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1 of 1 copy available
Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock.
Arthur is safe–but his world is not. Along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm. A stranger named Mister Monday, his avenging messengers with bloodstained wings, and an army of dog-faced Fetchers will stop at nothing to get the key back–even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him.
Desperate, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house– a house that only he can see. It is in this house that Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key–and discover his true fate.
The first book of a spellbinding series by Garth Nix, the author of The Seventh Tower, Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
July 8, 2003 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739349663
- File size: 232926 KB
- Duration: 08:05:15
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 5.9
- Lexile® Measure: 800
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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In a fantastic realm discovered by an otherwise unadventurous boy, the clock and calendar take on new identities. The young hero encounters an astonishing definition of reality--including ethereal moving staircases, disposable wings, and words that literally come to life--as he struggles to return to the mortal world. Reader Allan Corduner does justice to the impressively wide range of implausible characters yet somehow leaves room for the listener's imagination. His characterizations are subtly crafted, and he doesn't prematurely reveal which strange creatures are friend or foe. The boy's simultaneous terror and bravery are plausible. Corduner's vocal flexibility is the key to this enjoyable audiobook. N.M.C. 2005 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from July 28, 2003
In this first volume in Nix's (Sabriel) Mister Monday series, magic splashes across virtually every page. First, a brief, cryptic prelude tells of "the Will" that has been kept under cosmic lock-and-key by generations of Inspectors and their robotic sentries. Next, readers meet seventh-grader Arthur Penhaligon, an asthmatic adoptee who is struggling to fit in at his new school. Nix quickly thrusts Arthur into the heart of the mystery: while recovering from an asthma attack during gym class, Arthur is given a mysterious Key and Atlas from Mister Monday, an ominous wheelchair-bound man (mentioned in the prelude). The Key resembles the minute hand of a clock, and is actually a powerful talisman, tied to the clock-like device that guards the Will. Before long, Fetchers, strange dog-faced creatures, attempt to recover the key, and unleash a disease upon humans that threatens massive casualties. Arthur sets out to stop the Fetchers at the source, and ends up exploring a cavernous house visible only to him (it's 4,000 stories high, a girl inside tells him). Here the surreal story becomes even more puzzle-like and visually ornate—a sort of amalgam of Alice in Wonderland
and The Phantom Tollbooth. Nix's grand explanation of the house and key is an original re-imagining of a classic sci-fi theme: the origin and purpose of the universe—and the willingness of man to circumvent that purpose for selfish gain. With a likeable unlikely hero, fast-paced plotting and a plethora of mystical oddities (e.g., Mister Monday only has "dominion over everything" on Mondays), this series is sure to garner a host of fans. Ages 8-12.
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