The Creature in the Case
A novella. Specially published for World Book Day March 2005.
It is six months since the cataclysmic events of Abhorsen, six months
Nicholas Sayre has spent recovering in Ancelstierre. But he is
desperate to return to the Old Kingdom, and at last he has a chance.
All he has to do is spend a weekend in a country house as a favour for
his Uncle Edward, Chief Minister of Ancelstierre. That seems easy
enough, till he discovers that the house holds many secrets, and the
worst of them is a relic of the Old Kingdom, too far from the Wall for
any spark of its magical life to reignite. Unless someone finds a way
to unleash its power.
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Garth Nix
In Garth Nix’s worlds, the dead rarely stay quiet, magic obeys ancient and perilous rules, and courage often looks like a teenager holding a bell, a sword, and the weight of two realms. Best known for the Old Kingdom series, Nix has carved out a space in fantasy literature that hums with mythic resonance and emotional depth—where necromancers clash with free magic creatures and heroines face destiny with grit rather than grandeur.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Nix grew up in Canberra, absorbing stories that blurred the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary. He worked in bookstores, publishing, and even the Australian Army Reserve before turning his attention fully to fiction. That eclectic journey quietly shaped his writing—there’s a sense in his stories that the fantastical doesn’t sit apart from reality, but seeps into it through forgotten doorways and ancient bloodlines.
The Old Kingdom
Also known as the Abhorsen Trilogy (only in the USA).
The Old Kingdom consists of six primary books, and includes three additional books that complement the series but are not considered mandatory reads — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
