Across the Wall by Garth Nix

[lightreads]

Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories by Garth Nix

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Collection. Hrm. Turns out Nix is one of those authors who I like more at greater length. The Abhorsen novella that starts this collection was the highlight for me: it had all the creepiness and mounting pressure and young people being brave with difficulty that I like from him. The rest of the collection was hit or miss, and it really seemed like the shorter the piece, the more scattered or unclever (or, in one case, quite sexist) I found it.

I'm only writing it up at all to ask whether I should be reading this days of the week series of his? It looks a bit younger than the Abhorsen books -- yay or nay?



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Comments

[the_rck]

I read the first two books in the days of the week series and didn't feel compelled to go further, but my husband listened to them on CD and enjoyed them (all except Thursday which the library didn't have as an audiobook. He read that in paper).

Based on what I remember they do skew a bit younger, but they're actually fairly dark. They're about an ordinary boy named Arthur from our world who gets grabbed as the heir to the Architect, the one who created all of reality. The Architect has been gone for centuries, and her (I think it was a her) realm has been divided up among trustees named for the days of the week. These trustees don't want to give up power, naturally. It all gets fairly complicated, and Arthur's home world and family suffer at the hands of the trustees.

The Architect left a will that is sentient and self motivated. The will has been chopped into pieces, and each piece is in the hands of a different trustee so that putting the will back together is a goal. Likewise, each house (the realm of a specific trustee) has a key that gives one access to all that house's powers.

My impression, from what my husband said, is that the books get darker as they go along. Arthur doesn't much like the realm of the Architect and definitely doesn't want to be the new Architect, but he doesn't have any choice.

[lightreads]

Huh, interesting. Guess I'll keep it around for the next time I want something like that.

[jadelennox]

I don't think that series would be to your taste; it is very middle grade adventure story. A little bit weird because it is Garth Nix, but still I don't think to your taste.

Although this is making me think I'm really curious what you would think of Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters series.

[lightreads]

I've bounced off Westerfeld before, but admittedly I just wasn't in the mood for airships that particular day, so....