It should really go without saying that for a voracious book reader (like myself!) books about books, or libraries, or bibliophiles should be an automatic win.

Well, for me, it certainly scores points.

But, with that in mind, I must admit that I was a little disappointed by The Left Handed Booksellers of London, Garth’s first book in this series. (review HERE.) Although there was a lot I liked, I should say that there were also elements that I was a little less happy with. There was a great pace and style in this alternate 1980’s story, one that reminded me of The Avengers (that’s 60’s TV series, not Marvel) or even Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, but at the same time the odd clunky plot coincidence and a couple of characters that seemed to be trying just too hard.

I know that Garth can write. And I did say that I would want to read the next book in the series. And here it is!

The good news is that I enjoyed this one more than I did the first.

From the publisher: There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an Ancient Sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Purbeck marble. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.

If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.”

A quick reminder: the main premise of the series is that in this Britain, booksellers* act as guardians between this world and gods known as the Ancient Ones who sometimes intrude upon this modern world. In the first book, much of the plot was about Susan Arkshaw finding out about this secret society of booksellers, then discovering what her father’s real identity was and that she had a connection with the gods.

Now that (slight spoiler from the first book here) Susan knows that her father is a High King and that she is therefore a Child of an Ancient Sovereign, in this novel it is about how Susan deals with that knowledge and how it will affect her life. One of the plot points through the novel is that her talents seem to be growing, but the issue is that as much as Susan is drawn to the Ancient World, she wishes to lead her own comparatively ordinary mortal life - to carry on going to the Slade School of Art on her Painting course, and be as normal as possible – whatever that is.

The complication is that she is regularly called upon by the booksellers to help them -  this time after an incident in Bath. (This one is actually less ‘bookshop’ and more Roman Baths.) It also doesn’t help that Susan is attracted to the mercurial Merlin, the young left-handed bookseller with whom she began a relationship with in The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. With Vivien, his sister, they are Susan’s minders, although their professional relationship is complicated. Early on in this book an incident means that Merlin is in need of Susan’s assistance.

It's not long though before the three of them are embroiled in a situation, as Susan’s connection to the Old World puts her in danger. With her new but growing powers, she is seen by some as a valuable asset needed to fulfil an ancient prophesy and bring back to health a demi-mortal currently being held in suspended animation, something that others mean to make happen at all costs, even at the cost of Susan’s life. As we approach the Winter Solstice, her friends are determined to protect her, but the situation could lead to a clash between the mythological world and this.

First of all, it does pay to have read The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, although not essential. There’s enough reminders of what has gone before to mean that you can read this one on its own fairly easily, although previous readers will understand some of the plot-points more, I think.

And talking of plot-points, I’m pleased that, this time around, I found the plot to be better. With less of a need to set things up, I felt that there’s more internal logic and less plot coincidence. I was struck by the thought that being set in the 1980’s, of course, means that the plot can’t be just solved with a quick look at Google or a quick call on your mobile phone!

As this is the second book in a series, we are able to look at some of the characters in a little more depth after setting things up in the first book. The relationship between Merlin and Susan continues to develop and there’s the reappearance of some we have met before. I’m still not entirely convinced by the actions of some of the characters, but interestingly Merlin seemed to be more James Bond and less Eddie Izzard this time around, although he does remind me a lot of Michael Moorcock’s Jerry Cornelius. (This may be deliberate.)

I also liked the situation created by Susan’s dilemma of wanting to help whilst at the same time determined not to be totally allied to the booksellers. There’s even a little suspicion on the part of Susan that the booksellers outside her own friends may not be entirely trustworthy. I think that this will be a plot development in future novels.

In comparison, whilst generally still quirky, the secondary characters are still a little nondescript, however, although the point is the need to focus on events around Susan.

In terms of the bigger picture, I liked that we discover more about the how the Ancient Ones operate – often in a different realm and usually on a different timescale to that of mortals. We meet new gods and their associates, with the focus being on events around the ancient city of Bath and its ancient Roman Baths. I can see this idea of different gods being in different parts of Britain being a continuing feature of future novels, combining Ancient History and bookshops. It made me think “Where to next?” Can we expect to see visits to cities such as Manchester, Lincoln, York and Nottingham in the future? And how many more titles can we come up with that use the idea of left and right? How about the next being “The Ambidextrous Booksellers of York”?

In my review of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London I said that I felt that it reminded me of 1960’s TV series The Avengers. Reading this book, although there are fewer 1980’s cultural references than in the last, I now realise that I need to reappraise my view and say that Garth is clearly channelling another 70’s & 80’s television series, The Professionals, which was a British crime-action drama show. (It’s even referenced by Garth in the book.) There’s a lot of car-chasing, gun-shooting and gallivanting going on, which is a lot of fun but also means that there’s fewer literary references and less time (sadly) in bookshops.

Nevertheless, in short, The Sinister Booksellers is a lot of fun. I am still amused by the idea that booksellers are action-heroes and scholarly intellectuals, and this unusual combination of action-drama and ancient mythologies is an interesting one. As Garth settles into this series, I find that I’m liking it more and more. There are still odd issues for me, but there’s enough for me to want to keep reading. I think that the series has legs. I’m hoping the next one builds on the successes of this one.




*(Just to explain further, ‘left-handed booksellers’ are the action-hero booksellers, the physical fighting booksellers, whilst the ‘right-handed’ agents are more intellectual. There are also a few select even-handed bookseller leaders, who do both.)

I was super excited to get approved for the arc of this book after thoroughly enjoying The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. As with the first, the reader is dropped right in to the thick of it from the first page, with the action kicking off immediately. The story flowed really well and the dialogue was as witty and well written as the first book, making this a very fast and entertaining read. I enjoyed my time with Susan, Merlin, and company. and am left hoping that we get a third book to carry on their stories and see what happens with Susan and her burgeoning powers. My only complaint would be that the end left me wanting for more information. I suppose, though, that that could be answered in subsequent books.

This is book two of what is shaping up to be a cracking series. For full enjoyment I suggest you read The Left-Handed Booksellers of London first as it will both introduce the world and characters, as well as giving backstory and development.
So, Susan and Merlin are still together - well one day a week anyway, Susan wanting to take a back seat in all this weird stuff she has been thrown into being the daughter of the Old Man of Coniston. She just wants to go to college and live her life normally. Yeah... good luck with that!!
So, we start in Bath this time. In, funnily enough, a bookstore. Where the booksellers are keeping an eye mostly on the entity who inhabits the hot springs the city is famous for, one Sulis Minerva. Although, that said, it is not she who is responsible for the shenanigans that ensue when an old map is discovered and Merlin is transported into it... And then it all gets a bit convoluted and weird and anything else I say about what happens will probably spoil things...
Suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love the world of the booksellers, both right-handed and left and the author has me fully on board with all the majical stuff that he has created around them. I was especially impressed with the story contained herein, especially following on from the explosive opening scene that right whetted my appetite for more.
Someone pointed out to me that this series is actually YA - oops, not been one of them for many decades. I say bah to that - I'm in my 50s and I love it!
If I have to criticise it would be that, apart from the main characters, the rest of the cast do lack a bit of definition. There are a bunch of them but they all seemed to merge for me rather than keep their individual personalities.
All in all, a solid follow up which leaves me hankering for more from the booksellers. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

“The Sinister Booksellers of Bath” is the second in a new series by Garth Nix. I really hope there will be more!

The book is the continuation of Susan and Merlin’s complex relationship and their respective inherited powers. Susan is the daughter of a powerful and ancient Sovereign and Merlin is a Left Handed Bookseller. If you have read book 1 you will know this doesn’t just mean working in a bookshop, sourcing, sorting and selling books!

The story oozes mythology, folklore and magic. When Merlin accidentally finds himself in a different place via touching a translocation map, only Susan can help. The map and the strange place he finds himself in is a creation of a powerful being or beings. Reading about the adventures and research that follows was fascinating. I found it hard to put the book down. The quirky booksellers are all quite loveable. The book is set in the 1980’s in a world that is almost ours, in fact it still could be who knows what lies beyond the reach of us mere mortals. We have to read and enjoy the rich descriptions of the landscapes, towns, pop culture and magical happenings and trust our own imaginations.

Thank you to the Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Biggest thanks to the author for giving me a brilliant opportunity to escape to a different reality for a few hours.

I loved this, hoping for more in this series but more than happy to wait.

A wonderful adventure, this time dealing with an unknown ancient entity and the lengths “people” will go to to keep family safe. We meet Susan and Merlin again, as well as some of the other booksellers, and we also meet a host of new characters.

This is the very best kind of storytelling, sheer escapism and beautiful descriptions. Totally magical.

My favourite thing is that it’s all set in the early 80s, so information is still very much held in private collections and not Google-able. There’s a real need for bookseller guardians, who know so much more about the supernatural perils that our beloved island faces.

Garth has struck with yet another brilliant book - I absolutely loved jumping back into the world of the Booksellers. Merlin was absolutely perfect again, I can't get over his character and how unique he is, definitely a favourite, and I hope to see more of him in future books.

Garth yet again created some more characters that you can really imagine, and in this book you imagine them in a rather terrifying way. I do love that about his books, you really have to create in your mind your own perception of places and characters.

We also got to meet more booksellers which I was happy about, and you heard about more of the places booksellers work so I would love to see the other Bookseller bases mentioned explored in future books too (fingers crossed).

Overall, definitely a book I could read again (and probably will)

This is a brilliant follow up to Garth Nix’s previous book set in this slightly alternative version of the 1980s, The Left Handed Book Sellers of London.
In this book, the action is set mainly in Bath and the West Country as Susan tries to live a normal life despite her newly discovered powers and relationship to the Old Man of Coniston. However, she is drawn into Book Seller affairs when they need her help to rescue Merlin who has become trapped in a garden by an ancient map.
I loved the characters of Susan and Merlin and their ongoing relationship. Merlin remains as quirky as ever with an incredible wardrobe including actual items from the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice. Susan is struggling with her magical heritage as she just wants to lead a normal life and complete her Art Studies although she comes to realise that this is going to be difficult if not impossible. I enjoyed the moments of tension between her and the booksellers as she sees that some of them don’t necessarily view her as an ally but more of a threat.
Besides the main characters, there are a whole host of minor characters, some from the previous book and many new ones who give the book real life. There are some great comic scenes involving cake as well as a very grumpy door man in the Admiralty Building in Bath. The comic scenes are an effective pause in the action which is very fast paced and involves a lot of travelling at high speed.
I loved this second episode in Garth Nix’s alternate 1983 and hope that this is not the last time we meet the Booksellers.
This probably wouldn’t work as a stand -alone as there are a lot of references to the previous adventures of Susan and Merlin so feel that you need to read the earlier book before this one.
I am really grateful to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is a great sequel and a very enjoyable return to the world of Susan and the booksellers. Of course there is a tonne of action right from the beginning, high stakes and an underlying 'big bad' who must be defeated. However, the main fight in this plot felt to me like Susan's desire to be 'normal' despite her magical heritage and relationship with someone who would never be described as normal! This book flew by for me, just the like the first in the series. The story wrapped up in a very satisfying way, but I would still love more.

The armed and dangerous booksellers are back, this time in Bath- Here is my review of The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix, book two of The Left Handed Booksellers of London, a historical urban fantasy.
I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Merlin, Susan and Vivien are back but in Bath which is the perfect location given the abundance of roman mythology and statues. Susan is struggling to come to terms with her magical heritage courtesy of her very old and absent father but still trying her best to live a normal life. She drops everything in an instant to help left-handed Bookseller Merlin when he disappears, but the danger doesn’t stop when they rescue him. Susan continues her reluctant journey as a half ancient being and it feels realistic when she grows to like her new power a little too much for her comfort.
Merlin continues to be as quirky as ever, a gender-fluid powerhouse crime-fighter who can cosplay Jane’s Austen characters when needed.
The author brings the 80’s to life in all its vibrant technicolour glory.
I love the numerous secondary characters that fill the book from grumpy policepeople, and old booksellers who love cake to annoyed ancient gods but we never get to spend much time on these fascinating people.
The pace is fast-paced with plenty of action and magic- sometimes almost too frantic and it would have been nice to have a few slower scenes. The scene with the cake for example was a welcome breather and one of my favourites- I would love to try the double booze cake!
Unfortunately, you do need to read the Left-Handed Booksellers of London first to be able to enjoy this book.

When the Booksellers investigate a sorcerous map they uncover a number of disappearances which date back centuries and a sinister hunt that is gathering power to release an unknown entity. Susan finds herself reluctantly drawn back into the world of the Booksellers and she is now the focus of the murderous hunt.

The sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London takes us deeper into the secret world of gods and monsters. This time the action is split between London and Bristol and the stakes are even higher. Another highly entertaining story from Garth Nix.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gollancz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s taken two years, but the wait for the sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is finally over. This time we’ve relocated to the West Country, where the booksellers are assessing a collection from the library of a wealthy donor. When her brother, Merlin, touches something from the collection that he shouldn’t have, he disappears, Vivien calls Susan, daughter of the Old Man of Coniston, for help. Their rescue mission attracts the attention of a murderous entity, and sets into motion a series of event that could cost Susan her life.

It’s undeniably good to be back with Susan and the St. Jacques clan, but there was something slightly off with this book which prevented it from matching up to its predecessor. There’s a sense of chaos bleeding through, and Susan’s incessant bull-headness about her situation had me rolling my eyes on a number of occasions, as she blithely endangers other people just so she can be a Normal Student. Having said that, I’m very much looking forward to the third in the series, and hope Nix doesn’t make us wait another two years to get it.

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set a few months after the events of [book:The Left-Handed Booksellers of London|49867186], a book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

We meet Susan at art college trying to get on with her life and come to terms with recent events and family revelations. Meanwhile Merlin is looking fabulous and trying (but failing) to give Susan the space she needs. This all goes very south when Merlin manages to get himself into a little bit of bother necessitating Susan's help. From here on out things escalate very quickly and the booksellers' Bath branch are drawn into a series of 26 historical murders and a nefarious plot that involves just one more death, but this time it won't be an ordinary mortal that's targeted.

This leads Susan down a path she doesn't wish to travel and forces her to contemplate choices she'd rather not make. In the end she'll have to talk to her father who has his own plans for her future.

The attention to 1980s detail in this book is lovely. Whether it's the period cars, the clothes, music or technology, it's all comforting for somebody who grew up in this era. What's also nice is how wonderfully genderfluid Merlin is. Again, growing up in the 80s I would have loved a character like this in my reading, but I never found one until much later.

In all this is a fun read and a welcome return of some much loved characters. The door has definitely been left open for the further adventures of Susan and Merlin and I for one hope we get them.

The second book in the series featuring Susan and the Booksellers. Once again the Booksellers are battling immortals from the Old World, this time based in the city of Bath.
I really enjoyed the first book and have been looking forward to this new book. Unfortunately I found this book rather disappointing. The first book was original and innovative but this one just feels like a rehash of the first but without the novelty value. The characters haven't been developed and the pace of the book was hit and miss. Overall, I'm sorry to say, this book was a weak imitation of the first one and very disappointing.

Very British sequel to be enjoyed with hot tea and crumpets. It's that kind of book. Christmas time in Bath in the 1980s is snow covered and quiet until the booksellers accidentally fall into a map filled with strange stone sculptures with murderous intentions. As it's Merlin in the map Susan gets called in to help rescue him along with his sister Vivien. Between them they manage it but attract the attention of something very mysterious that quite likes the look of Susan and her growing power.

The booksellers are always interesting but it's Susan's character I really find interesting. She desperately tries to remain a normal human even as her powers grow and she recognises how useful they could be. Fingers crossed for a third book.

Love garth nix he just can't do any wrong in my eyes. Loved his books since I was 15 and read sabriel. Love this new series just the right amount of story and fantasy.

Thank you for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed this book, as I have every fantasy Garth Nix publication. The story is entertaining, with humour and interesting characters. This is excellent fantasy for all ages of reader. This is the second in a series. It can be read as a standalone, but I think I could understand the story better having read book one. This book continues Susan’s and the bookseller’s story. But only four stars, as I felt there was less peril and suspense than in book one. However, I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. Thank you to Orion/Gollancz and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

When I read the last page in The Left Handed Bookseller of London I hope there was going to be more books featuring these characters and to be able to travel to this alternate 80s UK soon.
It took more than two years but I did a happy dance when I was approved for the arc of The Sinister Booksellers of Bath and was able to catch up with Susan, Merlin and intriguing world of the bookseller and the Ancient spirits.
This book is even better than the first: we get to know more about the booksellers and meet a very dangerous Ancient with some serial killer tendencies.
There’s a lot of character development: Susan is facing her growing powers and discovering more about the books sellers, Merlin is a strong characters that I like.
I loved this plot that kept me turning pages and I hope there will other books in this series as there’s still a lot to learn and I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Review time:
The sinister booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release date: 21st March 2023

Review: where do I start with this book it throws us back in the world that Garth Nix built in the left handed booksellers of London and he builds it more here, we are in a alternate 1980’s timeline and it makes me smile so much. The book is action packed, heart in the mouth moments. We go back to Susan and Merlin, Merlin is still the flamboyant self with the most amazing wardrobe, the way that the wardrobe is described makes you feel that you are back in the 80’s or what I know of the 80’s. This world has so much and I cannot wait until I have the copy of this to add to my ever growing Garth Nix collection because when the word auto buy author is brought up I do not even have to know what he is writing it will always be the one to go into my basket.

This book is amazing and if you enjoyed the first you will no doubt enjoy this. Bath and the descriptions make you feel you follow it around. You can tell that Garth Nix has visited the locations before because of the way he writes about them.

Thank you for @netgalley and @orionpublishinggroup for approving my request this book was everything I needed in the lead up to the end of 2022 and I cannot wait for you all to read it.

I loved this so much I went straight to Amazon and bought the first in this (I hope continuing) series. The reason for writing about the left-handed booksellers (yes, that sinister, not the evil one), that Garth Nix went into a bookseller in Bath and noticed the person serving him was left handed. And that bookseller mentioned that today, ALL the booksellers on duty were left-handed...
Amazing writing, good fast action (which I always like) and a fat slab of other worldliness within our own world. Totally recommended.

The author got me hooked in the first chapter and held my interest throughout the book. I had to finish it, and that is always a good sign. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.