Book Review – Grim Tuesday

Author: Garth Nix
Cover Artist: John Blackford
Publisher: Scholastic
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: March 2005

After having read the first book in Garth Nix’s The Keys to the Kingdom series, Mister Monday a couple of days ago, I immediately jumped into both the next installment, and in regards to the continuity of the series the next day of the week, entitled Grim Tuesday. Nix delivers more of positive aspects he offers in Mister Monday, and reduces the frequency of some of the elements present that were at least in some way curtailing the reading experience, and in my opinion was chopping up the fluidity Nix’s depiction of the sequence of events. I just want to a note that thus far it is apparent that it is imperative to read ‘The Keys to the Kingdom’ in the proper order of publication, to not do so, at least from what I can tell by the first two novels would be rather useless and certainly not recommended.

Grim Tuesday, as indicated above takes place the day after the occurrences in Mister Monday at least in how time flows on Earth (a secondary realm in the series). Arthur Penhaligon, back at home, leaving the portion of the Will as his steward, of his title of Monday for six years, is contact by the Will the very next day (Tuesday, which in reference to time in the House, is equal to 6 months). Arthur learns from his steward that his lordship of the dominion of the Lower House, and as the Monday are being contested in court by the Lord of the Lord of the Reaches, and Tuesdays, Grim Tuesday. Apparently the former Mr. Monday, owed a sizable debt to Grim Tuesday, a debt that The Lower Houses couldn’t pay off in the prescribed amount of time, and knowing this Grim Tuesday asks for Arthur’s key and thus his dominion. Grim Tuesday is acting on the authority and approval of the other Lords and is given permission to force Arthur to agree in any ways necessary (also note that it is impossible to take a key forcibly from a owner it was freely given, unless you are the heir). Grim Tuesday does this by sending his minions to earth and commits actions against Arthur’s family, manipulating their finances, bankrupting them, etc forcing Arthur to once again go back to the House and confront another Lord, which is the basis for the novel. The irony of the novel is really that Arthur really had no desire personally, contrary to the Will, to extend his claims on other portions of the House, no matter that he is the heir, and would not have been pushed to confront Grim Tuesday at least so suddenly if Grim didn’t push his claim on the Lower House at the behest of the other Lords, and his greed.

As noted above, Grim Tuesday offers more of the elements that I felt made Mister Monday entertaining and worthwhile, as well as answered some questions that would arise after the reading. Again, we see some references to familiar events, whether historical or literary, even if in a very abstract method smartly, and often times inventively interwoven into the plot. The appearance of Captain Shelvocke, the Ancient Mariner, the subject of works by Samuel Coleridge, and also Wordsworth. The particular inclusion of the Mariner is rather impressive, as the make up, and attitude of the Mariner toward events and man in the classic poems are personified in Nix’s rendition. In his appearance in Grim Tuesday he is used by Nix as a link from the divine to the secondary realms. The reader finds out that The Architect is indeed a woman, and birthed children with the “Old One” which included the Mariner and his brothers, one of which is the Pied Piper. There are also nice references to the Great Depression (1929) and its cause, as well as Arthur meeting the “Old One” whose predicament will remind some readers of similar punishments levied by the ancient Gods of Greek mythology on the Titans. Nix has a gift with the use of allegory not only in regards to his choices in how to relay them, but the fact that he does so in a way that doesn’t depreciate the storyline to its intended target audience which admittedly is a younger group. Nix is extremely deft in this quality, which makes ‘The Keys to the Kingdom’ equally readable by the younger and experienced readers of fantasy alike.

Some of the aspects I didn’t like in Mister Monday were either eliminated or reduced in Grim Tuesday. The seemingly constant reminders of Arthur’s asthmatic condition were much more underplayed in the novel, explained by Arthur’s proximity to the Key. The choppiness was less apparent, as I thought (as stated in my review of Mister Monday) mostly attributed to Mr. Nix having to give us an over abundance of information in Mr. Monday to set up his setting, players, and as mentioned, a really inventive, and creative backdrop. There are some negatives that begin to brush on you, particularly I think if you read the novels right after each other like I did, and you notice that conflicts in the body of the novel are generally not very long, and handled in succession, and not put off for other times and expanded upon, until perhaps the end of Grim Tuesday. Also, Nix takes a different take with Arthur, who seemingly has no desire to “escape’ into this world he has made, a far cry from the subject of many other novels, which at times although somewhat unique is rather difficult to comprehend fully. This can be attributed to this series being written to be readable by a younger audience, but I really think this potential dislike (to older readers) is really overshadowed by “smart” inclusions, like the references, and allegory noted above. A short way to describe the series thus far is a rather non-complex adventure on the surface, with a rather brilliant backdrop. The notion that bureaucracy even upends the “will” of God is a powerfully rendered in the series.

Grim Tuesday also gives us some new insights, besides the information regarding the Architect and the ”Old One”. We learn from Grim Tuesday, that although denizens of the House are of course higher beings than those of the secondary realms, they are not capable of creativity. They can expand and combine on other inventions but do not posses original creativity. Grim Tuesday, The Lord of the Reaches, holder of another part of the “Will” and the primary antagonist of the novel, commands indentured servants who mine from a pit “Nothing”, from which all things can be created (which is the subject of some humorous dialogue in the beginning of the novel). He has been warned about his continued mining of Nothing and the danger it poses to the House, but dismisses the risk, which offers yet another keen insight into humanity. The same supporting cast returns from Mister Monday to aid Arthur, the most interesting of which is the Keeper of the Door of the House, who seemingly is neutral but has aided Arthur twice now, and if I had to make a guess will play a larger role sometime in the future of the series. I also like that the series takes a bit of a jump into speculating future events, instead of just bridging the end of Grim Tuesday to what may happened in the next installment Drowned Wednesday, we get an apparent appearance of the Noon of Superior Saturday who makes a lasting impression on Arthur to say the least.

I enjoyed Grim Tuesday, and look forward to continue my reading of The Keys of the Kingdom, a really nice, light hearted series thus far, that doesn’t lack for creativity, and offers just enough “smart” elements to keep me interested.

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