Josh's Reviews > Goldenhand

Goldenhand is a continuation of the Old Kingdom lore popularised in Sabriel. It’s a unique fantasy setting which delves into the land of the dead to traverse the living; a great concept consistently maintained throughout the series.

Building on the structure of the series to date, author Garth Nix expands his fictional world to introduce new key characters (Ferin), and harsh landscapes (there’s an oxygen starved canyon) which gives the series a deeper feel and paves the way for future stories centered around environs not previously explored.

There’s a nostalgic feel to Goldenhand; a return to the original trilogy with the plot centered around a small cast of characters, a dangerous world-changing threat, and a strong nod to continuity which makes me want to re-read the other books, Lirael (book 2) and Clariel (book 4) in particular. Ferin is a great character, and the strong return of Lirael is a nice touch.

Unlike some ‘series’ books, Goldenhand doesn’t work well as a standalone in my opinion, I recommend reading the original trilogy before picking this up.

My rating; 4/5 stars. I enjoyed Goldenhand much more than Clariel and hope the author revisits this world soon. This books does lend itself towards the YA side of fantasy so don’t expect A Song of Fire and Ice level of violence or darkness.