Series is sagging badly
|
Once again there is a great deal of rushing about, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the central concept of this series is weak, and the characters are not interesting enough to carry it.
Once again the hero, Arthur has an adventure in The House, the mysterious universe/organisation to which he has become the heir. He must retrieve another of the keys to the house, and another portion of the Will. Pretty much what he needed to do in all the previous books, in other words, and there just isn't enough new here to carry it. There are some fun settings, but we don't learn anything new about how the House works, and the mysticism is becoming irritating.
A few new things are introduced: Arthur is not just afraid he will not be able to go home, but now he has to worry about being transformed into something alien as well. We find out a bit more about Leaf, and meet some new characters. Sadly, they seem a bit too much like characters we've already met, and we don't get much insight into why they behave as they do.
The first book in this series, Mister Monday, was innovative and entertaining, but this feels very tired: it feels like the author is basically treading water till he gets to Sunday: it's got that whole 'must churn out book' vibe about it. Garth Nix can do so much better than this. I wish he'd take a year off then come back and try to beat his Old Kingdom series.
I've stopped buying this series: at some point I may borrow the last books from the library to satisfy a slight curiousity as to what happens in the end. The best I can say of it is that it's decent light reading if you are in bed with 'flu: readable, but the plot won't keep you awake wanting to know what happens next.
|
|
I miss the 126 mile long Whale!!
|
As a bit of a girly girl, I found the Army theme in this really boring. I persevered and finished it but frankly this is my least favorite of the series.
My favourite bit was them riding the Not-Horses. How cool is Nix imagination. I mean "Not-Horses".... fantastic! I love this guy's writing style and would recomend this whole series. The man's imagination knows no bounds!
|
|
On thursday...
|
Arthur Penhaligon's week just keeps getting worse.
The Keys of the Kingdom series hits a turning point in the fourth book, "Sir Thursday." People are killed, new creatures appear, and Arthur finds himself in a lethal power struggle with the Morrow Days. Garth Nix is in fine form in this book, one of the best of the series, and it only promises to get better.
When Arthur and Leaf try to return to Earth, they are stopped by Dame Primus -- it seems that a Spirit-Eater (the Skinless Boy) has taken Arthur's place on Earth. If he goes back home, he might destroy the world. To make matters worse, he is tricked into accepting Sir Thursday's shilling, which means he's been drafted into the army... for a hundred years.
Leaf goes back to Earth, and tries to destroy the Skinless Boy, with the unexpected help of Suzy. Meanwhile, Arthur struggles in the Army -- especially since part of it is being "washed between the ears." As he tries to remember to remember who he is, Arthur becomes a part of the regiment fighting a new breed of Nithling -- and under the command of the berserk Sir Thursday.
Unexpected twists are the order of the day on "Thursday" -- Garth Nix serves up mind-reading spores, assassinations, new Nithlings, and the Piper (often mentioned, but never before seen). With a stunning ending and some otherworldly battles, this is probably the best book since "Mister Monday."
And Nix's detailed, dark-edged writing is given a full workout here.He does a great job of describing battles against Nithlings and Nothing, as well as the creepy invasion into our own world. It takes awhile for Sir Thursday to even become part of the plot -- much of the book, actually -- but when he does show up, he's a suitably nasty Day. Think a demented drill sargeant.
Since Arthur has already come to terms with being the Heir, Nix lets him focus on something even scarier -- using the Keys is slowly turning him into a Denizen. Since he has amnesia for a good chunk of the book, he's most afraid near the end. And Leaf gets some further fleshing-out, as she tries to destroy the Skinless Boy without being taken over by it.
Perhaps the worst part of it is that "Sir Thursday" ends on a double cliffhanger. It's going to be awhile before we're introduced to Lady Friday, but "Sir Thursday" was worth the wait. Chilling and wonderfully dark.
|
|
|
what can i say ...
|
.. i love the keys to the kingdom so mush i can clearly see arther in my head and got a bit annoyed at the fact i read them so fast i have to wait till lady friday boo hoo
but i love how garth has so much background that all comes togther so cleverly done.
a must read if you dont mind getting horribly addicted.
|
|
|
War Games
|
Another exciting installment in this series from the outrageously creative and slightly warped mind of Garth Nix, where Lord Arthur, Rightful Heir of the Architect etc. etc. finds himself drafted into the Glorious Army of the Architect under the command of the highly strung Sir Thursday. Starting at the bottom, Arthur changes his name to Ray, and undergoes basic training in weaponry and warfare before being led off to battle.
There are actually two stories going on simultaneously in this book. In one of them, Arthur has been replaced in the real world by a doppelganger, which has used a personal item of Arthur's to spawn the perfect image. Having infiltrated, the Arthur-copy is running around infecting people with a gray mould, which allows it to read their minds gathering information to complete the take-over. Arthur is much too busy to deal with this matter, so his friend Leaf steps up to the plate and goes on a clone-hunt.
Back to Arthur, he's a pawn on a chessboard-like battlefield, with one significant difference - the squares move around at dusk. (Pity the unfortunate soul who's stuck half-way on the boundary of two squares when this happens.) The enemy is a horde of souped-up nithlings who've undergone extreme make-overs to become battalions of uber-nithlings, led by a mysterious yet familiar figure.
There's fighting and bloodshed and lots of other good stuff in this one, which should make an excellent adventure movie. Although a little slower than Drowned Wednesday, this one is an equally entertaining read, but should not be attempted without reading the first three (each sold separately)
Amanda Richards
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada