The Cardinal Virtues: The seven parts of the Will of the Architect, taking anthropomorphic forms, each embody the Seven Christian Virtues. This is in opposition to the Morrow Days, the Arc Villains of each book, who are plagued with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. No Hugging, No Kissing: Quite surprising, considering the genre of the series, and the fact that Arthur's two companions are both girls around his age (in Suzy's case, at least physically and emotionally). Romance is not discussed at any point, and none of the characters even think about it. Kind of disappointing, actually. Anyway, onto my actual review. This book wasn't necessarily bad, it just isn't something that I usually enjoy. While I have read some really good middle grade books, the majority of them don't appeal to me because I find it more difficult to connect to the characters. Arthur isn't an unlikable character, but I couldn't really connect to him. His sole motivation seemed to be curing people of this virus and while that's not a bad motivation there wasn't really any insight into who he was as a person, other than he's a decent human being that doesn't want people to die. Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Leaf and especially her brother Branch. Seriously, can you blame the guy for going by 'Ed' instead?

The substance called 'Nothing' causes damage to things in the House and ultimately wipes it out when the Will is complete. One of the Trustees, Tuesday, makes various things out of it using his Key. The Piper creates an army of so-called 'Newniths' from it. 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 however require regular care, including a wire brush to ward off rust. They also have names and enjoy being petted, Arthur gets to ride one called Sqwidge. Desperate, Arthur escapes to the mysterious house that has appeared in town - a house that only he can see. Maybe there he can unravel the secrets of the key - and discover his true fate. Many of the Denizens, much to Arthur's frustration. Lower-ranked Denizens in particular seem to find it all but impossible to do anything that they weren't specifically designed for. Many of the former-bureaucrat crew of the sailing ship Moth had very little idea of what they were doing, despite having crewed the ship for several thousand years. Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Mister Monday, the bibliophages, and Part Four of The Will (see Too Dumb to Live).The Fourth Part (The Snake), represents Justice, displaying a strong sense of For Great Justice where it seems more interested in punishing an evildoer rather than dealing with a more immediate threat. The Fifth Part ( The Beast), represents Temperance, being far more agreeable and patient than previous parts of the Will. Arthur finds his lost toy elephant from his early childhood in Drowned Wednesday and accidentally brings it to life several books later at a vital moment. Outside of his name, Arthur is quite a good lead. Asthmatic and very much limited by hit, smart, shy, and courageous - what's not to like? One thing, actually, and that is: I never got a sense of Arthur's hobbies. What does he do when he's not in school or the House? Hopefully that question will be answered later in the series.

Mister Monday was the Master of The Lower House. However, due to his sloth, it gradually fell into worse affairs. The Administration of the Lower House was awful. By the time Lord Arthur arrived, nothing was working properly. The First Key could be separated into two parts, The Minute Key (also referred to as The Lesser Key, it can be used more often, but with less power) and The Hour Key (also referred to as The Greater Key, it can be used less than the Lesser Key, but it is stronger). When joined they become a silver sword with gold inlay. Four of the seven trustees have been defeated and their Keys taken, but for Arthur Penhaligon, the week is still getting worse. His friends have been captured by the Piper, and the New Nithling army still controls most of the Great Maze. Theme Table: The House is divided into seven regions, each region is controlled by a Day who wields a Key, each Day has a Dawn, Noon, and Dusk, and each of those leads their own army of enforcers. The Incomparable Gardens – the most important part of the House, a beautiful garden, ruled by Lord Sunday

A strophic ballad, "One Tin Soldier" tells the tale of the materialistic "valley-people" who kill and cheat in search of a rumoured treasure on a mountain. The only treasure, though, is a stone inscribed with "Peace on earth"; ironically, the valley-people, a metaphor for mankind, destroyed this treasure whilst in the pursuit of it. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus which is a common arrangement technique used to engrain a song in the listener's memory.

Must Be Invited: the Fetchers, although apparently you don't have to own/live in the building to invite them in. Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Arthur at the end of Lord Sunday becomes the new Architect, with the power to remake the universe out of Nothing.

In 1968, the band moved to Los Angeles and recorded the single "I Can’t Make It Anymore" for Dot Records with limited success. In 1969, the band signed with TA Records, a label distributed by Bell Records. The band did write many of their pieces but the writing and production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter wrote and produced The Original Caste's two hit singles: "One Tin Soldier" and then "Mr. Monday"; both songs were from the 1969 LP One Tin Soldier. The songs employ the use of strings, horns, and organ which adds a swinging, pop-friendly sound. "One Tin Soldier" was a hit in Canada and reached No.34 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. [3] The follow-up single, "Mr. Monday", was a big hit in Japan and Canada but not in the United States. The two singles combined, worldwide, sold over three million copies and were certified gold in both Canada and Japan. The band toured extensively in Canada, the United States and Japan and made many television appearances. The band's success allowed them the opportunity to open for both B. B. King and Glen Campbell. Having amassed a large following in Japan, they toured there and recorded live albums, in addition to releasing several further Japanese singles. Mobile Maze: The Great Maze, the section of the House used to train the Glorious Army of the Architect. It is a one thousand by one thousand grid of one mile by one mile tiles which randomly switch their positions every day.