Garth Nix, The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, Allen & Unwin, March 2023, 330 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761180002
It must be your choice. I cannot advise you. Other than to say that no power, particularly mythic power, comes without cost. Consider what you are willing to pay.
The much-awaited sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is finally here, and readers will be thrilled to be reunited with Merlin, Susan, and the team as they go on their newest adventure.
The Alice-In-Wonderland-esque drama starts with an accidental trip to a magical garden. There are even roses (not painted red), but this time they’re made of marble, kind of sentient, and ready to tear intruders to shreds.
What comes next is another round of fending off meddlesome, and at times downright violent, ancient deities—all while navigating Merlin and Susan’s attempts at balancing romance and identity crises.
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath hits the ground running and doesn’t always wait for the reader to catch up. Garth Nix is an expert world-builder, and this book is no exception; readers are thrown straight into 1980s Bath and the perils of being a Bookseller.
Susan and Merlin remain the standout characters—it was a pleasure to revisit their love for each other, and root for them as they navigate the changes in their relationship. The sense of longing between them drives the plot forward (and will have readers gritting their teeth!).
More intriguing is Susan’s struggle to come to terms with being the daughter of the Old Man of Coniston—far removed from the ‘normal’ life she had planned.
She could see into the thoughts of the people who lived there, the rawer emotions of the birds and animals…Wherever she wanted to go, she went…whatever she wanted to know, she knew.
Where the book falls slightly short is the pacing—as other reviewers have mentioned, it slows down considerably in the middle third, and it feels like the momentum is lost. As the team investigates which Ancient Sovereign is behind a slew of kidnappings and killings, there’s almost a little too much to keep track of. At times, the focus on the minute details of the setting (e.g. lengthy descriptions of the characters’ outfits), and a large roster of supporting characters can disrupt the flow of the narrative.
Overall, a pleasant read; Left-Handed Booksellers of London was always going to be a tough act to follow. Readers will come for the clever humour, delicious nerdiness, pop-culture and bookish references, but will stay for the characters they fell in love with the first time around.
Recommended for ages 14 and above.
Reviewed by Sarah Stivens
