Editorial Review
Four of the seven Trustees have been defeated and their Keys taken, but for Arthur, the week is still getting worse. Suzy Blue and Fred Gold Numbers have been captured by the Piper, and his New Nithling army still controls most of the Great Maze. Superior Saturday is causing trouble wherever she can, including turning off all the elevators in the House and blocking the Front Door.
Amidst all this trouble, Arthur must weigh an offer from Lady Friday that is either a cunning trap for the Rightful Heir or a golden opportunity he must seize--before he's beaten to it!
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Customer Reviews
A fine addition to a fine series. 
2008-06-07
Garth Nix is one of my favorite fantasy writers. I first discovered him through his Abhorsen trilogy-a richly written set of fantasy books for a young adult audience. Those books are on the long side and are what I would consider YA if not adult literature. Nix's more recent writing endeavor, a series of seven books entitled The Keys to the Kingdom, began in 2003 with the publication Mister Monday. As you might have guessed, each book is titled for a different day of the week.
Lady Friday is the fifth book in the series (first published in 2007) with the next installment due out in August 2008. Before saying anything else, I have to say that this is not a stand alone book. If anything is going to make sense, you have to read the series starting at the beginning. If you can also read them close together, even better. For my part, I had to wait over a year before I procured a copy of this book. As a result, some of the details were a bit fuzzy until I remembered what was happening in the story.
This series takes place in the course of one week (one day for each title). And, for Arthur Penhaligon our twelve-year-old hero, it has been a very long week. Arthur is the Rightful Heir of the Architect (the creator of Earth and everything else). Over the course of the first four books, Arthur has worked to free parts of the will of the Architect in order to gain help while battling the treacherous Trustees who decided to imprison the Will and steal the Architect's power for themselves. Four trustees have been defeated, their keys taken, but that doesn't mean Arthur has time to rest on his laurels.
Arthur's friends, Suzy and Fred, are still imprisoned by the Piper whose New Nithling army has taken over the Great Maze in the House. Superior Saturday, in an attempt to cripple Arthur's efforts to consolidate power, is cutting off phone and elevator service to and from the House. To make matters worse, Arthur still isn't sure when he'll be able to go home or if he will be able to at all. Meanwhile, Lady Friday sends Arthur an offer that he might not be able to refuse. Even if it might also be a trap.
This novel moves the action from the Lower House to the new territory of the Middle House. The descriptions here are really fun. Lady Friday is in charge of all the House's record keeping and book making, so there are a lot of book references in terms of places and characters. Nix also incorporates a lot of information about Arthur's military training during Sir Thursday to good effect.
As Arthur races to find the Will and Lady Friday's key, the story also follows Leaf's own difficulties with Lady Friday. This part of the story is interesting and does eventually tie in with Arthur's story, but at the same time it made for a slow start. (The books prologue begins with Leaf.) In the early chapters, Nix alternates between Leaf and Arthur which I guess integrates the stories but it also made for some really frustrating cliffhangers at chapter ends.
Lady Friday had a bit of a slow start compared to earlier novels in the series, but the dramatic ending makes up for it. A fine addition to a fine series.
hide and seek 2008-05-06
In this book Lady Friday abdicates her position and leaves Arthur, the Piper and Saturday to fight for her realm. Unfortunately Arthur is at a disadvantage since he falls for one of Friday's traps almost immediately. As in the other books Arthur makes his weaknesses his strength as he makes friends and achieves things in person while others use their underlings who they look down upon. Arthur also gets a better insight as to the problems of the stagnant, poorly run House and the rigid routines that the denizens have had for thousands of years leaving them starving for other's experiences. Lady Friday of course is the worst of all as she is like a vampire, draining thousands of elderly people's experiences.
This book is a little slower than the others and gives more of Arthur's friend Leaf experiences. This book also lacks some of the direct conflict Arthur usually has with the Trustees who are the rulers of the domains. I think Mr. Nix is having a little writer's slowdown in the middle of the series but this still remains a very exciting and interesting book. I look forward to Arthur's conflict with Superior Saturday as this has been Arthur's greatest enemy throughout the series. I believe the next book is coming out in August 2008.
Just as great as the rest 
2007-07-03
I am a HUGE fan of Garth Nix's works. The books, expecially in this series, capture my attention every time to where I feel like I can't put them down until I read the very last punctuation mark. Lady Friday followed along with the other books, and I cannot wait for the next two to finish out the series!
Another Great Read! 2007-06-17
This was yet another great book in this series. I was so disappointed when I got finish with it in less than 12 hours. I cannot believe I have to wait another year for Superior Saturday and then another for Lord Sunday!
A top pick for prior fans. 2007-06-10
Garth Nix's latest ' The Keys to the Kingdom' addition is LADY FRIDAY, telling of Arthur Penhaligon, whose friends have been captured by the Pipe in a world where the army controls most of the Great Maze. Pitted against the ruthless Lady Friday, Arthur finds himself in a race to win control of the House and assume his role as a rightful heir - or lose everything - in this fifth book of the series, recommended as a top pick for prior fans.
An already exciting and at times scary adventure 2007-06-01
Four of the seven Trustees have been defeated and their Keys taken, but for Arthur, the week is still getting worse. Suzy Blue and Fred Gold Numbers have been captured by the Piper, and his New Nithling army still controls most of the Great Maze. Superior Saturday is causing trouble wherever she can, including turning off all the elevators in the House and blocking the Front Door.
Amidst all this trouble, Arthur must weigh an offer from Lady Friday that is either a cunning trap for the Rightful Heir or a golden opportunity he must seize--before he's beaten to it!
Definitely recommend 2007-05-09
My 10-year-old loves this series, although for that age, I would recommend it for advanced readers. Also, start with book one in the series. The storyline is creative and complex and would be difficult to follow for anyone coming in mid-series.
Lady Friday 2007-04-04
Perfect condition, came pretty fast, great book. I recommend you read the first four books first.
Lady Friday! 2007-03-25
The long awaited Lady Friday is not a dissapointment! Filled with Garth Nix's usual humor, intriguing fantasy settings, and wonderful characters, anyone who loves his other works will enjoy the 5th book in The Keys to the Kingdom series.
This book flips back and forth between two perspectives, Arthur's and Leaf's. At Arthur's end, he is battling many problems: His conflicting emotions, (his desire to stay human vs. his desire to fulfill his duties as the Rightful Heir to the House.) The sly Lady Friday and her thirst for mortal experiences, The Piper and Superior Saturday, who are both equally determined to reach the Fifth Key and Part Five of the Will, and on top of all of that, he's not even sure who he can trust. Leaf's not having an easy time either! Caught up in Lady Friday's weird world in The Secondary Realms, she's got to be clever enough to evade Friday's minions, and try to save Friday's victims, one of which is a relative of hers.
While possibly not the most exciting of the books in the series, this book is certainly NOT a disapointment, and it promises good things to come in the next two books. Garth Nix has done it again!!!!!
Not bad 2007-03-16
I love this author, but...I just kept waiting for the issues that Arthur inevitably encounters in the other books. It seemed like in the other books he could just never catch a break. In this one, things were maybe just a tad bit too easy.
I still love this author, and everything he writes is golden, so if you haven't read anything by him, for sure go out and grab a book by him. Perhaps this isn't the best one to start with, though.
