Product Description

Get ready for more brilliant page-turning fantasy from master, Garth Nix. On the fourth day there was war! Pick up with Arthur Penhaligon as his Keys to the Kingdom adventures continue in the mysterious House. Following their adventures in the Border Sea, Arthur and Leaf head for home. But only Leaf gets through the Front Door. Arthur is blocked because someone -- or something -- has assumed his identity and is taking over his life. Before Arthur can take action, he is drafted by Sir Thursday and forced to join the Glorious Army of the Architect. The Army has its headquarters in the Great Maze, a defensive area of the House. Half of the Maze has already been dissolved by Nothing, and hordes of Nithlings emerge regularly to attack the rest. If the Nithling invasion can overcome the Army and the Great Maze, the House will be lost and the whole universe with it. While Leaf tries to banish Arthur's doppelganger on earth, Arthur must survive his basic training, avoid getting posted to the Front and work out how he can free Part Four of the Will and gain the Fourth Key from Sir Thursday. If the latest, strongest and most dangerous Nithling offensive doesn't break through first!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7589 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
"[Garth Nix is] the coolest read in the playground." Amanda Craig "Just magical!" Jenni Craig, Book Review Magazine "Nix's imagination is matched only by his prose style" The Times

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

From the Back Cover
"Sir Thursday has drafted you," said Dame Primus. "Every Denizen must do their century of military service -" "Century!" exclaimed Arthur. "I can't spend a hundred years in the army!"

Someone or something has assumed Arthur Penhaligon's identity and taken over his life. Trapped in the House, Arthur must survive basic training, avoid getting posted to the Front and work out how he can free Part Four of the Will and gain the fourth key from Sir Thursday. But even the Glorious Army of the Architect is in danger from the massive onslaught of new Nithlings ...

Customer Reviews

On the fourth day
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.

much better
When Sir Thursday came out I was relectant to buy it after reading Drowned Wednesday, the book wasn't awful, but it was nowhere near Garth Nix's previous standard. I thought this book would be much the same.
I am glad to be proved wrong, this book is back to Garth Nix original high standard. Adding to that I am eagerly awaiting the release of Lady Friday because this is one of thouse delightfully annoying (but in a good way) books that leaves you wondering what on earth's going to happen next, unfortunately I may have a while to speculate.

Number four is number one
Keys to the Kingdom is no longer a series for young readers. Murder, war, and anger plagues the book that will no doubt take this series to new heights.

In the book, Arthur tries to re-enter into the secondary realm, but to do so could cause disruption in the natural order of his world, because according to the house he is already there. Arthur cannot get back, but Leaf can, and she attempts to dispell the creature posing as Arthur before it can dominate his world.
In the meantime, Arthur is drafted by Sir Thursday into the Glorious Army of the Architect and is immediately trained in Nithling combat. Strange happenings have been going on the Great Maze. A great host of "New Nithlings" are on the move; Arthur is not as safe as he would have hoped. The story explodes as Sir Thursday himself commissions a band of Piper's Children to take on a most dangerous task. In the meantime, Arthur must find and release the fourth part of the Will and find a way to claim the fourth key.

With this middle book, Garth Nix is sure to leave his readers in shock so reserve your hospital bed in advance and dive into Arthur's latest adventure. --.