The Spellkey Trilogy

Ah! This terrific fantasy trilogy is so hard to describe! I wish I could eloquently describe the wonders of these novels. Ann Downer can do it so much better! Seriously, I believe one of the main devices that make this trilogy work is her writing style. It's truly beautiful in that you really feel close to the characters and the descriptions and tone of the book ties you emotionally to them. And the language/dialogue is SO clever!! There's like a hidden meaning (or ambiguous ones) in almost every conversation, that either gives you a slight shock or makes you think even harder than you already are (but in a good way!). Downer definitely mastered the technique of putting emotional/psychological "aspects" to written works, which proves she's not only a writer but an artist as well. The Spellkey introduces the main characters you will grow to love: Caitlin and Badger. Caitlin, abandoned by her mother, is raised by an old hag in the "bewitched" Weirdwood. When her guardian dies, the townspeople label her a "witch" because of her seer's eyes and collar her like a dog and hang her with bells, shunning her wherever she goes. Badger is a (...) son who is sent from the monastary where he lives to make a living for himself. On his way, he runs into Caitlin...and through their journey they become touchstones to each other in ways that they could have only imagined...They enter many amazing kingdoms and live through many fascinating tales, while trying to escape an evil they know exists but cannot see. But in the end they discover that they only need each other, and that is their greatest triumph. Would you believe that's only an informal description of the first book? There's still two more, but I would reveal too much if I went into them. So hopefully the first summary piqued you interest. Now that I've said that...A very quick description of these books in all. In, about 12 adjectives, these novels (which constitute one story), are: non-stop exciting, clever, funny, witty, sad, happy, serious, crazy, heartwarming, heartwrenching, romantic, and...incredible!! It's a real shame this trilogy isn't that well-known at all, but oh well, most of the best ones aren't. I really think these novels can be analyzed and discussed in an English class, they're that well written. But as they're FANTASY...oh well. But you can help spread the word on this trilogy if you read it and like it, which I'm sure you will! Try you local library first. That's where I found the first book, "The Spellkey." After I found out there was a sequel ("The Glass Salamander"), I immediately checked it out. Then I found out there was another sequel ("The Books of the Keepers"), and I ended up having to request it from another library, but I was hooked! Now, I have had this Baen edition (with all three in one)for a year already because I just had to own these titles and reread all of them over and over again. Books like these really introduced me to the fantasy genre,

I read this for the first time in sixth grade, after mistakenly getting a copy of the first one from the school library. When I realized it was a trilogy, i had to own it.. now, going of to college, my dog-eared copy is more than likely coming with me!

I had the pleasure of meeting Ann Downer in a completely un-writerly context;I read the trilogy, despite my misgivings about what's happened to fantasy novels over the last twenty years, simply because I liked her. I'm glad I did; it's a lovely piece of work, with wonderful images and clean plotting. The characters all have complex motivations and age realistically . They work as characters, rather than just respresenting Good, Evil, or Magic. The nonsensible babble which is often employed by fantasy writers as a way of saying, "Look! We're in an Other World" is absent here, thus giving a much better feel of the alienness of this world. Unlike a lot of recent fantasy works -- which have been reading more and more like Morality Plays -- this one works as a novel, not just as a genre piece. Downer is a great writer, not just a great fiction writer. People sometimes think that fantasy is just for teenagers, but this is worth the read regardless of age.