The Golden Key

[Alia]

The Golden Key written by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson & Kate Elliott is very different from some of the other fantasy books I've read. This book isn't centered around the typical medieval period of time, in which most fantasy stories are, but rather takes place in a Renaissance era with a Grand Duke who governs Tira Virte. All marriages and births to treaties and inheritances are considered legal records, which are painted by limners. Limners are from the Grijalva family where only ‘certain males of their bloodline are born with a frightening, magical talent’. I won’t go into much more into what the story is about. It’s different than most of the other fantasy stories I have read. And being that it’s a story written by three authors it was wonderfully done. There wasn’t any part of the story where you wondered what they were talking about, what happened, if you missed something or what was going on. The book seemed to flow together rather well.



Here’s a website with an excerpt from Kate's part in the book:


http://www.sff.net/people/Kate.Elliott/key_excerpt.html

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Three authors collaborating together, wow how does that work? Does one particular author write the core of the book?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I thought I started a thread for this book a while back. It's sad when a great mind begins to decay.

The Golden Key is actually three short novels (one for each collaborator) joined together to make one big novel, Lace. The stories share the same setting and there are continuing characters from one segment to another. The plot literally spans centuries. By the time you get to the last section of the book, the tale has gone from a period similar to the Renaissance to a period similar to the early 19th century.

 

[dwndrgn]

And it is seamless. I love this book. I was captivated from the first by the writing, the characters, the world-building and the magic of course was the best part of all - fascinating spin on art.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

It sounds fantastic. I might have to move it up my reading list. So what are the fantastical elements in the story?

 

[Alia]

I thought I started a thread for this book a while back. It's sad when a great mind begins to decay.

The Golden Key is actually three short novels (one for each collaborator) joined together to make one big novel, Lace. The stories share the same setting and there are continuing characters from one segment to another. The plot literally spans centuries. By the time you get to the last section of the book, the tale has gone from a period similar to the Renaissance to a period similar to the early 19th century.

Did you Kelpie? It must still be in the Books and Lit. Forum, my apologies for not researching for it.

Three authors collaborating together, wow how does that work? Does one particular author write the core of the book?

This site gives a little background of how the authors were approached with the story idea.
http://www.sff.net/people/Kate.Elliott/gold_key.html
What amazed me was how smoothly the book flowed. You could tell that each section was from a different author, because the writing styles changed. But the settings, the circumstances, the people... nothing else changed. Very smoothly done!!!

So what are the fantastical elements in the story?

This is from the back of the book, Lacey. "The ability to manipulate time and reality within their paintings, a Gift which enables them to alter events and influence people in the real world." 'Their' that is referred to are the limners, the artists, the Grijalva family, the ones who paint for the Grand Duke. The only ones who have this Gift, and only certain males. So a very select few have the ability to influence other, time, events and reality.If you want more details I can PM you about them Lacey or someone else can spell it out better than me.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It looks like I hallucinated it, Alia, because I can't find any previous thread.

 

[Alia]

Or the Thread Deleting Trolls ate it.

I think maybe it was talked about in the Melanie Rawn thread? Or perhaps a different thread here in Kate's forum. I do remember it being brought up before, but I didn't see a thread devoted to just that book.

 

[Rosemary]

I really enjoyed reading Melanie Rawn's books, she has a delightful way of writing.

Three authors for one book certainly sounds as if it might have been a challenge. I read the excerpt from Kates part of the book...I loved the idea of the art as being used as a 'talent'. Her descriptions of the characters brought them to life.

I shall be checking out the library for this one.

 

[GOLLUM]

It looks like I hallucinated it, Alia, because I can't find any previous thread.

I could only find a discusion about this book by yourself and others in the following Kate Eliott thread in the bottom half of the page:

http://www.chronicles-network.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5026&page=3&pp=15&highlight=Jennifer+Robertson