Lord Sunday is the final book in Garth Nix's ambitious fantasy/adventure series “The Keys to the Kingdom”. Over the course of the six previous novels Nix's protagonist—an asthmatic 12-year-old named Arthur Penhaligon—has learned that he is destined to inherit the House, a space at the center of the universe created by a godlike being known as the Architect. In defiance of the Architect's wishes, the House was separated into seven parts, each controlled by a different Trustee: Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, Lady Friday, Superior Saturday, and Lord Sunday. Arthur has defeated the first six Trustees and assumed control of their realms, but he still has to defeat Lord Sunday—the trickiest and least vulnerable Trustee of all.

Reading this series was like looking at a technically impressive painting that I failed to connect with—the books were truly epic in scope, but lacked sufficient humanity to make a lasting impression. The constant literary shout-outs, Biblical references, and nods to Arthurian legend were fun, but Nix failed to develop his characters into three-dimensional beings. (Imagine the exact opposite of Rick Riordan's “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. That coasted by on jokes and character development; this sacrifices humor and personality in favor of ever-more-intricate plotting.) Still, one has to admire Nix's undeniable effort and skill—both of which are constantly on display—and fans of puzzles and literary allusions should find these books to be rich sources of entertainment.

Review based on publisher-provided copy.

Labels: Book Reviews, Fantasy, Garth Nix, Kids' books

As I went through the Wordcandy mail a few weeks ago, I was pleased to run across a package from Scholastic containing not only the final book in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, but also the first. We're always happy to receive new series... but not having to hunt down every previous installment makes us even happier.

The Keys to the Kingdom kicked off in 2003, when Nix's Mister Monday introduced Arthur Penhaligon, the seventh-grade boy destined to save the world. Arthur—the youngest and only adopted child of a large family—is severely asthmatic, and an attack that should have killed him brings him to the notice of Mister Monday, one of the seven supernatural beings who have usurped control of the House at the center of the universe. Arthur finds himself in possession of half of Monday's key, and discovers that he'll have to steal the other half if he wants to undo the damage that Monday's visit has caused.

Nix makes it clear from the get-go that Mister Monday is straight-up fantasy, not a fun, winking take on the genre à la Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series or Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm books. The novel borrows heavily from the Bible and classic mythology, with bits of Arthurian legend and poetry thrown in. I usually prefer my fantasy leavened with some humor, but there's something admirable about Nix's approach—if nothing else, he obviously believes young readers are capable of appreciating a story even if it hasn't been gussied up with vampire love triangles or toilet humor or whatever. Not all YA authors can say the same.

I'll report back when I get around to the final book in this series—the just-released Lord Sunday—with a more comprehensive review. (Books two through six are on hold at my local library.) Mister Monday wasn't my usual cup of tea, but reading a book trying to sell itself on substance rather than style made for an pleasant change of pace.

[Review based on publisher-provided copy.]

Labels: Book Reviews, Fantasy, Garth Nix, Kids' books