Tag: the left handed booksellers of london

Book Review: The Sinister Booksellers of Bath – Garth Nix

Book Review: The Sinister Booksellers of Bath – Garth Nix

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London #2
Release Date: March 21st 2023
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 416
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an ancient sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Portland Stone. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.

If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

Review

Garth Nix is back with an all new fantasy adventure featuring Susan Arkshaw and the mysterious booksellers. Picking up after the events of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, the story follows Susan, Merlin and Viven as they are transported to a strange house taken out of time. There they find a series of murders have taken place and an ancient sovereign with the ability to animate stone. The ancient sovereign takes an interest in Susan and together with the help of the other booksellers, the trio must find a way to stop the Lady of Stone before she kills again.

I really enjoyed The Left-Handed Booksellers of London so I immediately picked up the sequel. This installment is just as action packed, featuring plenty of shoot outs, battles with mythical monsters and clever puzzles. This one felt particularly fast paced and I found myself turning pages quicker and quicker because I was so intrigued by the story. The plot is well executed and I enjoyed getting to know more about the magic that the booksellers and ancient sovereigns possess. Garth Nix continues to be one of my favourite authors, with all of his books delivering engaging storylines and compelling characters.

We stick with the three main protagonists as the previous book and Susan in particular feels well developed. I was really fascinated by her storyline, coming into her powers and trying to find a balance between living her normal every day life as an art student and the lure she feels towards her father’s powers. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion and was a really fun and engrossing read – I would love to read more about Susan and the booksellers and hope Nix continues to write more books in this world.

 

Book Review: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix

Book Review: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 2 Comments


Release Date: September 22nd 2020
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 416
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: I bought a copy of this book in my local bookshop
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

Review

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a whimsical fantasy adventure tale that follows Susan Arkshaw, a young woman who winds up involved with the mysterious booksellers – an extended family that protects the ordinary world from the creatures of the Old World. Susan is in London to start art school and find out who her father is, but her search may take her further into the Old World than anyone thought possible.

I grew up reading Garth Nix books and Sabriel remains one of my all time favourite books to this day. I always find that Nix’s books have really intriguing, clever concepts and this is absolutely no exception. I was completely captivated by the idea of a group of magical booksellers who not only sell books, but fight dangerous creatures, work out puzzles and protect the public from the Old World. The story was well paced and incredibly well executed. I found myself hooked early on and really enjoyed the ride this adventure story takes you on.

The story is set in a slightly alternate London in the 1980s and I loved the way Nix brought the sights and sounds of London to life. The world building felt solid and I was really fascinated by the history of the booksellers and the Ancient Sovereigns they stand against. Like all Garth Nix books the story has a cast of brilliant, compelling characters and I really liked Susan, Merlin and Viven. The three worked as a great team and I can’t wait to read more about these fascinating characters. The story has plenty of action, including a goblin kidnapping, fights against resurrected corpses and shoot outs with criminals. If you’re a fan of Garth Nix or looking for a fun, fantastical tale that will keep you hooked, this one should definitely be on your TBR.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Left Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix

Waiting on Wednesday: The Left Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 1 Comment

July 23, 2019 (28)

Synopsis

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones). With the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), he belongs to an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelled surnames, a reading-room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own: to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, a right-handed bookseller named Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find their quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

Thoughts

Copy of book cover - 2020-04-27T210138.925Garth Nix has been one of my favourite authors since I was a little girl. My dad bought me a copy of Sabriel, and then pretty much every birthday/Christmas after that I asked for one of his books. Shade’s Children is one of my all time favourites, and I just fell in love with his newest release Angel Mage. When he announced this new title I almost squealed with excitement because not only is it a new Garth Nix book, but it sounds incredible. The title really drew me in and I love the blend of fantasy and historical fiction. Nix always creates these really imaginative worlds and I have no doubt that this one is going to suck me in just like all the others. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book, and I patiently praying that it might end up on Netgalley sometime soon. If like me you’re desperate to get your hands on this, you don’t have too much longer to wait – The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is publishing September 22nd from Katherine Tegen Books.