Customer Reviews

The Golden Key

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A brilliant painter's ambition to become the greatest artist who ever lived - and unnaturally extend his life long enough to do so - causes him to pervert his family's magics in this wonderful and highly original fantasy from bestselling authors Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliot. In a setting similar to medieval/Renaissance Spain or Italy (one of my favorite historical periods), the authors create here a magnificent canvas of beauty, love, bravery, cruelty, treachery, jealousy, political infighting, religious pageantry, war, plague, revolution, and, of course, artistic genius. As others have commented, this is not the standard 'hero/heroine on a quest' or 'wizard waves wand' fantasy, and all the richer for it.

In the duchy of Tira Virte works of art are not only valued for their beauty, but are used in lieu of written legal documents for treaties, wills, marriages, etc. One family of painters, the Grijalvas, have the secret of using magic to alter the reality that they depict in their paintings. The Gifted Limners (all male, with one exception) who have this power use their own body fluids to activate the spells, so they age and die very quickly, and are sterile. The Grijalvas also have to endure popular prejudice and religious discrimination because are descendants of Tza'ab bandits who raped Tira Virtean noblewomen. As well, they have to put up with the machinations of their rival family, the Serranos. Still, the Gifted Limners use their skills to bring peace and prosperity to Tira Virte and to support the rule of the do'Verrada ducal family. Then one young Limner, Sario Grijalva, obsessed with finding out how the magic works after seeing another family member disciplined by it, learns secrets hidden even from the leaders of the Grijalva family from an ancient Tza'ab mystic, whom he murders. Using his extraordinary artistic talent and his new powers he not only imprisons his adored cousin Saavedra in a portrait in a fit of jealous rage, but also steals the bodies of the most talented Gifted Limners of the next 360 years. Despite his powers, he is constrained by both his need to keep his identities secret and by the quirks of fate. Over this time Sario also tries to use his talents to control Tira Virtean politics. First he becomes involved in the marital warfare between a saintly Duchess and her husband, who remains loyal to his mistress (not coincidentally, the mother of a brilliant Limner whose body Sario wants to steal), and then attempts to thwart a democratic revolution by painting a dead princess back to life. After all this time, will a prodigiously talented but magically un-Gifted young painter be able to finally thwart Sario's schemes and free Saavedra?

Rawn, Roberson and Elliott create not only a large cast of unforgettable characters and an extraordinarily intelligent and perhaps unique magic system (based on floral symbolism), but an entirely believable society rich in detail from the grand sweep of history to the subtleties of everyday living. In particular, the role of religion (both Tira Virtean and Tza'ab) is superbly handled. Most important of all in a book about art, their descriptions of the paintings are so rich and detailed one can almost see them and their creation. Furthermore, the story is so seamless one would never know that there are three different authors if one didn't look at the cover. Speaking of the cover, Michael Whelan's work here is marvelous - and the picture of Sario is a self-portait of Whelan! The only problem is that in the first book a few too many points are beaten into our heads, such as the fact that the Grijalva painting guide 'The Folio' and the Tza'ab holy book 'Kita'ab' are one and the same. Also, one or two of the pseudo-Spanish expressions are a bit overused. Despite this, the 900 pages just flew by, and I actually wanted more.

If in addition to fantasy you have any interest in art or Mediterranean culture, or just want to read something that isn't the billionth Tolkien clone, 'The Golden Key' is more than worth your while. It's an amazing piece of world-building where the characters' lives - and their creations - will stay with you a long time.

I almost forgot I'd read this book, but reading these reviews brings it all back. This was such an amazing novel that I still can't quite believe how good it was. I've rarely come across such complex and realistic worldbuilding, or character definition, or plot complexity and reality. Sario and Saavedra, as well as certain of the others, will always be etched in my consciousness, but I think even more deeply I will carry the conjured memories of Grijalva art. I think these three brilliant women touched on something very true in this book when they limited their magic theme to the magic of art. I don't really believe in spells and magicians etc but I definately believe that the creative font of humanity if magical, and the more people that realise that the better.

For those who found the alternate European world entrancing, I recommend Guy Gavriel Kay's books. While best known for his Fionavar Tapestry, his stand alone novels are his best work. These are set largely in alternate Europes - Spain at the end of the Moorish tenure, France on the eve of the Albigensian crusade, Italy at the close of the Renaissance, and Byzantium in its heyday are some of the realities he takes and creates something new and amazing from. Additionally, those fascinated by the artistic focus in Golden Key may be fascinated by the role that music and poetry play in Kay's novels. The religion query of another reviewer bought to mind Tad William's Memory Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, but the religion in that series was never so emphatic as in Golden Key. Any responses to this review are welcome!

I was attracted to this book by Melanie Rawn's involvement, having enjoyed her Dragon Prince/Dragon Star trilogies a great deal for their dry wit, excellent characterisation and compelling plotting. I had only a vague idea of what it was about before I started reading - but once I did, I was completely entranced.
The multi-generational novel is set in a world with a strong feel of Renaissance or early modern Spain. While never leaning too much on its real-world counterpart, the inspiration permeates all levels, immeasurably enriching the book. It is glimpsed most obviously in the characters' names, fashions and the oaths that pepper their speech. More subtly, it infuses the religious practices, behaviour (there is a strong emphasis on family honour and female modesty), and recent history - the novel opens a little after a long war with a religiously-inclined nomadic people, an obvious but not overstated parallel with the Moors.

The central conceit of the novel lies in the social and administrative role of portraiture in the state of Tira Verte, where it is used to record everything from marriage contracts to wills to treaties between nations. Those whose paintings are most highly valued enjoy considerable political and personal influence, and their style becomes something to imitate by those who follow them. A few, in secret, are able to wield more than mere influence with their brushes.

The story follows the fortunes of two noble families, and the consequences of one rashly destructive act (try to ignore the synopsis on the back of the book, which gives this act away), through several generations. Throughout, not only the story but also the world progress naturally and fascinatingly, as artistic fashions change and the society develops and diversifies. It is told in three parts, with each author taking one generation of characters - respectively: Roberson, Rawn, and Elliot. Melanie Rawn's section is the stand-out, but all three are highly accomplished pieces of writing, gripping and fluent as they tackle themes as varied as the relationship between art and artist, the moral responsibility of power, and the position of women in a highly-regulated society.

Highly recommended.

[note to amazon.com--the following is taken from a much longer copyrighted review I had published elsewhere on the web. The reference is "The SF Site Featured Review,"

It isn't true a picture is worth a thousand words. Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliott grace their novel The Golden Key with far more than a mere thousand per picture. And these are words well worth the read. It is a fantasy novel about art. Or is it a generational saga? Actually, it is an alternate universe story. Then again, maybe it is hard science fiction. Or should that be hard fantasy? To define it within only one genre is impossible. Suffice it to say that this nominee for the 1996 World Fantasy Award is a remarkable book.

The story centers on two families, the artistic Grijalvas who live in the duchy of Tira Verte and the royal do'Verradas who rule the duchy. An inextricable link joins them; all records of births, deaths, treaties--all human interactions--are painted rather than written. Or are they mere paintings? The answer to that question takes the reader through a tale of intrigue, magic, romance, and page-turning adventure.

The book consists of three novels that fit together beautifully, like a literary jigsaw puzzle. A striking difference exists in Roberson's style in Part One and Rawn's in Part Two. It works because three hundred years separate the stories. The luminosity of Roberson's prose reflects the youth of the characters and culture, whereas Rawn's elegance fits their maturation. The closer resemblance of Rawn and Elliott's style goes well with the lesser time span between Parts Two and Three. Elliott's chapters have a subtle difference in feel suited to a world on the doorstep of an industrial age. The authors maintain the right balance, giving continuity without creating seams in the overall picture.

Just as a frame surrounds a painting, so the authors frame their stories with scholarly writings from fictional experts who discuss works painted by characters in the book. It is an ingenious device, one that showcases the history of this intriguing world without the exposition becoming intrusive.

The magic is set up with scrupulous care. This is no slap-dash of spells spattered across a story canvas; it has the same depth as the world building. The authors base inheritance of the Gift on genetic principles with a rigor worthy of the hardest science fiction. In an ironic twist, the Grijalvas inherit their Gift the way hemophiliacs inherit the traits that prevent their blood from clotting. It leaves the reader a question to ponder: is Grijalva magic a gift--or a disease?

As a physicist, I was intrigued by how the magic plays on relativistic theory, in particular time dilation and "frames" of reference. The Golden Key reads like fantasy, yet within it are lovely allegories to physics, as if spacetime were painted into its universe just as its characters paint themselves and their passions into their own works. How much of it is deliberate and how much derives from the authors' natural intuitive gifts, I can't say, but I do know it evoked for me a real sense of wonder.

My favorite subplot is Rohario's romance with Eleyna in Part Three. Eleyna's artistic genius shines like a star, and at first Rohario seems an unlikely choice for her. As the Grand Duke's second son, he may be handsome and good-natured, but even he considers himself a fop. His maturation into a leader, combined with his earnest love for Eleyna, utterly charms. Through it all, whether riding in pig carts, sneaking around after dark, or getting clobbered in a fight, he valiantly tries to maintain his well groomed self. Elliott's delightful humor thoroughly enhances the story.

The crowning touch to this book is the gorgeous cover painted Michael Whelan. His depiction of the character Sario, who holds a golden key, is actually a picture of Whelan himself. Read the book and it will be clear why Whelan's choice to do a self-portrait is such an eerie -- and effective -- play on the golden key magic.

The Golden Key is one of the most absorbing books I've read in some time. I give it my highest recommendation.

Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliott collaborate here to create a novel that is very hard to put down--despite its formidable length and flattish characters. What drew me in was the carefully designed world, the totally believable magic, the overall mood, and the centuries-spanning plot. This novel is set in Tirra Virte, an Italy-ish province where all official ceremonies and transactions are recorded not with words but with paintings. I thoight for a moment--"Hey! That can't be reliable! The artist can paint something that didn't really happen!" But then it made me realize just how unreliable words, too, can be. A scribe can write lies as easily as an artist can paint them.

This art-centered world, of course, requires artists. This novel follows the rising and falling fortunes of one family of artists, the Grijalvas, who are almost indisputably the best artists in Tirra Virte. However, they are also decimated by a past plague, feared for their reputed sorcery, and shunned for carrying the blood of foreign rapists in their veins. A young Grijalva boy wants nothing so much as to be acknowledged "Gifted", an heir to the Grijalvas' genetic talents, but the art and magic come with a terrible price.

WARNING: possible SPOILERS

The book is divided into three sections, taking place in three different time periods. The sections are different enough in tone and style that I suspect each author wrote a section mostly by herself, with little collaboration except in world-building. However, I'm not familiar enough with the authors to guess who wrote what.

The first section is my personal favorite because of its brooding and menacing mood. Two Grijalva children, the male Sario and the female Saavedra, witness a terrible punishment meted out by the family elders, and come to realize what Grijalva power really means. The two grow to adulthood--Sario becoming an acclaimed artist and lusting for more and more power, and Saavedra's skills ignored because she is a woman. When Saavedra finds love outside the family, passion and jealousy erupt, and a terrible magic is performed upon her...

The second section is more of a romance, featuring a beautiful, naive, and Generically Nice princess who marries into Tirra Verteian nobility, only to be cruelly rejected in favor of her husband's Grijalva mistress. Princess Mechella does her best to make a happy life for herself despite all of this. I do like the fact that she eventually grew a spine, but I don't like the fact that the "happy ending" to this second story took place with absolutely no action by Mechella. She never even knew half of what was going on. Sigh...

The third section is a story of liberty. The lower classes of Tirra Virte are in revolt. At the same time a young Grijalva woman, groomed to be a compliant daughter and an acquiescent royal mistress, sets out to make her life and art her own. And it is she who notices something strange about the portrait of Saavedra which hangs in the palace. I liked this section, though it seems a little rushed, what with trying to cram the third story and the loose ends from the other two into what is probably the shortest of the three.

I truly enjoyed this book, though it left a few loose ends hanging. I want to know more about the Tza'ab, the Nerro Lingua, and how Saavedra managed to be born Gifted. I REALLY want to know more about what happened when Eleyna's brother scratched the painting containing Eleyna's blood! It's not often I reach the end of a 900 page book crying out for more.

I enjoyed this book very much. The system of magic was different and very believable. This is a complex, interwoven, character-driven novel. The main character is quite interesting and complex, with admirable goals but he uses unwholesome means to achieve them.

This book is unusual for a fantasy novel because the society is changing. Their are hints of new technologies being introduced near the end of the book, although these are incidental to the plot. The book also deals with political evolution. Often in a fantasy setting, we have bad monarchs and good monarchs, but here the monarchy is portrayed in a realistic way, usually working to the benefit of the country, but not always in touch with the needs of the common people. The final section is set amidst the backdrop of revolution in neighboring countries and a growing demand by the people of Tira Virte for a voice in their government. It was interesting to see a depiction of a society trying to move toward a democracy.

The scope of the novel is vast, covering at least 300 years of history. It is interesting to see how a new generation interprets past events. Details like this make this book come alive.

I don't usually find myself at odds with my fellow reviewers, but this time we couldn't be further apart. Surely, I did not read the same book as those who gave this book 5 stars. The first 50 or so pages held my interest, in spite of the cutsey english-italian words and phrases that litter the pages like speed bumps - an affectation I found particulary irritating. In fact it is probably the thing that finally defeated me, although one dimensional evil characters that never get caught to the point of absurdity (think Hugh in Kate Elliot's Crown of Stars series) and overly convoluted plots trying desperately to be clever bore me into a coma. Indeed, that is what this book did. I so wish it hadn't. I give this novel 1 star as a nod to its very interesting premise which kept me trying to read it long past the point where I really wished I hadn't actually purchased it instead of getting it out of the library.

I'm quite a big fan of Melanie Rawn, and after reading the first two Exiles books, I picked this one up. It is superb, a true epic which has a cast of thousands (well not quite) but still portrays each one brilliantly. No character is totally good or evil - they are all shades of grey (something which is missing from the Exiles books) - combine that with one of the best fantasy endings ever, and you get an awe-inspiring novel. Defintely the best Rawn book, and infinitely more envolving than the entertaining and oft-mentioned Exiles books.

I picked up this book because I have always been interested in art, and the synopsis intrigued me. As soon as I began reading I was entranced. This is a complex tale of ambition, greed, beauty, love and, of course, art. The three authors have created a wholly new fantasy world that invokes a nostalgic feeling of Old World Spain and Italy. The intriguing dialogue makes you think and keeps your mind actively working.

The tale, one that would keep even children fascinated at bedtime, follows the life one great artist on his quest for recognition and immortality through his art. Fed by his ambition to be recognized as the greatest master painter in the history of Tira Virte, Sario uncovers a family secret so dark and mystifying that he strives to learn as much as he can. Through this secret learning, without adult guidance or control, Sario uses the Grijalva family secret and his innate artistic genius to make a place for himself in history - for almost 400 years!

Nothing stands in Sario's way, not love, not kindness, not religious ostracism, nothing. He will lie to, cheat, forcibly control or even murder those that may oppose his goals.

After being captivated by this truly original story, I was anticipating an ending that I could not predict (no matter how hard I tried!). I was most definitely not disappointed!

A book that has to be shared and wondered over with a group of friends. Enjoy The Golden Key!

The Golden Key is a fantasy novel set in a Iberian flavored fantasy world, written by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott.

The Golden Key's universe and magic revolves around the use of art as a tool for communication, political power, and it turns out, arcane power as well. The novel is episodic, starting with the rise to power and the discovery of real power by a brilliant artist, Sario Grijalva of Tira Verte. The Grijalvas, after a tragedy years ago, have fallen from grace, power and are pitied, if not feared, by the population at large. Despite their talents with art, being a Grijalva is not an easy or particularly desirable life.

Sario, however, has ambition. This ambition leads him to the lair of a Tza'ab (stand in for Berbers or North Africans) living in the heart of the city. His secret power, combined with Sario's knowledge, leads Sario to discoveries to allow him to live in a serial fashion in other people's bodies...and to also imprison Saavendra, the cousin that he loves, in a portrait...

The novel then leapfrogs over the next centuries, as Sario's machinations in his various lives lead to a rise to power for the Grijalvas, even as political and other developments slowly change Tira Virte in ways that even Sario cannot predict and control.

Thus, in a 900 page novel, we really get a complete fantasy series, with a variety of characters strung out along the history of Tira Virte, with Sario and the portrait of Saavendra as the hooks that keep the story together. Add in the intriguing magic system (which any player in Amber would think of ideas for Trumps thereby), great characterization, and vivid writing, and mix well.

This could have been envisioned as an interminable fantasy series, but as one volume, the writing is crisp and rarely if ever flags. The three writers collaborate and write together seamlesly. The novel was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, and after reading it, I have to wonder, just what novel managed to beat it for that prize.

I recommend it to epic fantasy fans unreservedly.