Product Description

Second title in Garth Nix’s gripping new fantasy adventure series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2055 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 389 pages

Synopsis
Second title in Garth Nix's gripping new fantasy adventure series. Arthur Penhaligon didn't think he would ever have to return to the strange house that nearly killed him on Monday -- the house that contains a fantastical and sinister realm inside. But the next day brings new challenges -- in the form of an enemy named Grim Tuesday, who threatens the safety of both Arthur's family and his world. Arthur must retrieve the Second Key from Grim Tuesday in order to save everything -- an adventure that will force him to steal a Sunship, survive a very weird work camp, befriend a bearlike spirit and fight the void Nithlings. Even after all that, he will still have to venture into the scary Far Reaches for an ultimate showdown.

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
Grim Tuesday had hidden the Second Clause of the Will, and had once been sure that no on else would ever reach it. But now the first part had escaped and found itself a Rightful Heir. That meant Grim Tuesday would be next ...

When Arthur left the strange house that had almost killed him on Monday, he didn't expect to be called back there the very next day. But with his family and friends in danger, he has no choice.

The stakes are high. And time is ticking.

Customer Reviews

Totally magical, totally random, totally amazing!
Barcode: 9780007175031

So, having finished the simply awesome Abhorsen trilogy i was eager to read more of Garth Nix's books and thought where better to go next than the Keys To The Kingdom series. I was quite surprised for a number of reasons but thanfully, it was a pleasant kind of surprise.

My first recommendation is that make sure you read the first novel, Mister Monday, first as there is a lot of stuff you need to know about like the Will, the keys, the days, the house etc. the list goes on. You kinda get thrown in at the deep end and it can all seem a bit random and disorientating at the start but onhce you get into into it the world of the Keys To The Kingdom series is just as magical as the Old Kingdom.

Nix's ingenuity is amazing as he depicts our real world living alongside a mystical 'house' which contains vast areas of land. This particular novel details Grim Tuesday's pit, a kind of vast quarry miles wide. The imagery is fantastic and his legal-esque spin on magical themes is just spellbinding.

Main character Arthur comes across well as the everyman who reluctantly takes up his role of venturing into this world in order to save his family. He is accompanied by the ever-charming Suzy who i think goes on to become the star of the book.

In its feel, Grim Tuesday is perhaps aimed at a younger audience than those used to his other books, but i assure you regular readers will enjoy it just the same. Things never get overly dark and morbid and there's always some lighthearted humour round the corner to make you smile and the semi-immortal characters create a very interesting outlook as it dampens the sense of threat leaving you to focus all the more on the wonder of Nix's world.

My recommendation is to go into this book with an open mind and you are sure to totally enjoy it. I found it an inspiring tale and yet more evidence as to why Garth Nix is one of my favourite authors ever.

The only weak link so far
Don't get me wrong, I love this eptalogy, but I honestly found this to be the less successful of the series so far. It lacks the wonder and variety of the all the other books.

Basically Arthur now has to return to the House to fight Grim Tuesday, cursed by his Key by Greed. Unfortunately not much happens, Arthur just goes into a gigantic hole (called the Far Reaches) that has been excavated for 10,000 years where the strange substance called Nothing is extracted (and used to create all sorts of objects). However, before he gets to do anything, his friend Suzy Turqoise Blue comes with a plan which involes flying to the top of the hole and drop into Grim Tuesdays tower, where he accumulates his treasures. Luckily there there is a really imaginative adventure occurring in the tower (you have to read the book for that) ;)

The taking of the second Key is a bit disappointing too, seems Arthur gets it far too easily (compared to the great difficulty he had into getting hold of all the others). Grim Tuesdays live eyebrow is best not mentioning, since it seemed like a bad idea...

All in all, not bad, just slightly better than average (I found all the other books in the series are much better). 3.5 stars

And you thought Mondays were bad
If you're going to read this book, I strongly recommend that you make sure that you've read "Mister Monday" first. That way you see, I don't have to explain all about the Architect and the Will, and the seven hidden fragments and the treacherous trustees and all that. Just call me lazy if you like.

Our young and most unlikely hero has barely returned from Mister Monday's domain, when the telephone hotline starts ringing again. Arthur quickly learns that Grim Tuesday has found a convenient loophole in the Trustee agreement, and that all Mister Monday's substantial debts have been passed on to him as the new Master of the Lower House. Grim T. means to collect one way or the other, and as the world's economy gets turned on its end, Arthur realizes that he has no choice but to go back and sort it all out, and of course get the second key and some added responsibility that he can well do without.

Greedy Grim Tuesday runs a huge "nothing" mine using slave labor, and makes all the gadgets and widgets and doodads needed by the Days and anybody with the right currency. Lots of new and deadly creatures await Arthur, some of whom are allergic to salt and some to silver, but all have the common goal of inflicting upon him as much pain as possible. With the help of his friend Leaf (from book one) he finally finds the entrance to Tuesday's mineshafts, and begins his new quest, going deep, deep undercover as one of Tuesday's slaves.

Fortunately for him, he gets a little help from Suzy Turquoise Blue, Japeth the walking Thesaurus, Captain Shelvocke the sea-faring brother of the Pied Piper, and to a lesser extent a hairy, materialistic bit of fluff formally known as "eyebrow". Soon he's sailing off into very strange waters to retrieve the second fragment of the Will, with a heavy heart, a broken leg and almost more problems than he can bear.

Exciting and imaginative, although sometimes a tad long on description, Nix wraps this one up rather quickly at the end, and gives a tantalizing glimpse into Wednesday's woes. A must-read if you've completed your Monday reading.



Amanda Richards