The first new book Your Humble Blogger read in the new year was Garth Nix’s Mister Monday, from the Keys to the Kingdom (New York: Scholastic 2003). It was, well, good enough. It's a juvenile fantasy, fairly dark, with quite a few lovely inventive things, and quite a few clunky awkward bits that didn't work for me. I'll probably want to read the next in the series, although I won't be counting the days.
I also read his Abhorsen, the second half of a story begun in Lirael, which two comprise a sequel to Sabrael. I was disappointed in Abhorsen; there were several stretches I felt were padding, and the totally inventive and fascinating world he created in the first book and explored a bit in the second was pretty much simply there in the third. Of course, the helpful talking animal-who-isn't-really-an-animal-but-simply-chooses-to-appear-as-one was a cat in the first book, and a dog in the second and third, and I don't like dogs. Not that I like cats particularly, but I am far more resigned to fantasy books with querulous cats as supporting characters.
Anyway, if you like juvenile fantasy with a good helping of imagination and Death, Nix is worth dipping into.
Redintegro Iraq,
-Vardibidian.