Home :: Books :: Teens  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens

Travel
Women's Fiction
Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom, 1)

Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom, 1)

List Price: $5.99
Your Price: $5.39
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 6 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another great book by Garth Nix:
Review: I think Keys to the Kingdom is my new favorite series by Mr. Nix. Once again, he has created a deep, detailed and believable world that leaves readers hungry for the next book. The story of Mister Monday begins in the normal world, where Arthur is starting his first term at his new private school. During a PE endurance run, his asthma leaves him gasping for breath, and he collapses. Just when he's about to pass out, he meets two strange men, who give him a small book and a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Once Arthur touches the key, his asthma attack suddenly stops as if it had never started. The two men begin to fight, and then they vanish, leaving a confused Arthur with the book and key, wondering if he had been seeing things. Things escalate from there, and as Arthur realizes the extent of the key's powers, he finds that lots of intruders from the House, another world, would be willing to kill to get it. Left with no other options after a mysterious plague sweeps his town following an attack by intruders, Arthur travels to the House to unravel the mystery of the key and the book. It's really amazing how, over and over again, Nix can imagine new, perfectly functional, interesting societies, with suspenseful and enthralling plots to match. I think Mister Monday is a great book for people of all ages, not just for teens and young adults.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Story, but intrusive narrative at times
Review: Already a huge fan of Garth Nix, via Sabriel & co., I admit I came into Mister Monday with rather high expectations. As far as story goes, Mr. Nix certainly did not disappoint. It is captivating from beginning to end with an extraordinary imaginative quality that is his trademark. However, 2 qualms I have with the book prevent me from giving it full marks. First, the overuse of what seems to be the main character's (Arthur) only fault: his asthma. The first asthma attack successfully helps readers to sympathize with Arthur. However, by the end of the first 100 pages, you feel like screaming, "GET AN INHALER AND SHUT UP!" So much so, I jokingly told my friend that Mister Monday's real title is The Amazing Adventures of Asthmatic Arthur. The belaboring of this point is very distracting, though humorous. Secondly, the narrative isn't up to par with Mr. Nix's previous work. It's often choppy or unclear and I would imagine that its targetted age group would have difficulty following his train of thought. But, overall, Mister Monday is a page turner that's so creative and captivating, its shortcomings are largely made up for.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Has Nix lost his touch?
Review: In general, Garth Nix is one of my favorite authors. He always manages to weave a rivoting adventure with raw emotion and masterful imagery, however this book was a total let down. Perhaps it was the over played inter-world relationships, or the bitterly predictable good vs. evil theme, but either way, this book screamed cliche. Definately not one of Nix's better stories, I suggest Sabriel, or Shade's Children instead of this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Garth Nix has done it again!
Review: After reading the Sabriel series, I was hoping this book would be just as good. Though this series isn't one of his best, his style and vivid imagination is still very present. Garth Nix creates a whole new world for us to explore.

The story starts off on a Monday and it is Arthur Penhaligon's first day of school. While running during gym class, he gets an asthma attack. Gasping for breath, two strange men visit him and give him a book and a key. Using these two mysterious objects, he learns about a whole new world. Weird and dangerous creatures are hunting him down, trying to retrieve the key. A couple of days later, his town is invaded by a Sleepy Plague, and Arthur has no other choice but to enter the House and try to save his city.

I strongly recommend this book, even though it lacks the depth and maturity that was found in the Sabriel series. It is a great book for children ages 10-13 and Garth Nix creates a captivating and exciting world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: time is but an illusion
Review: Arthur Penhaligon, only 13, survives what is supposed to be his death on his first day at a new school when he is handed a key shaped like the minute hand on a clock by the elusive Mister Monday. This key enables him to fight off the dog-faced Fetchers that are searching his school for him, and then get into the mysterious House he alone seems to be able to see in order to find a cure for the Sleepy Plague the Fetchers seem to have started. Once inside the house, he finds obstacles, a friend to help him, and a fragment of the Will which states how everything should be run in the house and the Secondary Realms, in which his house is. The Will gives him instructions on how to get the Greater Key (shaped like the hour hand on a clock) from Mister Monday and become Master of the Lower House.

Garth Nix has woven another intricate fantasy tale including wonderfully believable characters, strange creatures, and a tendency for the unexpected. His series including Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen left me wanting more of his work, and I have not been disappointed by this new tale of his. I am going to quickly get the second book and then impatiently await the next five.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Garth Nix really did it this time.
Review: This book is about a boy named, Arthur, who recieves a key and an atlas from a mysterious man named Mister Monday. Later that week a plague hits the town, Arthur has to unravel the mysteries of the key to save his family and friends. This is a great book, I can't wait to read the second book in this series, Grim Tuesday.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So good, you can't put it down!
Review: Now, I had read all of the Seventh Tower Books before this book came out, so I knew that Garth Nix was a good author. I saw the book and said " Hey, Cool, He wrote a new book!" This book was excellent, and brilliantly written. I would give it 30 thumbs up if I could! This book starts off with the main character, Arthur, going to a new school. on his first day of school, he is surprised by a mandatory run. He tries to jog and run for a while, but he is azhmatic and faints whle he is running. Then, a mysteriuos man called mister Monday gives him a key, with the thought that he would die any second. But the key altered his "record" and he lived, to the surprise of Mister Monday. That is where the adventure begins. That's all I'm going to say for now, but this is an awesome book, and its worth more than what they sell it for. I hope this review helps in your decision.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The beginning, Monday
Review: Its Arthur Penhaglion's first day at school and things aren't going so well. Arthur has really bad asthma, but since the new gym teacher doesn't know it, Arthur is forced to run. He doesn't want to appear stupid on the first day of school, so he decides to run even though he knows it could be really devasting to his health. And lone behold, Arthur has a severe asthma attack. However, just as he is about to die, he is handed a key shaped like a minute hand from a mysterious person called Mr. Monday who definitely doesn't belong in our world. Arthur survives, but soon his whole world is turned upside down. Mysterious dog faced animals are chasing after Arthur trying to get back the key, and they've brought a mysterious Sleeping Plague with them that could kill thousands, if not millions, since the doctors seem to have no cure at all. Soon Arthur realizes, that he, himself will have to venture into "The House", a house that only he can see, to save his world from utter destruction. It is in "The House" that Arthur makes friends with Suzy Turquoise Blue, and learns from "The Will" of his true destiny and has his final showdown with Mr. Monday.

I had high expectations for Garth Nix's new series since I was an absolute fanatic over his Sabriel Trilogy and The Seventh Towers Series. After reading the first chapter of this book, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed as it just sucks you in. I found this book to be more darker than Garth Nix's past stories, but you can definitely tell his unique writing style. His story structure carries over and you can pinpoint many similarties with this book and his other works. Arthur is a great protagonist, though he lacks the charm of Sabriel and Tal from Garth Nix's previous books. I definitely recommend reading this book, though I feel it is a touch lower than Garth Nix's Sabriel and Seventh Tower.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: I picked up Mister Monday with many preconceived notions. It seemed a little young for me, but since I like Garth Nix so much, I decided to give it a try. I'm very glad I did, because this book turned out to be much more than I expected. It was full of action and twists and turns, very satisfying. I gave it 4 stars only because it doesn't top my favorite Garth Nix book, "Shade's Children." I recommend this and "Shade's Children" to everyone who likes an action packed book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What a book
Review: I will be perfectly honest, Mister Monday is amazing. I have read many fantasy books in my life, but this one really wowed me. Garth Nix creates a vast array of imaginative creatures with incredible talents. Take the Fetchers for instance. They are man like creatures with a dog's face and teeth. I would not want to run into a fetcher in a dark alley. Nix also uses a fantasy theme that we have all seen in the movies: interdimensional travel. Though I enjoyed fantasy theme, I do think that Nix went slightly overboard. Even fantasy books have to be a little bit realistic. All and all, the book was great, and I recommend it to fantasy readers everywhere.


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 6 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates