The first book in this series, Mister Monday, introduces Arthur Penhaligon, a fairly average seventh- grader in the (presumably) near future. Arthur is supposed to die, but a twist of fate brings him a 'key' which saves his life and also causes him to see odd things - like the house that takes up half the street in his neighborhood. Suddenly strange creatures come after him, causing those around him to grow sick with the 'Sleepy Plague.' Arthur realizes that to save himself and his family, he must venture into the strange house. Suddenly, Arthur is swept up in an adventure without any idea of what the key means. But soon, he'll discover that he has gotten more than he bargained for: the Will has declared that he is the rightful heir and it's his job to undo damage and set things to rights, even though Monday won't give up his position without a fight.
The next four books tell the story of Arthur's struggle to release the rest of the Will and gain control of the keys:
In Grim Tuesday, Tuesday has decided to call in Monday's debt and will take it from Arthur in any way necessary, forcing Arthur to sneak back into the House and gather new friends and allies as he works through new challenges.
Wednesday follows in Drowned Wednesday; Arthur receives an invitation from Wednesday and discovers that she has been cursed by others of the Morrow Days, causing her to eat until she has turned into a Leviathan. She offers her key freely if Arthur will help release her from the spell, forcing Arthur to make difficult decisions about whom he should trust. Meanwhile, his friend, Leaf, has accidentally gotten caught up in Arthur's adventures and must find a way to keep herself safe while Arthur forges ahead to gain the third key.
After dealing with Wednesday, Arthur discovers in Sir Thursday that a copy of him has taken up residence on Earth and is trying to gain control of everyone around him. Leaf gets sent back to help, but Arthur must stay because he has been called up to serve in Thursday's army, as all denizens must do at some point. Army life would be dangerous enough, but an army of Nithlings ,unlike any the denizens have ever seen, has appeared and started a war. Arthur's only hope may be to gain the fourth key and negotiate peace.
Finally, in Lady Friday, Leaf discovers that Friday is abducting mortals from Earth and experimenting on them. In the House, Friday has lead Arthur and others on a wild goose chase for her key, claiming to have abdicated. Only Arthur can save his friend and the other innocent people that Friday is tormenting, if only he can wade through all the traps first.
Note: According to Amazon, the sixth book, Superior Saturday, will be released in August 2008. The seventh, and final, book does not yet have a release date.
This series is great. It seems to be geared somewhat toward younger teens, but they're interesting enough for all ages. The story is new, imaginative, and fairly unpredictable. There are not many 'solid' characters in these books (most of them are generic 'denizens of the House' that Arthur meets on his quests), but Arthur is definitely well defined and easy to sympathize with. The plot keeps moving at a good pace and these books are all fairly quick reads, but without being too 'fluffy.' I'm looking forward to the final two books and I would definitely recommend them to fantasy fans of all ages.
- If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Last Apprentice, Fablehaven, or Flora Segunda
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