Keys to the Kingdom: Superior Saturday-Garth Nix

	Title: Keys to the Kingdom: Superior Saturday Author: Garth Nix Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Format & Pages: Paperback, 278 Publication: Scholastic, 2008 Source: Own Rating:

“Arthur Penhaligon has wrested five of the Keys from the Trustees of the Will, but gaining the Sixth Key poses a greater challenge than any before. Superior Saturday is the oldest Denizen and the most powerful sorcerer within the House. She has thousands of sorcerers at her command and has been preparing for the Rightful Heir and the Will’s escape all along.

As Saturday’s schemes become more evident, Arthur is beset on all sides. The House is behind destroyed and only the Keys can hold back the tide of destruction. Arthur’s home city is under attack. His allies are unreliable. He can’t get into the impregnable Upper House, and even if he does, finding the Sixth Part of the Will and the Sixth Key might not be enough to stop Saturday’s ultimate bid for power.”

Disclaimer: Superior Saturday is the sixth novel in Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series. Unless you have read the previous novels, I suggest you check them out before this review. My reviews for them are over here. This novel also runs right into Lord Sunday in such a way that I would suggest having both books available to you before reading Superior Saturday.

The novel opens with Arthur and Leaf heading back to Earth via Friday’s hospital. As they arrive, however, Arthur receives word that a nuke is going to be dropped on his hometown. In a rush to save his friends and family, he freezes time and darts back to the House. He hopes he can defeat Superior Saturday in time to stop the bomb from dropping.

He ends up at Monday’s Dayroom, which has now been deserted. This is due in part to a tidal wave of Nothing sweeping through the Lower House. He manages narrowly escape it. As the story continues we discover that all but the Middle House has been consumed by the Nothing leaks. Arthur has to sneak into the Upper House to stop Saturday before the whole House dissolves! But to do that he will need a lot of help and cunning, for Saturday is the oldest Denizen of the house after The Architect and the Old One.

The pace is pretty quick in this one, with the sense of urgency from the impending nuke really pushing things forward. Things move along at a nice clip, making the reading easy and enjoyable. The atmosphere is pretty gloomy, though. The Upper House is not a place I would want to visit on vacation, to say the least. It really solidifies why Saturday is acting the way she is, though.

Which brings me to my previous prediction, Saturday is envy. Her actions exhibit it with every moment with her we get. She can see the bottom of the Incomparable Gardens, which she deems as her right since she is the oldest Denizen. Those Gardens are supposed to be glorious. Who wouldn’t be envious of that when it is raining all the time where they live?

So that leaves pride for Lord Sunday. That explains why he has been a mysterious and missing figure throughout the whole mess with the Morrow Days. We shall have to see how he reacts to Saturday invading his territory, his own brother going after him as well as Arthur.