The Key (Guardians of Time) [Library Binding]

Marianne Curley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2009

The Order of Chaos begins its final and devastating assault on the Named in a desperate bid to annihilate them and gain absolute control of all the realms. The Named are in trouble. Not only must they find the precious lost key to unlock their ancient treasury of weapons, but there is a traitor in their midst. Suspicion is making them weaker, as the prophecy predicted, and they desperately need new hope. Praise for her previous books: 'Old Magic is a confident debut that announces the arrival of a bright, lively new voice' TES 'Marianne Curley's second novel, The Named, succeeds in combining the contemporary with the historical in this lively, eventful adventure' The Bookseller

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–This conclusion to the trilogy opens with a meteor shower brought on by the wrath of the evil immortal Lathenia. Various meetings, quests, skirmishes, arguments, and love tiffs lead up to a final battle. The protagonists are the Named–teens and their mentors who are the champions of the forces of good. They spend most of the book wrangling with one another over who is allowed to love whom and who might be a traitor while very little time is spent honing the ill-defined powers that they have all recently received. Among all of the mystical journeying there is only one obvious example of time travel–two of the teens save Captain Cook's expedition that will discover Australia. The titular key opens a secret cache of weapons that are supposedly linked to the powers of each of the Named, but it isn't ever clear what that connection is. The armies of darkness aren't all that frightening and the battle feels more haphazard than climactic. Other than brief references, the book relies entirely on familiarity with the earlier volumes for understanding the causes of action and all other background. The characters never really develop and the dialogue borders on being overwrought. The constant action may appeal to fans of the earlier volumes. For everyone else, recommend the works of Garth Nix instead.–Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. The Guardians of Time Trilogy concludes with members of the Named--young adults with extraordinary gifts--facing an epic showdown of good and evil, with humanity's future at stake. The Order of Chaos, led by power-monger Lathenia and her cohort Marduke, seems stronger than ever, commanding meteors, rats, and armies of the undead, while attempting to change history's course via time traveling. As the Named's members complete initiations into the Guardians, there's another snafu: it seems one of them is a traitor. The group battles foes and issues of trust and time, as an ancient prophecy nears realization. Matt and Rochelle's alternating, present-tense first-person narratives add suspense to an engrossing, if not dense, read, driven by detailed descriptions of a dizzying array of magic devices, events, time periods, and settings. Given the extensive backstories developed in previous titles, readers familiar with the series will be the most comfortable audience here, as well as the most willing to overlook the rushed conclusion and a few inconsistencies in the story. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 412 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439572674
• ISBN-13: 978-1439572672
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,071,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost Fantastic, June 4, 2005

By 

Book Girl (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Key (Guardians of Time) (Welsh Edition) (Hardcover)

I had been waiting impatiently for the last installment of the Guardians of Time trilogy. For the most part, I was not disappointed by the book when it was published.

It's a suspenseful book, full of plot twists and unexpected turns of events. The narrators for the story are Matt and Rochelle, who are still dealing from the fallout of Rochelle's treachery and later entry into the Guard. We learn a lot about who Matt and Rochelle are, what makes them work, and how they handle mistakes that have been made and the possibility of a grim future.

I recommend this book to you with one minor caveat. If you're expecting a firm resolution and a tight ending to the trilogy, you will not get. The book just ENDS. I turned the page because I was sure that that just couldn't be it, but it was. That's the reason why I rate it four, not five, stars.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST. BOOK. EVER!!!, June 6, 2005

By 

Rain Song "A reader/writer/actress/singer" (boring old small town) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Key (Guardians of Time) (Welsh Edition) (Hardcover)

In this book, told by Matt and Rochelle, you will be swept into the double lives of the Named in a thrilling conclusion of the trilogy. Filled with action, adventure, plot twists, and love, Marianne Curley always finds a way to bring her characters so comepletely to life that you feel you know them. I was unable to put the book down. I loved the Named and the Dark, but the Key was the best of the trilogy (though it was VERY close!!) This book (all three of them in fact) were so amazing. They made me bored with reality. Marianne Curley is my hero and role model, and I hope they make this trilogy into a movie! I guve it five stars, although it would be nice if Marianne Curley would write one more book at least for the Guardians of Time, just because I miss the characters so much.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marianne Curley is the best!, July 31, 2005

By 

I love Arkarian (in my own little corner) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Key (Guardians of Time) (Welsh Edition) (Hardcover)

Marianne Curley is one of my favorite authors of all time, and for the most part she did not dissapoint with this book. I say for the most part because I agree with other reviewers about how suprised I was that the book just ended. I would have liked at least another paragraph or so, just to tie things off a little nicer.

I love the depth and intracacy of the characters in this series, and how in each book their relationships with each other get more complicated and we learn more about them. Marianne Curley has a way of making these characters real.

I love Arkarian. He is the best fictional character ever.

5 stars. I can hardly wait to see what this author comes out with next. She just keeps getting better.