• Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen

  • By: Garth Nix
  • Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
  • Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,174 ratings)

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Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen  By  cover art

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen

By: Garth Nix
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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Publisher's summary

The long-awaited fourth audiobook in the New York Times best-selling Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix.

Award-winning author Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with a thrilling prequel complete with dark magic, royalty, dangerous action, a strong heroine, and flawless world-building. This epic fantasy adventure is destined to be a classic, and is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones.

Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen and, most important, to the King. She dreams of living a simple life but discovers this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?

©2014 Garth Nix (P)2014 Listening Library

Featured Article: The Best Dark Fantasy Audiobooks


If your favorite genres are fantasy and horror, and you can't get enough of terrifying scenarios with high-stakes action, then you need to explore the winding world of dark fantasy. When the mystic, magic, and incredible world-building of fantasy are combined with elements of grim horror and the supernatural, the result is something truly pause-resistant. But with such a rich variety of titles to choose from, it can be impossible to know where to begin. We've rounded up the best dark fantasy listens that explore chilling settings, morally grey characters, and twisting plots alongside dark magic.

What listeners say about Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen

Average customer ratings
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True to the rest

I loved the original trilogy when I was a kid. I read them until the bindings fell apart. This book brought about the same feeling and I will for sure be buying it and reading it to pieces as well!

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    3 out of 5 stars

Not up to the task

I love Garth Nix and his "Old Kingdom" world. That said, I was sort of let down by Clariel. There seems to be a lack of continuity, though I hope this will be rectified in "Goldenhand".

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Read Goldenhand after!

This is my last favorite in the series, but I read Goldenhand after and really appreciated knowing the story of Clariel. It's kind of like remembrancing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Sabriel is my Favourite

I read Sabriel when I was much younger and it is still one of my favourite books of all time. I recently realized that Clariel existed as a precursor to the Old Kingdom trilogy. I of course needed to listen right away. The narration was beautiful, if not a bit slowly read in my opinion. The story itself is not as strong as I feel the main trilogy is.

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Clariel!!!!

I love the Old Kingdom books so much! Clariel is an awesome change of pace to the whole series. I wish I could give it six stars!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A prequel as rock-solid as a charter stone!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen to be better than the print version?

Yes and no, Tim Curry was the reader for the other books in the Old Kingdom series and he is fairly amazing when it comes to narration and so a hard act to follow but Graeme Malcom did a remarkable job in spite of his predecessor.

What other book might you compare Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen to and why?

Fans of the character chemistry from "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson should enjoy the way Nix ties his characters together!

Any additional comments?

Welcome back to the Old Kingdom, or Welcome for the first time if you're new to this series. This book is a real elevator style book, I was up, I was down. It was a bit slow in parts and predictable in others but in such a way that I had to find out what was next if only to see if I was right. An absolute must read if you are as in love with the Old Kingdom set as I am!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good, but only good.

doesn't flow the way the other abhorsen books do, and many threads of story were left unwoven at the end, so I have questions. in all, not as polished or spectacular as his others, but still fun. voice is a little monotone, but it didn't bother me. will still recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Solid successor. not on the same level

This prequel book is a welcome return to the Old Kingdom.

I was worried about comments about Clariel being annoying....she really wasn't,v any more than the previous major characters.

The book wasn't as amazing as the others, but I really enjoyed it.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

4th book, 4th best

love the abhorsen world, but not my favorite. plus the stories just aren’t the same without Tim Curry😔 RIP

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a drip in a lake that becomes a tidal wave

I miss moggets prior voice. Tim curry captured this characters better where Graeme malcolm seems to have more flow and atmosphere which is great but I think mogget sounding sarcastic and care free is a part of his character.

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