Lord Sunday – Garth Nix
Allen & Unwin Children, 2010
324 pages
RRP: AU$15.99
ISBN: 9781741145915

Reviewed by Kate Smith

The Keys to the Kingdom series has been a thoroughly enjoyable read and the final part of the tale does not disappoint.  While the series is aimed at younger readers, adults will also be able to enjoy a diverting story if they allow themselves to read Lord Sunday for what it is and what it is meant to be – a well written and simple tale.  It is not absolutely necessary for someone to read the first six novels in order to understand events, however it is advised in order to understand why the different characters are motivated as they are.

Lord Sunday begins with Arthur falling from the Incomparable Gardens but having successfully taken possession of the Sixth Key.  He is quickly thrust into the search and battle for the Seventh and final key against a far superior power.  Arthur is very soon on the back foot and struggling to find the best path to succeed in his endeavours while trying to remain as human as possible.  At the same time, friends and allies seeks to assault the Incomparable Gardens in order to aid Arthur and overthrow Lord Sunday.  In the end, it comes to a full battle between the Piper, Lord Sunday and Arthur, with the Mariner and the Old One making an appearance before the end.

Nix weaves the story of three different characters through the text, dealing with each in turn to give the impression of time passing rapidly but also of all the events occurring simultaneously.  Each of the characters, including Arthur, were important in the previous books and so this slightly different approach is not awkward or overtly different from Keys One to Six.  Nix’s conclusion to The Keys to the Kingdom series was, in retrospect, the only satisfactory one.  Older readers may not be happy as they recall The Neverending Story, but avoiding a saccharine “Happily Ever After” makes this book something more than a fairy tale where everyone is safe in the end.  The touch of reality, in that nothing is ever perfect but also that things are rarely beyond some form of repair, added to the feel of the tale and is correctly pitched for the age of the main audience.

Lord Sunday is an excellent book for younger readers (after they have read the first six books) and it is a very pleasant way to spend several hours relaxing for readers of older generations.