Book three in Garth Nix's internationally acclaimed Old Kingdom fantasy trilogy that began with Sabriel and Lirael.Beneath the earth, a malignant force lies waiting, greedy for freedom from its ancient prison. As the Old Kingdom falls once more into a realm of darkness and terror, the people look desperately to the Abhorsen, the scourge of the Dead, to save them. Yet Abhorsen Sabriel is lost, missing in Ancelstierre.Only Lirael has any chance of stopping the Destroyer. With her companions Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog, she travels across the Old Kingdom in a race against time, battling Shadow Hands and dark necromancers to reach Ancelstierre before it is too late. But what hope can one young woman have against a terrible evil with the power to destroy life itself?This eagerly awaited conclusion to Garth Nix's extraordinary Sabriel and Lirael is a complex and vividly imagined story, powerful, terrifying and compelling.This beautiful edition includes Garth Nix's answers to the questions he is most frequently asked about the Old Kingdom books and writing in general, and a discussion of his favourite books from his own childhood.'The reader's absorption into the intrigue, magic and dazzling richness of the worlds and characters created by Nix is irresistible pleasure ...' Australian Review of Books'Terror, courage, bitterness, love, desperation, and sacrifice all swirl together in an apocalyptic climax that pits both Life and Death together against the destruction of everything ... This one is breathtaking, bittersweet and utterly unforgettable.' Kirkus Reviews