging up at Red Lake. Although Prince Sameth was meant to be the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, heir to the powers of 'The Book of the Dead' and the seven bells, Lirael now takes up that role, and Sam seeks his destiny as a descendant of the mysterious Wallmakers, who built the barrier between the magical Old Kingdom and the mundane kingdom of Ancelstierre. The two will need all of the magic they can conjure up against an enemy that threatens not only the Charter, but all living beings.

"Lirael" (Abhorsen Trilogy, Book 2) by Garth Nix

In "Sabriel" Garth Nix told us of the Abhorsen who deal in death, and now he enlightens us about the Clayr, the women who are gifted with the power to see into the future (albeit not always clearly) and then there are those awkward times when things get confused by alternate futures and such complications.
Lirael is the daughter of a Clayr, but is a very late bloomer, having not inherited the gift of the Sight like all other Clayr teenagers. This means that birthday after birthday she gets stuck at the kiddie table, wearing the equivalent of Dora the Explorer play clothes while her younger associates (she's rather lacking in the friends category) go off to their debutante duties.
As is often done with teens that are slow to develop, she gets to choose a trade, and she picks library duties, a very dangerous occupation in a place where reading can sometimes be hazardous to your health. Having a special aptitude for charter magic, Lirael quickly moves herself up the ladder, unbeknownst (I always liked that word) to her senior librarians, and begins exploring the forbidden parts of the library on her own. Of course she gets into all sorts of trouble, releasing a creature known as a Stilken, and having to use all her power to fight it. Some people make up imaginary friends to talk to, but not Lirael - after meeting with an ancient healer, she conjures herself a companion named The Disreputable Dog (of unknown magical origin) that is much more than a best friend and who aids and abets her in her voyage of discovery.

"Sabriel" (Abhorsen Trilogy, Book 1) by Garth Nix

Possibly one of the greatest fantasy adventures of our times, Garth Nix's first novel is a lush, magical, dark-witty adventure about a young woman's battle with the hideous Dead.

The story starts with a flashback in which a special necromancer named Abhorsen saves his baby daughter Sabriel from a creature called Kerrigor, in the spiritual river of death. Many years later, at an English-esque boarding school, Sabriel must take up her father's magical sword and bells and try to find out what has happened to him. To do so, she must leave her relatively high-tech home for the Old Kingdom, where magic rules and evil things are stalking her.

Along the way, she is accompanied by the guard Touchstone and the menacing/funny cat-spirit Mogget. They must try to defeat the evil Kerrigor, who wants to blast the Charter which keeps all things from descending into evil.

Sabriel is the best fantasy hero I've read about since Lord of the Rings. Too many fantasy heroines are either damsels or warrior women--Sabriel is neither. She acts and thinks precisely like a young woman in her position. Strong, intriguing, and no slack with a sword in a bad situation, she is a wonderful role model.

Touchstone is a darling, but Mogget really is unique. Is he evil? Good? Or some peculiar mix? This ancient spirit forced to live as a cat is enslaved to the Abhorsen family for the good of everyone (we get a glimpse of how dangerous he is). The world that Garth Nix dreamed up, a mixture of Tolkien and WW2 England, is unparalleled in the fantasy genre. It's populated by animated ghouls, ghastly Mordicants, the almost-human sendings, Charter ghosts, the inhabitants of the river of Death, where only Abhorsens go, and so on...