He is not alone in his struggles and, when Arthur meets Suzy Blue (herself from another realm and a part of something much bigger), he learns that he has been chosen as an heir to the House. Arthur is given a magical clock hand that he is chased for and, in his journey, he discovers a nasty virus/plague spreading through town and a mysterious House that, it seems, only he can see. The first days at his new school become even more surreal with the appearance of the villainous Mister Monday and his henchmen. The hero in the story, Arthur Penhaligon, does not know what he is getting himself into, nor his significance in other realms. The subtle explanation of a young boy suffering from Asthma and a fear that he will die young and publicly from a severe attack will resonate with many young readers.
It is however, well worth persisting as the story is one of magic, mystery, challenge and intrigue. It is a shame that the publisher has chosen a feint, small font in printing as this may put reluctant or visually challenged readers off. Written for teens and young adults, this book has an easy to read style that provides vivid visual and emotive descriptions for the reader. He uses the classic seven days, seven keys, seven sins, and seven virtues to open a mysterious story-line extolling the virtue of fighting for what you think is right in the first book, a volume in what promises to be a broader and exciting story line. Garth Nix has begun his story based on the mystical number seven with book one in the series being Monday and subsequent books working through the days of the week.
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