Unlock a good read (The Golden Key - Melanie Rawn)

Member Name: alysonfreeman

Product:	The Golden Key - Melanie Rawn
Date:	10/08/02 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice and thick

Disadvantages: Foreign words

This is a collaboration by three female fantasy authors. I wanted to read it because I had greatly enjoyed Kate Elliott?s other books. This is very different, and at first I found it difficult to get into. However, by the last chapters I was reading it in preference to all other activities.

The story spans hundreds of years and is the tale of the Grijalva family, who are gifted artists. Some of the men of the family have magical power, and their culture has developed over the years to foster both the artistic and magical elements. All events are recorded in pictures rather than in writing, and so the family is important to the life of their country, Tira Virte.

One of the young men of the family, Sario, makes a discovery which changes his whole life, and has repercussions down the years. He develops great power, but this starts to corrupt him and he ends up harming the woman he loves.

The fortunes of the family rise and fall during the next three hundred years, and the story follows their fortunes and that of the ruling family, the Verradas. The changing role of women is explored, and also political change. The influence of Sario is the only constant factor, and towards the end of the book there are terrible revelations about the extent of his power. However, the ending is satisfying and the book finishes on a note of hope.

A slightly annoying theme throughout the book is the use of Spanish-sounding words and phrases - I don't know whether they are real Spanish language. I did get use to it by the end, though. I also learned quite a lot about painting and the artistic temperament.

The book runs to 1074 pages and is a thick paperback, which was showing signs of wear by the time I finished reading it. An interesting rather than great novel, but worth reading, and a completely different view of magic from that of J.K.Rowling!

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