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45th out of 995 books
—
3,143 voters
Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdom #1)
by
Garth Nix (Goodreads Author)
The Barnes & Noble Review
Fantasy master Garth Nix dreams up a world where time mixes with place -- and one boy must enter it to recover one of seven all-powerful keys -- in this first mind-bending installment of The Keys to the Kingdom.
Arthur Penhaligon's first days at his new school don't go too well, particularly when a fiendish Mister Monday appears, gives Arthur a...more
Fantasy master Garth Nix dreams up a world where time mixes with place -- and one boy must enter it to recover one of seven all-powerful keys -- in this first mind-bending installment of The Keys to the Kingdom.
Arthur Penhaligon's first days at his new school don't go too well, particularly when a fiendish Mister Monday appears, gives Arthur a...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
May 1st 2006
by Scholastic
(first published July 1st 2003)
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Okay, so I was all set to love this book. Like REALLY LOVE IT. I picked it up a few weeks ago but had to return it to the library, but because I was so SET TO LOVE IT etc., I went out and bought my own copy to take to New Zealand.
:|
I just didn't believe a bit of it. I thought the dialogue was rubbish. Arthur came across really nothingy to me. I loved the actual concepts, but it felt badly executed. I'm bothered, because it could've been so fantastic, and I heard an interview with Garth Nix the o...more
:|
I just didn't believe a bit of it. I thought the dialogue was rubbish. Arthur came across really nothingy to me. I loved the actual concepts, but it felt badly executed. I'm bothered, because it could've been so fantastic, and I heard an interview with Garth Nix the o...more
The one where dangerously asthmatic Arthur gains possession of a clock hand that embroils him in a conflict with supernatural agents -- one that takes the form of a strange journey in one realm, and a deadly plague in another.
This was wildly original and yet also boring, which takes some doing. Part of the trouble was the writing, which was often clunky and weighed down with unnecessary details. Part of it was the plotting; sometimes the rules and complications were just right, but other times t...more
This was wildly original and yet also boring, which takes some doing. Part of the trouble was the writing, which was often clunky and weighed down with unnecessary details. Part of it was the plotting; sometimes the rules and complications were just right, but other times t...more
8 likes · like · see review
It's Garth Nix. Was there ever a chance I wouldn't like it?
That said, I wouldn't have read this book - let alone bought it - if not for a glowing recommendation from the great and wonderful Cillian/BB. And so here's a big thank-you to her, because while my mind wasn't (quite) blown, I am glad not to have missed out on what seems a fantastic series.
My primary reservation about the Keys to the Kingdom series is its target age group - and yes, I know that's silly, because how could the man who wrot...more
That said, I wouldn't have read this book - let alone bought it - if not for a glowing recommendation from the great and wonderful Cillian/BB. And so here's a big thank-you to her, because while my mind wasn't (quite) blown, I am glad not to have missed out on what seems a fantastic series.
My primary reservation about the Keys to the Kingdom series is its target age group - and yes, I know that's silly, because how could the man who wrot...more
4 likes · like · see review
Po re-readingu mám tuhle sérii snad ještě radši než před tím :)
Aj na treti rereading rovnako uzasne a prekvapive... Garth Nix mi proste vyhovuje po vsetkych strankach. Uzasne prostredie, zaujimave postavy, naprosto dokonale... Davam styri hviezdy, lebo dalsie diely su vraj uzasneeeeee....
Co mi vsak vadilo je ceske vydanie, kniha je na omak dokonala, ale rozculovali ma ilustracie, ktore boli rozhadzane v texte len tak ledabolo... bez ladu a skladu... A strasne sa mi nepacili, nemaju podla mna v sebe tu hravost MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY, je mozne ze po desiatich r...more
Co mi vsak vadilo je ceske vydanie, kniha je na omak dokonala, ale rozculovali ma ilustracie, ktore boli rozhadzane v texte len tak ledabolo... bez ladu a skladu... A strasne sa mi nepacili, nemaju podla mna v sebe tu hravost MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY, je mozne ze po desiatich r...more
2 likes · like · see review
May 22, 2007
Sarah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Science fiction readers, especially the Harry Potter audience
Mister Monday is the first book in a 7-part series (one for each day of the week). The first five books are currently available. I was dubious about reading this book because I thought it would be another Harry Potter rip-off. Its turned out to be a quite an exciting read. Young teenage boy becomes a "chosen one" of sorts, and needs to avoid destruction while gaining power over part of "The House", a place where all worlds meet and should be ruled over by laws put in place by The Architect, a m...more
2 likes · like · see review
right now i am on page 175 when Arther had met the Will and Suzy. They almost got completly squashed when a elavator suddenly stopped! They are also getting chased by man eating dogs wearing coats and bowler hats. AWKWARD!!!!
2 likes · like · see review
All in all a good read. With the idea that there are other realms that can and do have connection to this life isn't a new idea. The way in which it is presented however is new. As Arthur finds out that sometimes you have to do the hard things in life not only for yourself but for others, he discovers his own growth.
Had to hang on to my hat to keep up with what was happening. Very fanciful, but very fun. Quite adventurous and unique. Enjoyed the series.
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I liked it enough that I'm planning on reading the second in the series, but I don't really know why. It was a little bit tough to get through the first half (maybe more) but I perservered and the story seemed to grow on me. That being said, I don't feel the author did a great job of helping the reader to identify, or even care about, the main character(s). I guess the mysteriousness of "The Will" has me intrigued and I've liked other books by this autho...more
I really enjoyed the world-building in this book (and series). I do like when authors come up with something original. Other reviewers have complained that the plot is a classic "chosen one" plot, but most YA fantasy is, and most all literature, can you say "hero's journey?"
I liked the originality. It did feel a lot like His Dark Materials, without all the blatant God and religion bashing, though making God a woman felt like a snarky jab or possibly just PC / female audience pleasing move.
The ch...more
I liked the originality. It did feel a lot like His Dark Materials, without all the blatant God and religion bashing, though making God a woman felt like a snarky jab or possibly just PC / female audience pleasing move.
The ch...more
Imagine a world in which Earth is just a blip; only a “Secondary Realm”. In Mister Monday, Garth Nix creates a universe in which a place named the House controls all that exists…
Arthur Penhaligon, our protagonist for this novel, was destined to die from an asthma attack. He, in fact, was about to die. It was only until a mentally ill man and his butler appeared in front of him and gave him a mysterious key. He discovers that the mysterious key unlocked his lungs and saved his life. Realizing th...more
Arthur Penhaligon, our protagonist for this novel, was destined to die from an asthma attack. He, in fact, was about to die. It was only until a mentally ill man and his butler appeared in front of him and gave him a mysterious key. He discovers that the mysterious key unlocked his lungs and saved his life. Realizing th...more
I was enthralled by the first book in Garth Nix's The Keys to the Kingdom series. Whoa! I stepped in to a new world...and this world is very much different. I got effin nosebleed...the kind of nosebleed that you want some more.
I happened to see a preview of the book in K-Zone...eons ago. But forget it. I read some articles in the net...reading post Harry Potter includes Garth Nix. So there! Found a copy at Booksale for only 50 Php. Great!
Now...meet Arthur Penhaligon. Just an ordinary boy...an as...more
I happened to see a preview of the book in K-Zone...eons ago. But forget it. I read some articles in the net...reading post Harry Potter includes Garth Nix. So there! Found a copy at Booksale for only 50 Php. Great!
Now...meet Arthur Penhaligon. Just an ordinary boy...an as...more
I recently read book 1 of The Keys to the Kingdom, Mister Monday. This book is definitely one of my favorite books. It has action, drama, suspense, violence, and pretty much being an awesome book. I definitely recommend this book to any one who wants a breath taking, action packed series. Examples of what has been said:
Suspense: Arthur gets thrown into the deep coal cellar and might not be able to escape!!
Action: The final battle between Arthur and Mister Monday, When he first gets the key, w...more
Suspense: Arthur gets thrown into the deep coal cellar and might not be able to escape!!
Action: The final battle between Arthur and Mister Monday, When he first gets the key, w...more
Arthur Penhaligon has returned to school two weeks into the first semester because he had been in the hospital for a long amount of time due to a series of deadly asthma attacks. He then runs through several strange events and ends up with a very powerful Key, or part of this Key. Arthur is faced with many different decisions to be made to save not only his own world but several different worlds. He must overcome many different adversaries to help the worlds become as they should be. This is one...more
Arthur Penhaligon, after moving to a new town, finds his first day going horribly wrong when he suffers a severe asthma attack. During the attack, the mysterious Mister Monday grants him a key shaped like a minute hand. The key saves him; but also puts him in grave danger, as mysterious enemies want to take the key back. Arthur soon finds himself transported to another world, where he learns that not all is as it seems, and if he is to ever find his way home and save his world, he must find the...more
This book was described to me as YA fiction, and in my opinion is probably aimed at the younger end of this audience. Although I am not saying that it does not have wider appeal.
This book is the first in the seven book, keys to the kingdom, series by Garth Nix. And my initial comment is a nice read. It is a fantasy with an unusual premise which immediately appealed to me. The plot moves a nice pace, which I would expect of a book that is aimed at this audience.
The main protagonist, Arthur Penha...more
This book is the first in the seven book, keys to the kingdom, series by Garth Nix. And my initial comment is a nice read. It is a fantasy with an unusual premise which immediately appealed to me. The plot moves a nice pace, which I would expect of a book that is aimed at this audience.
The main protagonist, Arthur Penha...more
Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Arthur is close to death from an asthma attack when he notices two strange men who seemed to appear out of nowhere. One of the men, Mister Monday, gives Arthur a key and a small notebook because he thinks Arthur is about to die. However, the key has healing abilities which help to restore Arthur to good health. When Mister Monday realizes this he tries to recapture the key. Arthur does everything in his power to protect himself and the key from these evil men.
Garth N...more
Arthur is close to death from an asthma attack when he notices two strange men who seemed to appear out of nowhere. One of the men, Mister Monday, gives Arthur a key and a small notebook because he thinks Arthur is about to die. However, the key has healing abilities which help to restore Arthur to good health. When Mister Monday realizes this he tries to recapture the key. Arthur does everything in his power to protect himself and the key from these evil men.
Garth N...more
I think this is a book series that middle schoolers (and older) could read to themselves or that a parent could read to that age group (or slightly younger perhaps). (There is some violence, which increases through the series as the war escalates.) The main character has asthma and is adopted, so anyone looking for books like that—here you go!
Part of this novel takes place on an Earth that we would recognize (albeit one that has had a lot of plagues recently), and the rest of the novel takes pla...more
Part of this novel takes place on an Earth that we would recognize (albeit one that has had a lot of plagues recently), and the rest of the novel takes pla...more
Mister Monday is the first book I have read by Garth Nix and I decided to pick it up because I have heard many good things about this author from many other book bloggers out there. I must say it was an interesting story--quite bizarre, actually, though also very intriguing and ultimately difficult to put down.
Poor Arthur certainly doesn't seem like much of a hero throughout most of the book--though he does desperately want to save his own world from the dreaded "sleepy plague." But for the most...more
Poor Arthur certainly doesn't seem like much of a hero throughout most of the book--though he does desperately want to save his own world from the dreaded "sleepy plague." But for the most...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
May 21, 2012
Logans
added it
Arthur Penhaligon is young asthmatic kid who just moved to a new school. He is helped by two friends, Leaf and Ed, after an asthma attack in P.E. While they run off to get help Arthur is visited by a man named Sneezer and another named Mister Monday. The two begin to argue about giving Arthur the "key". It is shaped like the arm of a clock, Mister Monday gives the key over to Arthur along with a book. The book called "The Compleat Atlas of the House and Immediate Environs" is opened by the key A...more
Nix has a bizarre way of writing in which at some points it's almost like a textbook and an essay--and it's a VERY noticeable feeling in which you sort of wish he wouldn't over-explain things so much. I guess that could be a fault, and it usually would be, but there's just something about the way he does it that makes it a great part of the experience.
The book itself is very interesting, as is the setting and the scale of this universe and how in-depth is goes on how it's built. World-building a...more
The book itself is very interesting, as is the setting and the scale of this universe and how in-depth is goes on how it's built. World-building a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Arthur Penhaligon (and that just has to be a reference to the Arthurian legend) is just an average kid with bad asthma, until he has an attack that nearly kills him and suddenly finds himself a big player in a world that exists outside reality as he knows it.
Arthur's Earth is one set in the future to begin with, which is a bit hard to follow through his reflections on previous events, but it gets even more confusing when he receives on of the Keys and finds the House that is a gateway to another...more
Arthur's Earth is one set in the future to begin with, which is a bit hard to follow through his reflections on previous events, but it gets even more confusing when he receives on of the Keys and finds the House that is a gateway to another...more
The book starts off great, and then devolves into very dull and pedestrian YA fiction. I bought it from our local used book shop on the strength of the first several pages, in which the world is established. The beginning reads like a saga or a good role-playing session: there is an incredibly powerful artifact called the Will which must never be used but cannot be destroyed. So the powers that be have split the Will into seven parts, and scattered those seven parts across all of creation. We se...more
This is the first book in a series of seven. Young Arthur Penhaligon is on the verge of dying when he is unwittingly saved and dragged into a powerplay at the center of the Universe. In the highly imaginative world created by Garth Nix a Wonderland-esque House resides at the center of the universe with its various parts be ruled over by the 7 days. Each of these rulers represents a day and also seems to somewhat loosely be linked with one of the 7 cardinal sins. Mister Monday is Sloth. There is...more
I recognised the author's name, although I haven't read any of his stuff before. I didn't realise that this was intended to be a children's book, and there are some books in that genre which also appeal to adults (e.g. Harry Potter), but that wasn't the case here. It passed the time, but it's nothing special, and I certainly won't pay for the rest of the series.
This book involves a stock plot: a young boy discovers that he's "The Chosen One", so he now has special talents without doing any actua...more
This book involves a stock plot: a young boy discovers that he's "The Chosen One", so he now has special talents without doing any actua...more
This was a weird book. I wanted to like it--it was recommended by a friend who I'd asked for fantasy/urban fantasy/male narrator. He delivered. I just wasn't sold. It happened so fast. Beginnings, novels that are a transition between normalcy into "yer a wizard, Harry," moments seem to move too fast for me. Arthur was like BOOM in this world all of a sudden and he never stopped. Literally, he moved constantly. All the dialogue was rushed, the action was rushed. I did like the actual writing thou...more
My relationship with Australian author Garth Nix is an odd one. My first introduction to Nix was in middle school when I attempted to read his famous Sabriel novel after being relentlessly urged to do so by friends. I couldn't get further than one hundred pages. It was so excruciatingly boring that I had to stop -and I rarely give up on books that after I've begun them. Considering my taste in literature, Nix's books should fit perfectly with my preferences, but something about them just falls s...more
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| Keys to the Kingdom Series | 14 | 66 | Apr 29, 2013 11:39am |
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
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