Superior Saturday by Garth Nix
I have been reading so much adult fiction in the past few weeks that it was a refreshing change to see this book in the shops. This is one book from a series that I have to read before anybody knows it is in the school, so reports got put on hold while I read.
Now, how to summarise the plot. For those who have been reading the series, they know that Arthur has to recover the 6th Key, and the 6th part of the will. This key is in the care of the most powerful sorcerer in the House. Saturday was given care of the Upper House, and in her effort to reach the gardens, she has been building a tower for 10,000 years. Nothing is dissolving the lower house. Arthur manages to gather his assistants and enter the Upper House without too much trouble. But then the fun begins…
A friend of mine read this book and threw it down when he had finished. Yes, this is an unsatisfactory ending. But then the end of book 6 in a seven part series has got to leave you hanging. Remember Harry Potter? Except Rowling led the reader to believe that the last book was all planned out. Little did we know the surprises in store. Nix has left everything to our imagination. Arthur collected the 6th part of the will, but who knows if he even got the key…
I felt this book was lighter than many of the others. More like a simple, straightforward adventure without a lot of distraction. It was as though once Arthur realised he was transforming into a Denizen, he simply got on with the job and did what he had to do. It may only be a week, but this Arthur is much older and more mature than the youngster who encountered Mister Monday, all those years ago.
