Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

Having read and loved Garth Nix's OLD KINGDOM books (SABRIEL, LIRAEL, and ABHORSEN) as well as his SEVENTH TOWER series, I had pretty high expectations when I started in on SUPERIOR SATURDAY. I wasn't disappointed. The action moves along quickly, with new and original presentations of magic at every turn, and major and minor characters worth cheering for (or, in the case of the antagonists, against).

The sixth book in Nix's KEYS TO THE KINGDOM series picks up right where the fifth book left off, making it a little confusing to understand at first, especially if you're a newcomer to the series, like I was when reading this. The book is certainly good enough to merit your going to the library and checking out all of the previous ones in order to get up to speed, but in case your library is as negligent as mine, here's the background that I wish I could have had going in.

Our protagonist, asthmatic twelve-year-old Arthur Penhaligon, through a series of complicated circumstances described in previous novels, is taken from his home on Earth and granted the power of being the Heir to the Kingdom. Nix's complicated but fascinating universe centers around a grand House that is the epicenter of all universes, and is ruled by seven Trustees, all named for the days of the week. Within the House, each Trustee has its own domain. As the Heir, Arthur's duty is to wrest the Keys to the Kingdom from the corrupt Trustees, and to recreate the Will of the Architect, which the Trustees have consistently disobeyed. The Architect is a mysterious figure responsible for creating both the House and the "secondary realms," including Earth.

In this sixth book in the series, Arthur is up against one of the toughest of the Trustees: Superior Saturday, with her power to work great sorceries with the help of the sixth Key. With the help of friends and acquaintances throughout the House, Arthur attempts to infiltrate Saturday's portion of the House and find the sixth part of the Architect's Will. He's running out of time, though, as the dangerously corrosive Nothing eats away at the House's foundations.

Arthur must retrieve the Key, and the next part of the Will, in time to ensure that the House is not destroyed--for if the epicenter of all universes is demolished, the secondary realms that depend upon its survival will also crumble and fall, making for the end of Earth and Arthur's home.

Nix always has a unique perspective on magic, and this series is no different in that respect. His innovations draw heavily upon archetypes and numerous different branches of mythology that add a richness and texture to his world, even if the average reader does not see them all on the first read-through. I also enjoyed his characterization of Arthur, a young boy who is taking on increasingly difficult tasks and succeeding at them, so that although he is young, there is a strength and maturity to his outlook. Of course, this doesn't prevent him from having his share of doubts.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend the series to anyone interested in fantasy adventure.

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This is the 6th book in the Keys to the Kingdom Series, which I started reading as a young teen and am now finishing as a young adult. It is definitely for a younger audience!

The mythology of the world, which was interesting in the first few books, is growing old and a bit trite by this point. We are supposed to be rooting for Arthur, but to be honest, he is a bit too whiny for us to feel anything for him. I mean, he has all these superpowers and was chosen to save the universe, but he doesn't want to use the powers to save the universe? It was meant to come off as a moral dilemma, with Arthur trying to salvage his humanness, and instead he seems like a wuss instead.

Still, the story was enjoyable enough. I polished it off in one afternoon. A light read, suitable for kids 12+, but I probably won't read the last one in the series.

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This is the sixth book in Garth Nix's Keys To The Kingdom series. If you enjoy fantasy fiction like Harry Potter, or Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books, then this series is for you. I have read most of Garth Nix's other work and these books are my favorite of his to date (2009). The tone of these stories is far less dark and creepy than most of his other ones (which I liked too), but the world and the storyline he has created here just feels more fleshed out and complete.

He draws on elements of Christian religious tradition to frame his story, but in ways that are quirky, almost absurd, and not really corresponding to any kind of religious orthodoxy. It is chock full of interesting ideas though, and great fun for adults who might "catch" more of that as they read than a kid would. It has been pointed out that the characters the books are named after (unfaithful "Trustees" who are supposed to uphold the Will of the Architect/Creator who has vanished and left the Universe and all creation in their hands) correspond to the seven deadly sins in the manner in which they each are corrupted and fail in their duty. These being sloth, pride, gluttony, et al.

The hero of the piece, Arthur Penhaligon, is a young, teen-aged boy who by chance and against his will finds himself charged with defeating each faithless Trustee and setting the "universe" to rights. He feels impelled to do this because it is the only way to protect his own world, his family and everything he cares about, but the process makes him less and less human and possibly unable to ever return to his normal life and existence.

Garth Nix is one of my favorite authors and this series is some of his best work ever. I highly recommend it.

The complete series is:

Mister Monday (book 1)
Grim Tuesday (book 2)
Drowned Wednesday (book 3)
Sir Thursday (book 4)
Lady Friday (book 5)
Superior Saturday (book 6)
Lord Sunday (book 7, not yet released as of this writing - May 2009)

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