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{{
{{quote|"On the first day, there was a mystery.
On the second day, there was darkness.
On the third day, there were pirates.
On the fourth day, there was war.
On the fifth day, there was fear.
On the sixth day, there was sorcery.
On the seventh day, there was a choice."|[[Keys to
A fantasy series of seven books by [[Garth Nix]], consisting of [[Lazy Bum|Mister Monday]], [[Greed|Grim Tuesday]], [[Villainous Glutton|Drowned Wednesday]], [[Unstoppable Rage|Sir Thursday]], [[Lust|Lady Friday]], [[Green
At the
{{tropelist}}
* [[Adults Are Useless]]: The main heroes are children and the Denizens of the house are either too stupid or stubborn (or corrupt, or bureaucratic, or evil) to change anything. The Piper's Children are also shown to be much more helpful to Arthur than most Denizens. On the other hand, pretty much all the adult humans in the story are shown to be competent or even [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Reasonable Authority Figures]].
* [[A God Am I]]: A side effect of using sorcery, not just for mortals, but having it on call seems to affect the thinking of many senior Denizens as well.▼
* [[Alternate History]]: Arthur's world is ''almost'' the same as ours, except it was the scene of a devastating plague that prompted the government to take the hard line on any epidemic.
** However, it may not apply. Arthur's hi-tech cast in Drowned Wednesday, and the fleetingly mentioned electronic paper are two examples of future technology, meaning that the plague could be a future event, and the story is set [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]].
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* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: The way the House's hierarchy works. Each Denizen has a number representing how close they are to being full authority. The exact identity of number one is uncertain, and may be Lord Sunday, Dame Primus, the Architect, or some other powerful entity. The lower their number is, the stronger they tend to be. (Directly mentioned in the seventh book when someone tells Suzy that knocking a Denizen out isn't done with the strength of the kick but of authority.)
* [[Automaton Horses]]: The Not-Horses used by the Glorious Army of The Architect are a literal example. They have a tough, metallic skin, run for much longer than a normal horse, and can go without sleep for a week. They do need to be cleaned with a wire brush so that they don't rust though.
* [[Batman Gambit]]: {{spoiler|See [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]], below. If Arthur realized at any point what was going on, there is no way he would have gone through with it and the Architect's plan would have been ruined then. However, she's able to be enough of a [[Manipulative Bastard]] that he's not able to figure out the truth in time.}}
** {{spoiler|Despite the fact that it looked like Lord Sunday had plenty of time to tell Arthur when he was trying to convince Arthur to give him the Keys. In fact, telling him the truth could possibly have convinced him. Yet he didn't do it. After all, Sunday's sin is ''pride''....}}
* [[Bigger
* [[Big Bad]]: The pirate Feverfew is this in ''Drowned Wednesday'', and the title character of each other book in the series is the big bad of that book. In addition, Superior Saturday is responsible for bad things that happen in multiple books.
* [[Big Good]]: Dame Primus. {{spoiler|However, as Arthur suspects, she's actually not acting in his best interests at all.}}
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* [[Capital Letters Are Magic]]: All over the place.
* [[Cessation of Existence]]:
{{quote|
'''Will''': You'd be dead. What do you mean?
'''Arthur''': I mean...Where am I now? Is there some sort of life after death? If the Architect created everything...
'''Will''': There is no afterlife that I know of. There is Nothing, from which all things once came. There is the House, which is constant. There are the Secondary Realms, which are ephemeral. When you are gone from the Secondary Realms that's it, though some say everything returns to Nothing in the end. }}
* [[Chained to
** {{spoiler|Arthur gets chained to a smaller version of the Old One's clock in Lord Sunday}}
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]
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* [[Discard and Draw]]: Arthur does this with the Keys.
* [[The Dragon]]: Each trustee has or once had minions named Dawn, Noon, and Dusk whose job it is to be this, but their loyalties vary.
* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: Experiencing calls to mind drug-taking very quickly, especially when you read Lady Friday's reaction to it.
* [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]]: Sir Thursday, in a particularly nasty variation; he beats his subordinates when he gets angry and once killed two Piper's Children in a fit of rage.
* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: Nithlings are a byproduct of proto-creation-stuff being let into the House. Have varying intelligence, all of them very, ''very'', ugly. Except for {{spoiler|the New Nithlings. They just look like ordinary humans with a tentacle or two.}}
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: In the seventh book, {{spoiler|after the Piper tries to manipulate Arthur into giving up the Keys one last time, Lord Sunday tells him, in short, to shut up and deal with it.}}
* [[
* [[Evil Overlord]]: All the trustees except {{spoiler|Wednesday}}.
* [[Evil Twin]]: The Skinless Boy, a mute clone of Arthur created by {{spoiler|Saturday}} to blackmail him into giving up the Keys. Has a nasty [[Mind Control]] ability.
* [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Expecting Someone Taller]]: Happens to Arthur a lot.
* [[Explosive Leash]]: The collars that children in the Piper's army had written onto their necks, which threatened to strangle them if they were disloyal.
* [[Fantastic Voyage]]: In a submarine crewed by Rats, {{spoiler|swallowed by a
* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]: Elements of Christian theology, Ancient Greek myth, and European folklore are all present in the House. The protagonist actually meets the Pied Piper, the [[The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
* [[Foreshadowing]]: In Sir Thursday, Dame Primus says that she suspects that the Trustees "have been influenced or induced to behave as they do, with the ultimate aim being the complete and utter destruction of the House - and with it, the entirety of creation." {{spoiler|It is the Will that's influencing them for that exact purpose!}}
* [[Gender Is No Object]]: For Denizens, gender seems to be entirely meaningless.
* [[Genki Girl]], [[Plucky Girl]]: Suzy.
* [[Genre Savvy]]: Arthur spends most of the series making friends with various Denizens. He does the same in the Gardens in ''Lord Sunday'', and his new friend leads him outside. {{spoiler|Straight into a trap. Turns out the gardening boy is actually Lord Sunday in disguise.}}
▲* [[A God Am I]]: A side effect of using sorcery, not just for mortals, but having it on call seems to affect the thinking of many senior Denizens as well.
* [[Great Big Book of Everything]]: ''The Compleat Atlas of the House and Immediate Environs''.
* [[Green Rocks]]: Nothing (that is, Nothing with a capital N - a fictional substance) can do anything needed for the plot - from dissolving stuff, powering machines, or turning you into a mouse for a day.
** Also the Keys themselves, which can do anything the user demands that is in the user's power, and quite a bit more.
* [[Gotta Catch Them All]]: The Keys To The Kingdom, and the Parts of the Will.
* [[Have You Seen My God?]]: The Architect.
* [[Hazardous Water]]
** The water in ''Lady Friday'' tries to drown you if you aren't protected.
** Saturday's rain drain would've killed Arthur if he wasn't {{spoiler|a Denizen}}.
** And if you want to get technical, {{spoiler|the rain was Part Six of the Will. And the Will was created to destroy all Creation.}}
** Also, the [[What Do You Mean
* [[Hippie Parents]]: Leaf's parents, who are not only huge on environmentalism, but also gave their children some [[Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?|interesting names]] and keep only wooden utensils and jewellery in the house. It's implied that this runs in the family somewhat, from what Leaf says of her grandmother.
* [[Hour of Power]]
** Monday's Noon can only stay on Earth from noon to one PM. Logically, Dusk and Dawn are under similar restrictions.
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** The Piper's Children (most notably Suzy).
** Leaf is one in some parts.
* {{spoiler|[[Kill
* [[Large and In Charge]]: Almost a physical law in the House. The more power or authority you have, the taller you are (it's suggested they do this to intimidate the lower peons); the holders of the Keys are seven to nine feet high. Being demoted shrinks you.
** Lord Sunday, last of the Trustees and the most powerful, is ''ten feet tall''.
** {{spoiler|Arthur becomes twelve feet when he becomes the New Architect.}}
* [[Laser
* [[Line
* [[Losing Your Head]]: Denizens can also survive ''decapitation'', if they get their head reattached to the rest of their body soon enough.
* [[Magic Mirror]]: The Fifth Key.
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* [[Primordial Chaos]]: The substance called "Nothing".
* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: The {{spoiler|New Nithlings}} are really nice chaps who only serve {{spoiler|the Piper}} because they owe him.
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: The Piper's Children appear the same as when they were first brought to The House, mostly between the ages of nine and thirteen. They have lived in the House for more than ten thousand years, but due to [[Year Inside, Hour Outside]] were taken from Earth about seven hundred years ago. They still ''act'' like children, though.
* [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]]
** {{spoiler|Mister Monday}}
** The bibliophages
** Part Four of The Will (see [[Too Dumb to Live]]).
* [[Retcon]]: at the end on Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday is asked to destroy a piece of enchanted cloth, presumably to further the [[Big Bad]]'s ends. However, in Sir Thursday it is stated that doing so would ''undo'' the [[Big Bad]]'s enchantment,
** Actually, the point was {{spoiler|that the shirt pocket wouldn't be destroyed, but would instead spawn the Skinless Boy (hence why he appears at the end of Grim Tuesday and leaves via the elevator, he was born at some point during the book). It was just that to defeat the Skinless Boy, Arthur himself had to plunge the pocket back into Nothing. Quoting Scamandros on the creation:}}
{{quote|
** {{spoiler|And the Compleat Atlas on the destruction}}:
{{quote|
** Both when a Spirit-Eater was being described in the Atlas, and when the incident with the Gray Spot was mentioned in the last book, they said it was mute, yet Leaf heard it apologizing when it was 'accidentally' bumping into everyone to spread it's influence.
* [[Rule of Cool]]: Pretty much the entire series.
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* [[Seven Heavenly Virtues]]: Each part of The Will represents one of the seven virtues. In order of Monday to Sunday, they represent Fortitude, Prudence, Faith, (anyone remember part three babbling on about faith? Yeah.) Justice, Temperance (Moderation), Charity, and Hope.
* [[Shockwave Clap]]: Dame Primus does this with the Second Key in Sir Thursday.
* [[Shout
** Subverted, hilariously, when Arthur tries it in-canon.
{{quote|
'''Arthur''': [[Narnia|Through the wardrobe maybe.]]
'''Ichabod''': I doubt that, young mortal. That is where I keep the Captain's clothes. It is not a thoroughfare of any kind.
'''Arthur''': Sorry. I was only...(trails off)
(Awkward silence.) }}
*** {{spoiler|The irony is that one of the pathways IS through the cupboard...}}
** [[Hitch Hikers Guide to The Galaxy|Arthur]] spends much of the third book in his dressing-gown.
* [[Shrouded in Myth]]: Arthur himself. By the third book, Japheth has been assigned to writing
** Of course, {{spoiler|he actually does end up looking like this when he becomes the New Architect.}}
** The Will is turned into a Frog-Bear; Suzy into an assassin.
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*** It should be noted that Dame Primus, the composite of the parts of the Will, is much better about this; at one point she refuses to split into more than two parts with two Keys each because any less would be an invitation for attack.
* [[Totally Radical]]: Subverted and inverted.
* [[Try to Fit That
* [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]]: The scenes on Earth imply it's either this or [[Alternate History]]. Or both.
* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: Arthur, in some cases when he is using all or almost all of the Keys.
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* [[Voluntary Shapeshifter]]: {{spoiler|Lord Sunday.}}
* [[We Want Our Jerk Back]]: When Suzy acts proper, to Arthur's great dismay. {{spoiler|(Even if it's only for a short while.)}}
* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]]: ''Everywhere''. The series itself is named for a line from [[As the Good Book Says...|the gospels]], and it just gets deeper from there. The Incomparable Gardens are a fairly obvious reference to the Garden of Eden for a start, and given that Lord Sunday's [[Seven Deadly Sins|sin]] is [[Pride]], he could be interpreted as the equivalent to [[Satan|Lucifer]]. Saturday's Tower, built with the intent of reaching the Gardens, calls to mind the Tower of Babel. The Incomparable Gardens are also hosted on "Drasils", which is suspiciously
* [[Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?]]: Leaf and especially her brother Branch. Seriously, can you blame the guy for going by 'Ed' instead?▼
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: {{spoiler|The Architect eventually got bored of living and decided she wanted to return to Nothing. But the Old One, who was a part of her, had to be destroyed to in order for her to be dissolved, and his chains can only be broken if all of Creation is undone as well. Thus she started playing [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] and created a [[Batman Gambit]]; see below and above.}}▼
* [[Winged Humanoid]]: Several types of Denizens and Nithlings have wings. Removable wings in varying degrees of usefulness also exist.
▲* [[Who Names Their Kid Dude]]: Leaf and especially her brother Branch. Seriously, can you blame the guy for going by 'Ed' instead?
▲* [[Who Wants to Live Forever]]: {{spoiler|The Architect eventually got bored of living and decided she wanted to return to Nothing. But the Old One, who was a part of her, had to be destroyed to in order for her to be dissolved, and his chains can only be broken if all of Creation is undone as well. Thus she started playing [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] and created a [[Batman Gambit]]; see below and above.}}
* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: {{spoiler|The Architect made the Will to get the Trustees to carry out her plan to destroy all of Creation, but they refused and broke the Will. However, the Architect then twisted their natures, corrupting each with one of the [[Seven Deadly Sins]], causing them to destroy the House anyway. Then she recruited Arthur to finish the Will and, even though he resisted every step of the way, she managed to manipulate him into completing the Will regardless. Note that this "Speed Chess" took thousands of relative years.}}
* [[Year Inside, Hour Outside]]: Time runs differently between The House and the Secondary Realms.
** Yeah, but Earth seems to be "closely in step with House Time", as in, a week spent in the House translates to a week spent on Earth - sometimes...
*** The overall implication is that Earth and the House proceed in lockstep (or at least at a steady ratio), but that when someone goes through the Front Door, it adjusts the time flow for convenience. Note that the only occasions that time proceeds forward on Earth are when Arthur and Leaf are pulled in via the Border Sea and when Arthur teleports in via the Fifth Key.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Australian Literature]]
[[Category:Keys
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