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Sunday, August 24, 2008

Sir Thursday by Garth Nix



Link to the Amazon synopsis: Sir Thursday (The Keys To The Kingdom, Book 4)

In previous posts on the Keys to the Kingdom series I expressed concern about these books becoming monotonous, or at the very least repetitive. Drowned Wednesday did a good job of involving new characters and new settings, but I was still a little skeptical. Well, after Sir Thursday, I think that Nix is brilliant. The story carried the same style and speed, but the setting was different while still within the context of the book. And that made all of the difference. Old characters and new interact differently, and where we were on the sea careening with pirates in the last book, here we are on the castle walls defending against invaders. The future potential is wide and varied, even if the plot demands a certain direction. As I said, this was a masterful answer to my earlier concerns, and a lesson for me in my own work.

As to the downside, at times the main character's actions seemed ahead of his development. A boy too young to shave, and young enough to be recognized as a boy, is combat trained in 6 weeks, can tromp around in armor, and in the end is given command over others. The author mentions this in the text, I think seeking to answer the objection by admitting it, but that didn't work for me. Still a great read and a high recommendation.

Date Completed: 8/23/08
Rating: 4.1

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