Fantasy Fiction Archives - Magazine https://magazine.1000libraries.com/book_genre/fantasy-fiction/ Wed, 01 Oct 2025 23:06:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://magazine.1000libraries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-L-favicon-100x100.png Fantasy Fiction Archives - Magazine https://magazine.1000libraries.com/book_genre/fantasy-fiction/ 32 32 The Left-Handed Booksellers of London https://magazine.1000libraries.com/books/the-left-handed-booksellers-of-london/ Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://magazine.1000libraries.com/?post_type=books&p=53985 A girl's quest to find her father leads her to an extended family of magical fighting booksellers who police the mythical Old World of England when it intrudes on the modern world. From the bestselling master of fantasy, Garth Nix.

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn't get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan's search for her father begins with her mother's possibly misremembered or misspelled surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

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“Immersive fantasy.”

— Publishers Weekly

Review by 1000 Libraries

Garth Nix’s The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a delightful urban fantasy that combines the mundane reality of 1980s London with a hidden magical world. The story follows Susan while she is on a quest to find her absent father, which quickly spirals into a much larger and more dangerous adventure.

Merlin, a young man who introduces himself as a “left-handed bookseller,” is both a charming and gender-fluid magical operative. He saves Susan from a dangerous encounter and inadvertently pulls her into the secret world of the Booksellers. This extended family of magical beings covertly polices the “Old World” to prevent its creatures and chaos from spilling into our own. The right-handed booksellers are the scholars and researchers, while the left-handed are the fighters and enforcers.

“Stories aren’t always merely stories, you know.”

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a thrilling romp that effortlessly blends British folklore with modern sensibilities. Susan and Merlin’s eventually intertwining quests lead them on a perilous journey through London’s hidden magical underbelly. The plot is fast-paced, filled with imaginative creatures, witty banter, and inventive action sequences that often rely on cleverness rather than brute force. This makes it highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy, especially those who enjoy stories that blend mystery, magic, and a touch of the absurd.

“

“The worldbuilding is exquisite—the broad, immersive world and the specific rules for types of booksellers maintain a sense of discovery, and Susan and Merlin, the heroic protagonists, have vibrant, entertaining personalities (and a realistic romantic storyline). Readers will beg for more adventures in this London.”

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“Nix wastes no time getting to the action, throwing readers headlong into the splendid new world alongside the bewildered but determined heroine. It’s an incredibly diverse, detailed, and Nix puts in enough twists to make it his own. A remarkable romp through a fantastical new world.”

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“A fantastic journey. Fans of Garth Nix's works should enjoy this exhilarating volume. Action, light romance and otherworldly machinations keep the tension flowing as Nix reveals a warm-hearted and clever fantasy. Readers will almost certainly leave this magical London searching for hints of the Old World peeking through our own.”

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