History Headscratchers / OldKingdom

** If you read some of Nix's other works he's pretty fond of CrypticBackgroundReference:

** There's also supposed to be a book set chronologically ''after'' ''Abhorsen'', which might clear some of the other stuff up. As for Hedge, I believe the beginning of ''Lirael'' establishes him as a necromancer who worked for Kerrigor, then transferred his allegiance to the Destroyer when Kerrigor went down- he's probably not that different than most of the Old Kingdom's petty necromancers, save being a fair bit more powerful and having more blatant supernatural support.

** Probably they die in some sort of messy way and the bells go on to the next candidate. Even
Charter magic is not especially nice or friendly.

** The books also specifically state that a necromancer, Abhorsen or not, is ''required'' to have rudimentary music skills. Because if the get caught in Death without their bells, like Sam did in the beginning of his adventure in ''"Lirael"'', whistles and claps can be used in leiu of the bells.

** The books also specifically state that a necromancer, Abhorsen or not, is ''required'' to have rudimentary music skills. Because if the get caught in Death without their bells, like Sam did in the beginning of his adventure in ''"Lirael"'', whistles and claps can be used in leiu of the bells.

** Probably they die in some sort of messy way and the bells go on to the next candidate. Even Charter magic is not especially nice or friendly.

** Maybe in this context when they said "successor" they meant that Sabriel needed to teach Lirael to be an Abhorsen, rather than telling her to have children? I know it's a bit of a stretch, and Lirael ends up learning the basics on her own anyway, but it's the best I can come up with =/

** Perhaps they were following him as a quick way to [[spoiler: get taken to Lirael]]?

** The example I can think of that some might feel awkward about is the discussion of Sabriel's [[MenstrualMenace first period]]. An alternative would've been NoPeriodsPeriod, but it seemed handled reasonably enough to me. Sabriel's themes of parental abandonment/lack of guidance play a part, as does the time period (see bullet #2 of NoPeriodsPeriod). So sorry, it does seem like you might just be hating that MostWritersAreMale - it seems like you're reading a lot more AuthorAppeal into the romances than most.

** Their Sight may not have a lot of direct impact on the Clayr's day-to-day lives, but it's definitely deeply ingrained in their culture. Lirael, though an adult by non-Clayr standards since she was fourteen, was technically living in the children's quarters with a group of pre-teen (and possibly younger) children up until she left the Glacier when she was eighteen. There are two or three places where it's stated that Lirael has been the butt of gossip and teasing and that the younger, un-Sighted Clayr gawk at her because they're mortally afraid they're going to end up like her. It's also said that the Clayr never go very long without turning the conversation to their Sight (which is why Lirael finds it painful to talk to them) and that their clairvoyance makes them rather indifferent toward individual people's problems (which Filris states as a reason for her absence from Lirael's life). It's made pretty clear that Lirael only places undue importance on it because everyone around her does, as well.

* How was Sam born a Wallmaker? I mean, I'm not suggesting his mother was humping the Wall or anything, but you do wonder... If it's an at-times-of-need kind of thing, why didn't one turn up in the 200-year Interrim, when hundreds of Charter Stones were broken and the land was plagued by zombies?

** As for how Sam specifically inhereted the powers of the Wallmakers, presumably Arielle wasn't the first-ever Clayr to shack up with an Abhorsen, or Touchstone the first Royal to do the same. Presumably, the bloodlines are all criscrossed, which is why Sabriel refers to the Clayr as ''cousins'', as does her father to Arielle -- they literally are, though very, very distantly. Thus, it was a mere fluke of genetics that latent Wallmaker genes happened to manifest in Sam. Well, fluke or fate, take your pick.

* The Clayr, being as they are sort of BlessedWithSuck. Because they are so numerous, their powers have been extremely diluted to the point at which few Clayr will experience a full vision in an entire lifetime. Even when they all band together, their powers are limited. Despite supposedly being supposedly very clever and organised, it took them years to notice that they couldn't See anything near the Red Lake. It bugs me how much importance Lirael places on getting the Sight - sure, it's a sign of normality in the Glacier, but it doesn't really do much and doesn't impact much on most Clayr's day-to-day lives.