SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Arthur suddenly finds himself in the army of Sir Thursday with no way to avoid a hundred year sentence. To make matters worse, a copy of him as back on earth, preventing his return. Leaf agrees to help, since she can return home.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Arthur is still anxious about becoming a denizen, but he is still rather brave. He still wishes to finish this and eventually go home. And he shows leadership skills in the climax.
Suzy isn't in a huge portion of the story. She is there to get an item from Leaf and then give it to Arthur.
Fred is a fellow soldier that Arthur meets when he joins the military. He seems rather laid back and has no real memory of his past.
Leaf plays a more prominent role. She has the important task of finding the item stolen from Arthur and returning it to him so he can destroy it.
Sir Thursday suffers from the sin of Wrath. He easily loses his temper and takes it out on whoever is nearby. When we meet him it's a surprise, which was nice.
PACING
For the first time, we switch back and forth between two plots. Arthur's in the House, and Leaf, back on earth. Although Leaf's adventure is important, I was slightly more interested in Arthur's story. But Leaf's story isn't dull and actually has plenty of action in it.
LEAF & ARTHUR
Leaf is finally a main character, but she spends all of her time away from Arthur. I just feel like in order for them to have a real relationship, they should have spent some more time together.
Arthur did only save her because he felt guilty, not because of any closeness. And although Leaf volunteers to help him, her motivation is unclear. I am guessing she feels grateful to the boy who saved her and wishes to pay him back.
Again, not any real closeness between them. Arthur worries about her, but he never gets to know her. There are not any scenes of them discussing anything remotely personally.
HELP FROM A STRANGER
Leaf gets help from an older lady named Sylvie. I thought she was amusing but I wish I could have learned more about her. Better yet, I wish I had known more about Leaf and maybe she could already have had a connection to Sylvie.
CLEANING BETWEEN THE EARS-SPOILERS
Arthur learned about this long ago, but it turns it he may have to deal with it personally. It's interesting because it adds suspense. The reader wonders if Arthur will get around this, and if he loses his memory, how long will it take to get it back? Is there any real way to avoid it? And what on earth are the bathroom attendants?
WRITE IT DOWN
There is a scene where Fred writes down his favorite color so he won't forget. Arthur writes down his favorite color, but instead of writing down his name he just puts “real name?” I thought this was kind of silly.
I mean, I get he changed his name because the people in charge wanted him to be treated like everyone else. But he couldn't even risk writing down his own name? I felt he should have written it down, but still not remembered, or lost the paper. Something more believable.
THE RING
Arthur is worried about losing his humanity and becoming a denizen so Dame Primus gives him a ring shaped like a crocodile that will record who human he is and measure his change.
It was an interesting aspect of the book because it added suspense. Something that Arthur kept checking and the reader kept wanting updates on.
SPECIAL NITHLINGS
It seems that there is a new breed of nithlings (creatures created from nothing). And unlike any other nithling ever seen, these are not chaotic but organized. No one knows how this is possible. The truth isn't revealed near the climax of the story.
LIEUTENANT KEEPER
Suzy meets the Lt Keeper, who guards the entrance to the house. I think he was mentioned before, but he doesn't seem to have any personality. Even though he plays an important part.
ARTHUR'S SISTER MEETS SUZY
There is a scene where Michaeli witnesses Suzy and her giant wings. She also see's Leaf has sneaked into Arthur's room. I kind of hoped it would have involved her in the story. I knew nothing about her (nor the brother). So I was disappointed when she is never mentioned again.
MEETING SIR THURSDAY
When Arthur meets Sir Thursday, he is not sure what to think. He starts freaking out, wondering if Thursday is going to try and kill him then and there, and has to calm himself down. It was different then previous meetings. I could feel his panic and I kept thinking, calm down! But I felt anxious too.
CLIMAX
Arthur has to face Sir Thursday, while finding the Will at the same time. He debates whether or not to use the key. Then he meets the captain of the new nithling army to discuss peace. He learns of another claim on the keys and then has to face the new nithling army.
A HAPPY ACCIDENT-SPOILER
Sir Thursday says he didn't destroy something, so he sabotaged their plan. But Arthur accidentally destroyed the item by getting rid of his pocket (the item that the fetchers had taken in order to make a copy of him). I thought this was kind of convenient.
CONCLUSION
The world is interesting and original, and the story has plenty of action. Especially on Leaf's side. But I still feel the relationships are lacking as is character development. Certain things were silly, like Arthur not writing down his own name and Arthur lucking into defeating the army. I give “Sir Thursday” three and half stars.
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