Mister Monday by Garth Nix (The Keys to the Kingdom: Book 1)

9/10

The first day of term at Arthur Penhaligon's new school was supposed to be his last day on earth, but instead of dying of an asthma attack, he is given a key and drawn into another realm, controlled by human-like creatures called the Morrow Days. Strange dog-like creatures are sent, by one of the Morrow Days, Mister Monday, after Arthur to try and regain the key. Monday will stop at nothing to get at Arthur and the key, even burning down part of the school and bringing a terrible plague to the Earth that threatens to kill anyone who catches it. The only chance of saving his family and everyone else is for Arthur to enter the other realm through a mysterious house in the town, that nobody else can see, and try and find a cure. However, Arthur's fate, it seems, is tightly woven into the house, if he wants to save his world, he must fight for it.

The story is fast paced, but by no means lacking in detail, you can really see the world that the characters are in, and emphasise with them accordingly. All the characters, even the strange Denizens of the house, are thus easy to relate to and recognise in daily life. Arthur himself is certainly nothing out of the ordinary, he has no 'special gifts' or magical powers, in fact the very reason he is dragged into the whole situation in the first place is simply because he was there at the time, his tale could be about anyone in the world, any reader of the book, which draws you in making the most extraordinary events seem perfectly believable.

The twists and turns of the plot in the book are very well placed and even though they are unexpected, they aren't too grand or unbelievable, and thankfully aren't merely being used to revive a dying narrative. It feels as though every word in the book has been thought about and placed on the page with great care and attention to detail, everything is there for a reason, there is no pointless over descriptive filler, just stunning, page turning writing.

Nix writes very well and this book is more than suitable for all ages, as the story can be read on more than one level, reminiscent of the kind of underlying adult themes used by Roald Dahl. This book is the type of book you finish reading at 3am, because you simply can't put it down and it leaves you with a desperate need to go to the local book store and gather up any book with Garth Nix's name on the cover, I know I certainly did! The forum on his website is full of reader's longing for Nix to hurry up and write book seven, the last of the series, even though Superior Saturday (book six) has only just been released. Praise for this series, and his others, can be found everywhere, a real cult series, and cult author in the making.