Book Review
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Title: Grim Tuesday; from The Keys to the Kingdom series
Author: Garth Nix
Year of Publication: 2005
Arthur Pennington, an asthmatic teenager, is forced to encounter his second enemy in Sir Tuesday of The Keys to the Kingdom series. Tuesday demands Arthur to give him the first key in payment for Mondays debts. Arthur is responsible for these debts because he is now in control of the Lower house after over throwing the horrible ruler, Monday. Tuesday is afraid Arthur will try to free the second part of the Will and over through Tuesday, like he did to Monday. Tuesday sends his minions through the house into the secondary realm of earth to inflict havoc on Arthurs family to try to force Arthur to hand over the key. Arthur with the help of Dame Primus (the will part one) and Suzy, a resident in the house and a good friend, Arthur goes through many trials of strength and courage to fix the chaos of the house, and earth. Arthur finds a way to defeat Tuesday, become master of the second key, and save Earth. He leaves Dame Primus in charge of the keys and returns home with a broken leg. Arthur asks to be aloud to return home until he is old enough to be a strong leader and finish dealing with the problems of the house; Dame Primus agrees to let Arthur return to Earth for six years before summoning him back.
Comments:
I love how Nix references familiar events in his book. He adds them into his work in very abstract way and weaves them into the plot. Captain Shelvocke, the Ancient Mariner, is the subject of works by Samuel Coleridge. Another character that is an example of this is Wadsworth, who is a character in Sherlock Holmes. Nix makes other sly references to the great depression of 1929, and a few things from Greek Mythology. In adding this