The Ragwitch

Giving young readers a tantalising taste of the imagination unleashed in books to come, The Ragwitch is Garth Nix's first novel, dating from 1990, and a book that is only now making its deserved first appearance in the UK. Nix's immense reputation as a fantasy writer has been subsequently built on the success of books such as Sabriel and Lirael from his Old Kingdom trilogy, and Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday, early episodes of the Keys to the Kingdom sequence, but his debut, nevertheless, remains a readable and enjoyable adventure.

The story concerns a brother and sister, Paul and Julia, who discover a feather-covered ragdoll in a large nest on an Aboriginal midden heap besides an Australian beach. At breakneck speed, the plot has Julia possessed by the ragdoll, who is revealed as a powerful witch, and then the pair are transported through magic into the Ragwitch's own alternate kingdom. Paul, not brave by nature, instinctively follows them in order to save his sister.

While the Ragwitch tries to regain control of her old world, with Julia trapped inside her and giving her form, Paul is lost and at the behest of a host of strange creatures in a nearby forest. His task, in order to save his sibling and defeat the evil that has overtaken her, involves finding four talismans, representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water, so that he can call upon Wild Magic to do so.

All the signs were there that with The Ragwitch, Nix was at the exciting beginning of his storytelling abilities with its glorious cast of quirky characters and weird and wonderful new monsters. This earlier work is not as crisply executed, nor as boldly original, as later efforts but it remains a worthwhile encounter and is an illuminating taste of what was to come from this author.

(Age 10 and over) --John McLay

View other editions of The Ragwitch.
View books by Garth Nix.

hmmmmm - Rated
not for older readers definately for younger readers still a good story. may be a little childish for young adults

Great book well worth your money - Rated
I really enjoyed this book and it's well worth buying, at the beginning of the book Julia finds a doll, which is the Rag Witch, on top of a midden. The Rag Witch takes Julia into her mind, so Julia can see and hear but not do anything. The doll then goes into a different world but Paul (Julia's brother) follows them to try and save Julia.

Don't worry it's a lot better than I make it sound... and a lot longer.
I have to admit that Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series/Abhorsen series is a much better read then the Ragwitch but if you already have the Old Kingdom series then it's worth getting this book as it is quite a diffrent style.... and cheaper.

Good, not great, but good... - Rated
The Ragwitch is not Nix's finest work and is possibly one of his least accessible pieces of writing...the story is not straightforward and it is sometime possible to get lost in some of the detail (especially around the Ragwitch's memories and how the characters interact with these)...

However, overlooking it's flaws though the Ragwitch is still an enjoyable read and worth a look for fans of Nix's other work. The book has a very Harry Potter/Lord of The Rings feel to it and it holds its own in the fantasy genre. Not necessarily recommended for the youngest of readers though due to its complex nature...

And one other point to note this was Nix's first book (not something that has been written while continuing with his The Key's to the Kingdom series) - as such it is a slightly unpolished number but shows an early platform from which the rest of his work followed.

Enjoyable - Rated
As with most of Garth Nix's novels, the Ragwitch has a slow beginning, and, as with Mister Monday, the first in Nix's Keys To The Kingdom Series, I feel that at the beginning, the main character seems quite gormless. Stick with it though as it soon progresses into a fine story. It may not be up to Garth Nix's usual standard, but it's close enough to be a pretty good book. It's a fine adventure and an enjoyable read.

Utter Trash - Rated
This book is unredeemable, and seems only to have served as an outlet for Nix as he loses interest in his 'keys to the kindom' series, which is going rapidly downhill.
Saying this, he seems to utterly lose interest in this after the first chapter. Now, dont be fooled by the beginning, the first couple of chapters are actually intriguing, until we find ourselves in a fantasy world, that is weird, just for the sake of being weird. The characters do not make you feel any compassion towards them, the villain is essentially original, but with predictable motiveas. (i.e slighted witch, destroyed, ends up in dolls body, wants to rule the world), and her fantastical miniosn just feel as if they have been cobbled together with no thought or care.
You can see the ending a mile away, but by this point you have completely lost interest in the plot. For all you could care the main chap could be slain and the quest lost, at least that would have injected something original.
Nix was a reasonable writer once. He has lost his passion and insists on churning out garbage to satisfy his publishers. I wish he would use a bit of integrity and be true to the fans who have made him rather wealthy rather than half baked ideas like this, which any decent writer would have aborted.
p.s the revolution against over generous reviewers continues