Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen (The Abhorsen Trilogy Book 4) (36 page)

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Authors: Garth Nix

BOOK: Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen (The Abhorsen Trilogy Book 4)

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She watched the lights for a long time, long after Marral had stowed the oars and raised both sails, watched them till the city was just a sparkling jewel on the far horizon.

“Begging your pardon, milady,” said Old Marral. “But they didn’t tell me your name.”

“I’m not sure myself,” said Clariel slowly. “I will think of it, in time.”

Author’s Note

Clariel is of course Chlorr of the Mask, who appears at the beginning of
Lirael
, having been drawn south by the reawakened powers of Orannis. As to what she did in the intervening years between the events of this book and those in
Lirael
, who can say?

The next Old Kingdom novel, which I am currently working on, jumps forward again and continues the story of Nicholas Sayre (and Lirael), picking up their story after the novella
The Creature in the Case
.

I would like to thank the many patient readers who have waited a long time for this book. I am also very grateful for the expertise, advice, and hard work of my publishing partners around the world: my literary agents Jill Grinberg, Fiona Inglis, and Antony Harwood; my editors Katherine Tegen, Eva Mills, and Emma Matthewson; and everyone at HarperCollins USA, Allen & Unwin, Hot Key Books, and my various publishers in translation.

Finally I would like to thank my wife, Anna, and my two sons, who have had to be the most patient of all: not waiting for this book, but for me to stop writing it.

Garth Nix

Sydney, November 22, 2013

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About the Author

GARTH NIX
was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth’s books include the award-winning fantasy novels
Sabriel
,
Lirael
, and
Abhorsen
and the cult favorite teen science fiction novel
Shade’s Children
. His fantasy novels for younger readers include
The Ragwitch
, the six books of the Seventh Tower sequence, the Keys to the Kingdom series, and
A Confusion of Princes
. His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the
New York Times
,
Publishers Weekly
, the
Guardian
, and the
Australian
, and his work has been translated into forty languages. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

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www.AuthorTracker.com
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THE ABHORSEN TRILOGY

Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories

The Ragwitch

One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales

Shade’s Children

A Confusion of Princes

Credits

Cover design by Tom Forget

Clariel

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nix, Garth.

Clariel / Garth Nix. — First edition.

pages cm

Summary: “The story of how Clariel became a Free Magic Sorcerer, set 600 years before the birth of Sabriel” — Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-0-06-156155-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-06-237150-8 (special edition)

[1. Magic—Fiction. 2. Fantasy.] I. Title.

PZ7.N647Cl 2014

2013047958

[Fic]—dc23