As a longstanding Nix-fan, I’m very happy to say this book did not disappoint. It was a delight and I’m so grateful for the advance reader copy!
I love it when Garth Nix writes standalone books; as much as I love his series, he really shines when he condenses the narrative to a single volume, as he did before with the brilliant Shade’s Children.

This adventure is packed with pagan lore and big, quest type concepts, sweeps the English countryside and manages to feel cosy and folksy at the same time.
 It has a very Dark Is Rising vibe and that is not a bad thing!
But what is really wonderful about this book is that I was, very decidedly, suffering from major ‘Merlin-Fatigue’ before reading it.
I will admit that when I realised this was a Merlin based story my first reaction was ‘For heaven’s sake, hasn’t riffing on Arthurian themes been done, overdone, and then done to death?’

It’s always brilliant to be proven wrong. This is such a lovely take on Merlin and his relationship with his sister Vivien, Susan and the human/magical worlds around him that I was riveted. The fact that everything is tied up with a secret society of ancient personages prowling the perimiter of the modern world to protect it, in the guise of booksellers-with-supernatural skills, plus that a lot of those society interactions take place in libraries and/or specialty bookshops, is a joy for a bookworm!

On top of that, I’m a middle-aged woman and officially not the target audience but it didn’t matter one bit. That has always been the case with Garth Nix.
I wasn’t introduced to his books until at least my early thirties and I’ve been hooked ever since. That is certainly not always so with YA books but he has a fantastic insight in the teenage mind and has an ability to describe them so well, without them ever becoming exasperating to the reader!

This is a ripping yarn, I loved the pagan elements, the beautiful yet wild spirit of Old Nature that permeated everything, the snappy dialogue, the humour and the very present sense of dread and danger.
Susan’s personal quest for her father and how she comes to grips with who and what he is is extremely well done and the final resolution is deeply satisfying, albeit bittersweet.
 There is definitely scope for a sequel but I almost hope this is it.

Perfect book.

***Review by Eugene Vassilev. J.Tivendale sourced book for Eugene through Will O'Mullane ~~~

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a rollicking urban fantasy by the prolific Garth Nix, taking place in a slightly-alternate version of the titular city, in the year 1983.

Shortly after her 18th birthday, Susan Arkshaw leaves rural life for the big city to find her fortune and discover the identity of her long lost father. Before long, she is whisked away into the dangerous magical underbelly of old Lun-Dun guided by the charismatic bookseller, Merlin St. Jacques; an agent of a secret society of sorcerous operatives, trained to keep fantastic occurrences safely away from the oblivious public. Merlin believes that Susan – and her mysterious father – are somehow connected to his own private investigation, and the two must help each other if they are to resolve their respective goals.

What follows is a mad-cap journey filled with memorable characters and heart-pumping action, all steeped in a convincing mythology thick with the folklore of its locale. Overall, I was thoroughly satisfied with this novel, finding the plot interesting and action-packed, the characterization sharp, and the realization of the world and incorporation of its accompanying mythos, exceptional. The pacing of the plot points could perhaps have been improved by reducing the many bits of exposition detailing various magical elements during the first quarter-or-so of the book, though this did indeed pay dividends later, and the story undeniably builds up to an exciting and satisfying crescendo.

While the writing itself was generally a pleasure to apprehend, I will note that the author employs an uncommon perspective device, as the point of view shifts between characters, sometimes mid-scene, although it is not an omniscient narration. It’s an affectation of Nix’s that I have scrutinized in a previous work, and while not a style often used in current literature, he ably leverages it here to expedite the narrative by informing the reader directly as to the thoughts of a particular character (in this case, primarily Merlin) without having to later review the scene from their viewpoint or contrive an inference for the reader to understand what they were feeling in that moment. Mostly though, the story is told either through Susan or Merlin, in their own chapters and in more traditional fashion.

50248109. sy475 Modern readers will be pleased to find transgender representation in the form of the magically gender-fluid, dress-wearing and gun-toting Merlin; a prime candidate for a groundbreaking genre role as a dashing and unflappable warrior. However, those of the most stringent social conscience may be disappointed to see this aspect of the character fade to the background, as the male representation of Merlin quickly takes centre stage; the opportunity to truly showcase such a lead, arguably sidestepped. Regardless, I appreciate the way in which Nix nonchalantly incorporates this element into his character work, and furthermore, respect that he’s laid groundwork for future stories destigmatizing this facet of society.

Fans of Gaiman’s Neverwhere and Butcher’s Dresden Files will appreciate the familiar territory and enjoy the balance struck between irreverence, drama and action, while those new to the genre will surely find this to be an engaging and well-executed entry point into urban fantasy. There is certainly a lot left to mine here, and I could well see this setting be home to many future stories of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London.

Reading The Left-Handed Booksellers of London was probably some of the most fun I had throughout 2020. It didn't turn into one my favourite books, but it let me escape the real world and fly away into an alternative London.

This book is good, light-hearted fun with plenty of humour, and likeable protagonists. It's easy entertainment, basically written for a year where everything is so terrible all you want to do is give gifts to your animal neighbours living on an island inside your Switch.

Don't expect a lot of depth from the story, or well-developed characters, although the world-building is great, and I really enjoyed the premise of left-handed and right-handed booksellers. (The left-handed ones fight, while the right-handed ones think.)

Susan, the protagonist, never really grows into a fully fleshed out character, and I never felt like I really got to know her, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment.

This is only my second Garth Nix novel. and I didn't get along with Angel Mage despite being intrigued by the premise. So, really, I should say this is my first Garth Nix novel. Sabriel is waiting on my shelf, and I'm quite excited to pick it up after having read this.

Who doesn't love a bit of Garth Nix? Weird people, that's who. With the big shoes of books like Sabriel to fill, one is always nervous to read a new Garth, will it be as good as the rest? Well 'The Left-Handed Booksellers of London' was the perfect mad-cap adventure that I needed at the end of 2020. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, and I much preferred this to his last book, Angel Mage.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Set in a slightly alternate version of London in the 1980's, it is an urban fantasy book ideally suited to a Young Adult but written well enough that those of us who lived through the age will enjoy it too.
The story follows the search by Susan to find her real father where she gets involved with The Left Handed Booksellers following an unfortunate incident. A good paced tale with well developed characters featuring a gender fluid Merlin, aspects of UK mythology and plenty of references to the political and social themes of the day.
Whilst the book is a stand alone, it has interesting enough characters that another book featuring them would be welcomed.

I had a lot of fun in reading this book and couldn't put it down.
It's a highly entertaining and gripping story that kept me hooked.
Great world building and storytelling, a cast of quirky and interesting characters, a tightly knitted plot that always kept my attention.
It's a stand-alone but i hope to read other stories featuring these characters.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London was an enjoyable urban fantasy romp in an alternate 1980s-London which left me wanting more from this clever and fascinating world of magical secret service booksellers.

I had mixed experiences with Garth Nix's books so far. While I enjoyed Sabriel and the following two books in the Old Kingdom series, I had a much less encouraging response to his last book, Angel Mage, which felt more like an attempt towards adult fantasy than his usual. Nonetheless, the title of this book was too tempting not to give him another try as I'm a real sucker for books about books and/or bookshops. Fortunately, I had a much better time reading this and wondered perhaps that Nix is just more suited to young adult writing.

I'm not typically a YA reader and choose these books very selectively, instead preferring middle grade fiction which I found to be more endearing and to contain less aggravating tropes. What I do like about a well-written YA is that it's usually fun, fast-paced and easy to read as there will always be times for books that fit these criteria. This book was a great choice for me after finishing some heavy emotional reads. It definitely fit what I was looking for with the added fun factor of two of my favourite things - books and bookshops.

It was 1983 in an alternate London where a select bunch of booksellers operating two bookshops in the city - one on Charing Cross Road and one in Mayfair - were also magical secret agents that protect the New World against the mythical beings of the Old World. This gave me vibes of The Kingsman in an urban fantasy setting, and instead of a tailor shop we have bookshops. The left-handed booksellers are the physical fighters while the right-handed ones are more intellectual and wields magic. While I found the worldbuilding to be quite clever especially in part of the booksellers, the plot was fairly standard and predictable albeit adequately engaging to keep me entertained. Come to think of it, Nix always have had great worldbuilding ideas as evident in the Old Kingdom series (I'm still impressed with the originality and depth of its magic system), and even in Angel Mage although the latter wasn't executed half as well in my opinion.

The story is somewhat a coming-of-age story for 18 years old Susan who went to London in search for her mysterious father whom she has never known. The story took off with lots of fantastical action right from the first chapter when she met Merlin St. Jacques, an attractive left-handed bookseller who killed her 'uncle' whom she was visiting to obtain information in her attempts to locate her father. Admittedly, Merlin's good looks seemed tropish especially when Susan found herself attracted to him. Nonetheless, I didn't find it particularly irksome in this case because I found Merlin to be quite a charming character without being a Gary Stu. I think I also fell in love with him a bit after he unintentionally killed an innocent and was so haunted by it that he needed to read a book to counterbalance that act of violence. Even though he also became interested in Susan, it was refreshingly not because of her looks or awesome abilities, but rather by her personality and ability to roll with the weird magical situations she was suddenly facing.

I loved that this book was inspired by Nix's own visits to the United Kingdom, the first time coincidentally being in 1983, and his gratitude to booksellers which came across in his Acknowledgement. Of course, there were numerous references to books and several scenes in the literally magical bookshops, which obviously made me enjoy this title much more than if these were absent. What made it even more magical was the allusion to an urban fantasy London, which in my opinion is the book capital of the world. While the pacing slows down a bit during the bookshop scenes, I was too enchanted by these scenes to be bothered by it.

All in all, I was delighted by how much I enjoyed reading The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. If Nix continues writing in this world, I'll pick it up the next one in a heartbeat.

I am a huge fan of Garth Nix. If you haven’t read his Old Kingdom series books I highly recommend you add them to your reading list alongside his latest book The Left Handed Booksellers of London.

I am so pleased to report that his latest book Left Handed Booksellers of London is also brilliantly original, albeit fans of Gaiman’s Neverwhere and Butchers Dresden Files will see some similarities to both these brilliant urban fantasies. Set against a backdrop of 80s London complete with Margaret Thatcher and Punk rock references, the Left Handed Booksellers of London are the supernatural police force protecting the borders between the human world and the world of the fae or in this case the Old World of England. In short and with no spoilers Susan has come of age and has set off to the big lights of London to search for the identity of her real father. She soon encounters the mysterious and gender fluid Merlin who introduces her into the world of of magic and extreme strangeness of the booksellers. How is all this connected to her father! You will have to read to find out.

If you love mythology and folklore especially from the British Isles then there you will find a lot to like in this book. It’s fast paced, irreverent and the world building is sublime. I would love to see more from this world - are you listening Mr Nix 😀

Action packed, urban fantasy packed thrill ride ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

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 misspelt 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.

A couple of months ago, I became aware of a curious tome entitled The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix. Needless to say, my inner bibliophile was intrigued. Booksellers? Well we know they are all kinds of cool, but why left-handed? Why specifically London? What could it all mean? Fortunately, I had access to an early review copy. I dived in with gusto. I started smiling by the end of the first page. I was smitten by the end of the first chapter.

Susan is away from home, on her own, for the first time. London, art school and the prospect of uncovering the identity of her mysterious father is too much of a temptation to miss. Unfortunately for Susan, her lineage is far from normal. There are dark forces that have taken an interest in the teenager. The big question is why? From the very beginning of her story, I found myself empathising with Susan. She is smart, inquisitive and surprisingly accepting of magic.

Merlin is also a brilliant character. I found myself picturing him something like Tennant-era Doctor Who, with a slightly more outrageous sense of style. At first glance, Merlin appears little more than a flamboyant dandy but it swiftly becomes evident he is far more than that. There is a steely determination to match his quick wit. Tenacious to the point of compulsion, he is the ideal guide for Susan’s introduction into his magical world.

The rest of the booksellers are a suitably eclectic bunch. Vivien, Merlin’s sister, in particular. Where Merlin is all action, with his extroverted outlook on life, Vivien is measured and thoughtful. The siblings are like two sides of the same coin and complement one another perfectly.

I’ve always felt there is something a bit otherworldly about London. There is that rich vein of history going back thousands of years that offers all manner of opportunities for any storyteller. Look at novels like Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon, or The City’s Son by Tom Pollock. In each case, a detailed mythology has been crafted by the author. The city and its environs become characters in their own right. Nix has achieved the same feat here. This novel could not work anywhere other than our capital city. The hustle and bustle of the busy streets juxtaposed against quiet alleys and hidden treasures. It’s evocative stuff alright.

I love when you see evidence that an author has spent time considering the smallest details in their work. There are a couple of throwaway lines regarding the subjects of politics and The Professionals that manage to perfectly capture not only the time period, but also the fact that Nix’s alternate London is ever so slightly different than our own. As far as world building is concerned it is subtly done. In this case, less is most definitely more.

A lot of people will tell you they have daydreams about being a writer. They love the idea of sharing their stories with other people. I admit that once long ago that prospect did have a certain amount of appeal. Eventually though, I realised that’s not my daydream of choice. I didn’t want to write stories, I just want to share my love of them with others. Turns out I had never really wanted to be a writer at all. Why would I want to do that when I could daydream about being a bookseller? Don’t believe me? The blog is named after a fictional bookshop for goodness sake*.

It feels like The Left-Handed Booksellers of London has been written just for me. As I am one hundred percent sure all my favourite books are. The evidence is compelling –

I’m old enough to remember the time period. Ok, I was only nine years old, but that still counts.
I’m mildly obsessed with books. My other half might take issue with the use of the word mildly in that last sentence.
I’m fascinated by all aspects of British folklore and mythology. I have the tattoos to prove it.
I love the idea of clandestine organisations existing in the dark corners of society. Just on the periphery of our collective vision.
This novel is deliciously fantastical, I loved every page. If there is not more books featuring further adventures from the weird world of the Booksellers I will either cry or riot. A sequel had better happen. No-one wants to see either of those outcomes, trust me.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is published by Gollancz and is available now. Highly recommended. In fact, I’ll go further, this is likely going to be one of my top picks for 2020.

I have a couple of musical recommendations to accompany this novel. If you want to play it safe the sublime soundtrack to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell by Benoit Groulx and Benoit Charest is a nice fit. If, however you feel the urge to go with something a bit more adventurous and period appropriate, I can heartily recommend an instrumental album called Merlin by Medwyn Goodall. There’s lots of dreamy eighties synth sounds with a fantastical flavour. Either choice will enhance your enjoyment of an already great read.

*I still have hopes that one day I will have the opportunity to be part Rogatien Remillard, part Bernard Black. Until then, reviewing books will have to suffice.

I received a copy of the ebook thanks to netgalles and Gollancz.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London tells the coming of age story of Susan Arkshaw. After turning eighteen in 1983 she goes to London, looking for her dad, who she has never met.

The starting point of her quest to find her father, is at Frank Thringley’s shop, the only person she knows of her mother’s past. Before she can ask him any personal questions he gets turned into dust by Merlin. As there are strange creatures coming, Susan flees with Merlin. Later on we get to know that he is one of the left-handed booksellers. The booksellers – right-handed, left-handed and even-handed – are an extended family of magical (but still somehow human) beings. Those booksellers help to keep the legendary Old World – the world of all the mythical creatures, for example goblins, from intruding with the human world. Of course Susan’s quest and Merlin’s quest -to find out why his mother was killed – are intertwined and so they try to find answers together with the help of Vivian – Merlin’s sister.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London falls in the category of urban fantasy. I am normally no fan at all of urban fantasy, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

First of all, I really like the time the book is set in and all the little hints towards it. For example Susan got a very modern watch – a Swatch – of her mum for her birthday. I was 8 years old in 1983 but I remember how I loved those watched when I was 15. In total I really liked Susan’s style. Her DocMartins and band Shirts and Swatch watch. Furthermore, I could easily understand why she fancies Merlin. In my imagination he somehow looks like David Bowie with dark hair, radiating beauty without really being beautiful.Also he is fun to be around and his wit and charm are adorable.

Another fact I really enjoyed about the book were all the interwoven mystical creature and hints to fairy tales and folklore. There are goblins, giant wolves, lake creatures and ancient mystic beings that appear on the quest to solve the mystery of the missing father and the dead mother.

And of course I enjoyed that there are so many references to books. First of all – of course – the booksellers. If they are not fighting for humanity, they sell books. And throughout the story there are always books referenced to – like for example Shakespear’s Hamlet („There is something rotten in the state of Denmark“).

All in all The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is an amazing read if you want to enjoy a wild ride throughout Britain. If there will ever be a sequel in which we follow Susan, Merlin and Vivian on another adventure, I will definitely be reading that one too.

The Left-handed Booksellers of London is a magical mystery in 1980's London.




First off I enjoyed that the story is based in 1980's. I loved the detail of the fashion (which some surprising are back in fashion). As well of the trouble it is to find a phone, and hope someone answers it. 

One of my favourite element is Merlin, a left-handed bookseller who now days would be seen as gender fluid. I really liked Merlin, he is very fashion-conscious. Who will wear what he wants it doesn't matter which gender the clothes were originally created for.  It's also nice that all the other character accept it as just who Merlin is. 

The leading lady in The Left-handed Bookseller of London is Susan Arkshaw. An 18-year-old girl who is looking for her father. Susan is smart and strong. She deals with the whole magic is real, really well. I like the bits of art knowledge she gave showing her intelligence and passion. 

Another element I enjoyed was the bookshop family, how they're connected, the school they go to. As well as how it's decided if they are a left-handed bookseller (fighter) or right-handed bookseller (intellectual/investigation) I would love to see/read more about these booksellers. 

The plot of the Left-handed Booksellers of London is engaging with drama. Interesting with the mystery. And the action keeps the plot moving at a good pace.

My rating for The Left-Handed Bookseller of London is 4 out of 5.

"It’s a family business, of sorts. Perhaps clan would be a better word. We’re either right-handed or left-handed. Though it can change. ‘One for the books, one for the hooks’, as we like to say."

“The Left-Handed Booksellers of London” by Garth Nix is a surprising adventure in a slightly alternative London in 1983. The Protagonist, Susan Arkshaw, is searching for her father, and following the small trail leading to one of London’s crime lords. Unfortunately, before she manages to ask him any question, he is turned to a pile of dust by a handsome young man named Merlin. From that moment, Susan discovers a whole new world that has always existed just under the nose of regular people.
From the very first chapters, the weird things keep popping up at you. I love how original and fresh it all felt. The idea itself is nothing new – the mystical world intertwining with the real one, mythological creatures and immortal, ancient beings. But the author pulls out all those tropes and serves them in a completely different form. As you can see from the title, the essential group in the book are Booksellers. They are the descendants of powerful beings who always stood between the real and mystical world. Oh, and they have magical glowing hands. Sounds a bit crazy, right? The idea seems ridiculous at first, but the author goes with it and it suddenly makes so much sense!
So, the Booksellers are divided into left and right-handed. The first ones are field agents, skilled in all fighting skills and weapons, while the right-handed are more scholarly types proficient in gathering information and knowledge management. Oh, and in the meantime, they sell books. They must do something in their spare time, don’t they?
Susan discovers the quest for finding her father is more complicated than she expected when she suddenly becomes a person of interest for various mystical beings and regular real-world brutes. She agrees to accept Merlin’s help, and they embark on a mad journey to discover the truth. There is no time for boredom here, as the action is speeding forward like crazy, and more and more weird encounters awaits the protagonists on every corner. There is also a matter of very suspicious signs, indicating that someone form the good guys may be playing for the evil team.
The book has a lot of humour in it. Merlin is a particularly interesting character. Very handsome and alluring, quick with the guns, but also with the weirdest sense of fashion and hoarding tendencies. He is a good match for Susan, who is a no-nonsense person who would not let anyone get on her case and can keep her calm in the most bizarre situations.
This is the second book from Garth Nix I read so far, and it only confirmed my previous impression, that he is an amazingly creative writer. The way he creates his worlds is so imaginative and yet convincing that the reader accepts even the weirdest ideas at face value. Through this book, you can also feel the author’s love for England and London. He wrote in his notes at the end of the book that he always enjoyed his visits there, and it shows in his novel. The way the characters speak with different accents, descriptions of London’s traffic and then the rural country landscapes – all of it makes you feel as if you were visiting England yourself.
If you like creative fantasy stories, full of humour and unexpected encounters I’m sure you will love this book. It’s almost a shame this is a standalone book. The Booksellers have so much potential; I would gladly read more about their adventures in the future!

Garth Nix is most famous for his dark teen books, and Sabriel and sequels have been favourites of mine since I was a kid, but he also does a great line in light-hearted adventure fantasy (see the criminally underrated Newt’s Emerald), and The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is exactly that!

Content warnings: Brief mentions of blood drinking; minor violence and injury, including gun violence; minor character death (off page, not graphic); mention of parental death.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book before going in – Garth Nix has so many styles that I wasn’t sure what level of fantasy we were playing with! I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s a lighthearted urban fantasy adventure: low on crime, sex and grit, but high on fun, chases, and tea. If you enjoyed The Library of the Unwritten, the Invisible Library books, or even the Parasol Protectorate series, this should work really well for you – it doesn’t have anything particularly in common with them, but it just has that sort of entertaining, smart vibe. The prologue makes it feel like it’s going to be a very quiet book, but that’s not the case at all! Once Susan meets Merlin the plot simply rockets along, dragging you on their adventure with all its twists and turns. This is definitely the kind of book you’ll want to read in one sitting, preferably with a large cup of tea.

There’s a very British core of folklore to the magic here, which is impressive given Nix’s Australian origins, but which made me feel right at home. The characters, too, especially the booksellers, feel quintessentially British – think Doctor Who and you’ll definitely be on the right wave length. I really loved the idea of the left- and right-handed booksellers (I wish we’d got to see them do even more bookish things). I’m a sucker for a quirky dynasty and the booksellers hit this perfectly, with characterful ‘Greats’ (Great Uncle Thurston and Great Aunt Merrihew are real scene-stealers!), seemingly arcane rules, and a family history that I’d love to read more books about. I could definitely see this as a series of linked standalones focusing on different members of the family! My favourite character was the flamboyant, confident Merlin, who is the perfect balance of capable and flustered as he discovers just how deep this mystery goes – at first, he seems to Susan like he knows everything, but as events unfold we realise just how much he’s paddling to keep afloat, and it makes him really endearing. The characters remain fairly static in their development, with the focus more on what’s happening than their states of mind, but they’re still very rewarding to get to know.

Despite being fairly bloody, this never feels grim. There’s tons of dry humour, and just a hint of romance – if you’re not normally an urban fantasy reader because it’s all a bit dark and sexy, I definitely recommend this for you to see what else the genre has to offer! It’s the perfect kind of read to distract you from the state of the world: exciting enough to hold your attention, but enough of a straightforward adventure to let you relax into it. It would be a great crossover for YA readers, too, and it would make a seriously excellent TV mini-series to binge on a Sunday afternoon. I’m delighted (for the sake of my own taste) that fantasy seems to be leaning away from complicated grimdark books and more into glorious escapades like this – four out of five stars!

The title was what attracted me to this novel because booksellers who fight deons? Count me in.
I was very excited to start reading this and it does start off great but it fails to maintain that excitement throughout.
The storytelling was all over the place and I couldn’t really see the point of it all. It felt too childish at times. I found myself unable to garner any interest for any of the characters or what might happen to them. Even the books in book part failed to elicit any response.
It was a huge disappointment overall and sadly this one didn’t work for me, at all.

I really liked the worldbuilding and character dynamics in this, but it was bogged down by too much explaining and not enough showing. I couldn't really tell you what the stakes were! A bit of a shame.

It’s been less than a year since Garth’s last book (Angel Mage) appeared, a book which was advertised as an adult novel. His latest, The Left-handed Booksellers of London, is back into more familiar Young Adult territory.

It is set in England in an alternative 1983 (Jasper Fforde fans, take note.)

From the publisher: “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 misspelt 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.”

Long-time readers of Garth’s earlier YA books will recognise that things don’t move too far from the traditional template. There’s a young person in search of their unknown past and mysterious parentage, and the idea that there are other places beyond that which seems most real – an overlap between the ‘real’ New World and the Old World, which contains more mystical aspects.

In the best traditions the book also covers similar ground in that Susan’s destiny is connected to ancient myths and legends, in a similar way to Garth’s character of Arthur in The Keys to the Kingdom series. It is possible that this book, the first of a proposed trilogy, will intersect with other books Garth has written. You don’t need to know these other stories to enjoy this one, but it adds another layer of understanding to what you’re reading.

And it’s a lot of fun – a book with bookshops and librarians at its centre can’t do too much wrong in my opinion, and I suspect that many other readers will feel the same. I loved the fact that there’s lots of mentions of other books named throughout. If the thought that one floor holds every Penguin Book in print amuses you, then you’ll find a lot to like in this book.

Of course, as this New World is a version of 1983 this allows mentions of 80s pop culture, which was also a lot of fun. At the same time, though, there’s little in the way of computers (although a TRS-80 computer is mentioned) or mobile phones (although there are some!) to make things be solved faster. Much of the detective work seems to be on index cards, and much of the running-around plot involves trying to find a telephone or a phone box.



The characters themselves are not incredibly detailed, though you pretty much get the main details. Merlin is a character of fluid gender, Vivien is the sensible sister, forever quibbling with Merlin and yet the person you most want on your side in a crisis. Characters you don’t trust are pretty much that throughout the novel, and it is pretty clear from the start who you should like and dislike as you continue to read. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows focus to be on the plot. Just don’t expect too much introverted navel-gazing here – it’s not that sort of book.

When talking of the book in the SFFWorld Forums, I described it as a blend of The Avengers 1960s TV series (nothing to do with Marvel!) with bookshops, librarians and English folklore thrown in. More contemporary readers may think of the Kingsman movies and graphic novels (which also pay homage to The Avengers) in terms of their sardonic tone and fast pace.

And this in part leads to my main issue with the book.

The book seems to struggle in terms of tone and balance, to the point where at times I wasn’t entirely sure of where this book wants to be. It is clear that the author’s having a lot of fun in telling this tale. Garth does put a great Afterword in at the end to explain his inspiration. It’s clearly a book he’s enjoyed writing and drawn on a lot of personal experiences to fill in the details.

The downside is that its approach seems a little scattershot for me and there were changes in tone that seemed to lurch from one state to another. although Unfortunately this then led to feel that there were details shoehorned into the book that for me didn’t entirely work and led me to feel that at times everything’s been thrown into the plot.

Such a fast pace and generally jolly tone throughout led me in the end to find that when serious things happen, I found them having less of an impact than I thought they would. More worryingly, for all of the entertaining things going on, at no point did I feel that our main characters were in genuine peril, even when things happen towards the end that should.

But perhaps I grumble too much. There’s a lot to like about this one, and I can see it becoming much liked by bibliophiles. It’s a fast-paced romp with lots to not think about too much, but there’s a lot of fun in just simply enjoying the ride.

Speaking as a right-handed bookseller from just outside London, I loved this book. A wonderful fantasy, full of action and magic, folklore and a generous dash of humour. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in return for an honest review.
I would like to say first of all that this is not what I was expecting from Garth Nix, having previously read and loved Sabriel and its sequels. This world is altogether more recognisable and “mundane”, but once I got used to this, it was immersive and fun. I liked the way the Old World and a slightly altered 1980s London overlapped.
The characters were engaging, with very human flaws which made them very believable, and I was really rooting for them on their quest to find Susan’s father and their subsequent trials and tribulations. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way.
I found the premise of the book original and intriguing, and wondered whether I would have turned out to be a Left-Handed or a Right-Handed myself - though I had a hankering for being one of the much rarer Even-Handed!
My only criticism would be that I found it slightly slow to get going, but once it did, things moved along at a rip-roaring pace, and I was soon hooked. I found myself hoping, by the end, that the author might take us back to London (or elsewhere) to see more of the Booksellers - Left-, Right-, and Even-Handed!

I was super excited to read The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix as he is one of my favourite authors. As soon as I got approved for this book I sat down to read as I thought that I would be in for a treat. Instead I seriously struggled with this book. 

Guys, I am so disappointed. Nix is one of my favourite authors and I had to DNF one of his books! The elements were all there, an intriguing story, a mystery that needed to be solved and a dash of fantasy. But after four weeks of trying to read this book and only getting 40% through I knew it was time to stop. And when I did I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. 

So why didn't I like this book? That is a question I have been asking myself. It had all the elements. But it just did not pull me in. I was interested but there was something that was holding me back. 

For me the telling was just flat and jumbled. It almost felt like there was confusion over how this story was going to be told. This was especially evident when Susan the main character became confused and instead of explaining the situation there and then, got told that it would be explained later. So then, like Susan, I ended up being confused over what had just happened. And then I was further confused because we moved on. 

Sadly The Left-Handed Booksellers of London was not for me. I honestly can see the potential and if you are a fan then this may be a book for you. But as a newbie to Garth Nix go read Sabriel. Unfortunately this book did feel like a pulling teeth out situation.

Warrior booksellers policing the magical world - literally what more could you want.
This is an absolute delight of a romp with action crammed onto practically every page.
The characters are an absolute joy - esp Merlin who is a delight.
The feeling that Garth Nix is thoroughly enjoying writing this and indulging himself a bit jumps off the page and makes this a richer read.
More please!

(It also helps that this left handed bookseller gets a mention on the acknowledgments page!)