Superior Saturday (Keys to the Kingdom Series #6) by Garth Nix: Book Cover
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Superior Saturday (Keys to the Kingdom Series #6) by Garth Nix

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Synopsis

The secret of his own identity.
The identity of The Architect.
The complete Will of the House.
The fulfillment of his fate.
Arthur Penhaligon is getting closer and closer to these things... but not without risks, conflict, and adventure.

Children's Literature

Book 6 of Garth Nix's futuristic fantasy series, "The Keys to the Kingdom," continues the adventures of its eleven-year-old hero Arthur Penhaligon. But having already collected five parts of the otherworldly Will as required, not to mention five keys from their haughty owners, Arthur's power level has escalated and he is no longer an eleven-year-old Earthly boy. Herein lies the rub. Besides shouldering the guilt for the House-led chaos punishing his family and friends on Earth, Arthur must steadily fight the loss of his mortal self in his alternate universe. Since he is now nearly as tall and strong as a Denizen of the House, Book 6 is less about Arthur's conquest of Superior Saturday than his constant struggle to overcome the nasty Denizen urges that are beginning to control him. Arthur's personal battle is played out against Nix's latest conceit: an Alphaville-like skyscraper of architecture gone wild and soulless. Saturday's tower endlessly rises from her realm toward the invasion level of Lord Sunday's private gardens, grinding its gears and swathed in incessant rain. In his miles-high office building from Hell, Nix presents a powerful image of despair. Only the seventh and last book can end the nightmare. Having already given us a brimstone-filled Lower Depths, is Nix creating a latter-day Divine Comedy? Gosh, Garth. Can there be Hope? Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

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Biography

Garth Nix was born on a Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. He has won the Aurealis Awards for Best Fantasy Novel, Best Young Adult Novel, and Best Children’s Novel. His novels include Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Shade’s Children, and The Ragwitch, as well as the books in The Seventh Tower series and the first five books of The Keys to the Kingdom, Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, and Lady Friday.

Customer Reviews

Leaves You on the Edge of Your Seat and Eagerly Awaiting More!by Amajorbibliophile

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November 28, 2008: "Superior Saturday", by Garth Nix, is the sixth book in an awesome series, "The Keys to the Kingdom." Not boring in any way, this series is great for anyone thirsty for adventure, thrill, and just plane awesomeness! This book leaves you on the very edge of your seat and just waiting for the next installment in this magnificent series!

I Also Recommend: Nightmare Academy, The Magic Thief (Magic Thief Series #1), Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children of the Red King Series #1), Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom Series #1), Erec Rex.

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.comby TeensReadToo

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November 17, 2008: 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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