Sir Thursday (the Keys to the Kingdom #4): Volume 4

Another exciting installment in this series from the outrageously creative and slightly warped mind of Garth Nix, where Lord Arthur, Rightful Heir of the Architect etc. etc. finds himself drafted into the Glorious Army of the Architect under the command of the highly strung Sir Thursday. Starting at the bottom, Arthur changes his name to Ray, and undergoes basic training in weaponry and warfare before being led off to battle. There are actually two stories going on simultaneously in this book. In one of them, Arthur has been replaced in the real world by a doppelganger, which has used a personal item of Arthur's to spawn the perfect image. Having infiltrated, the Arthur-copy is running around infecting people with a gray mould, which allows it to read their minds gathering information to complete the take-over. Arthur is much too busy to deal with this matter, so his friend Leaf steps up to the plate and goes on a clone-hunt. Back to Arthur, he's a pawn on a chessboard-like battlefield, with one significant difference - the squares move around at dusk. (Pity the unfortunate soul who's stuck half-way on the boundary of two squares when this happens.) The enemy is a horde of souped-up nithlings who've undergone extreme make-overs to become battalions of uber-nithlings, led by a mysterious yet familiar figure. There's fighting and bloodshed and lots of other good stuff in this one, which should make an excellent adventure movie. Although a little slower than Drowned Wednesday, this one is an equally entertaining read, but should not be attempted without reading the first three (each sold separately) Amanda Richards, July 9, 2006

On the first day, there was mystery. On the second day, there was darkness. On the third day, there were pirates. On the fourth day, there was war. It is Thursday. After their thrilling, high-seas adventure on the Border Sea, Arthur and Leaf are eager to return home to their families in the Secondary Realms. When they arrive at the Front Door, they discover that only Leaf can come home since someone --- or something --- has taken Arthur's place. Just when things couldn't seem to get any more complicated, Dame Primus holds a council of war in Monday's Dayroom. Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday have been assassinated by sorcery! Arthur is stunned by the news but is in for another surprise when he's tricked by Sir Thursday and forced to join the Glorious Army of the Architect. Suzy Turquoise Blue offers to go with Arthur, much to the disapproval of Dame Primus, but is told by the recruiting officer that volunteers can't join. Arthur doesn't want to go and leave his family in danger, but luckily Leaf decides to go back through the Seven Dials and try to banish the Spirit-eater (Skinless Boy) herself until Dame Primus and the rest of Arthur's staff can figure out a way to shorten his proposed stint of a century. Arthur and Leaf each must rely on magic and their wits to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Leaf has to banish the Spirit-eater while saving herself and Arthur's families from being mind-controlled. (Fortunately, she has a bit of help from Suzy and an unlikely thrill-seeker.) Meanwhile, Arthur has to go undercover and survive his basic training, avoid getting posted to the Front, and work out how he can free Part Four of the Will and retrieve the Fourth Key from the psychotic Sir Thursday. All this while battling a couple of his own personal demons, a mysterious new force, and a few thousand New Nithlings in the Great Maze. There is much suspense and action-packed adventure both in and outside the House. Many old and new characters are introduced in SIR THURSDAY who are sure to make the rest of the series even more interesting. There are a few violent scenes that some younger readers may find scary, but rest assured the book is definitely worth reading. Unfortunately there's no tidy ending, so readers may have to take their time reading SIR THURSDAY (or reread the first three books in the series first) because it's going to be a while until we find out what happens next when LADY FRIDAY makes her presence known. --- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle ([email protected])

it keeps getting better for the keys to the kingdom books and sir thursday proves the series is still kicking. after the outcomes of wednesday, arthur finds himself drafted by sir thursday, over lord of the great maze, into the glorious army of the architect were he must stay out of the dangerous trustee's way and survive the oncoming war in the maze. not only that but a mystirous nithling is taking over arthur's life back on earth and only leaf can stop it before it turns everyone into mindless zombies. this book keeps you on the edge right up to its thrilling climax that will surley lead into the next book, lady friday. so, if you loved monday, tuesday, and wednesday, then thursday will be a great edition to your week.

Sir Thursday, the fourth of seven in The Keys to the Kingdom, is most likely the best so far. I was a little hesitant about reading it, seeing as I thought Drowned Wednesday was a little weak for my liking.But it surpassed all of my expectations. Sir Thursday literally starts right after the end of Drowned Wednesday, with Arthur and Leaf heading towards the Front Door. They soon discover that Leaf can make it through, but Arthur can't , because something or someone has taken over his place in the Secondary Realms. Leaf goes through and vows to find whatever has taken Arthur over. Arthur, soon after handing over the third part of the Will and the Third Key, is drafted into Sir Thursday's army. He soon becomes a soldier, and the central plot of the book begins. Sir Thursday is an amazing entry in The Keys to the Kingdom, obviously the best one yet. The ending is jampacked and brings back some characters mentioned in previous books. (Hint Hint) The very last chapter introduces Lady (or Doctor) Friday, much to the dismay of Leaf. This is the best one in the series so far, and definitly should be bought and read!

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.