A seafaring adventure in the House

Twelve-year-old Arthur Penhaligon returns in this third installment of the Keys to the Kingdom series. The first two books followed the same general plot: Arthur is drawn into the House, another world in which he must defeat one of the Morrow Days (each named for a day of the week) and retrieve a piece of the Will that the Morrow Days broke into pieces in order to keep it from Arthur, who is the rightful heir. The Morrow Days each appear to represent one of the seven deadly sins (Mister Monday is Pride; Grim Tuesday is Greed, etc.) I wondered if the third book in the series would follow in the same way - but of course, having read quite a few books by Garth Nix at this point, I shouldn't have bothered to ask.

Yes, Arthur must retrieve a piece the Will from Drowned Wednesday, but his path in this book is quite different from the others, and this particular Morrow Day is completely unlike the ones we've met before. The story begins on Wednesday, of course, the third day in the "real world" since Arthur discovered that he is the rightful heir. Time passes differently in the House, and Arthur returns from each adventure only moments after he left. He is in the hospital after having broken his leg during his adventures in Grim Tuesday, and he receives an invitation to meet Drowned Wednesday. He realizes he's going back to the House, whether he wants to or not.

His classmate Leaf, who helped him out in earlier books but has no idea what is going on, stops by Arthur's hospital room. She is dying to know what is really happening, and Arthur finds himself telling her the truth. She is envious - it all sounds so exciting to her. But when a wave of water comes crashing through the hospital wall and carries them off on Arthur's bed to a watery world of pirates, gigantic rats and sea monsters, Leaf might have to revise her opinions. Once again Arthur is out of his league but does his best to set matters to rights. He appears more resigned to his responsibilities in this book, which is a good thing because his resistance to taking up his place as the rightful heir grows tiresome after a while. He seems more confident in this book, no longer looking to everyone else to help him solve problems, but rather sizing up the talents and abilities of those around him in order to discover effective approaches to problems on his own.

I have listened to this entire series in audio format; they are all excellent productions - the narrator, Allan Corduner is a wonderful storyteller. I enjoyed spending more time with Leaf, and it is always great to see the feisty Suzy Turquoise Blue, who has been Arthur's companion in the House since the first book. I look forward to listening to Arthur's continuing adventures in the House, especially as this book takes a most unexpected direction at the very end!

Books in the Keys to the Kingdom series:
1. Mister Monday
2. Grim Tuesday
3. Drowned Wednesday
4. Sir Thursday
5. Lady Friday
6. Superior Saturday (forthcoming July 2008 - U.S.)
7. Lord Sunday (forthcoming date tbd)

Drowned Wednesday (#3 in the Keys to the Kingdom series) by Garth Nix; narrated by Allan Corduner (Listening Library, 2005)

Also reviewed at:
ReadingAdventures: "If I was a bit disappointed in Grim Tuesday, it is fair to say that I was delighted with this installment in the Keys to the Kingdom series."