Abhorsen Trilogy

If you like scary stories, Abhorsen Trilogy (now called 'The Old Kingdom' as Garth Nix is expanding the universe with more tie in books) is one of the best dark fantasy tales in the genre. It's not only scary, it's also touching in a way that few fantasy novels are. The world-building is great, full of mystery, magic, and danger -- a once magical kingdom now crumbling to ruin, haunted by creatures of the night. The Abhorsen Trilogy is the story of a family of sorcerers who become the Abhorsen -- an anti-necromancer who's responsible for controlling death and ensuring the dead, well, stay dead.  Toss in a land that's fallen into ruin, magic gone wild, a world divided into an Old World (a ruined, crumbling kingdom where magic haunts the land) and a New World (a modern world where magic does not exist), and throw in strong, headstrong women on a mission to set things right (and perhaps find their missing family) and you have a ridiculously good tale for all ages. Garth Nix creates an absolutely compelling, highly developed world that's packed with mystery, magic, and a lot of creepy darkness. The fantasy elements are deep, but it's also the story of family, of relationships, of a father's enduring love. If you love epic fantasy this series is an absolute treat to read. And if you have not read the book or better yet, listened to the audiobooks just yet, well, you are in for a real treat indeed. The audiobook version narrated by Tim Curry is like the best Christmas come early. Curry's masterful narration of the story will have you eager to turn off the lights and curl up by the fireplace just listen to this creepy, yet utterly captivating tale.  Curry's ability to draw the characters with his rich British voice, bringing out every nuance and mannerism of each character to full effect, is a wonder.  The three books (each a related yet different tale) come life through Curry's performance. The Abhorsen audiobooks are one of the great audiobook performances and you absolutely should NOT miss listening to these. If you haven't read the books yet, make the audiobook version your next listen. You won't regret it. Listen to a Sample of Tim Curry's voice