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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This a review for the series as a whole.
I read the first book when it came out (I was close to the target age), and at the time didn't have any interest in continuing the series. Now, at the urging of a friend, I've finished the whole series on audiobook, and in conclusion... I have mixed feelings. I'm glad I stuck it out to the end of the series, but it sometimes did feel like sticking it out, rather than reading something I enjoyed.
My feelings about Keys to the Kingdom are essentially the same as my feelings about classic Doctor Who. There are a lot of fantastic ideas, creative settings, and interesting characters with interesting development... but getting to them kind of feels like panning for gold. There's a lot of boring dirt to sift through for the occasional speck. That "dirt" here usually involves very visual actiony fights that felt like the same kind of padding as the endless running through corridors in Classic Who. I don't find fight scenes inherently interesting; they have to be very well written and show us something about the characters, and these largely did neither. And the areas in the House seemed cool and creative, but they were mostly used as background for the action sequences and never quite felt to me like they had any depth (also as was often the case in Classic Who.)
However, the overarching plot and Arthur's personal story made it worth it. I think this is the only middle grade portal fantasy I've ever read where I actually bought that the protagonist just wanted to go home and be normal. His family is quirky, loving, and fairly well-developed, he already lost a family once, and the House isn't a particularly nice place to be, especially for a mortal. That struggle between his desire for a mortal life and the obligations to his denizen friends was very compelling. And the grand, mythological nature of the overarching plot was interesting and satisfying.
A note about the ending:
Miscellaneous other notes:
- I really liked that the "normal" Earth Arthur came from was not quite our own.
- Arthur Penhaligon's name is an obvious reference to King Arthur, but the stories don't really parallel each other enough for that to make sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something.
- I expected the purpose of denizens being mostly immortal to be that the author could write lots of fights without having to kill too many people, and boy was I wrong.
I read the first book when it came out (I was close to the target age), and at the time didn't have any interest in continuing the series. Now, at the urging of a friend, I've finished the whole series on audiobook, and in conclusion... I have mixed feelings. I'm glad I stuck it out to the end of the series, but it sometimes did feel like sticking it out, rather than reading something I enjoyed.
My feelings about Keys to the Kingdom are essentially the same as my feelings about classic Doctor Who. There are a lot of fantastic ideas, creative settings, and interesting characters with interesting development... but getting to them kind of feels like panning for gold. There's a lot of boring dirt to sift through for the occasional speck. That "dirt" here usually involves very visual actiony fights that felt like the same kind of padding as the endless running through corridors in Classic Who. I don't find fight scenes inherently interesting; they have to be very well written and show us something about the characters, and these largely did neither. And the areas in the House seemed cool and creative, but they were mostly used as background for the action sequences and never quite felt to me like they had any depth (also as was often the case in Classic Who.)
However, the overarching plot and Arthur's personal story made it worth it. I think this is the only middle grade portal fantasy I've ever read where I actually bought that the protagonist just wanted to go home and be normal. His family is quirky, loving, and fairly well-developed, he already lost a family once, and the House isn't a particularly nice place to be, especially for a mortal. That struggle between his desire for a mortal life and the obligations to his denizen friends
Spoiler
that forced him to gradually abandon his mortality, watching in horror as his mind and body became less and less human,Spoiler
The series is a creation myth, and when I step back and look at it as a whole, it feels resonant and meaningful the way a myth should.A note about the ending:
Spoiler
this is getting into hairy philosophical territory, but I'm kind of horrified that the entire universe and all the characters we've come to know and love were destroyed, and copies created in their place. The copies won't know any different, but they're not the same people! The Architect was willing to destroy the entire universe just to allow herself to die, and even with a replacement universe and Architect, that feels supremely selfish.Miscellaneous other notes:
- I really liked that the "normal" Earth Arthur came from was not quite our own.
- Arthur Penhaligon's name is an obvious reference to King Arthur, but the stories don't really parallel each other enough for that to make sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something.
- I expected the purpose of denizens being mostly immortal to be that the author could write lots of fights without having to kill too many people, and boy was I wrong.
For me, the end of the series was beginning to drag a bit due to the somewhat formulaic nature of the plots, but this book was a revelation. A beautiful, surprising, tragic end to Arthur's tale, reminiscent of The Neverending Story with its vision of the child creator. I'm so glad I stuck with this series to the end.
I don't have much to say other than this was a ton of fun to reread. I do feel like it's a bit heavy considering the first time I read these they were in my elementary school library. It definitely isn't the most adult content I was consuming at that age, but I wouldn't necessarily call these kids books.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A nice ending to the series
Nope, no relief in sight...or is there? All this lead-up to Lord Sunday had me expecting benevolence. Nix does not disappoint with Arthur's adventures in Sunday's realm.