Authors: Melanie Rawn,Jennifer Roberson,Kate Elliott

The Golden Key

Praise for:
THE GOLDEN KEY

“This three-way collaboration is original in concept and superior in execution. Characterizations and world-building are finely realized; Rawn and company have done their homework on art, and overall, the romance justifies every one of its nearly 900 pages and demands its place in most fantasy collections.”

—
Booklist

“Using prose, the authors gloriously illustrate this concept—that pictures are more valuable than words. The world the authors create is entertaining. … what makes this massive tome interesting are its detailed descriptions of the making, and uses of, painting, and the creative way the authors play with the magic.”

—
Locus

“To define (
The Golden Key
) within one genre is impossible. Suffice it to say this nominee for the World Fantasy Award is a remarkable book. … one of the most absorbing books I've read in some time. I give it my highest recommendation.”

—Catherine Asaro for the
SF Site

“Another fabulous fantasy collaboration ... an impressive bit of world-building. As one would expect, the fascinating background is meticulously brought to life ... we are held spellbound by this dark fantasy all the way through its mesmerizing conclusion.”

—
Romantic Times

Also Available from the writers of The Golden Key
:

MELANIE RAWN

The Dragon Prince Trilogy
DRAGON PRINCE
THE STAR SCROLL
SUNRUNNER’S FIRE

The Dragon Star Trilogy
STRONGHOLD
THE DRAGON TOKEN
SKYBOWL

Exiles
:
THE RUINS OF AMBRAI
THE MAGEBORN TRAITOR

JENNIFER ROBERSON

The Sword-Dancer Saga
SWORD-MAKER
SWORD-DANCER
SWORD-SINGER
SWORD-BREAKER
SWORD-BORN
SWORD-SWORN

Chronicles of the Cheysuli
Omnibus Editions
:
SHAPECHANGER’S SONG
LEGACY OF THE WOLF
CHILDREN OF THE LION
THE LION THRONE

Karavans
KARAVANS
DEEPWOOD

KATE ELLIOTT

The Novels of the Jaran
JARAN
AN EARTHLY CROWN
HIS CONQUERING SWORD
THE LAW OF BECOMING

Crown of Stars
KING’S DRAGON
PRINCE OF DOGS
THE BURNING STONE
CHILD OF FLAME
THE GATHERING STORM IN THE RUINS
CROWN OF STARS

And Coming in August 2011, the Sequel to The Golden Key:
THE DIVINER
by Melanie Rawn

THE
GOLDEN
KEY

MELANIE RAWN
JENNIFER ROBERSON
KATE ELLIOTT

DAW BOOKS, INC.

DONALD A. WOLLHEIM, FOUNDER

375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ELIZABETH R. WOLLHEIM
SHEILA E. GILBERT
PUBLISHERS

http://www.dawbooks.com

Cover Art by Michael Whelan.
www.michaelwhelan.com

Cover Design by G-Force Designs

Book designed by Stanley S. Drate/Folio Graphics Co., Inc.

DAW Book Collectors No. 1031.
DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

First Printing, August 1997
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U.S. PAT. AND TM. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U.S.A.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

In Memory of

Elsie Baiter Wollheim

June 26, 1910–February 9, 1996

Since the 18th century, many painters have been obsessed with the idea of a Golden Key—that is, a piece of knowledge, a formula or technical trick that would unravel the mysteries of the art of painting. … The answer is, of course, that there is no such thing.

—J
ONATHAN
S
TEPHENSON,

The Materials and Techniques of Painting