Exactly what is expected of an audiobook. Just as well-read as the previous books in the series. I can't wait until Lord Sunday (the last book in the series).

Each book in this series has been something of a surprise. Each one occurs in a different "part" of "The House of the Architect". Up to now, only a tag at the end of the previous volume has given the reader any hint as to the location in the House of the next volume's story.

But Saturday has been hinted at as the master intriguer against Arthur, the Rightful Heir to the Kingdom. She has masterminded the demise of many, including former Key Holders, and nearly Arthur himself on multiple occasions, sacrificing Saturday's Dusk in the second book to set up one such attempt. She was prefigured as a mover and shaker before we knew even the names of most of the other six Days. So I expected the real fireworks to fly in this volume, even though there would clearly be one more to go - Sunday. True, the reasons behind Saturday's destruction of others are made clear, even to her destruction of whole portions of the House. Still, the level of circles within circles found in the earlier volumes is missing here. Once Arthur manages to get to the Upper House, it seems only a matter of time before he subdues Superior Saturday, clearly the most powerful of his enemies.

Yes, there is a cliffhanger at the end, and some uncertainty about the subduing. And we are certainly left with mystery regarding Lord Sunday. I just felt disappointed at the denouement, but perhaps the last volume will show that I was mistaken, and Saturday still has a role.

I can't wait, which shows that I still enjoyed the whole series to date!

An very unhappy. have not recieved the book nor any reply from seller I would not have even given it one star but has to give it a rating to continue

After excitedly reading the first five books I was anxious to read this one. What a let down this particular book was. It feels very stripped down and rushed. There is no real excitement at all during the quick drive to an ending. As others have noted this one feels unfinished and also ends on a cliffhanger, as if the last chapter was missing. The plot is very straight forward and the antagonist who we have had glimpses of through the other novels shows up briefly and never really challenges our hero during this whole story. Superior Saturday should have been a tougher foe to defeat but we never really see any interaction between the two main characters.

If you equate his previous books to be movies, this book would fall in at a 1/2 hour tv episode mark. Sorry, I so wanted to love the book, but it was quick, shallow and unsatisfying. I still love the universe that he has built and hope to see an epic resolution in his next novel. Hopefully the right people will see all of our reviews and take it to heart and not let us down again.

I had so long awaited this book and was disapointed with it's lack of depth. I hate when a book has no ending and you must read the next to feel satisfied. That is what this book did, it left you hanging.

Garth Nix's SUPERIOR SATURDAY is another 'Keys to the Kingdom' series title best enjoyed by collections with prior familiarity to the plot. Arthur here has wrested five of the Keys from their immortal guardians, the Trustees of the Will - but the Sixth Key poses different, greater challenges. Superior Saturday isn't just one of the Trustees - she's the oldest Denizen and the most powerful sorcerer within the house. Arthur faces his greatest challenge when a house is being destroyed and only the keys can save the House and his home city. A vivid fantasy comes to life for middle school readers.

Having read and loved Garth Nix's OLD KINGDOM books (SABRIEL, LIRAEL, and ABHORSEN) as well as his SEVENTH TOWER series, I had pretty high expectations when I started in on SUPERIOR SATURDAY. I wasn't
disappointed. The action moves along quickly, with new and original presentations of magic at every turn, and major and minor characters worth cheering for (or, in the case of the antagonists, against).

The sixth book in Nix's KEYS TO THE KINGDOM series picks up right where the fifth book left off, making it a little confusing to understand at first, especially if you're a newcomer to the series, like I was when reading this. The book is certainly good enough to merit your going to the library and checking out all of the previous ones in order to get up to speed, but in case your library is as negligent as mine, here's the background that I wish I could have had going in.

Our protagonist, asthmatic twelve-year-old Arthur Penhaligon, through a series of complicated circumstances described in previous novels, is taken from his home on Earth and granted the power of being the Heir to the Kingdom. Nix's complicated but fascinating universe centers around a grand House that is the epicenter of all universes, and is ruled by seven Trustees, all named for the days of the week. Within the House, each Trustee has its own domain. As the Heir, Arthur's duty is to wrest the Keys to the Kingdom from the corrupt Trustees, and to recreate the Will of the Architect, which the Trustees have consistently disobeyed. The Architect is a mysterious figure responsible for creating both the House and the "secondary realms," including Earth.

In this sixth book in the series, Arthur is up against one of the toughest of the Trustees: Superior Saturday, with her power to work great sorceries with the help of the sixth Key. With the help of friends and acquaintances throughout the House, Arthur attempts to infiltrate Saturday's portion of the House and find the sixth part of the Architect's Will. He's running out of time, though, as the dangerously corrosive Nothing eats away at the House's foundations.

Arthur must retrieve the Key, and the next part of the Will, in time to ensure that the House is not destroyed--for if the epicenter of all universes is demolished, the secondary realms that depend upon its survival will also crumble and fall, making for the end of Earth and Arthur's home.

Nix always has a unique perspective on magic, and this series is no different in that respect. His innovations draw heavily upon archetypes and numerous different branches of mythology that add a richness and texture to his world, even if the average reader does not see them all on the first read-through. I also enjoyed his characterization of Arthur, a young boy who is taking on increasingly difficult tasks and succeeding at them, so that although he is young, there is a strength and maturity to his outlook. Of course, this doesn't prevent him from having his share of doubts.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend the series to anyone interested in fantasy adventure.

Reviewed by: Candace Cunard

The book was good. But it wasn't what I expected. When it got to the point where the main character would normally finish what he started it just ends.

It wasn't all that good. It could of been just a bit longer and drawn out it was so rushed. but then again it makes a great steping stone for the last book as well.

I was very excited when Superior Saturday first came in and I got it. I will say right now that this book had all the imagination, action, and suspense that Garth Nix's previous Keys to the Kingdom books possessed. Yet, the over all story of the book seemed a litte 'rushed'. Like Garth Nix wanted nothing more than to just get this book over with already. I also thought that this book would give out more answers, but instead presented more mysteries (if you read the previous books you'll agree that the last thing we need is mysteries). And like the previous books Superior Saturday ends with a clincher. I will recommend reading Superior Saturday only to those that read the earlier novels, and I can hardly wait until Lord Sunday comes out.

In this sixth installment in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix some readers might be disappointed some readers might be satisfied, I was the latter of the two.

It's Saturday for Arthur Penhaligon and it's not getting any easier for him, The Lower House and Far Reaches are being eaten away by nothing and there's not much that can be done to stop it and as usual Arthur has too many things to do at once, but the most important of these things if finding the sixth part of the will and the claiming the sixth key this is easier said then done as Arthur will have to claim it from the great sorcerer Superior Saturday, while doing all these things away from earth Arthur can not forget the things that are happening there, between whats happening in the secondary realms and what's happening on Earth Arthur soon realizes that the Keys are changing making him angrier towards people among other things.

Superior Saturday is a good book, to me it was not a definitely not a disappointment although one thing that did bother me was that we don't see much of Saturday since were hearing so much about this sorcerer it would be nice to see and learn more about beside that fact Garth Nix keeps us asking for more in this great series 5/5

On the sixth day, there was sorcery...

Saturday is about to arrive, (Lord) Arthur Penhaligon has managed to defeat Lady Friday, recover the Fifth Part of the Will, collect the Fifth Key, and has undergone some strange changes that may or may not indicate that he's becoming a Denizen.

While he and Leaf are returning sleeping patients to their hospital rooms, Arthur receives terrible news. Now he must save numerous people, including his own family, from being victims of a sanctioned nuclear air strike. The only solution that government officials believe can eradicate it is a mysterious viral plague nexus located at the East Area Hospital. With mere minutes to spare, Arthur uses the power of the Fifth Key, but when the area is cast in a weird red glow and everything seems to be rendered motionless, Arthur decides to seek help from Dr. Scamandros.

When Arthur arrives back at the House in Mister Monday's Dayroom, he discovers that the situation is quite serious there as well. Denizens are nowhere to be found, and an eerie calm has fallen over the place. He soon learns the reason why and barely manages to escape, as the Dayroom is engulfed in a wave of Nothing.

After finding Dr. Scamandros and having a confusing meeting with Old One, Arthur and the doctor go to the Citadel to assess the dire state of affairs and meet with Dame Primus. The Piper's Army has withdrawn, and it becomes apparent that Superior Saturday is responsible for the unleashed Nothing. As Dame Primus turns her concerns to defending the foundations of the House, Arthur decides to confront Superior Saturday, locate the Sixth Part of the Will and collect the Sixth Key.

With help from the power of the Fifth Key, Dr. Scamandros, some Raised Rats and, of course, (General) Suzy Turquoise Blue, Arthur finds himself in a dramatic adventure that includes some rather peculiar espionage, an assortment of Superior Saturday's associates (including a gang of grease monkeys) and lots of rain. However, time is precious and Arthur may have to say goodbye to his former life forever.

There is no lack of excitement or strange characters and places for readers to discover in SUPERIOR SATURDAY, the sixth installment in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series. Arthur has gone from a reluctant young hero to a determined, (almost) fearless young leader --- a change noted by his willingness to stand up and make his own decisions, even if he may regret the consequences. However, it's not all seriousness as readers will have a laugh or two at the odd behavior of the Denziens from the Upper House and some of Arthur's allies. In the midst of this adventure, Arthur also begins to uncover secrets concerning The House (such as its purpose to the Architect) and tries to find answers to lingering questions, including what his true destiny is.

The journey is far from over, though, when Arthur finally meets (his foe or ally?) Lord Sunday in the seventh and final installment of the series.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

Arthur Penhaligan's week is almost over, but unfortunately it's not getting any better. Not for him, and not for the House.

In fact, just about everything is tumbling down in the penultimate book of Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, "Superior Saturday," in which Arthur finally encounters the malevolent sorceress who's been messing things up throughout the series. It's a suitably chaotic and haunting story, and Arthur's internal struggles and new discoveries are a pretty fascinating read -- but don't expect it to really end on anything but a massive cliffhanger.

Arthur receives an emergency call from his brother, who warns him that the Army is about to nuke their entire town. Desperate, Arthur tries to shield the town, but instead ends up slowing time. Unfortunately that is only one of his worries: the magic of the Keys is transforming Arthur's body and mind into something inhuman, and Nothing is eroding away the very foundations of the House. To stop it, he must somehow steal away Superior Saturday's power, and he has to rely on one of the less reliable forces in the House to smuggle himself and Suzy into Saturday's domain.

While Leaf and her pal struggle to save Friday's sleeping victims, Arthur explores Saturday's realm. Turns out Saturday is building a vast tower built by Piper's Children and overseen by sorcerers, so she can reach the Incomparable Gardens that Lord Sunday rules -- and what's more, Arthur is having a lot of trouble locating the Will. His only hope is to climb the tower with Saturday's sorcerous army -- but what awaits them at the top?

"Superior Saturday" is not just saturated in rain, but in desperation. A lot of bad things are happening all at once, since the House is about to collapse, the town is about to be bombed by the Army, all the Piper's rats and children are suspect, and Arthur has found that he can't even trust Dame Primus anymore. There are a lot of bad things going on in "Superior Saturday," but Nix also unfolds some intriguing new revelations about the House and its purpose, during another visit to the imprisoned Old One.

And Nix somehow loads all of this into the plot without making it feel clunky or infodumpy. He spins a suitably dark and gloomy atmosphere over Saturday's domain, full of steampunk-style machinary and lots of ever-drizzling rain. It moves pretty gradually for awhile, but speeds up after Arthur locates the Will, and bumps into another old enemy. And Nix isn't afraid to throw in some horror moments, such as an unfortunate Denizen whose body was dissolved by Nothing, or the chaotic attacks on Saturday's army during the climax.

The biggest problem is that "Superior Saturday" doesn't really end -- the action and tension slowly build for a long time, only to snap like a recoiling spring... on a cliffhanger. Rather than being story unto itself, it's the first half of a story that "Lord Sunday" will finish.

While Arthur seems to accept his transformation a bit too easily, his struggles with his inhuman thoughts ("For a moment he even felt like striking Scamandros, or forcing the Denizen to prostrate himself and beg forgiveness") and rapidly changing body are well-drawn. And Nix raises some intriguing questions about just what it is that Arthur is turning into, since it's made quite clear that he's not transforming into a run-of-the-mill Denizen.

While it has no real ending, "Superior Saturday" is a dark, mildly horrific ride through what is left of the House, and promises a spellbinding finale in the final Keys to the Kingdom novel. An enthralling little book, so long as you don't mind waiting for what comes next.

This is the shortest book in the series, both in pages and in content. In all of the other books, at the end, Arthur has fought the title character and taken his or her key. In this one, Arthur begins to do both of those things, but is suddenly cut off by the book ending. There really isn't much warning; the book simply ends. It is as if Garth Nix ran out of time and published a partially finished book. What's more, the first two thirds of the book feel like introduction--and they are about the length of the sections of the previous books that had the same feeling. It's all very strange.

On the other hand, the ideas introduced in this installment are fascinating. They literally kept me up at night for several days after finishing it. It should also be mentioned that this one has all of the intensity of the previous five books--I finished it in a day, or arguably two days considering how late I stayed up reading it. It feels like this book is all buildup to the next one, as if Garth Nix cut this one off short because he wanted to put some of what would be covered into the next book, perhaps in some sort of final fight. I am reminded of the sixth Harry Potter book; it was the only one that didn't have a clean ending.

All in all, the book was far too short, but it was really good stuff (as always), and the shortness may or may not be for a good reason.

"Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)"
- Rihanna


Book Six of the series "The Keys to the Kingdom" has the young hero Arthur Penhaligon taking on the oldest Trustee and first Denizen who just happens to be the third oldest entity in the Universe. Superior Saturday is a powerful sorceress who rules the Upper House with the help of thousands upon thousands of lesser sorcerers who do her bidding while stacked in iron framed cubicles with wire meshed floors and no ceilings.

Working conditions suck big time, what with the perpetual rainfall and all, and the job is even tougher for the "grease monkeys" who have to keep the chains and gears in working order. Promotions and demotions are physical moves, sometimes accompanied by projectiles and heckling, and job perks usually mean not much more than a different colored umbrella (ella, ella, eh eh eh)

Superior Saturday is afflicted with the sin of envy, and her sole ambition is to infiltrate the domain of Lord Sunday, through the "Incomparable Gardens". It's up to Arthur, with a little help from his friends, to rise to the top of her Babel-like Tower and secure the Sixth Key.

With this series, you need to read the books in order so as to understand what's going on. This one is very short, but is one of the least complicated as far as the convoluted links that exist between the House and its parts, namely The Lower House, The Far Reaches, The Border Sea, The Great Maze, The Middle House, The Upper House and the Incomparable Gardens. Many sub-plots are left hanging, but the major bummer is the cliff-hanger ending that leaves the reader suspended in mid-air awaiting the final book of the series.

A must-buy for fans of the series in preparation for the final showdown, but a bit lacking in substance on its own.



Amanda Richards, July 19, 2008

Every book in this series takes a while to get into. However, I was extremely disappointed with the dud of an ending this book had. Either Nix was pressured to finish this book before he was ready, or the publisher got too used to the one book for every denizen Monday-Sunday in the series.

This book seemed rushed, half-hearted and not at all as satisfying as the others in the series. If you don't want to be disappointed, buy Superior Saturday and Lord Sunday together (when it comes out) and read them together as they should have been one book from the start. I really like this author and feel that there must be too much pressure to meet deadlines and follow formulas, a combination of which has stifled Nix's creativity in his latest installment of The Keys to the Kingdom series.

What I found in this book is what I have found in other books by Garth Nix (Sabriel, Lireal, Abhorsen, Mister Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday). His imagination continues: colorful umbrella, "Grease Monkeys", and office mix.
Spoiler: The reader can be disappointed as this book does not completely end Saturday.
It is, on the other hand, a great lead in to "Lord Sunday".

I felt obligated to counter the arguments made by Joe W. THIS BOOK HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Either he didn't read it, in which case he has no business writing a review, or he got a 'bootleg' copy (which includes any copy which violates copyright laws and any copy provided to booksellers, publishers, reviewers, or distributors with the agreement they would not release the book to the public, which Joe W. later got his hands on). Which makes him a criminal. If he is a professional book reviewer, he'd have put in some more specific complaints - and wouldn't have published his review here. If he works for a bookseller, publisher, or distributor, then he broke the law by discussing the book before it was released (anyone remember the fuss over Harry Potter book 7?).

So either he's a liar or a criminal.

His basic compaint is that the book has only 288 pages, and is therefore too short to expand the House world and the denizens under Superior Saturday. OK, a lot of good stories are short. And this is only one book in a series of seven. I expect the seventh installment will be pretty full!

Don't be unfair to Garth Nix - or yourself - and don't judge this book by negative customer reviews written before the book was released to the public.

I have read the Abhorsen series and the first five of this series, and this is the first book of Nix's that I did not like. At 288 pages, it is a too quick read. ( Drowned Wednesday being the longest at 400, and Lady Friday being the shortest at 320. ) Even so, many an author can make a short novel enjoyable. This was not the case with Superior Saturday. It felt rushed and perfunctory as those it were merely the necessary step to get to the end of the series. There was no sense of a distinct nature of the denizens of Saurday's realm. Certainly nothing like what I have come to expect from the man who has been so creative thus far.

**possible spoiler**

I was also disappointed in that for the last five books, Nix has been building our anticipation of the eventual confrontation with Saturday, and finally here we get such a fizzle. I do not mind unresolved endings, but I did expect something more before reaching that point. This book would have been a much better short story.