''The Key'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel written by

Marianne Curley Marianne Curley, (born 20 May 1959) is an Australian author best known for her Guardians of Time Trilogy and Old Magic books. Life According to her official biography, Marianne Curley formerly lived in Coffs Harbour, on the Mid North Coas ...

. It is the third book in the

Guardians of Time Trilogy ''Guardians of Time'' is a trilogy of novels written by Marianne Curley. The plot of the trilogy consists of the Guardians of Time (the Guard), trying to protect the past, present, and future by traveling into the past to thwart their enemies, t ...

Narration

As with all of the Guardians of Time books, the

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

is written in the

third person Third person, or third-person, may refer to: * Third person (grammar), a point of view (in English, ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''they'') ** Illeism, the act of referring to oneself in the third person * Third-person narrative, a perspective in p ...

, while all the chapters are written in the first person switching points of view between two narrators. In this book, the two narrators are Rochelle and Matt. In this installment of the series, Matt and Rochelle struggle to deal with the impending battle, which has been predicted to decide the fate of the Named. Meanwhile, tensions have been mounting as romance between the Named forms, much to the displeasure of some characters. A traitor has also been discovered. This book basically states the struggles between different characters point of view mostly from Rochelle, but finds a way to get through them by ignoring the accusations

Setting

The story is set in

Angel Falls Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's tallest unint ...

which is located above the ancient city of Veridian. The story is set in the present or near-present time. Some of the story takes place in the past, in a variety of times/places. It also takes place in the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

realm and the

Heavenly realm Heavenly may refer to: * Pertaining to Heaven Music Bands * Heavenly (British band), an English pop band * Heavenly (French band), a French heavy metal band Albums * ''Heavenly'' (Johnny Mathis album), 1959 * ''Heavenly'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel a ...

. More so than in the previous two novels, the story takes place in the lost city and a mythical city of Atlantis, pre-sinking. Other locations of action include the high school in Angel Falls and the woods surrounding the city, where the epic battle takes place.

Reception

Shelle Rosenfeld in her review for

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

said that "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."

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

said in their review that "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."

Notes

External links

Marianne Curley's websiteBloomsbury Guardians of Time website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, The 2005 Australian novels Children's science fiction novels Novels about time travel Guardians of Time Trilogy Bloomsbury Publishing books

Narration

Setting

Reception

See also

Notes

External links