The Rose Labyrinth
Author: Titania Hardie
Atria Books
2008
ISBN #978-1-60751-391-9
“The Rose Labyrinth”, by Titania Hardy, contains some of the very best esoteric fiction that I have ever read. I love this book, and know that I will reread it many times over. The storyline centers around sixteenth century astrologer/mathematician/mystic John Dee, and how he hid much of his major writing before his death – convinced that the world was not ready for his truths. For seventeen generations his female descendents have carefully guarded his secrets, waiting for the right moment to make them public. That time is now.
This is the story of a mother’s love for her sons, and her legacy to them both. It is the story of two father’s love for their son’s, and the lengths that they go to protect them. It is the story of physical land, and how the use of it reflects our spiritual and mundane beliefs. It is the story of men who believe in a second coming, and the lengths they go to experience it. It is the story of pure evil, and it is the story of two lovers.
This is such an intricate, well done book that any research that needed to be done I am sure was of a secondary nature. The important segments – the esoteric work – was written by someone who walks in this world, who lives in this world, and understands this world well. (Hardie holds honors degrees in Psychology and English, and is currently completing her MA on Romantic Poets.)
The story is told through the life of Lucy King, a young documentary film maker living in London. She needs a heart transplant, which she gets – along with what may be memories belonging to the heart donor. With the help of her immunologist (who later becomes her lover), and a few close friends, she travels between London, France and New York in a race to decipher the puzzle before the bad guys do.
The timeline moves smoothly between the sixteenth century and current times, presenting each world as a real, working world. Woven through this well written story is a wonderful depth of esoterica – the white rose and the red rose, the gold and silver keys – both of which are needed to open the box that contains Dee’s mystery materials. The recurrence of the number 34, the Fibonacci Code, the Rapture Society, the labyrinth at Chartres, and a lovely knot garden.
Aside from reading this to die for book, you might just want to visit the website – http://www.theroselabyrinth.com . Here you can read a synopsis of the book, play with the riddle cards, key dates in the novel, and their meaning, a dictionary of the symbols used in this book, and a challenge – to decode the message contained in the thirty-four riddle cards. Those who pass the challenge will earn a place at the heart of the Rose Labyrinth, and will receive a certificate signed by Titania Hardie.
Enjoy the site, enjoy the book – and pray that Ms Hardie writes many more!
© August 2009
Bonnie Cehovet 