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Sir Thursday (UK)

Sir Thursday - UK Cover

Sir Thursday (US)

Sir Thursday - US Cover

Sir Thursday is the fourth Book in Garth Nix's The Keys To The Kingdom Series. It revolves around Arthur Penhaligon's quest to take his power in the House and rule over the Universe. He comes up against Sir Thursday, and the Piper (the youngest son of the Architect and the Old One). It is preceeded by Drowned Wednesday and succeeded by Lady Friday


Sir Thursday[]

One of the main antagonists in this story is Sir Thursday, one of the seven Days against whom Arthur must face off. They were seven of the Architect's favourite Denizens and were placed in charge of the The House (in absentia). They were each given one of seven Keys, and the House split into seven Domains, each Day ruling one of these Domains - having absolute power in their Deminse. They were also forbidden to enter the Universes outside of the House (the 'Original Law') but they and their monions are capable of going to any place in existence on the day with their namesake (i.e. 'Mister Monday' can go to Earth on a Monday). Unfortunately, though originally pure of heart, absolute power corrupted them, in different ways, absolutely. In the case of Sir Thursday, he has the sin of 'Wrath' - great anger. He rules over the Great Maze (which houses the Glorious Army of the Architect). Sir Thursday is loyal to his superiors (he is a soldier in every sense) and is the leader of the Glorious Army.

Plot[]

SPOILER: Warning - Plot Revealed

Copied from Wikipedia [1]

The book begins with Arthur Penhaligon and Leaf attempting to return to Earth after their adventures in the Border Sea. While Leaf is able to pass through the front door and return to Earth, the presence of a Nithling duplicate of Arthur prevents him from doing so, and he is forced to remain in the Lower House.

Dame Primus then informs him that Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday have been assassinated. Moments later, he is drafted into the Glorious Army of the Architect – wherein everyone living in the House must serve for 100 years – which is based in the chessboard-like demesne called the Great Maze. The leader of the army is the Fourth Trustee of the Will, Sir Thursday, a Denizen afflicted with the deadly sin of wrath. The army is currently involved in a campaign against the Piper, who is trying to claim the Fourth Key.

Within the army, Arthur is soon mistaken for a Piper's child and has his memory wiped, along with his friend Fred Initials Numbers Gold – a real Piper's child. One month later and during the first battle against the Piper's New Nithling army, Arthur begins to recall his identity. The entirety of it is recovered later in the book when an officer mentions his name and title.

On Earth, Arthur's double, known as the Skinless Boy, has thrown a hospital near Arthur's home into panic by infecting staff and patients with a fungoid, extraterrestrial life-form which allows him to read and eventually control their thoughts and actions. This fungus, nicknamed Grayspot, is mistaken for a biological weapon, and the hospital put under quarantine. Leaf infiltrates the hospital, seeking to obtain and destroy the magical object used to create the Skinless Boy: a pocket torn from one of Arthur's shirts. She succeeds, but is infected by Grayspot in the process. She then leaves the hospital, only to find that the House has appeared above it and cannot be reached from the ground. With the help of a retired pharmacist named Sylvie, Leaf makes her way to Arthur's house where she uses a special telephone to contact Arthur's friends and get help, just as the fungus gains full control of her body.

Suzy Turquoise Blue arrives and takes the pocket to the House. There, she finds Arthur and Fred, and joins them in a raid led by Sir Thursday to find and destroy the New Nithlings' weapon, which is preventing the mechanical floor of the Great Maze from shifting. Arthur destroys the weapon by throwing the pocket into it, simultaneously destroying the Skinless Boy. As Arthur escapes from the Piper with Sir Thursday, he distracts Thursday enough for the

Sir Thursday (AUS)

Sir Thursday (Australian Cover)

fourth part of the Will, a snake embodying the virtue of justice, to break free, whereupon it makes Arthur the Bearer of the Fourth Key – a sword or baton depending on whether or not the wielder is in combat – and Commander of the Glorious Army of the Architect. With help from Dame Primus and others from the lower demesnes, Arthur defeats the New Nithling army.

On Earth, Leaf wakes up in a hospital a week after the Skinless Boy was defeated. She soon learns from a nurse that the Grayspot has disappeared and that Lady Friday, another Trustee, has become a doctor on Earth.


The Keys to the Kingdom Series
Mister Monday Grim Tuesday Drowned Wednesday Sir Thursday Lady Friday Superior Saturday Lord Sunday
The House The Keys The Keys To The Kingdom
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