Description
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 Purbeck marble. 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.
A wintry return to the somewhat alternate 1980s England of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London.
Review
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is an utterly absorbing fantasy set in an alternative version of 1983, and I absolutely loved this book.
Garth Nix returns to the world of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in this story, where trouble in the Old World in Bath is threatening those in the New World.
This is a follow up, and although I haven't read The Left-Handed Booksellers of London I had no trouble jumping into this world and following the story in this second instalment - and after reading this I enjoyed it so much that I'm going back to read the first one now!
Bath, England is a hot spot for Old World trouble, and the Booksellers posted there must keep a close watch on Sulis Minerva, the Ancient Sovereign who inhabits the hot springs precinct.
Vivien and her brother, Merlin, are visiting the Bath bookstore when Vivien discovers a map full of sorcery - a map that drags the delightful Merlin right into it's world. And it seems that an entirely different Ancient Sovereign is causing trouble in Bath this time...
The only way to save Merlin is to create a magical map of their own, but Vivien can't do it alone. She needs help from Merlin's girlfriend, and her friend, Susan - the daughter of another Ancient Sovereign and a mortal - who has mystical powers of her own. And although Susan has made it clear she does not want to be drawn any further into the mystical world (she would much rather continue her normal life as an art student, thanks), she is left with little choice when Merlin is in such grave danger.
But the mysterious stone world of the map is only the beginning, as it leads the booksellers to discover a nefarious and previously unknown Ancient Sovereign, one who has committed many murders across the centuries. The sovereign needs one final victim to complete the magic she set in motion centuries before - a rare victim to be sacrificed on the Winter Solstice, a victim who needs to be half-mortal and half-Ancient Sovereign...
This is a thrilling and action-packed fantasy novel as Susan and the Booksellers race against time to stop the evil spell from succeeding. With themes of friendship, learning who to trust, believing in yourself and being who you truly are, with an enthralling side of ancient mysteries, this is a fabulous book that will be particularly enjoyed by those who love fantasy in middle to upper secondary.
Reviewed by Kate
