Product Description

On the third day, there were PIRATES! Arthur Penhaligon finds himself on an adventure that will pit him against pirates, storms, explosions and a vast beast that eats everything it encounters. Will our unwitting hero be able to find the third part of the Will and claim the Third Key? No rest for poor Arthur Penhaligon. As Grim Tuesday ends, he discovers a square of stiff cardboard under his pillow, gilt-edged and inscribed with the following words: LADY WEDNESDAY Trustee of the Architect and Duchess of the Border Sea has great pleasure in inviting ARTHUR PENHALIGON to a Particular Luncheon of Seventeen Removes Transport has been arranged RSVP not required! It's an invitation he cannot refuse. From hospital room to the high seas, Arthur finds himself on an adventure that will pit him against pirates, storms, explosions of Nothing-laced gunpowder, and a vast beast that eats everything it encounters. Through it all, he is drawn deeper into the central mystery of the House. Arthur must find the third part of the Will and claim the Third Key -- not just for himself, but for the millions (if not trillions) who will suffer if he doesn't. The first step? Surviving life aboard ship on the Border Sea!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10207 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
"[Garth Nix is] the coolest read in the playground." Amanda Craig PRAISE FOR MISTER MONDAY: "I just loved Mister Monday, which is an amazing, no-holds-barred fantasy by Garth Nix. This is destined to be a cult series. Every chapter seems to bring something new and wonderful and ends with another surprise. In all honesty, I've never read anything quite like it and I simply can't wait for Tuesday." Anthony Horowitz "Magic splashes across every page! With a likeable unlikely hero, fast-paced plotting and a plethora of mystical oddities, this series is sure to garner a host of fans." Publishers Weekly starred review

Anthony Horowitz
'This destined to be a cult series'

From the Publisher
Question and Answer with Garth Nix:

What is your favourite piece of clothing?
My R. M. Williams elastic-sided boots
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you want to have with you?
I presume a satellite phone is out of the question, so:
1. "The How to Survive on a Deserted Island Manual"
2. A knife or machete
3. A very large clear plastic tarpaulin
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Absent-minded writer guy
What time do you get up in the morning?
Usually between 4:45am and 7:00am depending upon my young son. Preferably closer to 7:00am!
Do you have any pets? What are their names?
No pets, unless you count the two swallows that are building a nest under the canopy above my office door. Maybe I should give them names.
What are 3 things you love about where you live?
The sea, the trees, the birds
What makes you most happy?
A cup of tea, a good book and my family around me
Did you like school? What was your favourite subject?
I sometimes liked school. My favourite subject was History. Or maybe English. Or Drama.
When did you start writing and what gave you the inspiration to start?
I started writing stories when I was six or seven, but didn't seriously try to write and get published till I was nineteen.
What do you like to read? And what book are you reading now?
I like to read all sorts of books. I'm currently reading a history of Venice by John Julius Norwich.
What was the first book you can remember reading?
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
What is your favourite TV programme and pop band?
My favourite TV program is an old one, Dr Who. My favourite pop band changes, but I guess my all-time favourite would be The Beatles.
What is your perfect holiday?
Taking it easy at a beach house on the NSW South Coast in late Spring, before lots of people go there
If you could travel back in time, who would you be and why?
I would like to be all sorts of people, but I wouldn't mind being a long-lived, healthy medieval king who died in bed at an advanced age, mourned by all.
What is your favourite food?
Sausages and mash
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Give some of it away, invest the rest in interesting projects like making films, or producing a play, or re-publishing some old books that have disappeared
What is your favourite sport?
Fishing
If you could be invisible for the day, where would you go?
The Invisible Club, though it's a pain to find and you keep bumping into people
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Where I live now, near the beach in Sydney
What is your ideal Saturday/weekend?
To be at home with my family, with no obligation to do anything or be anywhere
If you had 3 wishes from a genie what would it be?
That would depend upon the nature of the wishes. If I could make really big wishes for other people I would wish:
* For everyone in the world to be healthy and vigorous (and if that was too hard for the genie, then I'd try for all children to be healthy and vigorous)
* For all the weapons in the world to turn into flowers
* For everyone to be able to experience compassion and understand kindness
If the wishes had to be for myself, I would wish for:
* A really good singing voice
* Extremely good health for my whole family
* A small very comfortable castle on a large private island in Sydney Harbour

Customer Reviews

Floats your boat
It's hard to be Arthur Penhaligon. As if moving and being asthmatic wasn't bad enough, now he has had two nightmarish adventures, and dealt with the malevolent Morrow Days. In the third book of Garth Nix's dark fantasy series, "Drowned Wednesday," Nix spins his best story yet in this series.

Arthur and his pal Leaf are recuperating from the strange events of Monday and Tuesday... until suddenly the hospital is flooded. Leaf is abducted by a strange boat, and Arthur finds himself adrift on the Border Sea, on a hospital bed. After he's picked up by a shipful of friendly Salvagers, he finds that he's inadvertantly become the target for the malevolent pirate Feverfew, a mortal-turned-Denizen on a ship of bone.

He also encounters Drowned Wednesday, who has invited him to lunch. But unlike Grim Tuesday and Mister Monday, Wednesday needs his help, because she is cursed: she takes the form of a whale, and has a monstrous appetite. She's willing to give him the Key, but he has to deal with the malevolent Feverfew first, and rescue Leaf. Unfortunately to do that, he will have to take a rescue submarine to a seaport... which happens to be inside Wednesday's stomach.

For some reason, after the publication of "Grim Tuesday," the publishers decided to halt production and rerelease the two previous books in hardcover. As a result, "Drowned Wednesday" took forever to come out. Fortunately, it was worth the wait: as writing and characters go, "Drowned Wednesday" beats the second book and equals the first.

"Drowned Wednesday" more or less fits the mold of the previous novels: Arthur deals with the strange residents (rats and Denizens) of the various worlds, while trying to avoid being killed. It sounds grim, but Nix spices it up with plenty of humor, such as the stamp-collecting Salvager captain. One of the funniest moments has Arthur looking at a book about his adventures, which shows him as a buff action hero.

Fortunately, Nix keeps the story from getting formulaic by giving new twists to the story. Not only is it a seafaring tale, but he portrays the Morrow Day Wednesday as a victim, not a villain. Though Arthur is initially suspicious, it turns out that she's actually rather pitiful. And the final chapter of the book ends on an eerie cliffhanger involving the Skinless Boy.

The biggest change is in Arthur himself. In the previous two books, he was a reluctant hero. But now he is beginning to use the power of the Keys without worrying about it, and he is determined to deal with the other Morrow Days. Okay, he still worries a lot, but he's overcoming that; by the finale, he is much more comfortable as the Heir.

"Drowned Wednesday" equals "Mister Monday" for humorous dark-fantasy goodness. Here's hoping that "Sir Thursday" doesn't take long to get here.

An intriguing story
Well how would you feel if you had just made it back to your realm and to the comfort of a hospital bed (the broken leg has slowed you down) when the room you and your friend leaf are in fills up with water. A lot of it.

Well add in the fact your bed is washed outside to be met by a pirate ship then you begin to understand the position that Arthur Penhaligon finds himself in. The week so far hasn't really been a good one in all honest, finding out you are the true heir to the Upper and Lower houses of the Architect as well as the other realms is a pretty big responsibility. Finding out all the guardians (now corrupt guardians) of the house - the morrow days - are now after you to stop you taking up your rightful position, makes things a lot more problematic.

The morrow days can only act on their given day, that's why this book allows Drowned (once Lady) Wednesday to come into play. For reasons that will soon be understood Drowned Wednesday cannot be there to meet Arthur herself, as such her servant s come abroad a pirate ship. Should Arthur trust her though? Mr Monday and Grim Tuesday weren't exactly trust worthy individuals themselves and will this morrow day be any different?

The style of writing of the book is very similar to the previous stories and is very easy to pick up. It's clean, sharp and to the point, choosing to really develop characters over many books rather than over many chapters. We do see Arthur facing up to his responsibility more in this novel, as well as Arthur realising the responsibility he has to his travelling companions and it is this that tends to dictate his decisions more and more as the story goes on.

We have another wonderful interjection from the inimitable Suzy Blue who takes on a guise not before scene when we first meet her, has the change been permenant, has she had the dreaded "clean between the ears"? Well to answer these questions, and the others, I will leave you to read the book, but suffice to say it's a cracking bit writing and one I strongly recommend.

Wednesday down, onto Thursday
I have to say I find Garth Nix's books refreshing, he creates a fantasy world which have fantastic but consistent rules. The Keys to the Kingdom Series is a lighter weight, brighter story than the Abhorsen trilogy, but he is not averse to a bit of mortal peril here and there!

Anyone reading the first two books will be expecting the Wednesday baddy to battle on, but fortunately there is a change in plot, which is a relief. There is a certain inevitability about the plot - we know Arthur is going to get to Sunday don't we? - but even Arthur appears to acknowledge this.

The fun is in the telling, so though this day of the series isn't the strongest, it is an entertaining read.