2008-03-13 Totally magical, totally random, totally amazing!

Barcode: 9780007175031

So, having finished the simply awesome Abhorsen trilogy i was eager to read more of Garth Nix's books and thought where better to go next than the Keys To The Kingdom series. I was quite surprised for a number of reasons but thanfully, it was a pleasant kind of surprise.

My first recommendation is that make sure you read the first novel, Mister Monday, first as there is a lot of stuff you need to know about like the Will, the keys, the days, the house etc. the list goes on. You kinda get thrown in at the deep end and it can all seem a bit random and disorientating at the start but onhce you get into into it the world of the Keys To The Kingdom series is just as magical as the Old Kingdom.

Nix's ingenuity is amazing as he depicts our real world living alongside a mystical 'house' which contains vast areas of land. This particular novel details Grim Tuesday's pit, a kind of vast quarry miles wide. The imagery is fantastic and his legal-esque spin on magical themes is just spellbinding.

Main character Arthur comes across well as the everyman who reluctantly takes up his role of venturing into this world in order to save his family. He is accompanied by the ever-charming Suzy who i think goes on to become the star of the book.

In its feel, Grim Tuesday is perhaps aimed at a younger audience than those used to his other books, but i assure you regular readers will enjoy it just the same. Things never get overly dark and morbid and there's always some lighthearted humour round the corner to make you smile and the semi-immortal characters create a very interesting outlook as it dampens the sense of threat leaving you to focus all the more on the wonder of Nix's world.

My recommendation is to go into this book with an open mind and you are sure to totally enjoy it. I found it an inspiring tale and yet more evidence as to why Garth Nix is one of my favourite authors ever.