For me, this was an eagerly awaited read, as Keys to the Kingdom is one of my favorite series, and each installment always leaves me wanting more. Which is no different in the case of Lady Friday. The wait was a little worse on this one, since Lady Friday is actually introduced in the final pages of Sir Thursday. The wait is also worth it.Leaf, who found herself confronted with the lovely Dr. Friday at the end of the previous tale, wakes to find herself in an unknown but medical seeming place. Oh so slowly, her memories return to her. She can only conclude that whatever's going on, it isn't good. The room full of sleeping bodies makes this a very safe conclusion. Her brief conversation with a frightened employee proves it a true one.Left will little choice, Leaf follows along in line with the rest of the sleepwalkers as they are herded away by a handful of Denizens. Unfortunately, her sleeping act fails her, and she finds herself in the company of Feorin and Milka, two Denizens who conclude they must take her to the bed turner.Back in the house, Arthur has won his battle against the Piper, but has no chance for rest.Little is known of what the Piper may try next. Dame Primus, the embodiment of parts one through four of the Will, has become more vindictive and therefore worrisome, with the newest addition of herself. Throughout the realm, trouble continues to arise. Superior Saturday has closed the front door, taken over the phones, shut down the elevators. Things are in no way going well. With the arrival of a messenger from Lady Friday, they only get worse.Hearing the warning too late, Arthur reaches for the metal being handed him by said messenger, which turns out not to be a tablet, but a transfer plate, which deposits him in pile of snow. With no idea where he is and Fetcher's on the horizon, Arthur hastily makes his way away. Fortunately, the direction he's chosen leads him to a building. Its inhabitants are the not the most helpful he's met, but at least it's someplace warm, and someplace to keep watch from.Much to his surprise, the next knock on the door is not the enemy he expected, but his friends Suzy Blue and Fred, in the company of a Newnith soldier. Wary about this development, he decides he can trust them, and lets them in. Hastily, the foursome try to develop a plan. The fetchers are massing, and from the sounds of it, have something most unpleasant in their company.The group manages to escape to the pier and come upon a handful of paper pushers, who though not willingly, do help them escape.Back in the dominion of Lady Friday, Leaf has learned some very disturbing things. Her plot to gain access to a phone succeeded, and she's pretty sure the people she's called have gotten a fix on her location, but whether anyone will arrive in time to save her and her Aunt Mango remains to be seen.And so it goes, back and forth, from Friday's retreat to the House, where Arthur and his friends seek the fifth key and fifth portion of the will, which will allow Arthur to depose Lady Friday. Which definitely needs to happen before the Piper or Superior Saturday get a shot at it.This was a really fun, light, and fast read. But absolutely do not pick it up without starting from the beginning. Unless you enjoy being utterly lost.
The fifth book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix did not disappoint me.Leaf wakes up in a strange room in the hospital with a bunch of other sleeping people. The people are transported by Dr. Friday to somewhere in the secondary realms. Meanwhile Arthur gets a message that Lady Friday has abdicated her position as the Keeper of the Fifth Key. When he goes to touch the message he finds out it is a trap. He is immediately transported to somewhere, that he can only assume, is in the middle house.Leaf struggles to figure out a way to save all of the humans from Lady Friday, while Arthur tries desperately to find the 5th part of the Will as well as the Fifth Key. Things are getting desperate in the house and you can't help but wonder if Arthur will be able to fix things and still remain human, or will he become a Denizen and be doomed to live forever in the House?This was one of the best books in this series so far. Arthur has finally let up on his whining and seems to be maturing. He takes control of situations with only a touch of his former uncertainty. Fred and Suzie are again along for the ride and some other interesting characters are introduced.Overall this was a fast-paced book, it was fun, exciting, and easy to read. I actually listened to it on audio book and the audio book was very well done. I can't wait for the next book in the series to be released.On a side note, does anyone else notice these books seem to be following the Seven Deadly Sins? Mister Monday = Sloth, Grim Tuesday = Greed, Lady Wednesday = Gluttony, Sir Thursday = Pride or maybe Wrath, Lady Friday = Envy (of human desires).That would leave Lust and either Pride or Wrath...we'll have to see how Saturday turns out.
What do You think about Lady Friday (2007)?
This is a charming series about a young boy, Arthur Penhaligon, who is selected by agents of another dimension, so to speak, as the heir to the Keys of the Kingdom. The Kingdom was made by the Architect, and it includes the House, the Secondary Realms (worlds like ours), and the entire universe. But her Trustees haven't been very faithful, and her Will has been split into parts and unable to be fulfilled. Arthur is pulled into a world of magic and mayhem where each Trustee has control over a different day of the week. His charge is to fight the Trustee, free the Will, and claim all of the seven keys. But this is no ordinary adventure, since all parts of the universe are connected, the impact of what he does in the House ricochets into his home world--and then there's that pesky side effect of becoming immortal. That's a lot for a young boy who just wants to go home to deal with.These are well-written, quick reads. Though my friends who are sensitive to magic and alternate creation stories should avoid them, I found them fun and diverting. Not to mention quick reads. Nix is a fantastic writer, and it was fun to explore this world.Lady Friday is one of the weirder Trustees--and she's stealing memories from humans. Arthur's friend, Leaf, has no choice but to return to the House to help save her own Aunt Mango, and Arthur and his friends prepare to fight her while trying to keep the House from falling apart. Lots of adventure.
—Sara Diane
First of all, if you haven't read the rest of the series, I don't suggest jumping in here. Start with Mister Monday.Arthur, the Piper, and Superior Saturday have each received a letter from Lady Friday. She is abdicating, and leaving her key in her Scriptorium for one of them to claim. They have to race. Unknown to them, it's a trap.Lady Friday, being an immortal Trustee/Denizen, doesn't have the same range of emotions as a mortal human. She has found a way, using her Key to experience emotions through mortals. It's become an addiction. Leaf knows about the House, and gets trapped in Lady Friday's hospital, and is about to become one of the mortals that Lady Friday shall "experience." But she wakes up and spends her time in the book in Lady Friday's mountain retreat, trying to find a way to save her aunt, who is also one of Friday's victims, and help Arthur, though he's in the back of her mind. Meanwhile, Arthur is traveling through the Middle House to get to the Scriptorium to claim the key and free the fifth part of the Will. He goes through the Lower Middle, the Middle Middle, with help along the way from the Denizens, most unwillingly.Garth Nix is a fabulous writer, I love reading his novels. I love this series, and I loved this book as well. He has a fabulous way of keeping you interested. Love it!
—Natasha
I loved how much time in this book was spent with Leaf. I think the focus on her is the first time the point of view has spent so much time with a character other than Arthur -- we don't see the adventures of Suzy Turquoise Blue in quite the same way, for example. The more inhuman Arthur becomes, the more time is spent with Leaf...Each new book seems less and less resolved than the others, partly because the first two books make you begin to expect Arthur to go home at the end, and partly because the pace is ratcheting up.Surprisingly enough, I liked the Fifth part of the Will, and am slightly less worried about the Will. Still. We'll see. I was entertained by Arthur simply grabbing back the keys when he needed them, even if it was unintentional. Yay Arthur!
—Nikki
