The Ragwitch

by Garth Nix

From the author of Abhorsen comes classic fantasy set in a world dominated by the Ragwitch, a being of sinister, destructive intent.

Quiet, easygoing Paul never expected to be cast in the role of savior. But his strong-willed sister, Julia, has come under the thrall of the Ragwitch, and Paul himself is drawn not only into the creature's world but into a battle for Julia's very existence -- as well as his own.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror, Childrens, Magic, Middle Grade

391 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.

Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.

He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.

Reviews

[Belen Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book doesn't have the complexity of the Sabriel series (it is his first publish, after all), I thought it was a lovely story. It's a great older kid/young adult read, the characters and story are interesting, and the fantasy world centering around being trapped inside a ragdoll-witch is clever and fun. If you have kids, I'd encourage you to share it with them! As an adult, I found it a pleasant way to while away some time.

[Chandni · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ page 217
I was really disappointed by this novel. At first, I thought it was really creepy and the Ragwitch seemed like a very scary character. As the book progresses, it completely loses that atmosphere. It's like this book doesn't know whether it's a horror, fantasy or comedy. The pacing was really off and it was extremely hard to continue following the story when I didn't care about either Julia or Paul. The characters were just not fun to read about.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

A classic fantasy quest for middle graders, with fantastical creatures both good and bad, tasks that must be completed, and a scary pure evil witch.

It has action, adventure, magic, battles and bloodshed and yet, I found it boring. Even though I am a big fan of middle-grade books.

Because the narrative is more suited to a much younger audience and the pace drags despite the many adventures that, in themselves, feel rushed.
The world is complex and intriguing and the premise is great but the characters are rather forgettable and not even the main protagonists were able to pull me in.

Paul and Julia are good kids but their behaviour and reactions are not age appropriate so they just feel 'off'.

All in all, this one just fell flat for me. Not Garth Nix's best work.

[Castspells · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I always wanted to be a hero,” said Julia, remembering cosy reading by the fire, or farther back, her mother reading to her and Paul, of kings and wizards, dragons and heroes.
“I don’t think I want to be one now,” she added, thinking of fighting the Ragwitch. “I just want to finish Her off . . . get Paul, and go home.”

[MargaretDH · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me a lot of the Narnia books (but without the Christian allegory) - kids get pulled into another world and help the people that live there defeat some evil/fix a problem that they may or may not have helped to precipitate. And it was a well done story of that type! There’s magic, animal helpers or companions, kings and sorceresses, and brave men and women. The thing that differentiates it is Nix’s trademark creepiness. I wouldn’t call this horror, but the bad guys are and the evil witch are deliciously spine-chilling, both in their actions and makeup. There's also a fair amount of character growth for both of the main characters, and Paul really endeared himself to me by never failing to be slightly dismayed by having to sleep on the ground.

This is Nix’s first novel, and it’s definitely not his best. But for a first novel, and a novel of the type, it’s well crafted and a fun read. I’d give his Abhorsen books to anyone of any age, but this is exactly right for the 9 or 10 year old in your life that loves stories where kids get pulled into other worlds and have adventures.

[Vanda Bromwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children, Julia and Paul are drawn towards a strange mound on a beach. Julia digs in the top of the mound and discovers a ball of feathers which she unravels and finds a rag doll inside - the Ragwitch. The adventure then begins where Julia is assimilated into the witch and becomes a part of her brain and both children fall into a different world. They meet many strange creatures and people in their efforts to rescue Julia and the people from the otherworld from the clutches of the Ragwitch and her minions.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this book! I’m actually surprised by the many bad reviews it has. I haven’t read any other of Garth Nix’s novels and I notice how a lot of people are comparing it to his other works, mostly his series. Since this seems to be one of his first published works (if not the first?) I find that quite odd. Authors usually progress their writing throughout their career and if it only gets better from here than I am for one really excited about it!

It’s a classic old school fantasy tale that reminded me a lot of books like the Narnia Chronicles and the Hobbit. It has the same whimsical writing where kids face down ancient evil and makes fantastical friends along the way. It wasn’t without its flaws and the ending felt a bit rushed but all in all I would definitely recommend it to young and old alike!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a vakation to Sweden when I was 13. I did not like it much but somehow I remember it, which is special, since I don't remember anything else that I read that year. It will always be connected to Within Temptations Jillian, a song I had on repeat when reading this book, even though the song Jillian(I'd give my heart) is about another set of books entirely. Whenever I hear as much as the opening choirds this books comes to mind. So 3 stars for sentimental value.

[Jack Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it as a nipper, subsequent re read as an adult was underwhelming.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was SO GOOD.

[Ungelic_is_us · Rating 2 out of 5]

Standard boy who doesn't want to be a hero? Check.
Standard girl who isn't smart enough/is too strong-willing to avoid the ancient enemy/evil artifact? Double-check.
Standard quirky fantasty side-kick? Check.
Standard helpful kickass hero (with a side of love-lorn maundering)? Double-check.
Standard quizzical oddball wise mentor? Double-check.
Standard deus ex machina happy ending? Check.

What is it with Nix and having great concepts, but not being able to make plots and books that live up to them? This felt so--haphazard and mechanical. I never connected with any of the characters, and the plot was really, really, REALLY predictable standard fantasy quest stuff. The Ragwitch was a neat idea. So were the Angarling. And the magic of the world had some potential. But I didn't feel the love. I didn't get drawn in. And I certainly didn't care about any of the characters. Ugh.

[Savannah Kiez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love with Garth Nix's writing during the course of reading The Abhorsen Chronicles (and Sabriel in particular). In comparison to Abhorsen, this novel, I felt, just couldn't stack up.
The idea behind this story is very interesting, Garth Nix has a talent of making his fantasy worlds unfold as if you are there, and this is no exception. Following the journey of Paul, as with Sabriel, the reader is slowly introduced into a world of danger, friends, enemies, and intrigue.
Unlike Sabriel, this story feels as if Nix rushed to get it out and to fit it on so few pages. The story feels disjointed in some parts because it jumps from description to description, rather than flows.
Though the base of the story is very interesting, after reading some of his better work I feel Nix had potential to make much more of this story.

[Grape · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just expected more from Garth Nix, because I love his Abhorsen trilogy, and have been enjoying reading Shade's Children. I feel that the Ragwitch story dragged on and had a lot of unessessary plot additions, and a lot of unbelievablely lucky and slightly annoying circumstances. The main character wasn't even very lovable or even likable. He was always complaining, and I was hoping to see that he grew from his complainyness and became stronger as the story went on, but that didn't seem to happen as effectively as I would have hoped.

If you like Garth Nix, stay away from this one and stick to the previously mentioned books... Even as much as I wanted to like this one due to my love of the author, I had to struggle to finish it. And I only finished it because I love Garth Nix and decided not to review his book until I got to the end of it.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as Nix's other works (notably the Abhorsen series and Shade's Children). I haven't read this book in a while, but I remember being bored by it. Where was the dynamic, intriguing world that Nix usually creates? Still, if you're a fan of Nix, I suggest you pick this up anyway. You may not reread it, but it's worth reading once.

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Quick and short review from memory before I re-read and re-review at a later date:

Hmmm... There are things I remember of this though I also remember it being a bit lacklustre and odd. I am quite excited to re-read it, though.]

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two Australian children accidentally free an ancient evil, and are sucked into the magical world she came from. A little young and too travelogue-y for my taste, but the magic is (as always with Nix) fantastically inventive and oftentimes disturbing.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so uncharacteristically bad that I couldn't get more than halfway through it before I gave up. It pained me but I simply couldn't justify reading the whole thing.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made my recent flight to Boston just rush by. It's got a retelling of Snow Queen flavor to it, though too intense for young kids.

[chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Garth Nix, but this is the weakest thing I’ve read by him.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dolls can be ambiguous playthings: recipients of affection, they might be assumed to return that love unconditionally; but what if they assumed a personality of their own – could they, would they, turn nasty or even malevolent?

Garth Nix’s early children’s fantasy, The Ragwitch, opens on a beach – perhaps somewhere in Victoria, Australia – which siblings Julia and her younger brother Paul are exploring. Julia is strongly drawn towards an aboriginal midden of shells, bones and feathers.

And it’s on this midden, in a kind of nest, that Julia finds an old, abandoned rag doll with a disturbing expression, and despite Paul’s anxious urgings his sister picks it up. It’s the start of an experience that willy-nilly takes the pair into another far more dangerous realm.

For, in picking up the doll, Julia has unwittingly done two things: she has allowed the doll to take literal possession of her, and now that it has control of the girl’s actions it forces her to create a portal to another world into which they disappear. Paul, although the least adventurous of the pair of children, loves his sister and so follows in pursuit, totally unprepared for what he is to find and experience there.

So far all is preamble; now begins a time of deadly earnest as we alternately follow Julia’s story and then Paul’s. Julia senses she’s in a kind of aqueous bubble or globe within the now monstrous, megalomaniac Ragwitch, forced to experience her captor’s depredation of both people and landscape in this other world. Young Paul, meanwhile, travels this unfamiliar countryside trying to find answers as to how he can rescue his sister and, incidentally, help save the people of this land.

This is a strange, uneven early work from Garth Nix, who’s now best known for the fantasy horror novels in his Old Kingdom sequence. I wasn’t initially convinced by it – at times it seemed to follow a fairytale tradition whereby a young protagonist on a quest is aided by unlikely individuals he meets along the way; at other times it just came across as a never-ending series of incidents interspersed with the young lad either exhausted or asleep for hours, even days, while his sister was subjected to torments taking her to the edge of despair.

But as the narrative progressed I started to invest more in the siblings: Paul in particular started to develop a maturity he initially appeared to lack, and Julia began to draw on inner resources on receiving help from unexpected aspects of the Ragwitch’s memories. It helped too that I thought I discerned what Nix may have been inspired by: a geography perhaps akin to Tasmania but peopled by beings out of the store cupboard of High Fantasy, misbegotten bloodthirsty creatures but also late medieval inhabitants, wizards, witches, Elementals, and others who may not exactly share human morals.

When the fantasy turned dark (there are lots of nasty deaths in these pages) I was here reminded that Nix was a fan of Alan Garner’s sometimes unremittingly sombre Alderley Edge stories; but also I sensed a hint of Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series, especially with the help of some very Welsh-like words and names such as Gwaruch, Anhyvar, Rhysamarn, Awgaer and Cagael. We know that Nix also rated Diana Wynne Jones, and the Ragwitch herself is reminiscent of the evil rag doll Monigan in Jones’s The Time of the Ghost. But mostly I was reminded of the world of the Old Kingdom, for which The Ragwitch very much feels like initial preparation.

Finally, at the story’s end we wonder whether certain individuals will have gained wisdom from their experiences or if we are to see this merely as a kind of extended dream (such as Kay had in John Masefield’s The Box of Delights). Nevertheless, with the novel beginning and ending next to an aboriginal midden site, Nix may have been trying to establish a sense of great age or antiquity, for some of these sites are known to have been established thousands of years ago.

What is certain is that The Ragwitch deliberately echoes ancient myths of the eternal conflict between good and evil; and I know which side Nix hopes that we’ll support.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's pretty rare that a young adult novel can actually scare me, but the beginning of this book deals with possession and Nix really weaves a scary description of what's going on and how. It's very sinister and I loved feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a little bit and that little twinge of paranoia that made me want to look behind me, even though I've already read this book at least a couple of times now. Never fails!

The characters in this book are all rich and interesting and feel as though they come to life, as though you might know people like some of them, and you're glad that most of them exist within the story for our young heroes. But, I think my favorite characters, at least as far as portrayal goes, are the ones that you'd expect to be the most fleshed out anyway. Julia and Paul. They're younger than most kids in young adult novels are, not even quite 12 yet it seems. I don't remember if it was actually mentioned anywhere in the book how old they are, but one character was forced to guesstimate Paul's age and he put Paul at 11 at the oldest.

I like that Nix portrays both kids as just that. Kids. They're young and naive and used to the comforts of home, taken out of their elements and dropped into new and impossible situations in a strange world without any of the conveniences they're used to. They handle it probably better than a lot of us would've handled something like that, certainly better than I think I would have, but it isn't without complaint. I think a lot of people would ordinarily be frustrated with Paul, most of all, because he whines and he more than once wishes that he could just give up his quest and go home even if that means leaving his sister, but ultimately he knows he can't bring himself to do such a thing because the entire reason he's here is to save her.

Paul being the one we follow throughout most of the beginning of the book (and the one who gets the majority of the romping-around adventure) is interesting and I enjoyed it quite a bit because it was made very apparently just how far out of his element and depth he was, and just how scared he was. He's not used to being the hero, Julia is the adventurous and brave one, she's the leader, he's the one who follows and often has to come to his defense when her friends tease him. She's the one with the big ideas and the follow-through. But here, Paul has to be the leader. He has to be the one to make the decisions and be adventurous and many times he asks himself what Julia would do if she were here instead of him. Many times, he wishes that their roles were reversed and she were the one on this quest to save him from the Ragwitch instead, because at least then he would know that someone who knows what they're doing and who he can depend on to get it done would be in charge.

But, Paul does rise to the challenge, despite his own misgivings and issues of self-confidence, and somewhere along the line his goal changes. He's not just here to save Julia, anymore, although that's still a main goal, but he knows that he can't leave all of the new friends he's made who help him in the lurch either. Even if he could just go home, even if he could snap his fingers and both he and Julia would be at home, safe and sound, he can't leave his friends to deal with the Ragwitch alone.

It was good to see Paul's character development throughout the entire book, and it was good to see the moment when he realized himself that his goals had shifted a bit. To see how brave he was when even he didn't think he could be and had no idea what he was doing.

With Julia, I liked that we got to see that even though she was the one that Paul thought was the fearless adventurer who always knew what to do...she really wasn't. She was adventurous, yes, and stubborn and ready to resist the Ragwitch, but she was also just a kid herself and she was scared too, and uncertain, and we got to see that and feel that right along with her.

Most of the supporting characters were adults, and I liked that each of them realized that Paul and Julia were just children and thrust into situations that were really not meant for kids. I don't feel as though they were babied, because the situation called for Julia and Paul to have to do things and make decisions that no kids should have to and they were allowed to, but Nix never really lets you forget just how young Paul and Julia really were. And as such, I didn't feel any of the same annoyance that I might have felt with someone in the middle or late teens or early adulthood with the same attitudes as these kids had.

I find this to be fresh and interesting, and to really put the danger that the characters are into stark relief. It makes things feel more dangerous and you can really feel the stakes. And it makes the villains and the dangers and the pitfalls, which might otherwise have seemed silly if given to characters who are older, feel a lot scarier and bigger. I think it puts things into a perspective that you wouldn't get if the main characters were older.

I also really liked that Julia had two women helping her after awhile. I liked the character of Mirran, and I'm glad that we got to know him, but I don't think anything would've felt the same if we hadn't had Lyssa and Anhyvar.

The character of Tanboule was perhaps a particular favorite, and I have to wonder how and Julia might've interacted had they had the chance to meet. But, I loved his interactions with Paul, and later also with Quigin, and I loved his outlook. I wish we'd gotten more about his backstory, though, just because I'm so interested in his character and the hints and tidbits we did get to find out about him left me wondering what the whole story behind that was. Then again, maybe Nix gave us all we need to know to figure that out on our own in full and I just am not smart enough to do it while everyone else who read the book did. That's possible! But, I'd sure be down to read an entire book about him.

The only real complaint that I have is that things sort of ended abruptly. And I don't mean to say that they didn't get a clear resolution. They did, and there was enough emotion there in the saying goodbye that I had tears in my eyes. But, when things were "over" and it was time to "go home" I felt that things went rather abruptly fast and everything was just rather suddenly accepted. I would've maybe liked to get more time with that, given how much time we spent with those characters. But, I do feel as though everything was answered well enough, and even the things that were hinted at were still straightforward enough that you still knew what was being described, what was going on, with those characters. I would've liked a longer epilogue, I suppose, is what I'm saying.

I absolutely would reread this book, yet again, and probably will at some point. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think just about anybody who reads it will, too. Anyone who likes young adult fiction should enjoy this book, I think. Even if whiny characters are the bane of your existence, I think that in this case you will find yourself making a happy exception for Paul.

[Chocolategoddess · Rating 2 out of 5]

It only took me about fifteen years to finish this book. I'm not sure why, because it's not a terrible book. It takes a while to get going, and it's definitely aimed at older children rather than late teens then early 30s me, but it's really not bad.

The Ragwitch is essentially a pretty classic fantasy quest, with horrible creatures, tasks that must be completed just because, and a big bad evil. The difference here is that the story begins when the big bad evil swallows up one of our protagonists, Julia, leaving her to battle the Ragwitch from inside the creature's mind, and her brother Paul to battle her on the outside while navigating the complexities of being thrown into a fantasy world.

Paul and Julia aren't as fleshed out as many of Nix's other characters, but they're good kids and I liked reading about them. I also enjoyed the quirky characters they met (especially Quigin who can talk to animals, sort of, some of the time) and the simplicity of the storyline. Sometimes it's nice to have a straightforward battle against evil.

All in all, I probably should have finished this when I was a teenager and not let it linger on my shelves for so long. But if you're looking for an intro to Nix, this is not the book to start with.

[Lisa Tollefson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

I like Garth Nix. His books are always a joy to read. My daughter picked out Lirael for me when she was about 12, and I've been reading him ever since. True, they're written for young adults, but I love that he can tell a complex story with excellent character development and excitement that's a good read for both kids and adults. He never gives psycho killers or schmaltz.

In this one, something I love is that the antagonist, the Ragwitch herself, is well drawn. Yes, she's evil and at the beginning appears to be evil for the sake of evil, to give the heroes something to strive against. As the story develops, however, we learn how she became what she is, and it's a journey any of us could take - and looking at some of our leaders, many have.

One knows going into it that things will all work out in the end, of course. But the characters don't know that, and their choices are made based on what has happened and what the future looks like at that moment. They aren't martyrs or "noble," just making the best choices they can given what they see.

I recommend this and any book by Garth Nix. Every one I've read has been well worth the time it takes to read it. I wish I could say that about every book I've picked up.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally this would be more of a 3.5 star book. I was expecting a bit more of a horror vibe based on the title and description, but it's really just a typical kids' portal fantasy. It does, however, have that Garth Nix touch. There's tons of great images throughout, like a magical path that runs from the walker, 4 excellently done elemental gods, and the black-bandaged Oroch. The magic really feels magical, that is, unpredictable, imagistic and powerful. This book also made excellent use of a "mind palace" concept, where Julia, the co-protagonist with young Paul, spends the vast majority of the book trapped within the mind of the Ragwitch, battling her mind and using her memories against her. This is a great concept that I wish more authors would steal.

While Julia's sections are great, Paul falls into the "reluctant dipshit" end of the protagonist scale. He does become slightly braver as time goes by, and his segments are enlivened by Nix's imagination, but he's overall a drag on the novel.

I would've loved this book as a kid, but it's not quite as strongly entertaining now as his later works, but it's a quick and easy read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I had never heard of this book before I saw it in the BorrowBox app, but I have read other books by Garth Nix and really enjoyed them so I was quite intrigued to give this one a go. It’s labelled as a children’s horror novel, and it definitely is that! It actually freaked me out quite a bit when I was reading the initial introduction to the Ragwitch and what she then went on to do to Julia, it was very creepy.

I think I’m right in saying that this one was released before some of the other books that Nix is better known for, and the book does feel like a debut novel. I don’t know if I am correct there but I have a feeling that I am. Not that it is a bad thing to feel like a debut novel, but sometimes it can feel a little bit of a let down.

It was interesting seeing the differences and comparisons between Julia and Paul and their experiences fighting the Ragwitch, seeing how Paul had to become brave by himself and Julia had to use her brain to defeat the Ragwitch, it’s an interesting parallel.

I definitely want to read more by Garth Nix, hopefully I can get to them by the end of the year but if not then there’s still time.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book by Garth Nix. While I did not enjoy it to the same degree as the Abhorsen series, this book is definitely worth the read (even as an adult). No spoilers included: Two children find a ragdoll with a witch trapped inside which causes the girl to be possessed (in a sense) and brought to the world of the ragwitch - and her brother goes after her. While the book had a few parts in it that I felt could have been left out because they didn't add to the story (still fine to read just unnecessary for the plot), it was overall fast-paced. I tend not to be a fantasy reader and this book is definitely more of a classic fantasy than the Abhorsen trilogy but it still has a dark creepy element to it. My main complain is that many secondary characters were rather flat. I enjoyed them, many were endearing and funny but I just felt that they weren't developed enough. It would have added a bit more to the story.

[Lauren Makepeace · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favourite of all the Garth Nix books I've read. I adore all of the Old Kingdom and the Keys to the Kingdom books. His recent booksellers books were wonderful, so overall I was a tad disappointed by this. It's a fairly solid storyline, a tad predictable, with a few stand-up characters - Quigin is wonderful, and I rather liked Tanboule as well. The main characters are fairly standard. The magic system was a bit odd, I liked the elemental stuff and the nature spirits, but what was happening in the Ragwitch's mind and what Lyssa could/couldn't do felt a bit confusing and potentially unnecessary. I was disappointed with the ending that no more was said about Lyssa, Mirran or Anhyvere, that we didn't see the Angarling either crumble or return to the good soldiers they once were, and that we didn't find out whether time had passed on Earth while Paul and Julia were gone.

[Symphogi · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time it was a really nice book, I don't read much books at all and mostly watch anime. So it was interesting to read a story like this because some of the concepts were fresh to me compared to the media I usually consumed, if you enjoy anime fantasy then this book may appeal to you, the fantasy itself can't really be described as anime, but certain tropes are very much present to be able to compare it to the usual Isekai story, except it isn't shit.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastical. Beautiful. Adventurous.
I love the Abhorsen trilogy and had no doubt that this would be just as great. Nix creates worlds that blow me away. Paul and Julia, mere kiddos, show great strength and also such humanity when they are frightened. It's not just grown-ups capable of saving worlds and being heroes.
Definitely a great book and going on my favorites shelf.

Full Review:
https://beentherereadthat.blog/2018/1...

[narcissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I young teen I read this book more than any other. Yes, it does not hold the complexity of the Old Kingdom Series, which I think were written better, but there is a charm to this I find more valuable. I think it perfectly encapsulates a fantasy adventure story. It’s whimsical with darker parts, the characters are fun and the lore is interesting.
The only thing I did not like was the ending, however, it is not enough to remove a star.