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This book is special, but not incredible. I didn't really enjoy it, but I know some people who did. If you are into good and evil and all that kind of stuff well I guess that you will enjoy it a lot, like my best friend. Although I personally didn't enjoy it much, it is a well written book, which some people enjoyed a lot | Although I personally didn't enjoy it much, it is a well written book, which some people enjoyed a lot | book | positive | 1 |
McDermid is the author of several series including one with serial killer profiler, Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan first introduced in the superb THE MERMAIDS SINGING. This current book is the third one in the series. Two storyline threads interweave themselves into this compelling plot. Carol is offered the bone of a possible promotion if she would agree to an undercover assignment. The assignment concerns getting to know and possibly date a criminal in Germany who imports illegal immigrants from Asia, as well as, drugs. She is to gain his confidence and set him up for arrest. Of course, if her cover is blown, her life will be in imminent danger. At the same time, a serial killer is murdering psychology professors in Germany. The killings are done in a particularly gruesome manner. Tony Hill is on the trail. Val McDermid is a superb storyteller. She succeeds in creating full rich characters that illicit a great deal of empathy with the reader. The parallel plots work quite well together and greatly heighten suspense to the degree that the book simply cannot be put down. This is another strong recommendation for one of our best writers working today | Val McDermid is a superb storyteller | Val McDermid | positive | 0 |
"Class Trip" was definitly one of my favorite books ever, and most likely will always be one. I would really love to read another one of Bebe Faas Rice's books very very much. The twist at the ending was thought out well. i never wouldv'e guessed it. I passed it around all of my friends and they loved it too. I'm having trouble finding any of her other books. I got "class trip" from a library for 10 cents. It was obviously worth alot more! :) | The twist at the ending was thought out well | twist | positive | 0 |
I picked up this book mainly because of its cover not knowing that is was a non-fiction book. I almost didn't read it; I'm so glad I did. This book is not a man-bashing book but an uplifting book for women--or more or less a cautionairy tale. I thought at first that I'm not really a wife. I'm in a long-time (15 years) relationship--engaged but not really looking to get married. However, after reading this book, I realize I am a wife and do fall into the trap of some of the same wifely aspects. I already recommened this book to a colleague who is several years younger and would recommend it to all young women and men | I picked up this book mainly because of its cover not knowing that is was a non-fiction book | cover | positive | 0 |
In the beginning there was The Architect who created everything from nothing. Eons passed, and then there was The Will. The Architect's Will was broken into seven pieces by the treacherous Trustees to prevent it from ever being executed. The first fragment was fused inside a solid crystal and then placed inside an unbreakable glass box which was locked inside an indestructible cage. The cage was anchored on the surface of a dead sun at the end of time, and was guarded by twelve sentinels, who were supervised by inspectors. These security measures may have been nothing to sneeze at, but sneeze the inspector did, and somehow the fragment escaped. Arthur Penhaligon was an asthmatic child who wasn't enjoying his first Monday at his new school. This was due to a sadistic teacher who forced him to run a cross-country course, resulting in a near death experience, during which he encountered the unlikely duo of Sneezer and Mister Monday. Suddenly he was the holder of a strange key, shaped like the minute hand of a clock, and Mister Monday was impatiently waiting for Arthur's expiry date to come up. After these exciting and intriguing introductions, Garth Nix launches into the meaty part of the first book of The Keys to the Kingdom series, where one of the most unlikely of heroes struggles reluctantly to fulfill his destiny, while trying to save his own world from a deadly plague. This story contains a great deal of violence, but fortunately while it is perfectly clear that pain is being inflicted with gleeful enjoyment and wanton abandon by Monday's associates, the descriptions are not graphic enough to be overly upsetting to the faint of heart. Young adult readers may be slightly confused by all the twists and machinations, but will still be thrilled by the adventures of Arthur and his friend Suzy Turquoise Blue as they negotiate the secrets of the House, guided by the Will, and armed with nothing but the Key, a great deal of common sense, and a very strong will to survive. Amanda Richards, June 23, 2006 | Young adult readers may be slightly confused by all the twists and machinations, but will still be thrilled by the adventures of Arthur and his friend Suzy Turquoise Blue as they negotiate the secrets of the House, guided by the Will, and armed with nothing but the Key, a great deal of common sense, and a very strong will to survive | the Will | neutral | 0 |
Arthur a new student at school, has to run a mile in the first day there. Arthur an asthmatic that ment he can't breathe well. He has to do his mile run but at the very end he fell to the ground because of his asthma. Then these two kids Leaf and Ed helps Arthur by running to the office and running to the P. E. teacher. Then when Arthur was about to die Mister Monday and Sneezer ame out of nowhere and gave Arthur a key that looks like the hand of a clock and an atlas. Then they disappeared and Ed and Leaf came running back. Arthur got taken to the hospital and in a few days he got back up and went to school. He went into the library and tuoched the key with the atlas and the atlas turned huge and had a picture of a house. Then that day he started seeing things a whole army of dog-faced Fetchers were standing outside the library window. then there was a guy named Noon came in the library and looked for Arthur then Arthur ran for it and started throwing salt, but some of the dogs got him on his chest,leg, and arm. Then he looked at his watch and saw it was one minute to 1 o' clock. Noon was about to fight Arthur with his Flame Sword. Arthur faked the give and threw the key and when the minute hand struk one o' clock all of the dogs and Noon disappeared. Then they appeared outside laughing, they holded the Atlas up in the air. Then Arthur got a backpack full of salt and melted all the dogs, but no atlas was to be found. Then there was a big fire that Noon started trying to get the key. After Arthur had to go on a bus but made him self have an asthma attack and then was taken to the bus to be taken to the hospital. Arthur then got better and ran out of the hospital heading for the House. Once he went in the house he went to Mondays portal and ended up in this weird land. Arthur had to go threw this big adventure but to get to the point he went to fight Monday with his minute and hour hand key that became a GIGANTIC sword that distroyed Monday and helped Will the protector or lord of the keys that guided Arthur all the way. Then after he went back to his word the illness stoped and everything went back to normal except it was on a TUESDAY. My favorite part was when Arthur and NOon both had swords. Noon with his big flame sword and Arthur with his clock sword. Also it's cool that a tiny key can turn a yiny atlas into a gigantic one. THIS BOOK WAS THE BEST NUMBER ONE 1. THIS A BOOK THAT YOU DONT NEED TO THINK AS MUCH TO KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND IT MAKES A VERY CLEAR PICTURE WITH ALL THE DETAILS THAT WAS GIVEN | Then these two kids Leaf and Ed helps Arthur by running to the office and running to the P | Arthur | neutral | 2 |
The book Mister Monday by Garth Nix , was a very good book. Mister. Monday was fantasy. It all started when Arthur Penholgon was given a key and a atlas from. Mister Monday while Arthur was having a asthma attack and some fetchers. gave a plague called the sleepy plague. After that, Noon ( one of Mister. Monday's assistant ) sets fire to Arthur's school trying to get the key back. because the Will tricked Mister Monday into giving the key to Arthur, Noon. didn't get it but his Fetchers got the atlas. Then Arthur went inside a house that. was secretly another dimension. T here Arthur met a girl named Suzy Turquoise. Blue. After that, Arthur met Noon again with his brother and sister, Dawn and. Dusk who tried to get the key but could not because the key has already bonded. with Arthur which meant that they can't take it. Only Arthur could give it to. them so they sent him to the Deep Coal Cellar so they could torture him until he. gives them the key. While at The Deep Coal Center Arthur met the Old One and. Pravuil. Then here comes Suzy to the rescue. Arthur made some stairs to get out. and I am not aloud tell you the end so I won't. I thought this book was an okay book because it had old words like hip. I. think this book is for fifth graders because it was a little too kid like. I liked that. it was a good adventure | It all started when Arthur Penholgon was given a key and a atlas from | key | neutral | 0 |
This is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It was supposed to have a book every six months for 2 1/2 years, but it seems Mr, Nix unfortunately could not deliver on that so it is like most other series, in 1 every year or so(give or take a month). Which is kind of annoying if you wanted them every 6 instead of 12 months, but the quality of writing would be hurt I believe if that had occured so I am quite happy waiting for the book "Sir Thursday" right now. Mister Monday takes place on a Monday(make sense) when Arthur our "Hero" happens to become the heir to a will that was divided a century or so ago by the "Morrow Days," which are the days of the week,a nd they operate in the "Secondary Realms" only on the day in which they are named. This was not supposed to happen, the Days were supposed to keep the Will whole and pass it on to a rightful heir without conflict. Which of course can NOT happen or we would not have this great series. So Arthur has asthma VERY severely in fact and almost dies, but survive because Mr. Monday gives Arthur the minute hand to the "Key to the Kingdom" that he posesses. The key makes it possible for Arthur to live through a brutal asthma attack on the first day at this new school. Now Arthur starts to see things that he had never seen before, and must make it into Monday's postern to get to the house, grab the Hour hand to complete the key and take over 1/7 th of the houses power. So along the way he meets Suzy Turquoise Blue who once was a human like Arthur, but has become a "denizen" of the house where it is almost impossible to be killed/die and you never Have to eat or drink, and never get colds. They are used a fashion accesories and show the other denizens you have a status as they are hard to acquire and expensive. So Arthur and Suzy have many encounters and then are captured, and Arthur is thrown into the Coal Cellar of the realms and meets the "Ancient One" who tells him the stories and some of the secrets of the realms inside the house and about the "improbable stair" which only excists if you are able to see it and able to transfer from one realm to another quickly without losing it and being stranded in the realm forever. Eventually it leads to a battle which is quite large in scale and Arthur does triumph even with his asthma and various other faults, which makes him a likable character, he is not perfect, He is a child and has health problems, so he is more real than these characters who have no faults at all. This series is great, and I recommend it to anyone to read it, enjoy it and read the other 2(so far) in the series, as well as his Seventh Tower, and the Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen series, theya re all great | The key makes it possible for Arthur to live through a brutal asthma attack on the first day at this new school | Arthur | neutral | 3 |
The book Mister Monday by Garth Nix , was a very good book. Mister. Monday was fantasy. It all started when Arthur Penholgon was given a key and a atlas from. Mister Monday while Arthur was having a asthma attack and some fetchers. gave a plague called the sleepy plague. After that, Noon ( one of Mister. Monday's assistant ) sets fire to Arthur's school trying to get the key back. because the Will tricked Mister Monday into giving the key to Arthur, Noon. didn't get it but his Fetchers got the atlas. Then Arthur went inside a house that. was secretly another dimension. T here Arthur met a girl named Suzy Turquoise. Blue. After that, Arthur met Noon again with his brother and sister, Dawn and. Dusk who tried to get the key but could not because the key has already bonded. with Arthur which meant that they can't take it. Only Arthur could give it to. them so they sent him to the Deep Coal Cellar so they could torture him until he. gives them the key. While at The Deep Coal Center Arthur met the Old One and. Pravuil. Then here comes Suzy to the rescue. Arthur made some stairs to get out. and I am not aloud tell you the end so I won't. I thought this book was an okay book because it had old words like hip. I. think this book is for fifth graders because it was a little too kid like. I liked that. it was a good adventure | The book Mister Monday by Garth Nix , was a very good book | book | positive | 0 |
This book is so cool! My friend gave it to me for Christmas when I was 8, and I have read it a lot of times. Okay, it's about these two twins, Angela and Diabola. Angela is named because she acts like an angel, and Diabola is named because she acts diabolic (evil). Lynnee Reid Banks (the author) is an excellent writer and the story is understandable, because I understanded when I was 8. Just read this book today! I'm sure you'll read other reviews and they'll tell ya more | Lynnee Reid Banks (the author) is an excellent writer and the story is understandable, because I understanded when I was 8 | story | positive | 0 |
After reading the Sabriel series, I was hoping this book would be just as good. Though this series isn't one of his best, his style and vivid imagination is still very present. Garth Nix creates a whole new world for us to explore. The story starts off on a Monday and it is Arthur Penhaligon's first day of school. While running during gym class, he gets an asthma attack. Gasping for breath, two strange men visit him and give him a book and a key. Using these two mysterious objects, he learns about a whole new world. Weird and dangerous creatures are hunting him down, trying to retrieve the key. A couple of days later, his town is invaded by a Sleepy Plague, and Arthur has no other choice but to enter the House and try to save his city. I strongly recommend this book, even though it lacks the depth and maturity that was found in the Sabriel series. It is a great book for children ages 10-13 and Garth Nix creates a captivating and exciting world | I strongly recommend this book, even though it lacks the depth and maturity that was found in the Sabriel series | book | positive | 1 |
this is one of the best books i have ever read! garth nix is amazing at making Arthur, Suzy, Monday, the Will, Dawn, Noon, and Dusk all come to life. it is the best horror/action/adventure book i haver ever read. Arthur is saved by a key, that chages his fate entirely. he has Asmatha and the minute hand looking key saves him. but the key made a strange house appear. and at school, some dog faced men come in to kill him along with Noon for the key, so Arthur couldn't be master of the Lower House if he could get the hour hand key from Monday inside the strange house. this book is EXTREAMLY good, but very confusing at times. Garth Nix rules! | but the key made a strange house appear | strange house | neutral | 0 |
Mister Monday is an interesting Fantasy novel that draws readers in from the very beginning. The main character, Arthur is flawed and that is what makes him the "chosen" one for the Keys to the Kingdom. In this series starter, Arthur learns what power he has as he tries to determine how to live his life with this key that he has obtained and this house and little, scary fantasy creatures that no one else can see but him. Arthur starts to think he is losing it, but a few friends from his P. E. class see the creatures too, so Arthur apprehensively goes on his journey as the reluctant hero who is bound to find a way to save his community and family. This book along with Grim Tuesday will hook readers on this series. I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series. Harry Potter lovers can definitely find a new love in this series | class see the creatures too, so Arthur apprehensively goes on his journey as the reluctant hero who is bound to find a way to save his community and family | Arthur | neutral | 3 |
It got me hooked on the first pages, but toward the end it seemed to leave most of it's speciality behind. Don't get me wrong, the book had storyline like no other, it's characters ( or bad guys ) were discribed in a way you just couldn't miss em and. Somehow I was just left wanting to hear more about Leaf and Ed ( two classmates, who could have been good friends to Arthur ). Why couldn't they have helped Arthur more? Maybe that happens in next, coming books | Somehow I was just left wanting to hear more about Leaf and Ed ( two classmates, who could have been good friends to Arthur ) | Leaf | neutral | 0 |
Without any sense of trying to make the experience any more horrifying than it was Primo Levi describes the day to day existence with clarity. THe few moments of decency he experiences in the book are to be cherished as he presents the most compelling reason for and against the continued survival of the human race. Primo Levi is a writer too compelling to put down. For the cour you are with him as he becomes a machination of the Reich, and as he reclaims his humanity in the last chapter | Without any sense of trying to make the experience any more horrifying than it was Primo Levi describes the day to day existence with clarity | Primo Levi | positive | 0 |
A scientist in Seattle is missing after his family is murdered. A young girl goes missing from an Oregon resort town. A boyhood acquaintance, now an attorney, contacts Jack Whalen for help with a estate case that should have been open and shut - but isn't. Random incidents? Yes, unless you can connect the dots. Jack Whalen is a patrol cop who could have become a detective, but didn't. Instead he took cell phone photos of crime scenes where the perpetrator was an intruder. His simple descriptions of what it must have felt like to be invaded turns the pictures into a best-selling book. Now he and his wife have left Los Angeles for a remote town in Washington state. Jack's been working on another book, but is somehow blocked. His wife, Amy, goes to Seattle for a business meeting but never checks into the hotel. Jack goes to Seattle to find her and instead finds her cell phone abandoned in a cab and lots of questions--but no answers. And people are getting upset that he's even asking. Meanwhile Amy shows up at home and wonders why Jack is so upset. She has a simple explanation for everything, but Jack's cop instincts tell him all is not what it seems. The more threads he pulls, the more tangled things seem to get. And he's not sure anyone is really telling him the truth. And the truth is scarier than fiction. Marshall takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Is Jack sane or losing his mind. Is he the only one seeing clearly - or is he delusional. What's behind these disappearances? One thing you know - Jack will get to the bottom of it all - or die trying. NOTE: Michael Marshall's alter ego is sci-fi and horror author Michael Marshall Smith. Armchair Interviews says: The Intruder is nominated for CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award | A boyhood acquaintance, now an attorney, contacts Jack Whalen for help with a estate case that should have been open and shut - but isn't | Jack Whalen | neutral | 0 |
I don't want to get married. I thought this book would be an explanation into how I feel. It turned out to be so much more, it does not bash marriage as I originally thought it would. The book is a great read right until the end, so rare in non-fiction. It has many historical facts that are fascinating! Great book, I will read it again and again | It has many historical facts that are fascinating! Great book, I will read it again and again | historical facts | positive | 0 |
Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940. As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time". Meanwhile, relegated to the periphery of British politics and virtually an outcast, Churchill obstinately lashes out against appeasement and loudly proclaims the necessity for total war to save democracy from the depredations of the Nazis. What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership. The cast of characters in this sweeping story by Michael Dobbs of political maneuvering, skullduggery, and backstabbing is an historical Who's Who of the times: the ailing, haughty, and pacifist Chamberlain, who personifies England's bitter memories of the Great War and the popular concept of "never again"; the ambitious and self-absorbed Churchill, whose pugnacity sometimes clouds prudence; the defeatist, philandering, and anti-Semitic U. S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Joseph P. Kennedy; the alcoholic, disillusioned and psychologically tortured idealist, Guy Burgess (of Burgess, Philby, and Maclean of Cold War infamy); the stuttering King George VI, who whines that the German invasion of Poland interrupted his grouse hunting; and the Machiavellian newspaper mogul, William "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook. It's in the minor details with which Dobbs fleshes out the story of Chamberlain's fall and the rise of his nemesis, Churchill, to an epic 685 paper-backed pages (UK HarperCollins edition). And it's the length of WINSTON'S WAR that is, perhaps, a minor flaw. Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level. Slightly more relevant, but still mildly tedious, was the dysfunctional relationship between Brendan Bracken, Churchill's closest confidant, and Kennedy's niece, Anna Fitzgerald. Perhaps Dobbs perceived a need to include Carol, Sue and Anna to make it less of a Guy Read. Chamberlain was toppled not because he sought to appease Hitler and avert a cataclysm, but because he didn't have the mettle to wage all-out war when the necessity for it was thrust upon him. That was to prove to be Winston's genius. The author's genius is in portraying the labyrinthine venality of Whitehall and Fleet Street powerbroking at a time when solidarity against a rapacious common enemy was desperately necessary. WINSTON'S WAR is the first in a series of novels about Churchill's wartime leadership. According to the back cover, the next book is apparently NEVER SURRENDER. I shall seek out and buy it immediately | Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940 | Winston Churchill | neutral | 0 |
A scientist in Seattle is missing after his family is murdered. A young girl goes missing from an Oregon resort town. A boyhood acquaintance, now an attorney, contacts Jack Whalen for help with a estate case that should have been open and shut - but isn't. Random incidents? Yes, unless you can connect the dots. Jack Whalen is a patrol cop who could have become a detective, but didn't. Instead he took cell phone photos of crime scenes where the perpetrator was an intruder. His simple descriptions of what it must have felt like to be invaded turns the pictures into a best-selling book. Now he and his wife have left Los Angeles for a remote town in Washington state. Jack's been working on another book, but is somehow blocked. His wife, Amy, goes to Seattle for a business meeting but never checks into the hotel. Jack goes to Seattle to find her and instead finds her cell phone abandoned in a cab and lots of questions--but no answers. And people are getting upset that he's even asking. Meanwhile Amy shows up at home and wonders why Jack is so upset. She has a simple explanation for everything, but Jack's cop instincts tell him all is not what it seems. The more threads he pulls, the more tangled things seem to get. And he's not sure anyone is really telling him the truth. And the truth is scarier than fiction. Marshall takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Is Jack sane or losing his mind. Is he the only one seeing clearly - or is he delusional. What's behind these disappearances? One thing you know - Jack will get to the bottom of it all - or die trying. NOTE: Michael Marshall's alter ego is sci-fi and horror author Michael Marshall Smith. Armchair Interviews says: The Intruder is nominated for CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award | NOTE: Michael Marshall's alter ego is sci-fi and horror author Michael Marshall Smith | Michael Marshall Smith | neutral | 0 |
As much as I like these kinds of surreal books, I haven't seen too many authors that go this route. Their heart just isn't in it. So I'm very happy to see such a rare, daring feat like Mister Monday in print. The book starts off with a wild prologue that sets up the Keys to the Kingdom series. Words write themselves through the air on some kind of distant star. Very strange. It takes about two chapters or so before the reader adjusts to the insane style. The main character Arthur has just moved to a new school (typical of children's books) and is plagued with asthma. (Currently, main characters in the publishing industry are always made out to be weak underdogs at first. Forget the old-fashioned Conan the Barbarian style. ). Arthur's immediately visited by the sleepy Mister Monday and his butler Sneezer, and is given a key in the shape of a clock hand. Arthur is afterwards harassed and pursued by guys in bowler hats named Fetchers - imaginary fellows that spread a deadly plague, led by a guy with a sword of fire. Arthur doesn't know what to do to stop the plague, so he goes to a weird house only he can see. The book starts getting really fun at this point. We see people with angel wings, dinosaurs, an old guy with drilled out eyes, elevators of light, monsters with backwards faces who have one leg longer than the other, etc. Crazy stuff that'll keep you reading. Arthur finds out the only way he can stop the plague in his world is to defeat Mister Monday, and a ceramic frog guides him along in his journey. Going through the weird house to reach Mister Monday's dayroom isn't easy, but after many trials and some help from a girl named Suzy, Arthur manages to do so. Mister Monday's lazy personality completely changes when his authority is threatened, and after a violent confrontation, Arthur emerges victorious. With Mister Monday defeated, Arthur is able to go back home and cure the Fetcher plague. Then the build up to the second book promptly begins. It's very difficult to write in this "anything goes" style. No style is better at freeing up the imagination, but like everything else there is a price to pay. Usually when a work like this is loaded with imagination, continuity suffers as a result. I like to call this the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Effect. " Wonderful stuff constantly happens, but it's all disjointed, chaotic, and confusing. Personally, I don't mind the sacrifice of order a bit, especially in a book for children. My only comments are "Do we really need the Ed and Leaf characters?" and "Why's the guy in Ancient Greece speaking English?" Ed and Leaf may be useful throughout later books in the series, but the Greek guy seems to have been a boo-boo. Unless there's some place in the book I missed, mentioning that someone on the improbable stair is able to understand all languages. Despite my best efforts to read every word, it is possible for me to skip/forget certain things. The book has a sentence saying evolution is a fact. Of course the entire scientific community agrees, but Christian readers should be aware of this. From what I've heard, the author Garth Nix doesn't believe in any religion, and you can see this reflected in the main character Arthur at one point. I bought Mister Monday for a special price of $2. 99 and it includes an enlighting author interview at the end. I guess Scholastic is making the first book cheap in an attempt to get people into the whole series. I really liked the book a lot, but six more books seems like too much to read when I already have an extensive reading list. I'm glad I'm not into Harry Potter. It's little things like Komodo Dragon decorations coming to life, candle flames that don't flicker, and coins capable of screaming that make this book great. This is as imaginative as writing can get. I love it | So I'm very happy to see such a rare, daring feat like Mister Monday in print | feat | positive | 0 |
Its Arthur Penhaglion's first day at school and things aren't going so well. Arthur has really bad asthma, but since the new gym teacher doesn't know it, Arthur is forced to run. He doesn't want to appear stupid on the first day of school, so he decides to run even though he knows it could be really devasting to his health. And lone behold, Arthur has a severe asthma attack. However, just as he is about to die, he is handed a key shaped like a minute hand from a mysterious person called Mr. Monday who definitely doesn't belong in our world. Arthur survives, but soon his whole world is turned upside down. Mysterious dog faced animals are chasing after Arthur trying to get back the key, and they've brought a mysterious Sleeping Plague with them that could kill thousands, if not millions, since the doctors seem to have no cure at all. Soon Arthur realizes, that he, himself will have to venture into "The House", a house that only he can see, to save his world from utter destruction. It is in "The House" that Arthur makes friends with Suzy Turquoise Blue, and learns from "The Will" of his true destiny and has his final showdown with Mr. Monday. I had high expectations for Garth Nix's new series since I was an absolute fanatic over his Sabriel Trilogy and The Seventh Towers Series. After reading the first chapter of this book, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed as it just sucks you in. I found this book to be more darker than Garth Nix's past stories, but you can definitely tell his unique writing style. His story structure carries over and you can pinpoint many similarties with this book and his other works. Arthur is a great protagonist, though he lacks the charm of Sabriel and Tal from Garth Nix's previous books. I definitely recommend reading this book, though I feel it is a touch lower than Garth Nix's Sabriel and Seventh Tower | Its Arthur Penhaglion's first day at school and things aren't going so well | Arthur Penhaglion | neutral | 0 |
Thi book is great. It is about twins. Angela is sweet and caring and kind. Diabola is the devil. Lynne Reid Banks did a great job on it. It is a great idea and the details are really funny. It is a little violent though. I suggest this book should be read by 7 years olds and up. It really isn't confusing though. This book shows the struggle of a family that has been blessed and been punished. Angela is mature and comforts her parents. Diabola hates everyone and is mean. But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her. When Angela is near Diabola, she can't do anything wrong. Angela got all the goodness and Diabola got all the badness. Each person is good and bad. But these girls aren't. Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela. The story is sad. but it is also impossible to put down. Itis one ofmy favorite books. For some reason I think Angela needed badness more then Diabola needed goodness. Diabola hates her sister and is getting to be very powerful. But so is Angela. I hate not being able to say all the details but I don't want to ruin the book for you. so whats stoping you. get the book today. if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | sadness | neutral | 0 |
Garth Nix really glued my eyes to this book for hours! I couldn't stop reading all day! His book Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's adventure into the House. While at school Arthur obtains a "Key" shaped like a minute hand on a clock. In the never-ending height of the House, he is the rightful heir to the lower part. The only problem is that the other hand of the clock is owned by the old ruler, who doesn't want to give it away. Meanwhile the first section of the "Will" the creator of everything left behind, has escaped from it's highly secured prison on a dead star. Although The only reason Arthur is in this adventure is so he can save the world from the plague the "Key" brought with it. Garth Nix can build one idea off of the other, which would help him explain his thoughts. For example, when Arthur is in an elevator with the "Will" and Suzy Turquoise Blue, (They are going to the 379th floor, so they have the time) Garth Nix explained everything about the plague Arthur wants to cure. So basically the author took the opportunity to explain all the confusing parts in the book up to that point. I personally love fantasy books, and Garth nix can draw people like me into his writing. He has things relating to time, space, extremely tall houses that can slow time the moment you touch it. Stuff like that!. I loved this book, so I probably am going to read the next books in this series:. #2 - Grim Tuesday. #3 - Drowned Wednesday. #4 - Sir Thursday. Coming Soon. #5 - Lady Friday. #6 - Superior Saturday. #7 - Lord Sunday. Will Arthur save the world from the plague? How did the "Will" escape? Read Mister Monday and all those questions will be answered! | Garth Nix really glued my eyes to this book for hours! I couldn't stop reading all day! His book Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's adventure into the House | House | neutral | 0 |
The wife and teenage son of a Seattle-area scientist are brutally murdered by a stranger claiming to be an FBI agent, and the scientist himself is nowhere to be found. A short time later, a nine-year-old girl named Madison disappears from Oregon's ethereal Cannon Beach while her inattentive mother, despondent over the deteriorating state of her marriage, dozes inside their beach cottage. But the tale of The Intruders truly begins when Jack Whalen, a former cop with a troubled past who has of late become an accidental author of sorts, gets an out-of-the-blue visit from Gary Fisher, a high school classmate he hasn't seen in two decades, and one to whom he was only mildly acquainted -- making the seemingly impromptu reunion even more suspicious to a been-there-done-that kind of guy like Jack. Fisher, now a lawyer teetering precariously on the brink of something he himself is struggling to understand, has ostensibly come to ask for Jack's opinion on an estate case he's handling, owing to Jack's past in law enforcement and their connection as former classmates. But, as always, there's much more to the story. Fisher's re-entrance into Jack's life is the catalyst for massive change, and the chaos that has been loitering outside the Whalen home for the last few years has finally found its way inside. Suddenly, everything Jack thinks he knows about his life is being challenged, especially in regard to his ad-executive wife, Amy, whose recent behavior has become increasingly peculiar. Except for overuse of the words "diffident" and "irresolute" (a nitpick, to be sure), The Intruders succeeds as a thoroughly gripping and surprising creepy tale -- although, in the end, it left me with more questions than answers. I wanted to learn more about the Nine, a secret organization central to the tale's mystery, and was left feeling a bit confused about certain key points to the story (namely a character who goes unidentified until the end). Plus, I wasn't satisfied with the resolution between Jack and Amy, and thought it was a bit anticlimactic. And yet, that aside, The Intruders captivated me from the first horrifying chapter -- so much so, that I read it all in one night. The Intruders is a tale that will appeal to readers who want an engrossing thriller with other-worldly tones. If you're geeky, as I am, then many of the ideas in the book will resonate with that part of you that believes -- or wants to -- in the things that go bump in the night. Just know that, whereas some books are a veritable feast for the mind that leave you filled to capacity for days, The Intruders is more like a frozen dinner: tasty, but not that satisfying | Just know that, whereas some books are a veritable feast for the mind that leave you filled to capacity for days, The Intruders is more like a frozen dinner: tasty, but not that satisfying | The Intruders | negative | 5 |
Ahh. I wish I had never gotten this stupid key, it is the kiss of death, and has ruined my life. This thought races through Arthur's mind as he saves the world in Mister Monday. Arthur is put through a rigorous test of bravery and compassion to face the evil Mister Monday. In the story, Arthur receives a key that gives him the power he needs to defeat Mister Monday, the only problem is, he doesn't know whom Monday is, or anything about the strange world that Monday lives in. Arthur has to go to a foreign realm and defeat an enemy that has so much more power than he does, if Monday was a T-Rex then Arthur would be a blade of grass compared to him. Arthur's battle to save earth requires a level of bravery that he only imagines in his dreams. That is why the theme is bravery, Arthur has to summon a level of bravery that he can't, and through the story, he struggles to get this unknown bravery. Arthur ventures through the story finding the bravery he needs. Mister Monday is a phenomenal book that gets an excellent 10/10. This book wraps you up in the story; it sucks you into the pages like a black hole. You are transported through a mystical land that gets better as you proceed. That's why Mister Monday is so irresistible, and it's a great book not only for fantasy readers, but also for anyone looking for a great story | Arthur has to go to a foreign realm and defeat an enemy that has so much more power than he does, if Monday was a T-Rex then Arthur would be a blade of grass compared to him | Monday | neutral | 2 |
Angela and Diabola is about two sisters, one very angelic, and one very, very diabolic. The book starts out with Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones, their mother, giving birth to the twins. Angela comes out very peacefully and doesn't cry afterwards, but Diabola comes out kicking and screaming and almost bites the nurse's finger off. The girls grow up into toddlers and Diabola becomes even worse while Angela became sweeter. When the twins are six they begin school. Angela is very excited, but Diabola is bored and gloomy. Then Diabola draws a horrid picture, and the principal thinks Diabola is a genius. Diabola then starts to love school, and especially drawing. The principal only starts to doubt that Diabola is a genius when she burns down the school building. After that Diabola starts acting even more diabolic. She acts so badly that Mr. Cuthbertson-Jones leaves and abandons his family. Diabola also discovers that she has powers where she can set things on fire, which is how she burned the school down. With these new powers, she burns her house down too. The Cuthbertson-Joneses have to move into a run down apartment. Diabola does many mean but funny things. Read the book and find out what she does! I think this book is hilarious. It is also rather emotional at times, though, for instance when Angela encounters these weird feelings where she feels she must be near Diabola. My favorite part is when Diabola and Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones are in the kitchen in their apartment and men come in and try to steal all their food. Diabola becomes mad and uses her powers to make their eyes sting. Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones thinks Diabola hurt the men for her, but really Diabola didn't like the men and had done it for herself. My least favorite part is when Mr. Cuthbertson-Jones leaves his wife to handle the twins. A ngela becomes really emotional when her dad sends her letters. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes books about the good and the dark side of life. Anyone who likes Harry Potter would like this book because it is about fighting and neutralizing evil people. Angela and Diabola is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a funny novel | Angela comes out very peacefully and doesn't cry afterwards, but Diabola comes out kicking and screaming and almost bites the nurse's finger off | Angela | positive | 0 |
In this book, Ernest Gellner uses the psychoanalytic movement as a "case study" to explore the general human tendency to create delusional ideological systems which serve various political, social, and psychological needs. He also focuses in on the specific structural features of modern life that made psychoanalysis an especially successful ideology. As Gellner sums up in his final chapter, "In a sense, the present book is more interested in our Zeitgeist than in psychoanalysis. The crucial strategic position occupied by Freudianism in the social and intellectual history of mankind, makes it possible for us to learn a vast amount from it about, on the one hand, the general anatomy of belief systems and, on the other, the special conditions prevalent in our age. ". In his first two chapters, Gellner focuses in on what might be called the modern predicament. Before the rise of natural science and philosophical empiricism, it was easy to explain the mixture of good and evil, the sheer perversity, embodied in human beings. Humans were, quite literally, halfway between beasts and angels. The rise of science and modern philosophy invalidated that belief. Taking David Hume as a prime example, Gellner shows that the scientific, empiricist thought of the Enlightenment abandoned the angel/beast dichotomy. The Enlightenment theorists naturalized man: the model of man they ended up with, which Gellner dubs the "Bundleman," was a random mixture of self-interested desires and needs which were easily satisfied by a conservatively cautious policy of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Real human beings, of course, act much more like a mixture of angel and beast than the cautiously and rationally selfish "Bundleman" of the Enlightenment. Nietzsche was, Gellner claims, the first serious post-Enlightenment thinker to fully realize this fact, and the realization finally drove poor Nietzsche insane. Freud's genius was to take the Nietzschean insight and domesticate it, thereby turning it into the basis of a very successful, very lucrative pseudo-scientific cult - psychoanalysis. Freud's task was made easier by certain features of the modern world. The modern world exhibits deep reverence for applied science, especially medicine. In modern industrial societies, technology has eradicated most traditional physical threats (starvation, plague, wild animals, etc. ). In our society, the pressing threats perceived by most people lie rather in the increasing complexity of, and importance placed upon, human relationships. It is just in this area of interpersonal relationships where psychoanalysis offered help. Most of the book explores the tricks and turns by which psychoanalysis maintained its authority. Nowadays, now that there is hardly an intelligent person left who is a hard-core believer in the Freudian faith, is this of any more than historical interest?. Yes. While Freud may finally be buried, his residue endures -- as "therapy," "couselling," "adjustment," etc. -- and continues to muddle our thinking process and our ability to make moral evaluations. As Gellner rhetorically asks, concerning the Holy Grail of "adjustment," "[I]s adaptation, adjustment to any regime, including a tyrannical one, a sign of mental health?" The Soviets, hardly orthodox Freudians, famously answered "Yes!". But even more important, as Gellner emphasizes, the fraud of Freudianism is a typical example of the functioning of human society in general:. "Societies possess techniques for rendering ideas socially constitutive, and these techniques tend to share certain formal features. It is important to remember that this is the normal condition of mankind: most ideas of most men at most times are beyond the reach of questioning. An idea does not have simply a cognitive role. it is at the same time linked to a set of personal relations, to loyalties, hierarchies, sentiments, hopes and fears. To shake the idea would be to disturb all that. Most men are neither willing nor able to do that. ". To put it more bluntly, the structure of all hitherto existing human societies is grounded in socially-imposed, emotionally-compelling lies. Did Freud and his colleagues engage in bizarre intellectual contortions to prevent their ideas from being questioned or subjected to criticism?. Yes. but have you ever asked a liberal why we must slavishly accede to the results of a democratic election? The answer is that if you choose to vote, you are obliged to accept the results, and, if you don't vote, you have no right to complain. Is Freudian reasoning any more circular than that?. Did Freud and his colleagues frantically avoid confronting their theories with empirical reality? (Freud once declared that "I cannot advise too strongly against" seeking out empirical evidence to check the conclusions of a psychoanalytic diagnosis because the result would be that "confidence in the analysis is shattered and a court of appeal is set up over it. "). Yes. but have you ever talked with a conservative about the actual historical process by which the US Constitution was "ratified"?. Do Freudians apply different standards to themselves than to all other human beings, accusing critics and skeptics of being mentally and morally deranged?. Yes. but have you ever tried asking a Christian why, since they preach that Jesus taught the pacifist doctrines of "Resist not evil!" and "Turn the other cheek!", many Christians are among the most violent and militaristic people on the planet?. What then would happen if everyone learned the central lesson of Gellner's book -- that deception, dishonesty, and manipulation are at the heart not only of the psychoanalytic movement but of nearly all forms of social authority?. If people simply cease believing in authority, them, like Tinkerbell, authority simply dies. If the world were free of lies, deception, and manipulation, then the authority of clergymen and governments, of judges, schoolteachers, psychotherapists, professors, and policemen, would all simply disappear. Garbagemen can still collect garbage, farmers can still farm, and deliverymen can still deliver even if no one "believes' in them. But if no one believes in clergymen, or psychoanalysts, or Presidents, then there would no longer be clergymen, psychoanalysts, or Presidents. Like Tinkerbell, they would simply fade away. And, perhaps, that would be a very good thing indeed | But even more important, as Gellner emphasizes, the fraud of Freudianism is a typical example of the functioning of human society in general: | human society | neutral | 0 |
Thi book is great. It is about twins. Angela is sweet and caring and kind. Diabola is the devil. Lynne Reid Banks did a great job on it. It is a great idea and the details are really funny. It is a little violent though. I suggest this book should be read by 7 years olds and up. It really isn't confusing though. This book shows the struggle of a family that has been blessed and been punished. Angela is mature and comforts her parents. Diabola hates everyone and is mean. But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her. When Angela is near Diabola, she can't do anything wrong. Angela got all the goodness and Diabola got all the badness. Each person is good and bad. But these girls aren't. Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela. The story is sad. but it is also impossible to put down. Itis one ofmy favorite books. For some reason I think Angela needed badness more then Diabola needed goodness. Diabola hates her sister and is getting to be very powerful. But so is Angela. I hate not being able to say all the details but I don't want to ruin the book for you. so whats stoping you. get the book today. if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | But so is Angela | Angela | neutral | 7 |
I think Kolbler does a good job of detailing the rise of the Mafia. Italians calling themselves the Black Hand rob and blackmail guilable Italian immigrants. People like Colossimo, and Capone get into the protection busiess. This leads to other rackets, and the Mafia is born. Capone was not a member of the Mafia group, but he knew their main leaders. Capone and before that Torrio become the main influences in the Chicago underworld. This is a detailed biography of Alphonse Capone. The book also shows the corrupt nature of early Chicago politics and the start of Prohibition. Capone because of his leadership qualities and friendship with Torrio becomes a effective leader of the Chicago underworld. Al used whatever he needed to establish his rule. This included blackmail, torture, and murder. He also was generous to those who were loyal to him. There was both a good and dark side to Al Capone. If you betrayed him, then he could beat you to death like the three Sicilians. If you treated him as an equal, he could help and befriend you. Kobler shows all the complexities of Al Capone, He may have evil traits, but a very real human came through in Kobler's biography. This is a very detailed, but also very readable history of Al Capone | This is a very detailed, but also very readable history of Al Capone | Al Capone | positive | 2 |
As a fan of Nix's previous series, the Abhorsen Triology, and The Seventh Tower, as a teen I looked towards his new budding series, shortly after its publication. There were few reviews for the book, but it seemed promising. It was indeed, promising, as described before by others. The book starts out with an inspector of a document thousands of years old. Sealed within a small fragment, the Will of the Architect, she who had created this realm and all that inhabit it, her Will had been sealed away, over time the ecurity had become lax, for Sloth has taken over the Lower Atrium of the House. Unfortunently, the Will has unknowingly enlisted help. A higher power sneaks through the inspector a small line of text, later proving to be more then enough help to free the first several paragraphs of the Will. Here the story begins. Arthur Penhaligon is an average adolescent, provided he is asthmatic. It turns out his new gym teacher is ignorant, horrid, and seemingly loves to flaunt his superiority over kids. Arthur seems to grimace quite a bit over how he was forced to run the cross-country course, even though he had just recovered from a near death situation, due to his choosing of disregarding the use of his inhaler. Fatal, later this choice nearly kills him, until he is saved by a fine-dressed man in a. what seems to be a bath tub-wheeled chair, and a sickly looking butler from the old movies, his uniform long overdue for patchwork and replacement of gloves, and such things, he inherits a blade-like key, and the Compleat Atlas of the House. Unknowingly to Arthur, the key is what saves him from death, and regretably, seals his fate to embarking on a quest to save another dimension from the ruins of the "Days", although this is what saves his life, he soon begins to regret ever becoming the heir to first key, and so begins the start of the series of The Keys to the Kingdom. I do reccomend this book to those who:. a. ) Like to read. -enjoy the genre of fantasies, of a unknown world, as Nix weaves a wonderful tale of the things that will open your eyes to a different world. b. ) Those who would like something different, yet similar to all the books that speak of magic, sorcery, and untold secrets of world that we behold only the back of our minds, somethign we wonder could ever exist. After reading the first three books, I found that the author's note at the end about the different days of the week seems to pertain to the trecherous days. Mondays were a bit too early in the week as work days (which explains the Sloth condition of Mister Monday). Tuesdays were lucky days, so it seems to be in the book also (look on to reviews on Grim Tuesday in the series). Wenedsday was a good day (look into other reviews on Drowned Wenedsday). I re-read this book recently, and decided that I should try reccomending this book to others. Although I am young,currently at age of 15, I hope that my review will help those of my age who are looking for a good read, in addition to whatever books they may be reading now. :) | Sealed within a small fragment, the Will of the Architect, she who had created this realm and all that inhabit it, her Will had been sealed away, over time the ecurity had become lax, for Sloth has taken over the Lower Atrium of the House | Architect | neutral | 0 |
Mister Monday is one book you will not put down. This is great mystery. It keeps you thinking all the time. it is about a 13 year-old boy named Arthur who has a mystery to solve and to save the world. He is supposed to die but is saved by a key. He doesn't know why he was given this key, but it is the only thing keeping him alive. The person who gave it to him is named Monday and wants the key back. Monday sends his fetchers to retrieve the key but Arthur doesn't let them. soon enough they go away, but leave behind a mysterious diease. It is spreading rapily through his town. Arthur knows he has to find a cure for it. He thinks he knowswhere he could find a cure-in a mysterious house only he can see. With the help of the key, he travelsinside the house and is swallowed into an adventure he'll never forget. I would recommed this book for ages 11 and up. It is one of the best books I've ever read. This book is awesome! | With the help of the key, he travelsinside the house and is swallowed into an adventure he'll never forget | house | neutral | 1 |
In her book A History of the Wife, Marilyn Yalom traces the history and changing roles women have had in marriage from early history through the women's liberation movement. The Meaning of Wife picks up where that excellent book ends. It is clear from the cover of this book (a woman's left hand, flipping off the reader-with a perfectly manicured and wedding band-clad ring finger) that this is a book for a generation of women who are both used to confrontation and longing for tradition. It is this dichotomy in their lives that fuels the book. As women are working outside the home more, demanding more equitable treatment, and becoming market forces, they are also struggling to define what being a wife actually means to them. Kingston examines that many facets of wifeliness that seem to prevail: helpmeet, virgin, Cinderella (equally entranced by the wedding dress as she is of scented toilet bowl cleaner), victim of abuse, shrew, spinster (or unwife), or supporting actress. The main struggle for women now isn't whether or not to get married. Kingston is no Steinem and doesn't suggest that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle (though she is unmarried). She acknowledges that women want to be wives and mothers. The problem is that they don't have role models. They have seen their mothers struggle to get out of the kitchen and are in no great rush to get back into it. Their icons growing up on TV were single women, Superwomen who could do it all by themselves. Popular culture, in the form of advertising, movies, books, news media, and television, is the most common source of clues to how women seek to describe themselves. Their icons now are very different. They see the brides, the yearning for marriage and a fairy tale wedding. Kingston excels and describing the marketing behind this notion (and I love that this industry now has an insidious name: the wedding industrial complex). But once the marriage happens, there are a few very different ideas of what a married woman is. They see the happy homemaker. Though most have absolutely no desire to be homemakers, they still feel the pressure to have a well-kept home. A certain amount of bliss is marketed along with cleaning products. Or they are seen as the victim of love-the battered wife (an excellent chapter on the presentation of domestic abuse is given, including how it both infantilizes women and takes them back to Victorian times when women were seen to only follow their wombs, rather than brains, in decision making). The main theme of this book is that there is not and cannot be one script for how to be a wife, just as there is no one role for husband. This is a well-written, researched, and balanced look at what marriage means now, not just wife. It isn't a reactionary or staunchly second-wave feminist look at marriage; Kingston respects marriage and the desire to be married. Excellent to read alongside A History of the Wife, The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Womenand Selling Anxiety: How the News Media Scare Women | She acknowledges that women want to be wives and mothers | mothers | neutral | 0 |
As much as I like these kinds of surreal books, I haven't seen too many authors that go this route. Their heart just isn't in it. So I'm very happy to see such a rare, daring feat like Mister Monday in print. The book starts off with a wild prologue that sets up the Keys to the Kingdom series. Words write themselves through the air on some kind of distant star. Very strange. It takes about two chapters or so before the reader adjusts to the insane style. The main character Arthur has just moved to a new school (typical of children's books) and is plagued with asthma. (Currently, main characters in the publishing industry are always made out to be weak underdogs at first. Forget the old-fashioned Conan the Barbarian style. ). Arthur's immediately visited by the sleepy Mister Monday and his butler Sneezer, and is given a key in the shape of a clock hand. Arthur is afterwards harassed and pursued by guys in bowler hats named Fetchers - imaginary fellows that spread a deadly plague, led by a guy with a sword of fire. Arthur doesn't know what to do to stop the plague, so he goes to a weird house only he can see. The book starts getting really fun at this point. We see people with angel wings, dinosaurs, an old guy with drilled out eyes, elevators of light, monsters with backwards faces who have one leg longer than the other, etc. Crazy stuff that'll keep you reading. Arthur finds out the only way he can stop the plague in his world is to defeat Mister Monday, and a ceramic frog guides him along in his journey. Going through the weird house to reach Mister Monday's dayroom isn't easy, but after many trials and some help from a girl named Suzy, Arthur manages to do so. Mister Monday's lazy personality completely changes when his authority is threatened, and after a violent confrontation, Arthur emerges victorious. With Mister Monday defeated, Arthur is able to go back home and cure the Fetcher plague. Then the build up to the second book promptly begins. It's very difficult to write in this "anything goes" style. No style is better at freeing up the imagination, but like everything else there is a price to pay. Usually when a work like this is loaded with imagination, continuity suffers as a result. I like to call this the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Effect. " Wonderful stuff constantly happens, but it's all disjointed, chaotic, and confusing. Personally, I don't mind the sacrifice of order a bit, especially in a book for children. My only comments are "Do we really need the Ed and Leaf characters?" and "Why's the guy in Ancient Greece speaking English?" Ed and Leaf may be useful throughout later books in the series, but the Greek guy seems to have been a boo-boo. Unless there's some place in the book I missed, mentioning that someone on the improbable stair is able to understand all languages. Despite my best efforts to read every word, it is possible for me to skip/forget certain things. The book has a sentence saying evolution is a fact. Of course the entire scientific community agrees, but Christian readers should be aware of this. From what I've heard, the author Garth Nix doesn't believe in any religion, and you can see this reflected in the main character Arthur at one point. I bought Mister Monday for a special price of $2. 99 and it includes an enlighting author interview at the end. I guess Scholastic is making the first book cheap in an attempt to get people into the whole series. I really liked the book a lot, but six more books seems like too much to read when I already have an extensive reading list. I'm glad I'm not into Harry Potter. It's little things like Komodo Dragon decorations coming to life, candle flames that don't flicker, and coins capable of screaming that make this book great. This is as imaginative as writing can get. I love it | With Mister Monday defeated, Arthur is able to go back home and cure the Fetcher plague | Fetcher plague | neutral | 0 |
In this first book in the series, Keys to the Kingdom, we find Aurther Penhaligon, a seventh grader who recently moved to a new and strange home. Of, course, it doesn't seem strange to him- at first. Aurther has heavy asthma, which places him in the hospital quite often. One Monday morining, Aurther is in Gym in his new shcool, and has an asthma attck on the run they were on. During this attack, A strangfe man named Mister Monday comes, and is tricked into giving Aurther a minute hand shaped "key"- which is what they called it. As soon as Aurther holds this key, he finds that he can breathe, and he doesn't die the death that he was meant to die. But with this key comes strange creatures from another dimension who pursue the key, and though he doesn't know why, Aurther knows that he shouldn't give it to them{they work for Mister Monday- who wants the key back}. These creatures, called Fetchers bring a terrible disease called the "Sleepy Pluage", which after afew symtoms like having a cold, puts the infected people to sleep- literally- they fall asleep, and can't be woken up! Aurther is particually sensitive to this outbreak beacuse he is adopted{his birth parents died in a flu outbreak when he was a baby}. He couldn't bear to have more loved ones lost to a disease outbreak. Then, Aurther notices a strange house that only he can see. He has a feeling that the answer to curing the sick people is to go in there. But what he finds when he does is a another world, calle the House, which was created by the Great Architect- the creator of all things. This aerchitect left long ago, but left a will to be followed through- BUT IT WAS NOT!!! The will was broken in seven fragments, and scattered through time and space. Now the first and least fragment of the Will has escaped, and it is helping Aurther. It says that he is the rightfull heir to the kingdom{the House} but all Aurther wants is a cure to the Sleepy Plauge. The Will tells Aurther that to find this cure, he has to defeat Mister Monday, using the Minute Hand key, and claim Mondays half of the key {the Hour Hand}which will then bind with the Minute Hand to become the first and leat Key to the Kingdom. Aurther, Suzy Blue{a friend he makes on the way} and the Will now will go through many treacherous tasks to defeat Monday- the Will so that Aurther can claim the key, therefore the first part of the Will is done, Aurther to find a cure to thing strange plauge, and Suzy to help them all. I thought that this book was amazing, had great detail, and was imaginative in every way. Garth Nix did a great job, and I can't wait to read Grim Tuesday, the next book in the Keys to the Kingdom series! | One Monday morining, Aurther is in Gym in his new shcool, and has an asthma attck on the run they were on | asthma attck | neutral | 0 |
On the face of it, Arthur Penhaligon is very poor material for a hero. He is so severely asthmatic that an attack brought on by a compulsory cross-country run at his new school is about to end his life. Someone on the point of death is exactly what the sinister stranger Mister Monday wants, and he gives Arthur a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. But it doesn't work as Mister Monday intended, for with the key in his hand Arthur can breathe as though he has never had asthma. However, along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm--dog-faced men in bowler hats called Fetchers. These, along with Mr Monday and his avenging messengers with blood-stained wings, will stop at nothing to get back the key, even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him. In desperation, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house--a house only he can see. This is where Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key and discover his true fate. I found this book (especially the Prologue) more bizarre than either Sabriel or Lirael, but every bit as engrossing. I have to marvel at an author who publishes the first book in a long and complex series without having first written all the others. I wouldn't like it myself because if a brilliant deviation from the outlined plot occurred to me for a later book, but it needed a rewrite of the first book, this couldn't be done. Garth Nix has a hard act to follow in this first, highly imaginative book of The Keys to the Kingdom. And he has to do it six times!. Incidentally, I read the following in a review by a young reader here on amazon. com and had to smile. "Written slightly below the level of the Harry Potter books this series should still capture the attention and imagination of young readers attracted to these types of stories. I found it to be a fun and enchanting read, maybe a little tame, but then I'm somewhat older than the target audience. ". How he could have found Arthur's ordeals "tame" I have no idea! And the first Harry Potter book was very firmly a middle-grade novel, despite its length. Amazon. com rates its readership the same as for Mister Monday--ages 9-12, which would be about right. I call that the upper end of the middle-grade readership. Too many books suitable for this age group are classed as "young adult"--possibly because the readership of YA books is more likely to be 15 and under than genuine young adults, and many young readers like to feel they are reading above their age level, so authors and publishers pander to this. I do know that at age 15 I wouldn't have "been seen dead" reading a children's book because, even though 15-year-olds of my generation were considerably less sophisticated than today's 15-year-olds, I considered myself "too old--nearly grown up". Make what you like of that. :-) | In desperation, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house--a house only he can see | mysterious house | neutral | 0 |
Some early young adult novels (it's a fairly new form of literature, you know) age gracefully and seamlessly. I'm thinking of course of Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" and (to a lesser extent), S. E. Hinton?s, "The Outsiders". Unfortunately, I have a nasty suspicion that these books are the exception rather than the rule. For every "Forever" there's a "My Darling, My Hamburger" that contains a great story bogged down by changes in the world. While Paul Zindel's classic tale of four teenagers and their relationship problems is at times both moving and perfectly toned, mostly the problems presented in it are as dated as they come. Even a plot synopsis makes this apparent. Friends Maggie and Liz aren't exactly close, but they hang out frequently together. Liz is the more beautiful and popular of the two with Maggie often following behind. When Liz and her boyfriend Sean decide to hook up Maggie with his friend Dennis, the blind date is as incredibly awkward as they come. Throughout the book the narrative switches between Maggie and her tentative relationship with Dennis and Liz's problems with Sean. Sean, like any normal teenager, is as horny as they come and is continually pressuring Liz to have sex. She'd like to, but she worries that it might end up in pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what happens and soon the big question in the book is whether or not Sean will do the honorable thing and marry Liz (!!) or if Liz will seek out an illegal abortion on her own. It's this last plotline that struck me as dated. The book was originally written in 1969, a full three years before Roe V. Wade and in many ways this abortion issue (while it still looms large) isn't the same. Sure, many girls will sweat over what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, but crossing the border to a state where abortion is legal is probably a more up-to-date literary solution than getting a back alley job. Then there's the debate about whether a girl should marry the guy who gets her pregnant, regardless of how old they are or what their future plans are. Maybe there are pockets of the country where this really is the only honorable solution to such a problem, but it's really not how the majority of teens would handle it today. The book is additionally riddled with small cultural time capsules as well. Talk about how Orientals kill themselves for honor, going to the movie theater to watch a documentary on pygmies, and the complete and total lack of any mention of STDs all combine to make this book an interesting window into the past. To some degree it does still speak to teens today. I was especially amused by the Sex Ed. teacher's advice on how to stop a guy from going all the way, (suggest going out for a hamburger). The characters were interesting as well. Liz, unfortunately, isn't a character you're going to identify with intrinsically. Yes, it's sad that she doesn't get along with her parents. But she's such a self-absorbed person, constantly ridiculing her best friend and at the same time dragging Maggie into horrid and dangerous situations, that by the end you feel zippo pity for her. In fact, you're supposed to end this story hating and pitying Sean who got her pregnant in the first place. Curse those lustful young men that refuse to marry their knocked up girlfriends! Curse them! This book probably read very well in the 1970s and I could even see it having some interesting points in the 1980s. But by the 1990s with the advent of AIDS better known and the options available to teens widening, books like this one began to read more as cautionary tales than as contemporary novels. I've no doubt that "My Darling, My Hamburger" was riveting and shocking when it first came out. Unfortunately, that's certainly no longer the case. I recommend it as a glimpse into the America that once was. If you'd like to know more about the history of the Young Adult novel, this is a good book to pick up. Just don't expect it to have too many insights to offer today. I'm afraid it's no longer that meaningful | In fact, you're supposed to end this story hating and pitying Sean who got her pregnant in the first place | Sean | negative | 4 |
Ernest Gellner stigmatizes Freudianism as a secular religion, where the Unconscious (a new version of the Original Sin) is treated as a Revelation, with a sharp distinction between the sacred (those under analysis) and the profane, between the good (the true believers) and the bad, and where reason must be suspended. Freud's concepts are untestable (the experience - transfer - between analysand and analyst is unique) and nebulous (reality can always be made conform to the system). His basic technique is free association which should lead to the uncovering of repressed mental contents and correspondent therapeutic consequences for the patient. The only testable component of the theory are its therapeutic claims, but the effectiveness of the therapy is extremely dubious and unproven. For the author, Freudianism is a self-perpetuating, falsification-evading, closed system, which controls its own database. In one word, it is a pseudo-science. Its enormous vested interests (also financial) are cultivated and protected by a guild: UNATO (United Nations Analysis and Therapy Organization). This brilliantly written, corrosive text contains excellent short evaluations of Nietzsche, Marx, Berkeley, Plato and Stoicism. A must read for all guild-members and outsiders | This brilliantly written, corrosive text contains excellent short evaluations of Nietzsche, Marx, Berkeley, Plato and Stoicism | text | positive | 0 |
Thi book is great. It is about twins. Angela is sweet and caring and kind. Diabola is the devil. Lynne Reid Banks did a great job on it. It is a great idea and the details are really funny. It is a little violent though. I suggest this book should be read by 7 years olds and up. It really isn't confusing though. This book shows the struggle of a family that has been blessed and been punished. Angela is mature and comforts her parents. Diabola hates everyone and is mean. But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her. When Angela is near Diabola, she can't do anything wrong. Angela got all the goodness and Diabola got all the badness. Each person is good and bad. But these girls aren't. Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela. The story is sad. but it is also impossible to put down. Itis one ofmy favorite books. For some reason I think Angela needed badness more then Diabola needed goodness. Diabola hates her sister and is getting to be very powerful. But so is Angela. I hate not being able to say all the details but I don't want to ruin the book for you. so whats stoping you. get the book today. if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela | Angela | positive | 5 |
Mister Monday by Garth Nix is one of the best books I have ever read. It's a story of a middle school aged kid named Arthur. He's pretty normal except for his dad use to be in a rock band and his mom is one of the most famous doctors in the world. One day while in gym class he has an asthma attack and passes out while people are running to get help a man in a wheel chair and another odd looking man appear. The man in the wheel chair gives Arthur a key, and they disappear again, while holding the key Arthur can breathe perfectly fine. After spending a couple days in the hospital he finds a notebook in his jacket pocket when he held the key and opened the book he sees a drawing of a house that nobody else can see. When he goes the house and touches the key to the wall a black door appears he walks in it and goes to another world. The whole book is about him saving this world because an evil man named mister Monday has unleashed pieces of a will this should be trapped up forever. In the end Arthur defeats Mister Monday and saves the lower house, but there are more days of the week to be stopped. I thought this was a great book it had non-stop action. On of the greatest scenes of action is when Arthur and Mister Monday are fighting, the descriptiveness was so vivid I thought I was watching them the whole time. Another scene is when Arthur is being chased by creatures called Nithlings, he is saved by a friend and it explains really well how Arthur quickly climbed a rope and threw tiles at the creatures. Another cool part of the story is how he described the landscapes that were in the book. He would quickly and efficiently describe every place they went, not like some stories where the spend pages describing one little thing. Like when Arthur first got to the House, as everyone called the world he went to, the author quickly described where he appeared but I could vividly see it in my head. Or when Arthur first went in to Mister Monday's dayroom to fight him, thought there wasn't much to it, I knew exactly what it looked like so as the said where they were I understood it like it was my own home. Finally how everyone changed over the story, the characters in this story changed a lot in through the story. First of all Arthur who changed from assort of goofy asthmatic kid who couldn't run or fight in to a great hero. Suzy, one of Arthur's allies through out the story, changed from working at a crappy job to helping save the world. Mister Monday changed from a ruler of many to be a pathetic man grobbling for his life in front of Arthur. So all in all this was a great book I would recommend it to anyone. Even though it's a little long it can be read quickly because of how interesting it is. So my recommendation is to anyone who likes to amazed. S. Bricker | Mister Monday changed from a ruler of many to be a pathetic man grobbling for his life in front of Arthur | Arthur | neutral | 10 |
This is my 3rd McDermid novel, I previously read 'Mermaids Singing' and 'Wire in the Blood. ' McDermid writes good prose but in this 3rd novel I see dangerous repetitions in character types which, if repeated in the next Tony Hill/Carol Jordan book will make that one my last purchase. Generally McDermid paints female police officers as brighter, more diligent and more intuitive than their male counterparts, as well as more often homosexual. The men, with the exception of leading man Tony Hill, are mostly all egotistical, back-stabbing, power-hungry morons of the lowest order, while Hill is rendered impotent -- a redundant bit of emasculation since all the other males are castrated of their moral fiber. The slow mating dance between Hill and Jordan gets a lot of buildup and little payoff. And in this book, the serial killer and the surrounding hunt for him are as limply portrayed as Dr. Hill. The emotional connection between Hill and the killers in the two previous books is missing here, making the entire killer plot read like an afterthought. And the real villain -- not the serial killer but a drug-pushing / illegal-immigrant smuggler loses character focus as the reader is given reason to sympathize with him as well as with the killer. The climactic scenes involving the capture of one villain and the death of another are without any sense of thrill or danger. I was extremely disappointed with this book | The slow mating dance between Hill and Jordan gets a lot of buildup and little payoff | Jordan | neutral | 0 |
In My Darling, My Hamburger, they talk about many topics amoung teens today. In the book a senior named Liz faces problems like: I love my boy friend, but do I love him enough to have sex with him; and If I do get pregnant what will I do? Will I have the baby or get an abortion? Paul Zindel did a great job writting this book. It expresses many problems that teens face today like dating, sex, teenage pregnancy, and many others. This book was one of the best books I have read ever | It expresses many problems that teens face today like dating, sex, teenage pregnancy, and many others | teenage pregnancy | neutral | 0 |
I really enjoy Michael Marshall Smith's writing style, and heartily recommend one of his earlier novels, THE STRAW MEN. But THE INTRUDERS is pretty much a middling effort, at least when it comes to the plot. The first half of this novel is certainly well written, but the plotline is disjointed and makes little sense. Smith keeps on shifting perspectives and deliberately keeps the reader off-balance. While some readers may enjoy this type of storytelling, I prefer novels with straightforward narratives. Smith tries to tie everything together toward the end, but his "explanation" is so silly and contrived that I felt cheated. In the end, I felt the whole story was pointless. THE INTRUDERS is further weakened by the lack of a truly likable character. While all the characters are intelligent, most of them are dour and anti-social. There are also too many characters to keep track of, and some of them are just stereotypical (the world-weary hit man for example). Still, Smith is a terrific writer of prose, one of the best out there in genre fiction. There are many passages in thsi novel that I re-read because I was struck by their cleverness and insight. I recommend THE INTRUDERS if you enjoy good writing, but if you want a great story, you should try THE STRAW MEN instead | Smith tries to tie everything together toward the end, but his "explanation" is so silly and contrived that I felt cheated | explanation | negative | 0 |
I was curious to see whether "Mister Monday" (first novel in a fantasy series that has since worked its way up to Thursday) was published before or after James Stoddard's "High House" as the two books have similar settings. Stoddard came first, but Garth Nix has put his unique stamp on the 'Universe manifested as a queer old House' theme. That said, this "Keys to the Kingdom" series is more disjointed and less appealing than Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. "Mister Monday" reminds me more of "The Ragwitch" in that a young boy with absolutely no training learns that he is the Rightful Heir to some improbable kingdom (the Universe) and is also the only person on Earth who can stop/cure the newest, deadliest plague. Naturally Arthur wants to concentrate on curing the plague, since his own family is involved. Then he is saved from a lethal asthma attack by a man in a bath chair wielding the minute hand off of a gigantic clock. The man in the bath chair is Mr. Monday and he is being pushed about by his butler, Sneezer. These two men spend the rest of the book chasing Arthur through a sort of Victorian workers' hell, trying to get him to return the Key (the minute hand) to Mr. Monday. The book has lots of interesting magic, blue-and-yellow-striped dinosaurs, an angry old man who is chained to a gigantic clock, and a pair of truly macabre creatures who gouge out the old man's eyes every day at 12 o'clock. (His eyes grow back. Does this man remind you of Prometheus, kiddies?). Arthur must get through some horrifying trials to save his Earth from the plague, and to prove that he is the Rightful Heir. He shows that he has the Right Stuff--after all, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have already been written--but this first book suffers from a multiplicity of themes. The author seems to have tried out several different settings (Victorian policemen and a sort of Bob Cratchit universe, along with dinosaurs, good and bad angels, and a really stinky and terrifying Roman bathhouse), then didn't want to discard anything. So, here it all is in "Mister Monday. ". I'm still debating as to whether I want to advance on to "Grim Tuesday. " Arthur has already saved my world from the Sleepy Plague and I'm not particularly taken with the rest of Nix's mixed-up Universe | Arthur must get through some horrifying trials to save his Earth from the plague, and to prove that he is the Rightful Heir | Rightful Heir | neutral | 1 |
My relationship with Australian author Garth Nix is an odd one. My first introduction to Nix was in middle school when I attempted to read his famous Sabriel novel after being relentlessly urged to do so by friends. I couldn't get further than one hundred pages. It was so excruciatingly boring that I had to stop -and I rarely give up on books that after I've begun them. Considering my taste in literature, Nix's books should fit perfectly with my preferences, but something about them just falls short. I thought I'd try again with the first book in Nix's The Keys to the Kingdom series, Mister Monday. The book is very similar to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and is even being touted as the next Harry Potter. I can definitely see the connects between Mister Monday and these other series, but there is little else there besides the fact that Mister Monday is a somewhat dark, young adult fantasy novel. Mister Monday follows the story of Arthur Penhaligon who, during an asthma attack, is entrusted with a magical key by the mysterious Mister Monday. Not long after, Arthur's hometown is ravaged by an unexplainable plague. In order to fight the plague, Arthur decides to enter the House (which only he can see) to find a cure. He ends up meeting an odd collection of characters that have some connection to time, setting the House back on its course, and of course, finding a cure for the plague. The book is about as confusing and boring as it sounds. It took me a considerable amount of time to get into it, only to find that the plot makes little to no sense. This confusion is only helped by the fact that Nix tends to rely on extremely vague descriptions of characters and environments that leave the reader wondering where the characters are and what they look like. The characters themselves are paper thin. While Nix creates some unique characters and a fairly interesting hierarchy within the House, it falls flat on its face because the characters are underutilized and not given enough time and attention to mature. I personally disliked the lack of a group of constant supporting characters in the novel. While there were a few, they appeared so little that they didn't have time to make an impact on the reader. That's the biggest difference between The Keys to the Kingdom and Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. The two latter (and more successful) series have wonderful collections of supporting characters, while Kingdom spends so much time trying to explain the plot and the world that their is little time for anything else. I think that there are some wonderful ideas here, but I Nix simply didn't take the time to adequately develop them for the novel | I think that there are some wonderful ideas here, but I Nix simply didn't take the time to adequately develop them for the novel | Nix | negative | 5 |
Thi book is great. It is about twins. Angela is sweet and caring and kind. Diabola is the devil. Lynne Reid Banks did a great job on it. It is a great idea and the details are really funny. It is a little violent though. I suggest this book should be read by 7 years olds and up. It really isn't confusing though. This book shows the struggle of a family that has been blessed and been punished. Angela is mature and comforts her parents. Diabola hates everyone and is mean. But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her. When Angela is near Diabola, she can't do anything wrong. Angela got all the goodness and Diabola got all the badness. Each person is good and bad. But these girls aren't. Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela. The story is sad. but it is also impossible to put down. Itis one ofmy favorite books. For some reason I think Angela needed badness more then Diabola needed goodness. Diabola hates her sister and is getting to be very powerful. But so is Angela. I hate not being able to say all the details but I don't want to ruin the book for you. so whats stoping you. get the book today. if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her | Angela | neutral | 2 |
Despite some minor flaws such as once-established character names changing possibly due to fautly editing and printing, this is in my opinion a great book for several reasons I can't really get into right now other than the giant Dragonflys of the Planet Pandora is such a cool and crazy aspect of the book and the story of the mystery of the hind leg is completely wild and that the Strugatsky's are funny as hell. However,I will say that Noon 22nd Century has many compelling characters. And these charaters drift in and out of this long dizzy story of what the future will be like in the 22nd Century while changing in spirit, age, and mindset. In conclusion, If you like your science fiction deep, funny and scary at the same time while being horizonal, moody, inventive, and original, then you'll have to settle for something eles because this book is out of print and I just spilt coffee and squoze the guts of a tuna fish sandwich all over mine. Sorry | In conclusion, If you like your science fiction deep, funny and scary at the same time while being horizonal, moody, inventive, and original, then you'll have to settle for something eles because this book is out of print and I just spilt coffee and squoze the guts of a tuna fish sandwich all over mine | book | neutral | 1 |
Angela and Diabola is one of my all-time favorite books. The story is very interesting and will keep you riveted. Just to give you the basic story outline, there are twins born and one is angelic, the other like a little devil. The story is about how they cope with each other and how the people around cope with them. The ending is surprising and very good. Lynn Ried Banks twists good and evil into a compelling novel that 9 year olds and up will enjoy. At the end of the story, you will know the characters so well, you will wish there was a sequel! | Angela and Diabola is one of my all-time favorite books | Angela and Diabola | neutral | 0 |
Hey readers. Are you ready to embark on an unforgettable journey into the mysterious House occupied by cruel rulers and miserable children? In this book, Sir Monday: The keys to the Kingdom, Garth Nix develops a new spicy taste in literature that brings in a modern view of adventure. Think about all the classics you've ever read in your life like To Kill a Mockingbird or Harry Potter. Why have these books been chosen for numerous rewards and prizes? Because the author has challenged the borders of thinking and created a whole new aspect of things. Sir Monday is another universe in time and space. Imagine a vast world inside a House where everything we know in the modern day is questioned. In this fantastic story of trust and adventures, a boy named Author holds the Key to the future, and what will that bring?. To find out, read this wonderful book and find yourself asking for more!!! | In this fantastic story of trust and adventures, a boy named Author holds the Key to the future, and what will that bring? | story | positive | 0 |
Its girl! It's actually two girls. Twins: Angela and Diabla. Angela is as sweet as an angel and , her twin sister, Diabla is the opposite. Diabla always throws things at Angela, but Angela still loves her anyway. Angela always want to be with be with her sister Diabla. When Angela and Diabla are together it calms diabla down. Diabla can make things cacth on fire and make buildings fall down. But when Angela is around Diabla can't do any harm to anyone. I realy enjoed this book. If you like contmporary fiction, you might enjoy Angela and Diabla | Twins: Angela and Diabla | Angela | neutral | 0 |
Garth Nix's 'Mister Monday' was a highly clever, creative, and entertaining read that had me up into the wee hours of the morning following Arthur's adventures in the House. Arthur Penhaligon was a believable hero who after strange creatures called Fetchers bring a sleeply plague to his town, with his newly acquired key, Arthur must venture into the mysterious House that only he can see to save his town. Obviously, Nix wrote this book for a younger audience so his writing wasn't as. mature as it was in his brilliant Abhorsen trilogy. But the sheer imagination Nix brings to this book more than makes up for it. The intricate world of the House was highly entertaing and origional and Nix stuns me every time he writes a new story. 'Mister Monday' has everything a hugely popular series needs, loveable characters, a complex plot, and buckets loads of creativity. 'Grim Tuesday' is certainly going on my wish list! | Garth Nix's 'Mister Monday' was a highly clever, creative, and entertaining read that had me up into the wee hours of the morning following Arthur's adventures in the House | Garth Nix | neutral | 0 |
This is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It was supposed to have a book every six months for 2 1/2 years, but it seems Mr, Nix unfortunately could not deliver on that so it is like most other series, in 1 every year or so(give or take a month). Which is kind of annoying if you wanted them every 6 instead of 12 months, but the quality of writing would be hurt I believe if that had occured so I am quite happy waiting for the book "Sir Thursday" right now. Mister Monday takes place on a Monday(make sense) when Arthur our "Hero" happens to become the heir to a will that was divided a century or so ago by the "Morrow Days," which are the days of the week,a nd they operate in the "Secondary Realms" only on the day in which they are named. This was not supposed to happen, the Days were supposed to keep the Will whole and pass it on to a rightful heir without conflict. Which of course can NOT happen or we would not have this great series. So Arthur has asthma VERY severely in fact and almost dies, but survive because Mr. Monday gives Arthur the minute hand to the "Key to the Kingdom" that he posesses. The key makes it possible for Arthur to live through a brutal asthma attack on the first day at this new school. Now Arthur starts to see things that he had never seen before, and must make it into Monday's postern to get to the house, grab the Hour hand to complete the key and take over 1/7 th of the houses power. So along the way he meets Suzy Turquoise Blue who once was a human like Arthur, but has become a "denizen" of the house where it is almost impossible to be killed/die and you never Have to eat or drink, and never get colds. They are used a fashion accesories and show the other denizens you have a status as they are hard to acquire and expensive. So Arthur and Suzy have many encounters and then are captured, and Arthur is thrown into the Coal Cellar of the realms and meets the "Ancient One" who tells him the stories and some of the secrets of the realms inside the house and about the "improbable stair" which only excists if you are able to see it and able to transfer from one realm to another quickly without losing it and being stranded in the realm forever. Eventually it leads to a battle which is quite large in scale and Arthur does triumph even with his asthma and various other faults, which makes him a likable character, he is not perfect, He is a child and has health problems, so he is more real than these characters who have no faults at all. This series is great, and I recommend it to anyone to read it, enjoy it and read the other 2(so far) in the series, as well as his Seventh Tower, and the Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen series, theya re all great | This is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix | book | neutral | 0 |
ok maybe not soo much, but a couple of pages and. I was hooked!!Garth Nix is a awesome writer and though the book is a little babyish - its definetly worth a read!I thought the whole minute - hand - is - a - key part was a real good idea plus the names are so fun!The only thing I didn't like was that Arthur doesen't take his rightful place as "Monday". He chose to go home which, no offense to anyone, is a little wimpy!On Athur Phenaligon's first day at his new school, things don't go quite as he had expected. His gym teacher forces him to run a cross country race even though he explains that he had just recovered from a serious bout of Asthama. Arthur runs the race and (Big Surprise) suffers an asthama attack. He was about to die when he was handed a minute shaped key from Mister Monday. Er hello? where did THAT come in?Assuming it to be a hallucination Arthur tries to forget about it as he is rushed into the hospital. When he recovers, the "key" and " A Compleat Atlas of The House" are still there. Thats when Arthur awakens to the reality of his dream. Along with the key comes these. creatures who bring a plague scientist simply can't find a cure for. Arthur is desperate and so ventures into "The House" where the answers seems to lie. Did I mention he was the only one who could see it?Within the house Arthur meets the "Piper's Children" (You heard me!)Actually one of them in particular - Suzy Turquoise Blue and along with her they face many. um "perils" as well as the complications of the house and it's creator, The ArchitectAnyway read this book, its way cool | I was hooked!!Garth Nix is a awesome writer and though the book is a little babyish - its definetly worth a read!I thought the whole minute - hand - is - a - key part was a real good idea plus the names are so fun!The only thing I didn't like was that Arthur doesen't take his rightful place as "Monday" | key | positive | 0 |
Thi book is great. It is about twins. Angela is sweet and caring and kind. Diabola is the devil. Lynne Reid Banks did a great job on it. It is a great idea and the details are really funny. It is a little violent though. I suggest this book should be read by 7 years olds and up. It really isn't confusing though. This book shows the struggle of a family that has been blessed and been punished. Angela is mature and comforts her parents. Diabola hates everyone and is mean. But no matter what Angela loves Diabola, even when Diabola trys to kill her. When Angela is near Diabola, she can't do anything wrong. Angela got all the goodness and Diabola got all the badness. Each person is good and bad. But these girls aren't. Diabola is a terror and the only person that can stop her is Angela. The story is sad. but it is also impossible to put down. Itis one ofmy favorite books. For some reason I think Angela needed badness more then Diabola needed goodness. Diabola hates her sister and is getting to be very powerful. But so is Angela. I hate not being able to say all the details but I don't want to ruin the book for you. so whats stoping you. get the book today. if you don't read this book then you will never read a book that has sadness, badness, goodnes, and lotsof other things, all mixed together | Diabola is the devil | Diabola | negative | 0 |
The book Mister Monday by Garth Nix , was a very good book. Mister. Monday was fantasy. It all started when Arthur Penholgon was given a key and a atlas from. Mister Monday while Arthur was having a asthma attack and some fetchers. gave a plague called the sleepy plague. After that, Noon ( one of Mister. Monday's assistant ) sets fire to Arthur's school trying to get the key back. because the Will tricked Mister Monday into giving the key to Arthur, Noon. didn't get it but his Fetchers got the atlas. Then Arthur went inside a house that. was secretly another dimension. T here Arthur met a girl named Suzy Turquoise. Blue. After that, Arthur met Noon again with his brother and sister, Dawn and. Dusk who tried to get the key but could not because the key has already bonded. with Arthur which meant that they can't take it. Only Arthur could give it to. them so they sent him to the Deep Coal Cellar so they could torture him until he. gives them the key. While at The Deep Coal Center Arthur met the Old One and. Pravuil. Then here comes Suzy to the rescue. Arthur made some stairs to get out. and I am not aloud tell you the end so I won't. I thought this book was an okay book because it had old words like hip. I. think this book is for fifth graders because it was a little too kid like. I liked that. it was a good adventure | didn't get it but his Fetchers got the atlas | atlas | neutral | 1 |
Michael Marshall has a knack that few authors possess. In novel after novel, from Only Forward to Blood of Angels and now to The Intruders, he is able to deftly create sharply incisive and deeply observed characters inside the first page and sustain that sense of compassion and understanding throughout the work, no matter the form within which he is working, no matter the subject. Astonishingly, he consistently crafts genre novels that read like literature, with firm, muscular, and often unexpectedly brilliant prose that forcefully carries intricately layered and compelling stories. With genuine humor, natural dialog and sensible emotional reactions to the insensible and the insane, he shames those embarrassingly mediocre bestselling authors who insist on safely repeating themselves when the initial work itself was lacking, hewing close to publisher demands at the literal expense of the public; artlessly churning out inferior work and daring to call it professional; whose personal voice is indistinguishable from narrative to character and back; authors whose intrusions inform us about less than the work in progress and more about their miserably uninteresting selves. One Marshall is worth several dozen Greg Ileses, a bushel of Patricia Cornwalls, a thousand Gregggg Hurwitzes, a million Dean Koontzes and a number that defies notation of the mind blastingly insipid Kyle Mills. The Intruders is nuanced and dark. Deeply felt and bleak. It is extraordinarily well-wrought. At turns melancholy, frantic and angry. And it is haunting. The idea at its core is ancient and well trod ground; but here, miraculously, Michael Marshall has brought forth new life upon it. However dark, his work shines | One Marshall is worth several dozen Greg Ileses, a bushel of Patricia Cornwalls, a thousand Gregggg Hurwitzes, a million Dean Koontzes and a number that defies notation of the mind blastingly insipid Kyle Mills | Marshall | positive | 0 |
While Garth Nix's fictional characters often have magical powers he, too, has a power - the power to create fantasy tales that have earned him a host of young fans. And, screen actor Allan Corduner has the power to imbue his reading of the latest by this talented author with the requisite amounts of menace and suspense. Young Arthur Penhaligon is an asthmatic. His future doesn't appear bright; it becomes even darker when he has an otherworldly encounter with a strange man who leaves him with a key shaped like a clock's minute hand. What could be more innocuous than a small key? But, wait, the key seems to have a terrifying effect on the world as it brings with it a plague. Soon Arthur is besieged by a Mister Monday and a band of vengeance seekers with blood-stained wings. As if that were not enough, dog-faced Fetchers pursue him. Arthur seeks safety within the walls of a house that only he can see. There are a myriad of secrets within these walls and uncounted mysteries attached to the key. Can he save himself and keep the key from the sinister Mr. Monday? Garth Nix has done it again with this sure to top the lists yarn. - Gail Cooke | What could be more innocuous than a small key? But, wait, the key seems to have a terrifying effect on the world as it brings with it a plague | key | negative | 0 |
I could not put Michael Marshall's latest down. He's created a multi-layered thriller involving a likeable protagonist plus a host of remarkable satellite characters who make you cringe & groan with curiosity & anticipation. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the prologue of THE INTRUDERS starts with an apparently random home invasion, murder & fire. Then we meet Jack Whalen, ex-LA beat cop & a one-book author who's struggling to write another. Instead, he's sitting staring out at the forested panorama & remembering, for some odd reason, a high school classmate & how she didn't quite fit in & who, after trying to get the attention of the handsomest senior jock, committed suicide. That morning, Jack's wife had driven to Seattle for a meeting at her ad agency. That's why, a couple of years ago, they'd moved up to this idyllic little mountain burg on the eastside of the Cascades from Southern California, where they'd met & married ten years before. Then that very same jock, now 20 years older, calls Jack, wanting to see him. Gary Fisher brings a strange tale and Jack, with his beat cop instincts slowly coming alert, senses his visitor isn't telling him everything & some of what he's said doesn't ring true. But Jack has no time for Gary as he's just discovered his wife's cell phone has been found in a Seattle taxi. On Cannon Beach in Oregon, a nine year old girl is struggling with nightmares, her parents' uneasy marriage, & something far more frightening: loss of memory & the arrival of a stranger as she's out on the beach wondering how she got there. When the idea that she's got to go somewhere sets her traveling, the people who help her along the way come to rue it as this nice, little girl with headaches has a killer's instincts. THE INTRUDERS is a tale well-spun with lashings of deceit & determination, action & clues, body & mind invasions & chases, & other scary stuff. It's a thriller that has you connecting dots like mad, except, are you connecting the right ones? Unto the final page, you won't know! | THE INTRUDERS is a tale well-spun with lashings of deceit & determination, action & clues, body & mind invasions & chases, & other scary stuff | tale | positive | 1 |
This is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It was supposed to have a book every six months for 2 1/2 years, but it seems Mr, Nix unfortunately could not deliver on that so it is like most other series, in 1 every year or so(give or take a month). Which is kind of annoying if you wanted them every 6 instead of 12 months, but the quality of writing would be hurt I believe if that had occured so I am quite happy waiting for the book "Sir Thursday" right now. Mister Monday takes place on a Monday(make sense) when Arthur our "Hero" happens to become the heir to a will that was divided a century or so ago by the "Morrow Days," which are the days of the week,a nd they operate in the "Secondary Realms" only on the day in which they are named. This was not supposed to happen, the Days were supposed to keep the Will whole and pass it on to a rightful heir without conflict. Which of course can NOT happen or we would not have this great series. So Arthur has asthma VERY severely in fact and almost dies, but survive because Mr. Monday gives Arthur the minute hand to the "Key to the Kingdom" that he posesses. The key makes it possible for Arthur to live through a brutal asthma attack on the first day at this new school. Now Arthur starts to see things that he had never seen before, and must make it into Monday's postern to get to the house, grab the Hour hand to complete the key and take over 1/7 th of the houses power. So along the way he meets Suzy Turquoise Blue who once was a human like Arthur, but has become a "denizen" of the house where it is almost impossible to be killed/die and you never Have to eat or drink, and never get colds. They are used a fashion accesories and show the other denizens you have a status as they are hard to acquire and expensive. So Arthur and Suzy have many encounters and then are captured, and Arthur is thrown into the Coal Cellar of the realms and meets the "Ancient One" who tells him the stories and some of the secrets of the realms inside the house and about the "improbable stair" which only excists if you are able to see it and able to transfer from one realm to another quickly without losing it and being stranded in the realm forever. Eventually it leads to a battle which is quite large in scale and Arthur does triumph even with his asthma and various other faults, which makes him a likable character, he is not perfect, He is a child and has health problems, so he is more real than these characters who have no faults at all. This series is great, and I recommend it to anyone to read it, enjoy it and read the other 2(so far) in the series, as well as his Seventh Tower, and the Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen series, theya re all great | Now Arthur starts to see things that he had never seen before, and must make it into Monday's postern to get to the house, grab the Hour hand to complete the key and take over 1/7 th of the houses power | key | neutral | 1 |
I previously read 'The Straw Men' by Michael Marshall and really enjoyed it. I looked him up to see if he had written anything else and was excited to pick up a copy of 'The Intruders', but how quickly that feeling waned once I started reading. Jack Whalen and his wife Amy live in Birch Crossing in Washington. Jack is a former LA cop turned writer and Amy works in Marketing. She is on a business trip and Jack gets a call from a Seattle cab driver telling him that his wife forgot her cell phone in his cab. When Jack calls the hotel where Amy is supposed to be staying he learns she was never booked there. A few phone calls and mysterious video messages later, Jack sets off on a journey to find his wife and learn what she is involved in, and with whom. At the same time, Madison O'Donnell is approached by a man in black while on the beach near her parten's summer home in Oregon. After her brief meeting with this man, Madison starts blacking out and having odd feelings. She ends up getting herself to Seattle and doing crazy things that no one would expect from a little girl. Marshall tries to weave a sci-fi tale that comes across as an attempt to master a genre he knows little about. His jumps from character to character and scene to scene are not well put together. I did not enjoy this book very much at all. I really had to push myself to finish it and as I was reading felt constantly confused and hoping it would end soo | A few phone calls and mysterious video messages later, Jack sets off on a journey to find his wife and learn what she is involved in, and with whom | Jack | neutral | 3 |
Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's attempt to save the world, or at least his community and family, from a deadly virus. It certainly sounds simple enough, but this novel is anything but simple. Once again Nix takes the reader to unimaginable places where danger is always at hand and the rules aren't what they seem. THis series isn't as good as the Abhorson series, but then it is aimed at a younger audience. Even so, this series is well worth reading. The characters are likeable, the plot is complicated yet compelling and the writing superb. This fantasy will certainly hit the mark for anyone who enjoys the genre | Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's attempt to save the world, or at least his community and family, from a deadly virus | Mister Monday | neutral | 0 |
I loved this book! I read the whole thing in less than a week (which is really good time because of my hectic college schedual). Anyone who has read Nix before, or anyone who hasn't, read this! Be prepared for a journey of a lifetime crammed into one day. I can't wait for the next book, Grim Tuesday, which will come out December 2003. Believe me when I say I'll be standing in line! | I loved this book! I read the whole thing in less than a week (which is really good time because of my hectic college schedual) | book | positive | 0 |
Liz and Sean seem to be a smooth and sophisticated senior high school couple. They introduce their awkward friends Maggie and Dennis to each other. Underneath the veneer of success Liz and Sean have problems with their parents and each other. Do their parents understand or even care about them? Are they ready for sex? Meanwhile can Maggie and Dennis learn to communicate enough to stay together?. This book is Paul Zindel's second and was first published way back in 1969. Life has changed since then, such as the free availability of legal abortion, but much of the story is still surprisingly relevant to modern life. Liz and Maggie are the main characters so this could be described as a book for girls, but the lives of Sean and Dennis are also described in important sub-plots. The story is basically a double romance but Zindel has too much of a grip on the ugliness of life to describe the book as 'romantic. ' This is not Mills and Boon stuff. To tell the truth I find this novel one of Zindel's less successful works. To my mind there is nothing in the story to make it really memorable. But then again Zindel is so far above other writers that I would certainly still recommend reading the novel. I should also add that I am largely interested in coming of age stories about boys, so maybe I am biased | The story is basically a double romance but Zindel has too much of a grip on the ugliness of life to describe the book as 'romantic | romance | neutral | 0 |
In my opinion, this is the best and most well written of all of the Capone biographies. The first few pages of this highly engrossing book takes the reader to the front door of the Lexington Hotel, Capone's headquarters. on into the inner sactum of the gangleader himself. The story of Al Capone is brilliantly laid out in an easy to follow format that takes the reader through Capone's life and motivations. I've read all of the major bios on "Big Al" and this is by far the best. highly recommended | on into the inner sactum of the gangleader himself | gangleader | neutral | 0 |
As much as I like these kinds of surreal books, I haven't seen too many authors that go this route. Their heart just isn't in it. So I'm very happy to see such a rare, daring feat like Mister Monday in print. The book starts off with a wild prologue that sets up the Keys to the Kingdom series. Words write themselves through the air on some kind of distant star. Very strange. It takes about two chapters or so before the reader adjusts to the insane style. The main character Arthur has just moved to a new school (typical of children's books) and is plagued with asthma. (Currently, main characters in the publishing industry are always made out to be weak underdogs at first. Forget the old-fashioned Conan the Barbarian style. ). Arthur's immediately visited by the sleepy Mister Monday and his butler Sneezer, and is given a key in the shape of a clock hand. Arthur is afterwards harassed and pursued by guys in bowler hats named Fetchers - imaginary fellows that spread a deadly plague, led by a guy with a sword of fire. Arthur doesn't know what to do to stop the plague, so he goes to a weird house only he can see. The book starts getting really fun at this point. We see people with angel wings, dinosaurs, an old guy with drilled out eyes, elevators of light, monsters with backwards faces who have one leg longer than the other, etc. Crazy stuff that'll keep you reading. Arthur finds out the only way he can stop the plague in his world is to defeat Mister Monday, and a ceramic frog guides him along in his journey. Going through the weird house to reach Mister Monday's dayroom isn't easy, but after many trials and some help from a girl named Suzy, Arthur manages to do so. Mister Monday's lazy personality completely changes when his authority is threatened, and after a violent confrontation, Arthur emerges victorious. With Mister Monday defeated, Arthur is able to go back home and cure the Fetcher plague. Then the build up to the second book promptly begins. It's very difficult to write in this "anything goes" style. No style is better at freeing up the imagination, but like everything else there is a price to pay. Usually when a work like this is loaded with imagination, continuity suffers as a result. I like to call this the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Effect. " Wonderful stuff constantly happens, but it's all disjointed, chaotic, and confusing. Personally, I don't mind the sacrifice of order a bit, especially in a book for children. My only comments are "Do we really need the Ed and Leaf characters?" and "Why's the guy in Ancient Greece speaking English?" Ed and Leaf may be useful throughout later books in the series, but the Greek guy seems to have been a boo-boo. Unless there's some place in the book I missed, mentioning that someone on the improbable stair is able to understand all languages. Despite my best efforts to read every word, it is possible for me to skip/forget certain things. The book has a sentence saying evolution is a fact. Of course the entire scientific community agrees, but Christian readers should be aware of this. From what I've heard, the author Garth Nix doesn't believe in any religion, and you can see this reflected in the main character Arthur at one point. I bought Mister Monday for a special price of $2. 99 and it includes an enlighting author interview at the end. I guess Scholastic is making the first book cheap in an attempt to get people into the whole series. I really liked the book a lot, but six more books seems like too much to read when I already have an extensive reading list. I'm glad I'm not into Harry Potter. It's little things like Komodo Dragon decorations coming to life, candle flames that don't flicker, and coins capable of screaming that make this book great. This is as imaginative as writing can get. I love it | So I'm very happy to see such a rare, daring feat like Mister Monday in print | Mister Monday | neutral | 0 |
Liz and Sean seem to be a smooth and sophisticated senior high school couple. They introduce their awkward friends Maggie and Dennis to each other. Underneath the veneer of success Liz and Sean have problems with their parents and each other. Do their parents understand or even care about them? Are they ready for sex? Meanwhile can Maggie and Dennis learn to communicate enough to stay together?. This book is Paul Zindel's second and was first published way back in 1969. Life has changed since then, such as the free availability of legal abortion, but much of the story is still surprisingly relevant to modern life. Liz and Maggie are the main characters so this could be described as a book for girls, but the lives of Sean and Dennis are also described in important sub-plots. The story is basically a double romance but Zindel has too much of a grip on the ugliness of life to describe the book as 'romantic. ' This is not Mills and Boon stuff. To tell the truth I find this novel one of Zindel's less successful works. To my mind there is nothing in the story to make it really memorable. But then again Zindel is so far above other writers that I would certainly still recommend reading the novel. I should also add that I am largely interested in coming of age stories about boys, so maybe I am biased | Underneath the veneer of success Liz and Sean have problems with their parents and each other | Liz | negative | 1 |
Garth Nix's "Mister Monday" begins a brand new fantasy series in the "Keys to the Kingdom" series. This Australian author is fast-becoming one of the biggest names in fantasy with his reinvention of the genre and his intricate, fascinating plots. Unlike other such authors, who place their heroes in a medieval realm of magical swords, horse-back riding and dragons, Nix follows the example of writers such as Philip Pullman, Susanna Clarke and (to a lesser degree) J. K. Rowling by creating a more contemporary fantasy-world with the flavours and style of the 18th and 19th centuries. Where his "Seventh Tower" book was written for younger readers, and "Abhorsen" trilogy for teenagers (though many adults got in on the act), "The Keys to the Kingdom" are situated smack dab in the centre of these two age groups - though again, I hope this doesn't prevent people of any age group from reading them. The Epicentre of the Universe is a realm known as "The House" - a labyrinth of rooms and halls and fantastical landscapes, that are ruled over by the treacherous Trustees, or as they are more commonly known, the Morrow Days. Their task was to take over the supervision of our world (or `The Secondary Realms') from the creator - the Architect, who left Her instructions written in a Will, to be carried out accordingly. But the Days tore the Will into seven pieces and scattered the scraps across the known worlds to be guarded forever more, and only now - thousands of years later - has one fragment of the Will managed to escape. Meanwhile, in the ordinary world, Arthur Penhaligon is coping with the pressures of the first day at a new school. Forced to go on a cross-country run - even though he has severe asthma - Arthur soon finds himself lagging behind, and eventually collapses on the lawn. Whilst his classmates run for help, the strangest thing happens: a young man and his butler appear from nowhere, and bequeath to Arthur something that they call a "Key" (though to Arthur it looks more like a large minute hand from a clock), and a strange book called `The Compleat Atlas of the House and Immediate Environs'. But when a fight emerges between the two figures - Mister Monday and Sneezer - they both disappear without any further regard to Arthur. And from there, things just get stranger. A giant House has appeared on the block that only Arthur can see, and ugly dog-faced men in bowler hats are coming after him. Worse of all is the outbreak of a mysterious illness that puts the whole community into quarantine and Arthur's own family in danger. Seeing no other way of helping, Arthur travels to the House, uses his key, and enters its domain. Arthur has been chosen by the Will to become Heir to the Kingdom and set right the corruption that is destroying management of the realm. What follows is an amazing adventure throughout a world chock-full of danger, intrigue, invention and surprises. The House is one of the most colourful places you could ever wish to visit, complete with everything from elevators to dinosaurs to coal cellars. Nix delights in playing with words and concepts, and the phases "got a frog in your throat" and "having a silver tongue" take on whole new meaning here, and things such as books, paper, the written word and language are given a solid, tangible quality here that is thought-provoking and completely original. Old legends are given new life (such as the tale of the Pied Piper and the Greek myth of Prometheus) and concepts and symbols given real form: such as the days of the week in human form, and their angelic-looking (but quite devilish) Dawn, Noon and Dusks. Throughout, Arthur is a sympathetic, understandable protagonist, who reacts to his adventures in a way that you'd expect a young boy to do, but with extraordinary resilience and courage, as does his young sidekick Suzy Turquoise Blue. All other characters are vivid and interesting, both good and bad, and immensely memorable. Also, Nix sprinkles little hints and clues to the next books throughout the text, so read carefully!. The book suffers little from the amount of ideas and concepts that Nix crams between its covers, which can seem either random or confusing to a first-time reader. By the time they get on to the next books, the general formula of where Nix is going is straightened out and most of the things Arthur sees and hears of in this first book are understandable (which should justify a second reading!) Make sure "Grim Tuesday" is on hand to continue Arthur's story | A giant House has appeared on the block that only Arthur can see, and ugly dog-faced men in bowler hats are coming after him | dog-faced men | negative | 0 |
Garth Nix's 'Mister Monday' was a highly clever, creative, and entertaining read that had me up into the wee hours of the morning following Arthur's adventures in the House. Arthur Penhaligon was a believable hero who after strange creatures called Fetchers bring a sleeply plague to his town, with his newly acquired key, Arthur must venture into the mysterious House that only he can see to save his town. Obviously, Nix wrote this book for a younger audience so his writing wasn't as. mature as it was in his brilliant Abhorsen trilogy. But the sheer imagination Nix brings to this book more than makes up for it. The intricate world of the House was highly entertaing and origional and Nix stuns me every time he writes a new story. 'Mister Monday' has everything a hugely popular series needs, loveable characters, a complex plot, and buckets loads of creativity. 'Grim Tuesday' is certainly going on my wish list! | The intricate world of the House was highly entertaing and origional and Nix stuns me every time he writes a new story | House | neutral | 1 |
If you are a parent and want your kid to get into reading, this book is perfect. It is such a fun read, your child will read it seamlessly. It is even a great read for adults, as I found out while reading | It is even a great read for adults, as I found out while reading | adults | positive | 0 |
In a book subtitled, "The Life and World of Al Capone", one would suspect an in depth look at the famous Chicagoan. While the book has points where it is very informative, I believe the author could have used a more involved editor in composing his book. Having originally gone into publication in 1971, there are better books about Al Capone. In the first hundred pages, Al Capone's name is literally mentioned only about five times. I respect the author's motive for formatting the book this way. He was trying to set up the world that gave rise to a gang leader like Al Capone. However, some of the stories could have been left out. At times, I found myself wondering if the author would ever start discussing Capone. The author begins the story of Capone in his service to Johnny Torrio. Eventually, this relationship develops more into a partnership than a hierarchy. Capone was very aggressive in furthering his interests even if the price was murder. La Cosa Nostra and organized crime in America thrived under the laws of prohibition. The illegally produced and supplied alcohol was only produced by those willing to disobey the way. It was a chance Capone was to take. Additionally, Capone made his money from gambling and racketeering. The generous side of Capone is one that is less frequently discussed. He donated much of his wealth to the poor which is more than can be said for the contemporary crooks and gangsters of corporate America. With this comparison in mind, it seems odd that the government finally crumbled the Capone empire with charges of tax evasion. Capone was sentenced to eleven years, but served less than six due to good behavior and the terminal phase of syphilis. I was disappointed to discover the end of the book. The author followed through with the title in the beginning with an overwhelming introduction. Unfortunately, the author chose to describe Capone's effect on the world in seven pages. I believe the author could have said more of the world of Al Capone more in terms of his after effects. In total, I found this book to be more than adequate. While it is flawed and inconsistent, it is a worthwhile primer for those seeking to learn of Capone. At times, the author goes into great detail demonstrating the work put into this project. However, the amount of work is not always consistent with the final project | However, some of the stories could have been left out | stories | negative | 0 |
The premise is simple enough;. young boy escapes his fate when it is revealed he is heir to unwelcome destiny. Enter The House. Arthur, upon whom the story centers, is definately your average selfish & dull little schoolboy, and when he has adventure thrust upon him it is most definately not welcome. When danger stares him in the face he reaches for his inhaler. When a journey beckons he steps behind someone else - all well played out themes for Nix newest hero. His world faced with plague & destruction, Arthur finds the courage to enter the unknown House and try to discover the origins of the mysterious key he was bequeathed, and which rather threatening characters are trying to take from him. Grim Monday's Noon is a wonderfully likable villian and his master, Mister Monday (after whom this first book is named)is a slothfully entertaining fellow, with his victorian clothing & die-away-airs. I would not say this book is strictly limited to a pre-teen audience, as I have found it to be very enjoyable. Upon entering The House Arthur discovers all sorts of oddities in what appears to be a parallel universe, and also meets up with The Old one, in what appears to be a play upon Prometheus shackled to the mountain. Which is interesting in ways which will be revealed once you read the book, remembering that "Prometheus" means "Forethought". He also makes a friend, in Susie Turqouise Blue & we learn what really happend to the Pied Pipers children, and why it wasn't such a bad thing. To much information would give away the storyline, suffice to say Arthurs adventures will continue, this being the first of 7. Seven days of the Week?. Arthur's last name is Penhaligon - another pun by the author on ruling the world & destiny? (kids look up the reference to King Arthur). Nix makes some interesting speculations upon the origins of the universe. This is also very enjoyable as read by Allan Corduner, and is available from amazon. com in audio book format. kotori 2004 | His world faced with plague & destruction, Arthur finds the courage to enter the unknown House and try to discover the origins of the mysterious key he was bequeathed, and which rather threatening characters are trying to take from him | key | neutral | 0 |
Rating System:. 1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten. 2 star = poor; a total waste of time. 3 star = good; worth the effort. 4 star = very good; what writing should be. 5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others. THE STORY:. Arthur Penhaligon is a boy weakened by asthma and in having to live in the shadow of a very successful family. His normal life of interrupting his family's lives because they have to rush him to the hospital due to asthma attacks changes when he finds himself the chosen heir to the House. Arthur with the lesser key to the lower kingdom of the House in hand, must travel into the House to find a cure for the mysterious plague that is striking the people of his town and his loved ones and find out why there are beings intent on getting the key from him, even if it means killing him. THE GOOD:. Garth Nix is becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. His fantasy works are not cliché or based on traditional fantasy but they are full of fresh, imagination and worlds and characters we can learn to love. I got hooked on this author after reading Sabriel, which is a fantasy about necromancer magic. Very cool! So when I saw he had a new series out I had to check it out and was not disappointed. 1) Great world creation in the House and the denizens of the House, their purpose, their origins, etc. Made for an interesting and unique setting. 2) Likeable characters that are led by the plot of the story, where options are reduced forcing the protagonists down certain routes but without the reader knowing what those results those routes will produce, per se. Kept the plot and characters engaging and fun to read. 3) Magic. Unique and fun and innovative. Loved everything about it!. 4) 98% of all storylines and subplots resolved in this single volume. Chapters had great cliff hangers and transition points to keep the reader turning and the end of the book has its own cliff hanger that makes us want to read the next book in the series though it isn't necessary. 5) As much as the storylines are resolved, the resolution was also satisfactory and didn't make me feel cheated or the author tried too hard or too little to provide a satisfying ending. THE BAD:. I don't have anything that comes to mind other than this wasn't a hugely character driven story but more plot driven and setting driven in my mind. To get more in the characters and their motivations would have been a plus but because the story focus is on the discovery of the House and things related to the House, I didn't expect to get into the characters more than we did and thus I really wasn't too disappointed. OVERALL:. I left with the feeling of having been in a fairy tale. This would make a GREAT movie in my opinion. Read Garth Nix for unique and engaging fantasy. Either read the Abhorsen Trilogy for more of an adult fantasy, where the main protagonist is 17-18 yrs of age. Read this series for a protagonist that is around 12 yrs of age and the scenes are less "dark" than the Abhorsen trilogy. Either way, both stories are a big win | Arthur with the lesser key to the lower kingdom of the House in hand, must travel into the House to find a cure for the mysterious plague that is striking the people of his town and his loved ones and find out why there are beings intent on getting the key from him, even if it means killing him | mysterious plague | neutral | 0 |
I have not been a fan of the `Sabriel' series by Garth Nix. I found their preoccupation with death a little morbid for my tastes. However, I recognised a considerable story-telling talent, and suspected I would really enjoy this author with a different subject matter. and I was correct. This is a magical story, equally suitable for either boys or girls. Magic is not used arbitrarily as a convenient flash-bang solution for every problem, as is so often the case in this genre, but rather, requires logical application by the central character. I especially enjoyed the uncertainty I felt with many supporting characters in this story, never entirely sure until the final pages exactly who could be trusted. Nix has managed to avoid creating people who are stereotypically either good or bad. We may doubt the motives of those who appear good, and forgive the actions of those who seem evil, once we learn more about them. The hero makes wise decisions - but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they came back to `bite him' later in the week!. The plot is well-paced, gripping and full of surprising twists and turns. This is an adventure as exciting as you could wish for - and never predictable. However, I did feel one particular scene might be rather nightmare-inducing for the youngest readers - so recommend this for the ages of 12 and above. If you didn't like 'Sabriel' - don't be put off; give Mr Monday a try. You won't be dissapointed! | However, I did feel one particular scene might be rather nightmare-inducing for the youngest readers - so recommend this for the ages of 12 and above | ages of 12 and above | positive | 0 |
This book is a great educational, but fun book for children ages 3-6 years old. This book was written by Stuart J. Murphy, and illustrated by Holly Keller. Stuart Murphy has written many books. He has a series called Math Start, for children; there are 60 books in the series with over 60 million copies sold. This book is his first published (1996). It is a great book for children, to help them start on a path to learning size relationships. It has picture of different bugs and animal and asks "Which is smallest? Which is the biggest? Although it is without a plot, the book has great pictures, and would be excellent for a short bed time story. The kindergarten group that I read this book to really enjoyed it, I had to read it more than once to them! | It has picture of different bugs and animal and asks "Which is smallest? Which is the biggest? Although it is without a plot, the book has great pictures, and would be excellent for a short bed time story | plot | negative | 0 |
Despite its cover 'Turbulent Priests' has little to do with bedraggled young women who smoke. It's actually a very cleverly plotted story about a young girl on a island off Ireland who is claimed to be the messiah. A reporter is sent out to chronicle events and, to no surprise, all is not what they appear to be. 'Turbulent Priests' is fresh and funny. It lamblasts both the (Catholic) church and Irish society in equal measure without taking it all too seriously. Only the most sensitive will be offended (. although much of the language is crude). I should also add that the book is rather Irish-centric. Folks from outside Ireland/Britain might not understand much of the verbage or the sarcastic humour. Bottom line: perhaps Colin Bateman's best book. No small praise | It's actually a very cleverly plotted story about a young girl on a island off Ireland who is claimed to be the messiah | story | positive | 0 |
Arthur Penhaligon lives in a world that closely resembles our own - in fact may be our own in the near future. A deadly flu pandemic killed his parents when he was a baby and also apparently allowed the federal government to assume sweeping powers, and his adoptive mother is a medical researcher. An asthmatic, Arthur suffers an attack when in gym class at his new school, and while he is waiting for medical assistance, two strangely garbed men give him what appears to be the minute hand of a clock. This simple action changes his life for good. Arthur now becomes the target of increasingly frightening attacks by mysterious men, some with faces that resemble dogs, and a new illness known as the "sleepy plague" appears in his town. He eventually finds his way into a bizarre realm known as the House, which turns out to be, essentially, the "Command and Control" center for the rest of the universe. He also learns that after creating the universe from Nothing (which is an actual substance in this "mythology"), the Architect mysteriously departed, leaving a will in the hands of seven trustees, the Morrow Days, who have become corrupt and are now running things to suit themselves. However, the first part of the Will, which is a living entity, has escaped and engineered the transfer of part of Monday's Key (the minute hand) into the possession of a mortal, Arthur, who is now the Architect's Heir. Arthur's only hope, if he is to survive and stop the plague in his own world, is to obtain the rest of the Key from Mister Monday and accept his status as Heir, however little he wants it. Garth Nix's originality, while not of the same type as Philip Pullman's, never ceases to amaze me. He also possesses a certain sly humor and, like Pullman and J. K. Rowling, makes numerous allusions to literary, mythical and cultural traditions far and wide. In the House, Arthur encounters Suzy Turquoise Blue, a cheeky Cockney girl from the 17th century of his own world and one of the "Piper's Children"; the personified Will itself in the form of a tiny frog with a penchant for jumping down people's throats; the "Old One," whose identity should be obvious to anyone with an interest in classical mythology, and assorted other Denizens. Arthur is a sympathetic but flawed character and Nix, without preaching or moralizing, manages to portray his compassion and a strong sense of right and wrong that truly make him worthy to be the Architect's Heir. Suzy, although a secondary character, is brave and resourceful as well as funny, and without her, Arthur probably would not have survived his first hour in the House. The Will, both in frog and human form, is wonderfully quirky and cranky, and even Mister Monday turns out not to be irredeemable. As with a lot of the best young adult books out there, some kids may find this series disturbing, and there are some scenes that contain a certain amount of violence | However, the first part of the Will, which is a living entity, has escaped and engineered the transfer of part of Monday's Key (the minute hand) into the possession of a mortal, Arthur, who is now the Architect's Heir | Architect's Heir | positive | 0 |
Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940. As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time". Meanwhile, relegated to the periphery of British politics and virtually an outcast, Churchill obstinately lashes out against appeasement and loudly proclaims the necessity for total war to save democracy from the depredations of the Nazis. What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership. The cast of characters in this sweeping story by Michael Dobbs of political maneuvering, skullduggery, and backstabbing is an historical Who's Who of the times: the ailing, haughty, and pacifist Chamberlain, who personifies England's bitter memories of the Great War and the popular concept of "never again"; the ambitious and self-absorbed Churchill, whose pugnacity sometimes clouds prudence; the defeatist, philandering, and anti-Semitic U. S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Joseph P. Kennedy; the alcoholic, disillusioned and psychologically tortured idealist, Guy Burgess (of Burgess, Philby, and Maclean of Cold War infamy); the stuttering King George VI, who whines that the German invasion of Poland interrupted his grouse hunting; and the Machiavellian newspaper mogul, William "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook. It's in the minor details with which Dobbs fleshes out the story of Chamberlain's fall and the rise of his nemesis, Churchill, to an epic 685 paper-backed pages (UK HarperCollins edition). And it's the length of WINSTON'S WAR that is, perhaps, a minor flaw. Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level. Slightly more relevant, but still mildly tedious, was the dysfunctional relationship between Brendan Bracken, Churchill's closest confidant, and Kennedy's niece, Anna Fitzgerald. Perhaps Dobbs perceived a need to include Carol, Sue and Anna to make it less of a Guy Read. Chamberlain was toppled not because he sought to appease Hitler and avert a cataclysm, but because he didn't have the mettle to wage all-out war when the necessity for it was thrust upon him. That was to prove to be Winston's genius. The author's genius is in portraying the labyrinthine venality of Whitehall and Fleet Street powerbroking at a time when solidarity against a rapacious common enemy was desperately necessary. WINSTON'S WAR is the first in a series of novels about Churchill's wartime leadership. According to the back cover, the next book is apparently NEVER SURRENDER. I shall seek out and buy it immediately | Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level | Jerry White | neutral | 0 |
A scientist in Seattle is missing after his family is murdered. A young girl goes missing from an Oregon resort town. A boyhood acquaintance, now an attorney, contacts Jack Whalen for help with a estate case that should have been open and shut - but isn't. Random incidents? Yes, unless you can connect the dots. Jack Whalen is a patrol cop who could have become a detective, but didn't. Instead he took cell phone photos of crime scenes where the perpetrator was an intruder. His simple descriptions of what it must have felt like to be invaded turns the pictures into a best-selling book. Now he and his wife have left Los Angeles for a remote town in Washington state. Jack's been working on another book, but is somehow blocked. His wife, Amy, goes to Seattle for a business meeting but never checks into the hotel. Jack goes to Seattle to find her and instead finds her cell phone abandoned in a cab and lots of questions--but no answers. And people are getting upset that he's even asking. Meanwhile Amy shows up at home and wonders why Jack is so upset. She has a simple explanation for everything, but Jack's cop instincts tell him all is not what it seems. The more threads he pulls, the more tangled things seem to get. And he's not sure anyone is really telling him the truth. And the truth is scarier than fiction. Marshall takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Is Jack sane or losing his mind. Is he the only one seeing clearly - or is he delusional. What's behind these disappearances? One thing you know - Jack will get to the bottom of it all - or die trying. NOTE: Michael Marshall's alter ego is sci-fi and horror author Michael Marshall Smith. Armchair Interviews says: The Intruder is nominated for CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award | Jack goes to Seattle to find her and instead finds her cell phone abandoned in a cab and lots of questions--but no answers | Jack | neutral | 1 |
Angela and Diabola is about two sisters, one very angelic, and one very, very diabolic. The book starts out with Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones, their mother, giving birth to the twins. Angela comes out very peacefully and doesn't cry afterwards, but Diabola comes out kicking and screaming and almost bites the nurse's finger off. The girls grow up into toddlers and Diabola becomes even worse while Angela became sweeter. When the twins are six they begin school. Angela is very excited, but Diabola is bored and gloomy. Then Diabola draws a horrid picture, and the principal thinks Diabola is a genius. Diabola then starts to love school, and especially drawing. The principal only starts to doubt that Diabola is a genius when she burns down the school building. After that Diabola starts acting even more diabolic. She acts so badly that Mr. Cuthbertson-Jones leaves and abandons his family. Diabola also discovers that she has powers where she can set things on fire, which is how she burned the school down. With these new powers, she burns her house down too. The Cuthbertson-Joneses have to move into a run down apartment. Diabola does many mean but funny things. Read the book and find out what she does! I think this book is hilarious. It is also rather emotional at times, though, for instance when Angela encounters these weird feelings where she feels she must be near Diabola. My favorite part is when Diabola and Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones are in the kitchen in their apartment and men come in and try to steal all their food. Diabola becomes mad and uses her powers to make their eyes sting. Mrs. Cuthbertson-Jones thinks Diabola hurt the men for her, but really Diabola didn't like the men and had done it for herself. My least favorite part is when Mr. Cuthbertson-Jones leaves his wife to handle the twins. A ngela becomes really emotional when her dad sends her letters. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes books about the good and the dark side of life. Anyone who likes Harry Potter would like this book because it is about fighting and neutralizing evil people. Angela and Diabola is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a funny novel | Cuthbertson-Jones are in the kitchen in their apartment and men come in and try to steal all their food | Cuthbertson-Jones | neutral | 2 |
This is my 3rd McDermid novel, I previously read 'Mermaids Singing' and 'Wire in the Blood. ' McDermid writes good prose but in this 3rd novel I see dangerous repetitions in character types which, if repeated in the next Tony Hill/Carol Jordan book will make that one my last purchase. Generally McDermid paints female police officers as brighter, more diligent and more intuitive than their male counterparts, as well as more often homosexual. The men, with the exception of leading man Tony Hill, are mostly all egotistical, back-stabbing, power-hungry morons of the lowest order, while Hill is rendered impotent -- a redundant bit of emasculation since all the other males are castrated of their moral fiber. The slow mating dance between Hill and Jordan gets a lot of buildup and little payoff. And in this book, the serial killer and the surrounding hunt for him are as limply portrayed as Dr. Hill. The emotional connection between Hill and the killers in the two previous books is missing here, making the entire killer plot read like an afterthought. And the real villain -- not the serial killer but a drug-pushing / illegal-immigrant smuggler loses character focus as the reader is given reason to sympathize with him as well as with the killer. The climactic scenes involving the capture of one villain and the death of another are without any sense of thrill or danger. I was extremely disappointed with this book | The emotional connection between Hill and the killers in the two previous books is missing here, making the entire killer plot read like an afterthought | killers | neutral | 0 |
The Endless Game is the first of a two-book series (the second is: A Spy at Twilight) in the vein of the Le Carre "Karla" quartet. Mr. Forbes also played his part in that "game" and writes with considerable authority. The book is well-crafted and grips you as you work through the developing enigma and misleading clues with the protagonist. The characters are complex and believable, the plot consistent and the outcome unguessable until the last pages. Altogether, a most satisfying read for lovers of spy fiction | The characters are complex and believable, the plot consistent and the outcome unguessable until the last pages | characters | positive | 0 |
Mister Monday by Garth Nix is one of the best books I have ever read. It's a story of a middle school aged kid named Arthur. He's pretty normal except for his dad use to be in a rock band and his mom is one of the most famous doctors in the world. One day while in gym class he has an asthma attack and passes out while people are running to get help a man in a wheel chair and another odd looking man appear. The man in the wheel chair gives Arthur a key, and they disappear again, while holding the key Arthur can breathe perfectly fine. After spending a couple days in the hospital he finds a notebook in his jacket pocket when he held the key and opened the book he sees a drawing of a house that nobody else can see. When he goes the house and touches the key to the wall a black door appears he walks in it and goes to another world. The whole book is about him saving this world because an evil man named mister Monday has unleashed pieces of a will this should be trapped up forever. In the end Arthur defeats Mister Monday and saves the lower house, but there are more days of the week to be stopped. I thought this was a great book it had non-stop action. On of the greatest scenes of action is when Arthur and Mister Monday are fighting, the descriptiveness was so vivid I thought I was watching them the whole time. Another scene is when Arthur is being chased by creatures called Nithlings, he is saved by a friend and it explains really well how Arthur quickly climbed a rope and threw tiles at the creatures. Another cool part of the story is how he described the landscapes that were in the book. He would quickly and efficiently describe every place they went, not like some stories where the spend pages describing one little thing. Like when Arthur first got to the House, as everyone called the world he went to, the author quickly described where he appeared but I could vividly see it in my head. Or when Arthur first went in to Mister Monday's dayroom to fight him, thought there wasn't much to it, I knew exactly what it looked like so as the said where they were I understood it like it was my own home. Finally how everyone changed over the story, the characters in this story changed a lot in through the story. First of all Arthur who changed from assort of goofy asthmatic kid who couldn't run or fight in to a great hero. Suzy, one of Arthur's allies through out the story, changed from working at a crappy job to helping save the world. Mister Monday changed from a ruler of many to be a pathetic man grobbling for his life in front of Arthur. So all in all this was a great book I would recommend it to anyone. Even though it's a little long it can be read quickly because of how interesting it is. So my recommendation is to anyone who likes to amazed. S. Bricker | In the end Arthur defeats Mister Monday and saves the lower house, but there are more days of the week to be stopped | Arthur | positive | 2 |
This book explores the manner in which European - well British anyway - people became familiar with India from the 1700s on. It is mostly about the discoverers, but also reveals a lot about what they discovered. And the mysteries that remain. The ancient Harappan civilisation - so developed and yet so static - the Hindu culture and the Buddha who grew within it (but where have the Indian Buddhist gone today - how were they driven away or why did the philosophy become unfashionable), the Jains - a sect of the Buddhists? And then there are the aboriginal peoples of India, the Moslem invasions, and, of course, the British. I have had the good fortune to visit India on several trips - visiting the Taj Mahal, the caves at Elephanta, and Mahabalipuram. But the most spectacular site for me is Khajuraho. All these places are mentioned by Mr Keay (and, of course, many I have not visited) and I found it interesting to read about how each has a context in Indian history and helps us to understand better this continent of enormous population, of refined culture, and of such diverse mixtures of race. But the most amazing thing to me is the realisation that so many of these sites were abandoned ruins that had to be found, explored, restored, conserved. What rich pickings there were for those British colonials who took the continent to heart, and were not repulsed by its alienness. Khajuraho is a case in point, where the erotic nature of much of the adorned temples was a real shock to early explorers. And yet Mr Keay has some great words for it:"No pin-up ever approached the provocative postures, the smouldering looks and the langourous gestures of the Khajuraho nymphs. Serene rather than saucy, intent rather than ecstatic, they go gracefully about their feminine business, adjusting the hair, applying eye shadow, removing a splinter, approaching their lovers; then the kiss, the caress, the passionate love-making of first aquaintance, and the erotic experiments of a mature affection. Here there is love and beauty, passion and joy, instruction even and inspiration; but anything less sordid it is hard to imagine. One can only feel sorry for those generations of Europeans whose own sexual inhibitions prevented them from seeing it that way. "Mr Keay explores literature (such as the Ramayana), the leftovers of earlier civilisation (such as coins), architecture (Buddhist, Hindu and Moslem), and paintings. There are a couple of add-on chapters that seem a bit out of place, concerning flora and fauna. But I was a little disappointed that there was nothing of mathematics, astronomy, music. But having said that, this is a good read and a great adventure story that features some extraordinary people | There are a couple of add-on chapters that seem a bit out of place, concerning flora and fauna | flora | negative | 0 |
The children's novel "keys of the Kingdom Mister Monday" is a hardcore mix beetween mystery and science fiction. This is a 361 page book about a boy named Arthur Penhaligon who is destined to die an early death, but is saved by a key given to him by a mysterious man named Mister Monday. After being given the key he notices many strange things happening around his neighborhood. Including a strange house a few blocks away from his house. he journeys up the house into Mister Monday's room on the top floor of the house. After Arthur defeats Mister Monday he surrenders his strange powers to "The Will". I liked the way the author described all imnportant and non-important characters in such detail, but I didn't like the way he kept coming back to the question "why did Arthur get the key, why is he still alive, who are Mister Monday and Sneezer". My favorite character in this book was Noon the first big Villain or henchman of Mister Monday. He is my favorite character because he has and awesome outfit, I mean there aren't many guys waliking around with wings and a flaming sword. My favorite secton or scene was when mister monday & Sneezer first appeared. I liked the way the author made it so i could picture it in my head. What i would say to someone about this book is about a nobody kid who ends up saving the world. One question I have is what happens after you fall asleep during the process of the "Sleepy Plague". I would strongely recommend this book for someone who likes a book in which they can picture all of the important moments | I liked the way the author described all imnportant and non-important characters in such detail, but I didn't like the way he kept coming back to the question "why did Arthur get the key, why is he still alive, who are Mister Monday and Sneezer" | author | positive | 0 |
David Guterson's first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, was a true ensemble piece, in which even a high-stakes murder trial seemed like a judgment passed on the community at large. In his eloquent second novel, however, the author swings dramatically in the opposite direction. East of the Mountains is the tale of a solitary, 73-year-old Seattle widower. A retired heart surgeon, Ben Givens is an old hand at turning isolation to his advantage, both professionally and personally: "When everything human was erased from existence except that narrow antiseptic window through which another's heart could be manipulated--few were as adroit as Dr. Givens. " Now, however, Ben has been dealt a problem entirely beyond his powers of manipulation: a diagnosis of terminal cancer. With just a few months to live, he sets out across the Cascades for a hunting trip, planning to take his own life once he reaches the high desert. A car crash en route puts an initial crimp in this suicide mission. But the ailing surgeon presses onward--and begins a simultaneous journey into the past. Between present-tense episodes, which demonstrate Ben's cranky commitment to his own extinction, we learn about his boyhood in Washington's apple country, his traumatic war experience in the Italian Alps, and the beginning of his vocation. Guterson narrates the apple-scented idyll of Ben's childhood in a typically low-key manner--and orchards, of course, are seldom the stuff of melodrama. Still, many of his ambling sentences offer miniature lessons in patience and perception: "They rode back all day to the Columbia, traversed it on the Colockum Ferry, and at dusk came into their orchard tired, on empty stomachs, their hats tipped back, to walk the horses between the rows of trees in a silent kind of processional, and Aidan ran his hands over limbs as he passed them with his horse behind him, the limbs trembling in the wake of his passing, and on, then, to the barn. " The wartime episodes, however, are less satisfactory. Clearly Guterson has done his research down to the last stray bullet, but there's a second-hand feeling to the material, which seems less a token of Ben's detachment than the author's. There is, alas, an additional problem. Begin a story with a planned suicide, and there are exactly two possible outcomes. It would be unfair to reveal Ben's fate. But as the forces of life and death yank him one way, then another, Guterson tends to stack the deck--particularly during a bus ride toward the end of the novel, when Ben's fellow passengers appear to have wandered in from a Frank Capra film. Yet East of the Mountains remains a beautifully imagined work, in which the landscape reflects both Ben's desperation and his intermittent delight. And Guterson knows from the start what his protagonist learns in painful increments: that "a neat, uncomplicated end" doesn't exist on either side of the mountains. --James Marcus | Between present-tense episodes, which demonstrate Ben's cranky commitment to his own extinction, we learn about his boyhood in Washington's apple country, his traumatic war experience in the Italian Alps, and the beginning of his vocation | war experience | neutral | 0 |
Garth Nix really glued my eyes to this book for hours! I couldn't stop reading all day! His book Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's adventure into the House. While at school Arthur obtains a "Key" shaped like a minute hand on a clock. In the never-ending height of the House, he is the rightful heir to the lower part. The only problem is that the other hand of the clock is owned by the old ruler, who doesn't want to give it away. Meanwhile the first section of the "Will" the creator of everything left behind, has escaped from it's highly secured prison on a dead star. Although The only reason Arthur is in this adventure is so he can save the world from the plague the "Key" brought with it. Garth Nix can build one idea off of the other, which would help him explain his thoughts. For example, when Arthur is in an elevator with the "Will" and Suzy Turquoise Blue, (They are going to the 379th floor, so they have the time) Garth Nix explained everything about the plague Arthur wants to cure. So basically the author took the opportunity to explain all the confusing parts in the book up to that point. I personally love fantasy books, and Garth nix can draw people like me into his writing. He has things relating to time, space, extremely tall houses that can slow time the moment you touch it. Stuff like that!. I loved this book, so I probably am going to read the next books in this series:. #2 - Grim Tuesday. #3 - Drowned Wednesday. #4 - Sir Thursday. Coming Soon. #5 - Lady Friday. #6 - Superior Saturday. #7 - Lord Sunday. Will Arthur save the world from the plague? How did the "Will" escape? Read Mister Monday and all those questions will be answered! | While at school Arthur obtains a "Key" shaped like a minute hand on a clock | Key | neutral | 0 |
Garth Nix has become my new favorite writer, and my discovery started with Mister Monday, the first in the Keys to the Kingdom series. This opening episode introduces us to Arthur, a displaced but sharp young boy in his first days at a new school. When a distanced run in gym class brings on a devastating asthma attack, Arthur is supposed to die. Because he doesn't, he is thrust into a world he never knew existed, with the fate of all worlds in his hands. Having now read Sabriel, the first in Nix's earlier young adult series, The Abhorsen Trilogy, I can see how far he's come as a writer. Keys to the Kingdom is superbly paced, and with each new book, we learn a little more about the bigger picture. The arc of the stories is huge, but strongly anchored in the characters and Nix's attention to details. Just a note about editions: I collect books, and while paperbacks are available and cost a little less than the hardcovers, the hardcover editions of these books are very sharp looking on the shelf. They're colorful and really stand out in a larger collection. I have to say, I haven't read anything yet by Garth Nix that I didn't enjoy, but Mister Monday is by far my favorite. The opening few pages hooked me, and I'm now three books in, anxiously awaiting number four, Sir Thursday, coming out around March! | This opening episode introduces us to Arthur, a displaced but sharp young boy in his first days at a new school | Arthur | positive | 0 |
The book is about this kid whose name is authur. He gets caught in all this mess about trying to get a key from this guy whose name is Mister Monday. but before he can do that he has to dodge fechters, run from enemys like Noon and Dawn, run from dinosaurs, try not to get killed, and try to prevent himself from having a asthma atackk!! But, thankfully he has some help from a girl named suzy, a guy named Dusk, and a talking toad. So now, he shoulden't have nothing to worry about, right? | but before he can do that he has to dodge fechters, run from enemys like Noon and Dawn, run from dinosaurs, try not to get killed, and try to prevent himself from having a asthma atackk!! But, thankfully he has some help from a girl named suzy, a guy named Dusk, and a talking toad | Dawn | negative | 0 |
I liked this book because it had a lot of action and although the hero had asthma he kept on going. I also liked the strange, deformed "people" and the wooden robot-creatures that wielded axes and drills. This book was really, really good and I would recommend that alot of people buy it | I also liked the strange, deformed "people" and the wooden robot-creatures that wielded axes and drills | wooden robot-creatures | positive | 0 |
Not a bad little page-turner. I liked the story line; it has been done before, but not this well. The book sneaks up on you and really [stinks] you in. You find your self almost hurrying to the next page because the suspense builds through to the end of the book. Very good characters with competent development and well thought out roles within the story. I would have liked a bit more detail on the locations. Overall a good book from the period | I would have liked a bit more detail on the locations | locations | negative | 0 |
McDermid carefully reminds us of the atrocities committed during the Nazi era in Germany in this, the latest release for the Hill-Jordan series in the U. S. As opposed to many writers in the serial-killer/police procedural genre, Val McDermid consistently paints vivid, if disturbing, psychological portraits of the diseased mind responsible for the crimes committed in her novels. Her psychological material is carefully researched and propels the plot along at a brisk pace. Her writing continues to soar above most of her peers, and the relationship between the two protagonists keeps the reader coming back for book after book. Well done! | As opposed to many writers in the serial-killer/police procedural genre, Val McDermid consistently paints vivid, if disturbing, psychological portraits of the diseased mind responsible for the crimes committed in her novels | Val McDermid | neutral | 0 |
This book was more a series of sparse vignettes than an actual story. The fact is, something will happen, and then on the next page it will have come to a conclusion without any information on how that happened. The story wasn't too good, and the characters were flimsy. Although Mr. Zndel is generally a brilliant, brilliant writer, this book just did not measure up to the standards it's being judged against. If you're looking for some real Zindel, try I Never Loved Your Mind | Zndel is generally a brilliant, brilliant writer, this book just did not measure up to the standards it's being judged against | writer | positive | 0 |
This book is about two sisters, Angela & Diabola. Angela is sweet and she loves her sister dearly. Diabola is rotten and she hates her sister. She even strangled the cat! Their parents wanted to name them Jill & Jane. But when the vicar saw them he named them Angela & Diabola which means angel & devil. The only thing they have in common is they both love to draw. This is the best book! | But when the vicar saw them he named them Angela & Diabola which means angel & devil | vicar | neutral | 0 |
Jack Whalen, a retired L. A. cop now living in rural Washington state, whose background may be a little murky, is surprised by a visit from a high school semi-buddy who wants his help with a murdered family and a disappeared husband who may have been onto some highly secretive organization. Jack is reluctant to help until his own wife disappears while supposedly on a business trip to Seattle, and he learns that she may be involved with the same company the missing man was investigating/working with. When Jack's wife Amy reappears as if nothing is wrong but begins to act just a little bit "not Amy," he finds himself in an uneasy team with the old buddy, Fisher, trying to ferret out the truth behind a shadowy group whose members seem to be hiding some truly strange things. There is also a concurrent subplot, quite connected to the larger plot, involving a 9 year old girl who also goes missing but finds herself doing and thinking things far beyond her young capabilities, much to her confusion. The noir style of writing in Jack's portions of the narrative are wonderful and cleverly hard-boiled. Marshall throws in a bit of the supernatural and even SciFi, but the character of Jack and his determined progress keep this tale grounded firmly on the personal issues. I was afraid the book would veer into some "it's all aliens!" territory, but its focus stays earthbound, and the dramatic tensions build nicely to its climax, with a smooth denouement that makes sense | cop now living in rural Washington state, whose background may be a little murky, is surprised by a visit from a high school semi-buddy who wants his help with a murdered family and a disappeared husband who may have been onto some highly secretive organization | secretive organization | neutral | 0 |
I really enjoy Michael Marshall Smith's writing style, and heartily recommend one of his earlier novels, THE STRAW MEN. But THE INTRUDERS is pretty much a middling effort, at least when it comes to the plot. The first half of this novel is certainly well written, but the plotline is disjointed and makes little sense. Smith keeps on shifting perspectives and deliberately keeps the reader off-balance. While some readers may enjoy this type of storytelling, I prefer novels with straightforward narratives. Smith tries to tie everything together toward the end, but his "explanation" is so silly and contrived that I felt cheated. In the end, I felt the whole story was pointless. THE INTRUDERS is further weakened by the lack of a truly likable character. While all the characters are intelligent, most of them are dour and anti-social. There are also too many characters to keep track of, and some of them are just stereotypical (the world-weary hit man for example). Still, Smith is a terrific writer of prose, one of the best out there in genre fiction. There are many passages in thsi novel that I re-read because I was struck by their cleverness and insight. I recommend THE INTRUDERS if you enjoy good writing, but if you want a great story, you should try THE STRAW MEN instead | THE INTRUDERS is further weakened by the lack of a truly likable character | THE INTRUDERS | negative | 2 |
Some early young adult novels (it's a fairly new form of literature, you know) age gracefully and seamlessly. I'm thinking of course of Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" and (to a lesser extent), S. E. Hinton?s, "The Outsiders". Unfortunately, I have a nasty suspicion that these books are the exception rather than the rule. For every "Forever" there's a "My Darling, My Hamburger" that contains a great story bogged down by changes in the world. While Paul Zindel's classic tale of four teenagers and their relationship problems is at times both moving and perfectly toned, mostly the problems presented in it are as dated as they come. Even a plot synopsis makes this apparent. Friends Maggie and Liz aren't exactly close, but they hang out frequently together. Liz is the more beautiful and popular of the two with Maggie often following behind. When Liz and her boyfriend Sean decide to hook up Maggie with his friend Dennis, the blind date is as incredibly awkward as they come. Throughout the book the narrative switches between Maggie and her tentative relationship with Dennis and Liz's problems with Sean. Sean, like any normal teenager, is as horny as they come and is continually pressuring Liz to have sex. She'd like to, but she worries that it might end up in pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what happens and soon the big question in the book is whether or not Sean will do the honorable thing and marry Liz (!!) or if Liz will seek out an illegal abortion on her own. It's this last plotline that struck me as dated. The book was originally written in 1969, a full three years before Roe V. Wade and in many ways this abortion issue (while it still looms large) isn't the same. Sure, many girls will sweat over what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, but crossing the border to a state where abortion is legal is probably a more up-to-date literary solution than getting a back alley job. Then there's the debate about whether a girl should marry the guy who gets her pregnant, regardless of how old they are or what their future plans are. Maybe there are pockets of the country where this really is the only honorable solution to such a problem, but it's really not how the majority of teens would handle it today. The book is additionally riddled with small cultural time capsules as well. Talk about how Orientals kill themselves for honor, going to the movie theater to watch a documentary on pygmies, and the complete and total lack of any mention of STDs all combine to make this book an interesting window into the past. To some degree it does still speak to teens today. I was especially amused by the Sex Ed. teacher's advice on how to stop a guy from going all the way, (suggest going out for a hamburger). The characters were interesting as well. Liz, unfortunately, isn't a character you're going to identify with intrinsically. Yes, it's sad that she doesn't get along with her parents. But she's such a self-absorbed person, constantly ridiculing her best friend and at the same time dragging Maggie into horrid and dangerous situations, that by the end you feel zippo pity for her. In fact, you're supposed to end this story hating and pitying Sean who got her pregnant in the first place. Curse those lustful young men that refuse to marry their knocked up girlfriends! Curse them! This book probably read very well in the 1970s and I could even see it having some interesting points in the 1980s. But by the 1990s with the advent of AIDS better known and the options available to teens widening, books like this one began to read more as cautionary tales than as contemporary novels. I've no doubt that "My Darling, My Hamburger" was riveting and shocking when it first came out. Unfortunately, that's certainly no longer the case. I recommend it as a glimpse into the America that once was. If you'd like to know more about the history of the Young Adult novel, this is a good book to pick up. Just don't expect it to have too many insights to offer today. I'm afraid it's no longer that meaningful | When Liz and her boyfriend Sean decide to hook up Maggie with his friend Dennis, the blind date is as incredibly awkward as they come | Sean | neutral | 0 |
Though not a fan of fantasy, I do read it occasionally to keep up on what my students are reading. The richly imagined descriptions in this series made it one that I enjoyed reading. An asthmatic seventh grade boy, Arthur Penhaligan, is the hero for this seven book fantasy. Handicapped and with the odds always against him, he does not give up trying to do what's right. A rich stew of surreal Alice in Wonderland-type imagery and characters, elements reminiscent of myths, an alternate universe, endless hair's breadth escapes, grisly horror, and mystery, Keys to the Kingdom never lags. However, this series is not just a vividly imagined movie in print for a happy reader to follow. Keys to the Kingdom is a thinking kid's fantasy. If one pays close enough attention, answers to the great questions of the origins of our world and our human natures might come close to being answered. Well-liked by both boys and girls in my middle school classes, this series is favored by boys; and though written at a seventh grade reading level, is also well-liked by high school boys into about tenth grade. The interest level is rated at grade five through eight. Both the complexity of the plot and the at times nightmare-like imagery may keep this from being a book for fifth grade and under, unless a child in these years is looking to be challenged and a little frightened. The series starts with Mister Monday and moves through each day of the week: Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, Lady Friday, Superior Saturday, and the eagerly awaited and yet un-named Sunday episode. Gaby Chapman | A rich stew of surreal Alice in Wonderland-type imagery and characters, elements reminiscent of myths, an alternate universe, endless hair's breadth escapes, grisly horror, and mystery, Keys to the Kingdom never lags | alternate universe | neutral | 0 |
Mister Monday is an interesting Fantasy novel that draws readers in from the very beginning. The main character, Arthur is flawed and that is what makes him the "chosen" one for the Keys to the Kingdom. In this series starter, Arthur learns what power he has as he tries to determine how to live his life with this key that he has obtained and this house and little, scary fantasy creatures that no one else can see but him. Arthur starts to think he is losing it, but a few friends from his P. E. class see the creatures too, so Arthur apprehensively goes on his journey as the reluctant hero who is bound to find a way to save his community and family. This book along with Grim Tuesday will hook readers on this series. I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series. Harry Potter lovers can definitely find a new love in this series | Mister Monday is an interesting Fantasy novel that draws readers in from the very beginning | Mister Monday | positive | 1 |
Mister Monday is an interesting Fantasy novel that draws readers in from the very beginning. The main character, Arthur is flawed and that is what makes him the "chosen" one for the Keys to the Kingdom. In this series starter, Arthur learns what power he has as he tries to determine how to live his life with this key that he has obtained and this house and little, scary fantasy creatures that no one else can see but him. Arthur starts to think he is losing it, but a few friends from his P. E. class see the creatures too, so Arthur apprehensively goes on his journey as the reluctant hero who is bound to find a way to save his community and family. This book along with Grim Tuesday will hook readers on this series. I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series. Harry Potter lovers can definitely find a new love in this series | In this series starter, Arthur learns what power he has as he tries to determine how to live his life with this key that he has obtained and this house and little, scary fantasy creatures that no one else can see but him | house | neutral | 0 |
McDermid carefully reminds us of the atrocities committed during the Nazi era in Germany in this, the latest release for the Hill-Jordan series in the U. S. As opposed to many writers in the serial-killer/police procedural genre, Val McDermid consistently paints vivid, if disturbing, psychological portraits of the diseased mind responsible for the crimes committed in her novels. Her psychological material is carefully researched and propels the plot along at a brisk pace. Her writing continues to soar above most of her peers, and the relationship between the two protagonists keeps the reader coming back for book after book. Well done! | McDermid carefully reminds us of the atrocities committed during the Nazi era in Germany in this, the latest release for the Hill-Jordan series in the U | McDermid | neutral | 0 |
I'll admit it. the cover is what first drew me to this book. I liked the glowing clock hands and the fog with the creepy things standing in it. Then I flipped it over and read that the main character, Arthur Penhaligon, was supposed to die, yet he didn't. Instantly, I was intrigued. Arthur has asthma, which is something I can relate to since I had it as a kid too. He pushes himself too hard because he doesn't want to feel alienated by his weaker lungs. It's an asthma attack that almost kills him, but he is saved through the efforts of a small piece of a Will and a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Soon after the arrival of the key come those who wish to hunt it down and return it to Mister Monday. Among those are the army of doglike and winged creatures, all dressed in attire befitting a civilization one hundred and fifty years ago. With them they bring the sleepy plague that begins to overtake Arthur's homeland. Arthur uses the key to enter into a mysterious house (that only he can see) in hopes of finding a cure. There he discovers a world beautifully ripe with clockwork imagery and centralized around the written word. Those that reside there trade in paper and ink materials instead of money. Plus there are ever present characters of Monday's army, such as Dawn, Noon, and Dusk. Although I liked the concept of this book, I found Arthur's overall journey to be a bit too contrived and that he is led where he goes simply because the author placed him on that path and not because it was the pull of the character leading us on his story. Overall, despite the quirky environment and characters, the story felt predictable and a bit templated in its structure. I also picked up on a religious tone to the book, which I only mention to make you aware that it's in there. I did find the setting fun to visualize and it is because of that, I will be checking out Grim Tuesday next | Soon after the arrival of the key come those who wish to hunt it down and return it to Mister Monday | Mister Monday | neutral | 0 |