GoodRead - “Lord Sunday” by Garth Nix

Okay, I know that I have been going on about this book for a while now (sorry to you and to my poor friends who I have annoyed over the past few weeks!). It was only because I wanted this book before I went away on my lovely holiday, because the book was going on general sale the day after I went away!

But I got it the day before at the airport (woo hoo!) and I read it in three days flat. But, I fear, I might have skimmed the story and missed one or two things so SORRY in advance.

So, LORD SUNDAY is the final book in the Keys to the Kingdom series and, because some of you lot might not have read the series (or have a clue what I'm going on about), I'll be vague!

After the events that happened in SUPERIOR SATURDAY, which made him fall out the Incomparable Gardens, Arthurs lands not in the Upper House but somewhere completely unexpected. Arthur has to find the Seventh (and final) piece of the Will and claim the Seventh Key from the last Morrow Day, Lord Sunday.

But things aren't going to be easy. Saturday, without her Key, has joined forces with the mysterious Architect's son, the Piper. Arthur is desperately trying to hold onto his mortality and a tide of Nothing is rising, destroying everything in its path, slowly destroying the House. And if the House is destroyed, then so is the Universe.

Now, I'm going to be honest: I have no idea what I was expecting from this book. I think all throughout the series has been slowly building to an action-packed showdown and when we did see action, Arthur isn't involved in it! Suzy Blue is and so is Leaf (we see a lot more of her in this book!) but no Arthur.

Also with Arthur, he's no longer relateable. In the start of the series, he was a regular kid thrown into a strange and twisted world. But, because of the events and revelations that happened within the series, this is part of the over-arcing plot.

But, I really like this series and this book might not be my favourite (that would go to Sir Thursday!), but I think this fits the series. But some readers might feel like they were a bit short-changed.

Now, I hope that this ending doesn't creep up in the two novels Garth Nix is writing to the Old Kingdom series (aka the Abhorsen series if you live outside the UK) or there will be trouble...

PS – I've only just got why on the cover, there's “On the seventh day, there was silence...”

Another Blog About Lord Sunday (aka JUST GIVE ME THE BOOK TO SHUT ME UP!!!)

Even though LORD SUNDAY isn't out till the 4th March (when I am OUT OF THE COUNTRY!), I have start prowling my local Waterstones and WHSmiths, in the vain (and pointless) hope that one of them have released the book early by accident so I can grab a copy and save it for my trip.

But, seeing as that's not going to happen, I have decided (because I think good books should be promoted by fans via blogs or YouTube or whatever!), I decided to do a quote from each book.

A bit like what Stephenie Meyer did with Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

But, it this goes down well, I'll do it regularly with a mix of book series and/or books that I think you should read!

So, with this, let's just stick with the Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, shall we? (was going to tweet this once a day, but I'll forget so blogging it is!)

Monday's Noon: "The back door, my Fetchers! Ar-tor attempts the back door!" (Mister Monday, page 106 in UK edition)

Arthur: "I'm not Monday!" (Grim Tuesday, page 149 in the UK edition)

Emily: "He just... I don't know... he just doesn't seem himself." (Drowned Wednesday, page 391 in the UK edition)

Arthur: "I'm Arthur Penhaligon!" (Sir Thursday, page 223 in the UK edition)

Lady Friday: "But may I just taste a little more?" (Lady Friday, page 359 in the UK edition)

Leaf: "You... need to come back!" (Superior Saturday, page 324 in the UK edition)

Now, from the preview of Lord Sunday, this is the first line from LORD SUNDAY.

Arthur fell.

Lord Sunday & Waterstones

So, I'm going out of the country for a week at the beginning of March. And the last book in the Keys to the Kingdom series - Lord Sunday - written by Garth Nix, will come out in the UK the day AFTER I leave the country (sobs!). And I really want to it to be a holiday read! So, as a joke (kinda), I tweeted the following tweet

Dear @waterstones, am going out of the country on March 3rd. Could you give me LORD SUNDAY by Garth Nix a day or two before release date?

Within minutes, to my shock, they wrote back - Afraid not as it's an embargoed title (aka, it's going to be released on a set date. No way getting round it!)

I tweeted back (not sounding upset. It was a stupid LONG shot!) - @Waterstones Oh well, will have to wait till I get back. I hope it ends well! Did you hear the first 2 chapters via Oz publishers podcast?

Waterstones Twitter (again!) repelied - Not heard the podcast - will go and seek it out...

So, being the good, kind person that I am (though I still wanted the book. I mean, how you seen the UK cover. Lush!), I wrote two tweets. First with "it's really good. Love chapter 2". Then, rediscovering podcast link on this blog, I tweeted the link (all links are below! PROMISE!!!)

Ok, I know I am going to a country that will have a copy of the book written in English so I'm acting a bit OTT over this, BUT I am a bit shocked when big companies like Waterstones and Atom Books and others (this includes authors like ) actually take time to write a reply. That shocks me.

Sorry, rambling Lord Sunday/Waterstones blog over. Here are the links (and rough drawing of The House, drawn by Garth Nix when he first started writing the series!) and a very funny review vlog of one woman's mission to review the rest of the Keys to the Kingdom series in the style of the VlogBrothers.

Chapter 1 Extract - http://www.keystothekingdom.com.au/files/LordSundayextract.pdf

Podcast (First 2 Chapters read by Garth Nix himself!) - http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=350710673&subMediaType=Audio

GoodRead – “Lord Sunday” by Garth Nix Teaser

With barely a month to go if you live in Australia and two months to go if you live in the USA or in the UK, the final book in Garth Nix’s spellbinding series “Keys to the Kingdom” will be on bookshelves. And, the lovely publishers of the book series in Australia released a podcast of the author himself reading the first two chapters to wet our appetites.

But before I briefly talk about it (without spoilers!), you will see the UK, US and the Australian covers and you will read the Product Description from Amazon.co.uk and Wheelers.co.nz.

Amazon.co.uk Product Description
In this seventh and last book of THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, the mysteries of the House, the Architect, the Trustees, the Keys and the Will are revealed, and the fate of Arthur, our Earth, and the entire Universe is finally decided. Arthur has wrested the Sixth Key from Superior Saturday, but has fallen from the Incomparable Gardens; fallen not to the Upper House but to somewhere completely unexpected. Alone in enemy territory, as his mind and body are further transformed by the power of the Keys, Arthur must struggle with himself as much as with his many enemies. Meanwhile, Arthur's friend Suzy Blue plots an escape from her prison in Saturday's tower, as battle rages above and below. Saturday's elite force is pressing on into the Incomparable Gardens, while her massed sorcerers fight a desperate rear-guard action against the Piper and his Newnith army. On earth, Leaf has to cope with the aftermath of a nuclear strike. Responsible for all the Sleepers in Friday's private hospital, she needs all the help she can get, particularly as Leaf herself has become a target for intruders from the House. And the tide of Nothing continues to rise, destroying everything in its path...

Wheelers.co.nz Product Description
Master of the Incomparable Gardens, the last of the Trustees, and the most powerful Denizen in the house, Lord Sunday is a fierce opponent. And Arthur is running out of time. With everything falling to pieces around him, Arthur must be quick if he is to stem the tide of Nothing and save the House and the Secondary Realms. But he is beset by worries. Will he ever get home to his family? Does he have a home and family left? Is he even really human anymore? And perhaps most urgent of all: What will be revealed when the Will of the Architect is finally made whole? Lord Sunday is the stunning conclusion to the blockbuster Keys to the Kingdom series.

Now, am going to VERY BRIEFLY chat about the podcast of Garth Nix reading the first and second chapter of Lord Sunday (there’s no prologue read, even though each book in the series has one… hmmmm…)

Chapter 1 is about Arthur and what happened to him after the cliffhanger ending of Superior Saturday. It’s quite surprising for me as this chapter, Arthur isn’t the Arthur I relate him. He’s now beginning to struggle to stay human as he has becomes more Denizen and not a nice Denizen at that.

Chapter 2 is about Suzy Blue and this chapter brings some much-needed light relief after the heavy first chapter (has nothing to do with the fact that she’s one of my fave characters within the series). We see what happened to her after the events of Superior Sunday and we met a new character who I love! You might think he’s a bit slow but I love him!

And that’s it! No more from me on the subject! I’m going to put the link for the podcast below and I will wait (impatiently) for Lord Sunday…

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=350710673&subMediaType=Audio