Sabriel (Cont.): The Platypus Reads Part CCCXXII

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Today's post is the fifth in a series examining Gath Nix's fantasy classic, Sabriel.

If you are spoiler sensitive about a 23 year old novel (yeah, I know, you're going through that mental rolodex looking for religious friends it might have something in common with...) then don't keep reading.

I warned you!


Ok, so today's drawing feature Mogget assuming his Final Form. It reminds me a bit of Dead Hand in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This is the last boarding pass I have to beautify with my marker collection, though the pictures should continue with each post.

Chapter 11 opens with another seemingly unreliable aid for Sabriel: The Paperwing. Evidently, Abhorsens fly about in magical paper airplanes! The paperwing is another of Nix's wonderfully novel fantasy elements. It is believable in execution and unlike anything in Tolkien, Lewis, Le Guin, Dunsany, MacDonald, or Howard. It is delightful, ambiguously trustworthy, and feels real. Interestingly enough, we find that it runs (like all necromancy) on music; a nice neoplatonic conceit (which also reminds me of the Juggernaut in Ridley Scott's Prometheus). The Paperwing also has magical instructions so that it can be flown; another needed bit of Realism. Finally, it creates a sense of wonder in Sabriel that gives her an additional reason to embrace her magical heritage beyond finding her father: to create things of beauty.

The flight of the Paperwing reminds me of Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle and The Wind Rises. The battle with the gore-crows reads like a scene from Spirited Away. I am surprised no one has adapted this book for film. On a more practical level, the gore-crows are another way that Nix keeps necromantic magic truly petty and despicable. Evil is ugly and utilitarian in Nix's world. This is also the first encounter that goes beyond Sabriel's abilities and forces her to end her isolation by letting the cat out of the bag (or the Mogget out of the collar!).

Which leads to chapter 12

We have been wondering what exactly Mogget is, and Nix is not going to disappoint. He is the magical mister "memphistof-o-fleas". Evidently someone made a deal with the devil sometime back and like Solomon with Asmodei, the Ring is the key. After battling this devil back into feline form, Sabriel will arise from the hole to complete the next iteration of her hero's journey, but not before she harrows a spirit in chains.

Which we will address next time as we pick up with chapter 13.

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