THE LEFT-HANDED BOOKSELLERS OF LONDON BY GARTH NIX

Susan Arkshaw has come to London to start her life after finishing high school. It’s 1983 and she is looking forward to getting a job, finding somewhere to live and start her art course. And also, to try and find father. Her mother, Jassmine, is terribly vague about any details to do with her father’s identity, so Susan is left with only one contact – “uncle’ Frank Thringley. Unfortunately, shortly after seeing Frank for the first time in years, he is “disincorporated” by a strangely dressed young man called Merlin. After that encounter, Susan’s life changes forever.

Merlin and his sister Vivian are part of a secret parallel world. In Susan’s London, they are booksellers and seen as slightly eccentric. Merlin’s world is inhabited by ancient gods, evil goblins and Cauldron-born lethal monsters. Life takes a sinister turn for Susan as it becomes clear that some malevolent entity wants her dead and it is all tied up with her father’s identity. Merlin’s left-handed powers help fight off any number of threats and Vivian’s right-handed talents can control the brains of those who are trying to kill them. Together, the trio try to track down Susan’s father and the evil presence that is trying so hard to kill Susan and take over both the New and Old Worlds. They are not sure who they can trust and suspect there is a double agent somewhere close to them. Are they strong enough to stop the collapse of the carefully balanced worlds? And can they find Susan’s father before it is too late?

Garth Nix has created a world that slips seamlessly from one time and place to another. On the surface, to everyday people, London life continues as usual but when evil from the Old World invades the New, London disappears, is transformed and dragged back hundreds of years. Elements of the supernatural and all the rules of physics are turned upside down. Nothing is as it seems and hidden below buildings and lakes are dangerous trails that take them on a journey of untold danger. Nix’s characters are completely charming, and welcome the reader into their world and their plight, promising an adventure that runs non-stop from beginning to end.

For Ages: 14 + years

Number of Pages: 416 paperback.

Published: September 2020

Themes: Courage, family, loyalty

Rating: 4/5