Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #594 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-27
• Binding: Paperback

Synopsis
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!

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

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.