I’m pretty sure that Arthur died. He had a massive asthma attack, and, as his oxygen starved brain struggled its last, he hallucinated all of the rest. How else do you describe just how … odd this book is.

That being said, I liked it. It’s weird. Garth Nix really does his Proper Nouns. Everything felt like it Meant Something, although we never quite got a perfect idea what Anything was. Most of them were close enough though; so it goes. It’s quick and the action picks you up and pulls you right through the story. When it’s over, there’s something of a feel of getting off a roller coaster, but in a good way.

Final thoughts: Is this series really going to take place over a week (Earth time)? All righty then.

Let’s do it.