I read this series as a kid and adored it so it's good to see it getting a second lease of life. Often forgotten over the Old Kingdom books, it's a great read!

I loved this book as a child.

Back then I thought that it was just a nice story for kids to read and to be jealous that they get to go on an adventure.

However now I know that each day of the week there are seven sins. Seven things to be conquered and Arthur is the only person who can do it. Reading these again there is so much that I missed.

I loved rereading this and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series.

I was ready to love this book, having loved Garth Nix's other work. But it was just ok. Unfortunately wouldn't recommend to my friends

The truth is from the prologue I was bewildered and my curiosity piqued. Then we meet Arthur. going to a new school is always tough and that is expected. What isn't expected is Mister Monday using him to get back part of the Will that escaped and give him the Key since he is the heir. The Key opens a door to an odd house no one can see, full of fantastical places and secrets. Those after him seem to have brought a Sleepy Plague to the everyday world and it's up to him to help.

Arthur is not your typical hero. A 7th grade inquisitive boy with asthma, carrying an inherent fear of losing his loved ones (he is adopted). I really enjoy how he treats what is happening to him as a mystery, and uses his evident intelligence to solve it. Against all obstacles and his doubts, he is determined to persevere and save the day.

An engaging mythology full of wonderful descriptions and the most carefully chosen, even smallest details so the author can help us see exactly what he is imagining. Making seemingly mundane things shine with ingenuity, putting words together in new entertaining ways. So your imagination goes into overdrive. It does get a little busy in parts, where I would have to reread more than once to realize what was going on. Information is imparted in different gimmicky ways like the Atlas.

The Will represents the power of words, of the written word. And a theme here is how we are affected by it. The story plays with the concepts of time and space and how we perceive them. Another theme is religion and faith in general, allegories for those and Creation. You could say it's a philosophical fairy tale.

Entertaining, full of a cheerful kind of weird, this is a wonderous adventure and the beginning of a whimsical and inspired series.

LOVE this series!
Vivid imagery, literally got swept up in the story.
This is an excellent middle grade fantasy series.