The majority of this collection consists of extended excerpts from the fantasy novel Sabriel by Garth Nix, documenting the perilous quest of the title character, the daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen. Her mission requires her to cross the strictly maintained Perimeter separating mundane Ancelstierre from the magical, declining Old Kingdom to locate her missing father. Aiding her journey are the enigmatic cat Mogget and the newly resurrected royal heir, Touchstone, as they navigate a landscape infested with various undead creatures. Their ultimate enemy is the powerful Dead Adept Kerrigor, who systematically attempts to fracture the kingdom's magical safeguards known as the Charter Stones. The narrative culminates with Sabriel embracing her role as the new Abhorsen and leading a military campaign back in Ancelstierre to destroy Kerrigor's physical body, thereby stopping his destructive influence. Additional material includes a brief biography of the author and an explanation of his process for writing, focusing on thinking, planning, writing, and revising.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.