![]() The conceit is that our hero, the asthmatic 7th grader Arthur Penhaligon, will interact successively with the personages who bear the sequential names/titles of the days of the week, ultimately (and not without some twists and turns) saving all of humanity and beyond through compassion and empathy, which is pretty good for a middle schooler. I do not yet know which direction this series will take, though by the end of this first volume some of the possible courses seem clear. When fantasy is well-written, the author articulates the internal logic of the world and the reader, like the protagonist, can learn the world's rules and engage more actively with the narrative. This creates a passive reading experience, since the reader cannot anticipate or predict any events or outcomes. I find fantasy often to be illogical and picaresque, and to rely heavily on deus ex machina strategies, especially when it is written for young adults. ![]() The Keys to the Kingdom slides even further into pure fantasy, which often is not to my taste. ![]() The first in a series, and like Nix's Seventh Tower books, intended for a younger reader than his Abhorsen trilogy. ![]()
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