Lord Sunday: Keys to the Kingdom Book 7 [Paperback]

The House is being destroyed -- it's being flooded with Nothing and invaded by Newniths.

So it's not exactly surprising that the final novel of Garth Nix's multiverse-spanning Keys to the Kingdom series is one long cliffhanger. "Lord Sunday" is a little rushed and scattered at times, but Nix ties off the various plot threads in a satisfying manner -- and he demonstrates his brilliant skill by handling the seemingly impossible.

Now transformed into a Denizen, Arthur struggles his way back to the Incomparable Gardens -- only to be captured by the cruel, selfish Lord Sunday and his minions. Meanwhile, Leaf is captured by Sunday's Reaper and dragged back into the House, and Suzy is struggling to keep Arthur's army from being destroyed by the Nothing, Newniths and the Piper's Children.

Unsurprisingly, Lord Sunday wants the Atlas and the Keys. Arthur will have to use all his wits and sorcerous strength -- as well as an old, beloved friend -- to free himself from Sunday's clocklike torture chamber. As the final clash between Sunday, Saturday and the Piper begins, Arthur's true destiny is revealed -- and it may mean the destruction of all the worlds of the House.

"Lord Sunday" has almost everything you could want in a grand, apocalyptic finale -- magic, battles, tragic losses, and finally the revelation of the Architect's true Will. It took six books of complex build-ups to get to this point, and most of the book Nix focuses on the main characters zipping around trying to save the House from destruction.

And Nix packs the novel with plenty of gritty action (including Arthur getting part of his head blown off), world-hopping, and some beautifully poignant moments (Arthur telling his elephant that it's all he has to remind him "who I really am"). Problems? The titular Lord Sunday isn't much of a character (he's more of a one-off obstacle), and a really tragic loss for Arthur is handled almost as an afterthought.

But it becomes truly exquisite in the last few chapters -- Nix weaves in some brilliant philosophical moments that reveal why the Architect did all this, and why Arthur was necessary. It's a rather bittersweet ending for the series, but also leaves you feeling hopeful.

And of course, Arthur is still the center of the story. While Leaf, Suzy and a few other characters (including the adorable Elephant and the beastwort Daisy) get moments to shine, "Lord Sunday" is about taking Arthur to the end of his journey, and dealing with the divide between his Denizen body and human heart. Without revealing too much, Nix handles it in a logical, fantastical way that just makes sense.

"Lord Sunday" has a few flaws here and there, but it is a truly brilliant, powerful wrap-up for Garth Nix's epic fantasy series. Hopeful, sad, and hauntingly lovely.

I walked through the shelves of a local bookstore tonight and literally gasped out loud when I saw LORD SUNDAY sitting on the shelf. I quickly glanced up to make sure no one had heard me, and then I raced down to the checkout counter. It was all I could do to keep myself from speeding home to read the book, which I had not expected to release for a couple more weeks. And now, after two years of waiting, the final chapter in Garth Nix's THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM series has finally arrived.

Since quite a bit of time had passed since I had read book six, SUPERIOR SATURDAY, I was a bit confused jumping into the storyline again. And Nix really does start blasting right into things. Arthur Penhaligon is still struggling against the forces massing against him and threatening to completely destroy everything he knows and loves. Waves of Nothing ravage the very foundations of the House, a universe related directly to Earth, which is also crumbling under the throes of an epidemic that might just eat away at every person alive. And as the final battles culminate, it falls to Arthur to save them all from dissolving into the black Nothingness.

The pacing here is quick and Nix almost leaves the reader breathless as they fly through one near death escape after another. Everything almost started to blend together as I kept waiting for the final mysteries of the series to be resolved. And Nix drags things out to the very bitter end before revealing the secrets behind all seven books in the last few pages. I don't want to go too deeply into the plot here, as it would really spoil things, but after I closed the book I almost had the feeling that Nix needed a quick way to wrap things up. The rather nihilistic ending did draw things to a definite close, and there was definitely a tremendous climax leading up to the end, but somehow, it just all seemed suddenly over. In the end, I was satisfied with the way things turned out, but it just felt like he could have done a bit more.

All said, this fantasy series is definitely worth the investment. Some of the earlier titles are simply great storytelling. And LORD SUNDAY is necessary to the end of it all and for wrapping it up. Readers who have enjoyed the series thus far will enjoy the ending, but new-comers should definitely pick up the first book, MISTER MONDAY, and start on through to the end. Fans of books like PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by Rick Riordan, or THE SEEMS by John Hulme and Michael Wexler, would definitely enjoy this fantasy romp through imaginative lands and epic battles. And, at least new readers won't have to wait two years for this final volume.

This was the seventh (and final) book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. This was the first book that I read; the previous six I listened to on audio book. I have to say that these books read a lot better than they listen to...if that makes sense. Anyway, this book was an excellent conclusion to a great series. I actually thought it was the best book of the series. You do need to read all of the previous books to have this book make any sense to you at all; if you start with this book you will be at a total loss.

We pick up right where book 6, Superior Saturday, leaves off...with Arthur falling after having claimed the sixth key. In general everything is falling apart. Superior Saturday's forces are attacking the Improbable Gardens (Lord Sunday's domains), Dame Primus is leading an assault on Superior Saturday, the lower house is being claimed by Nothing, and the human world is being plagued by strange sicknesses as things deteriorate in the House. In general things are not happy. How will it all be resolved? Arthur has given up his humanity but is there a way for him to save the House, and hence the universe, while retaining some contact with his family?

This book was very well done. The story is jam packed and fast-moving. Nix does an excellent job of making every word in this book count; there was no fat in this story every page goes towards resolving all the issues and bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. All the characters you know and love are in this story. The action is non-stop and very well done. Lord Sunday is a fabulous character, and not at all what I expected.

Nix did an excellent job portraying Arthur's fight to retain some humanity. Arthur's denizen personality often starts him on a rash course of action that his human side will counteract...although as Arthur spends more time wielding the Keys you can tell he is having trouble remembering what it is to be human. Suzi remains her lovable self and is more competent than ever in her own conniving way.

I think that readers of the series will have little to complain about with this spectacular, fast-moving, and action-packed conclusion. If there is one thing to complain about it is the ending. I was a little upset at how things all ended, but upon spending a bit of time thinking about it I think Nix ended everything the best way he could given the situation the characters were in. The only thing that might really make readers mad is that a major death occurs at the end which is given little thought; in fact only a sentence or two is given to this major life-changing event in Arthur's life. Should that prevent you from reading the book? Of course not, overall it was very well done.

I was pleased with this series as a whole and thought this book was fantastic. I was happy that Nix concluded the series with a tight book that didn't drag on and on and did an excellent job of concluding the story. I also really liked Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. So, I will definitely be picking up his future works. I am curious to see what his next project is.