Mister Monday is the first novel in the Keys to the Kingdom series
by Garth Nix, following the adventures of protagonist Arthur Penhaligon as he
struggles to fulfill the Will set by the Architect, who supposedly created the
worlds and the House (supposedly the origin of creation).
The novel starts off
with Arthur’s first day at a new school – unfortunately for him, he collapses
during an outdoor cross-country run due to his severe asthma. While his
schoolmates Ed and Leaf run to get his inhaler for him, he sees two strange men
appear, Mister Monday and Sneezer. Sneezer convinces Mister Monday to give the
“Key”, which is shaped like the minute hand of an old clock, to Arthur, who is
a suitable heir stated by the Will, and just take it back after his death.
Although Monday is convinced, he soon becomes suspicious of Sneezer’s eagerness
to give the “Key” away, and they begin to fight, disappearing in a flash of
light soon and leaving behind a slim book. Arthur puts the book in his pocket
and the Key, which he finds helps him to breathe. As his teachers approach, he
hides the Key and passes out.
This sequence of
events sets up the premise of the series. Arthur takes possession of the Key,
which makes him the chosen heir of the Will. He finds himself fighting against
seven Trustees whom the Architect ordered to carry out her Will, and who later
disobeyed the Architect by breaking the Will apart and ruling the House on
their own.
I enjoyed this book’s
fantasy premise a lot – the majority of the novel was set in the House, which
Arthur has to journey through to find and defeat Mister Monday. Nix created a
magical world in the House, full of incredible creatures like Denizens,
citizens of the House who are stronger and handsomer than humans, Piper’s
Children, who are actually human children brought into the House by the third
son of the Architect, the Piper (this results in the Piper’s Children becoming
immortal, although not as strong as the Denizens) and Nithlings, monsters
self-created from Nothing.
I also liked the
characters in this book, especially Arthur Penhaligon, the protagonist. The
start of his journey as the chosen heir is actually quite amusing – unlike
other heroes like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, he’s not special in any way.
He has absolutely no power until the Key is given to him – in fact, he is meant
to die on that day, except he is saved by the Key. He’s simply an ordinary boy
who is pushed into extraordinary situations. Throughout the story, he’s
actually unwilling to take up the position as the chosen heir – he only does it
when the Trustees begin to threaten his family. Unlike the Trustees, he’s a
good and rather fair leader – whereas the Trustees are arrogant and cruel,
Arthur tries to treat Denizens nicely and politely (a running gag is that he’s
the only high-up Denizen who says “please”).
The supporting
characters are also extremely fun, from the stern, rigid Part One of the Will,
to the quiet Monday’s Dusk, who turns out to be loyal to the Will and Arthur.
One character I especially liked is Suzy Turquoise Blue, a Piper’s Child. She’s
a fun-loving, rough girl who acts as a mouthpiece for Part One of the Will
(after it jumps into her throat in the form of a frog). She agrees to help
Arthur, and does her best to help him get to Monday, even risking her own life
for him at several points in the novel. Despite helping Arthur, it’s clear that
she dislikes authority and isn’t really scared of anything – even after seeing
the power Arthur wields with the Key, she still treats him like a normal boy,
and she isn’t afraid of the Will either. She also has a sense of humor and gets
some of the best lines in the book.
One thing that might
turn certain readers off is that the story moves a tad too slowly. By the
midpoint, after the premise has been established and Arthur is just wandering
around looking for Monday, I was getting a little bored because there wasn’t
much action. However, the book picks up after Arthur meets Suzy, giving us more
fun and action.
All in all, I think
that Mister Monday is an excellent book,
written for younger ages, and the rest of the books are definitely worth
reading as well.
Rating: 4.5/5
For ages 9 and above.
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