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Quick answer: If you loved Sabriel, try Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Hero and the Crown and Alanna: The First Adventure. Each one offers a brave young hero, necromancy or dark magic and a richly built world.
Garth Nix's classic fantasy follows Sabriel, the daughter of the Abhorsen, a necromancer who lays the dead to rest. When her father goes missing, she crosses the Wall into the Old Kingdom, armed with his bells and sword, to find him. Readers love its eerie atmosphere, unusual magic and courageous heroine. These books share its mix of dark magic, quests and strong young women.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lirael | Garth Nix | 12+ | readers who want more of the Old Kingdom |
| Abhorsen | Garth Nix | 12+ | readers finishing the trilogy |
| Clariel | Garth Nix | 12+ | readers who want a prequel |
| A Wizard of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin | 11+ | readers who like classic fantasy |
| The Hero and the Crown | Robin McKinley | 11+ | readers who like dragon-slaying heroines |
| Alanna: The First Adventure | Tamora Pierce | 10+ | readers who like brave girls |
| Graceling | Kristin Cashore | 13+ | readers who like strong heroines |
| Howl's Moving Castle | Diana Wynne Jones | 10+ | readers who like witty magic |
| The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand | Jonathan Stroud | 11+ | readers who like summoning magic |
| Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud | 11+ | readers who like ghost hunters |
| Gideon the Ninth | Tamsyn Muir | 16+ | older readers |
| The Raven Boys | Maggie Stiefvater | 13+ | readers who like ghosts and quests |
| Uprooted | Naomi Novik | 15+ | older readers |
| Sorcery of Thorns | Margaret Rogerson | 13+ | readers who like libraries and magic |
| The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman | 10+ | younger readers |
1. Lirael by Garth Nix
A young librarian who lacks the Sight discovers her destiny.
Best for: readers who want more of the Old Kingdom.
2. Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Lirael and Sameth face an ancient evil.
Best for: readers finishing the trilogy.
3. Clariel by Garth Nix
Set long before Sabriel, a young woman struggles against her fate.
Best for: readers who want a prequel.
4. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
A young wizard unleashes a shadow and must face it.
Best for: readers who like classic fantasy.
5. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
A princess becomes a dragon slayer.
Best for: readers who like dragon-slaying heroines.
6. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
A girl disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight.
Best for: readers who like brave girls.
7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
A girl gifted with killing becomes a hero.
Best for: readers who like strong heroines.
8. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A young woman is cursed into old age.
Best for: readers who like witty magic.
9. The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
A young magician summons a sarcastic djinni.
Best for: readers who like summoning magic.
10. Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Teens run a ghost-hunting agency in London.
Best for: readers who like ghost hunters.
11. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
A swordswoman and a necromancer face deadly trials.
Best for: older readers.
12. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Blue and four boys search for a sleeping king.
Best for: readers who like ghosts and quests.
13. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
A village girl serves a wizard against a corrupted wood.
Best for: older readers.
14. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
An apprentice librarian battles dangerous grimoires.
Best for: readers who like libraries and magic.
15. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A boy is raised by ghosts in a graveyard.
Best for: younger readers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Sabriel: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
Continue with Lirael and Abhorsen, then try the prequel Clariel. For classic heroic fantasy, choose A Wizard of Earthsea, The Hero and the Crown or Alanna. If you liked the ghostly side, try Lockwood & Co. or The Graveyard Book. Older readers who want necromancy should read Gideon the Ninth. Many of these are older books that remain favorites, so you can often find them at a library. If the magic system of bells and Charter marks was your favorite part, look for books with unusual, rule-based magic, such as Sorcery of Thorns and The Amulet of Samarkand. Readers who loved Sabriel's courage should try Alanna and Graceling, both about young women who refuse the roles they were given.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What age is Sabriel for?
It is usually recommended for ages 12 and up.
How many Old Kingdom books are there?
There are several novels, including Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel, Goldenhand and Terciel & Elinor.
Is Sabriel scary?
It has eerie scenes with the dead, but it is not gory.
Is Sabriel a standalone?
It can be read as one, but it is the first in a series.
What is the reading order?
Most readers start with Sabriel, then Lirael and Abhorsen.