Terciel & Elinor

The Old Kingdom, Book 6

By: Garth Nix

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling novelist Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom for the never-before-told love story of Sabriel’s parents, Tericel and Elinor, and the charter magic that brought them together - and threatened to tear them apart. A long-awaited prequel to a classic fantasy series.

In the Old Kingdom, a land of ancient and often terrible magics, 18-year-old orphan Terciel learns the art of necromancy from his great-aunt Tizanael. But not to raise the Dead, rather to lay them to rest. He is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and Tizanael is the Abhorsen, the latest in a long line of people whose task it is to make sure the Dead do not return to life.

Across the Wall in Ancelstierre, a steam-age country where magic usually does not work, 19-year-old Elinor lives a secluded life. Her only friends an old governess and an even older groom who was once a famous circus performer. Her mother is a tyrant who is feared by all despite her sickness and impending death...but perhaps there is even more to fear from that.

Elinor does not know she is deeply connected to the Old Kingdom, nor that magic can sometimes come across the Wall, until a plot by an ancient enemy of the Abhorsens brings Terciel and Tizanael to Ancelstierre. In a single day of fire and death and loss, Elinor finds herself set on a path that will take her into the Old Kingdom, into Terciel’s life, and will embroil her in the struggle of the Abhorsens against the Dead who will not stay dead.

©2021 Garth Nix (P)2021 Listening Library

great prequel!

I loved this story. I always enjoy going back to the Old Kingdom. ❤

Love this continuing story

Great storyline would have loved it alittle longer to fill on more as it progresses into the next story !!!!!!

Great Read

Great addition to the series ..I was a little dissapointed because it seemed a bit short in comparison to the others but it was still great.
I hope to see addional volumes in the future seeing as the line of Abhorsen is nearly endless. would be quite interesting to delve into the making of the wall and charter and Moggets actual binding. Also
I still have my fingers crossed for a Seventh Tower Prequel Mr NiX.

Nice Read

Overall a very nice story to go alongside the original Abhorsen books. I do wish another book would grab me as intently as did the originals. But alas I have yet to find anything as grabbing.

Great overall but narrator didn’t fit

The story was an amazing addition to the setting, but the narrator felt off. Still did great, but not as good as previous performers in the same series.

Awesome

Great series. Garth Nix is brilliant and it was so much fun to meet Sabriel’s parents.

It’s great to be back in the Old Kingdom!

What a delightful prequel to Sabriel. Much lighter in theme than Clariel, this story takes us back to familiar places and references old friends and foes.

The charm of the Old Kingdom is back

This is a story of how Sabriel's parents meet each other. It's also about the Abhorsen and Terciel capturing and binding Carrigor so he never returns to life again. It's better than the last two Old Kingdom releases, but not as good as the original trilogy. It starts out strong with all the intriguing elements from the Old Kingdom (the weaponry, the locations, etc) generating that 'wait a moment, I just want to get a closer look at that chain and the tunnel system under Abhorsen's house before you leave, okay?' (I love this sensation.) But as the book moved forward Terciel's and Elinor's feelings for each other dominates the story's activities. Which would have been okay if the characters didn't lose dimension, becoming somewhat wooden and trope-ish during their interactions.

The story isn't terrible, it just flattens out during the latter stages. I wish the vividness of their personalities that was firmly established at the start had stayed consistent throughout. The book also features many of the adult characters from the trilogy much earlier in their careers. Very interesting to see them in action as well as the infighting between the positions of power in the Old Kingdom that contributed to the decline it's in several decades later when Sabriel's story opens.

Speaking of which, Terciel and Elinor made me eager to relisten to the original trilogy. Which I did, starting Sabriel right after this book finished. This time around though, I paid more attention to how Sabriel's written, comparing it to Terciel and Elinor. I was also very aware of the enhancements Tim Curry's narration imparts to Sabriel. His enrichment of a sentence or inflection on a word that added depth and emotion to an otherwise dry description or simple exchange. Man, can TC tell a story! Just the way he said 'gurgle' communicated a happy baby face.

So, I suspect I'm being unfair to Garth Nix when I complained these later Old Kingdom stories are geared more for a child's comprehension level. I think it's all about the narration. The new narrators can't do what Tim Curry did. They aren't taking the material and making it entertaining for whoever listens to it. Mogget's sarcastic commentary about the entitled Sendings in Abhorsen's house had me grinning and then laughing out loud, yet again. TC's ability to add sardonic contempt and derision, dragging out a word or clipping off the diatribe for more important priorities (dinner) adds so much personality to Mogget's character, and all of it communicated in just a few sentences. _That's_ what's missing from the more recent Old Kingdom books. That kind of dimension. Where it doesn't matter if it's a child, a dog, a cat or a young adult talking, they're all interesting to listen to. If you don't own the original trilogy, I strongly recommend you get it now, before some contractual thing lapses and it's redone with a different narrator (like The Martian). That way you'll always have Tim Curry's fantastic performance to entertain you. For the other narrators though, following in his footsteps leaves them with big shoes to fill.

Billie Fulford-Brown's narration is good. Vivid at times, making the characters step off the page, but becoming more limited at points too. Terciel went from an interesting, dynamic nineteen year old, doing cool things with cool gear, to a stiff, sappy dolt of a boy mooning after a girl. It's a pity BFB didn't capture his shyness and fumbling when he talked with Elinor. He sounded wooden, instead of awkwardly appealing. Elinor too goes from a dynamic, interesting girl, figuring things out with intelligence and sass, to a milquetoast at times, unable to think for herself. Why the inconsistency? No idea. BFB's performance was excellent at the start, making me excited the charm and wit of the Old Kingdom was back, but unfortunately once the romance was introduced she didn't finish strong. But! It's definitely worth listening to. It's a three and a half star rating that I'm rounding up to four stars for the engaging start of the book.

Well worth the credit.

Billie faced a huge challenge, nailed it

how do you follow tim curry as a narrator? his voice became iconic, synonymous with the audio of the Abhorsen series for me. i came in expecting to be disappointed but was pleasantly surprised. another great book and billie does a great job telling it.

Great addition

Another great addition to the Old Kingdom 💙 loved getting a look at Terciel’s early life