by Garth Nix

Being a bookseller myself I may be a little biased, but I loved the premise of this book! 

The Booksellers are a secret organisation, whose job it is to police the denizens of ‘The Old World’ (the ancient realm of magic which lies beneath or parallel to our own). Right-Handed Booksellers conduct research, study the magic world and create protective wards against malevolent magic. The Left-Handed Booksellers are enforcers and, like 007, they have a licence to kill. They also sell books because, well everyone has to make a living right? 

Merlin is a young Left-Handed Bookseller. Susan is an 18 year old who has just moved to London to try to find her unknown father before starting at art college. One night, a perhaps not-so-chance encounter between the pair sets off a madcap chain of events involving malevolent urchins, cauldron-born zombies, garden variety gangsters and lots and lots of wardrobe changes. 

It’s rather ingeniously set in 1980s London (recognisably modern, but pre-internet and mobile phones) and is funny and action-packed while building a fantasy world that borrows liberally from English folklore and fantasy literature. Lots of fun, this is a great book for readers who have loved and outgrown Percy Jackson or the Land of Stories.

Recommended for readers aged 12+

- Reviewed by Kat

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