Rating: 
Summary: Arche/Stereotype
Review: Anyone who really wants to write mythopoetically resonant fiction is probably more sensitive to these kinds of issues than... this book assumes they are. I liked it, but honestly, it spent a lot of time persuading me that it's angle was relevant. IMO this book should be an ADJUNCT to thoughtful progress in more conventional storytelling and writing skills, and/or to an understanding of Mythological themes and motifs. People strong in one area and wanting to branch into the other should get this book and either the Hero with a Thousand faces (and/or the Masks of God tetrology, if you've got the patience), or some good books on writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't compare this to Campbell's work... it is not Mythology
Review: I have read many of Joseph Campbell's books. I have not read any of Frey's other works (but I'm ordering "How to Write a Damn Good Novel" today), but I have read "The Key" - and I felt it was a good book.
I thought this book very entertaining and quite useful. I have seen other reviews that claim this book is "The Readers Digest version" of Campbell's work, and other such statements. In Frey's defense, Campbell's work doesn't teach you about writing, it teaches you about Mythology. Those reviews don't make good comparisons; so, instead I will compare "The Key" to a similar work I have read: Steven King's "On Writing".
King's "On Writing" is wonderful, inspirational, and entertaining. I would say the same for Frey's "The Key". Where King's "On Writing" is more about how he writes, with suggestions towards your writing, Frey's "The Key" is more "step by step". "The Key" seems more for beginners, but I could see a more advanced writer gleaning some good ideas from it, or coming to realizations they had not thought of before.
"The Key" is a bit repetitious, much as a basic text book might repeat key ideas; however, I find this useful and not overdone. I also appreciated the many examples given, and the example story. This is something that is often missed in any sort of "How to" book. I tend to learn better from examples, so I really appreciated that effort.
Rating: 
Summary: How to burnout on a Damn Fine Concept
Review: I haven't read any of Frey's other works, and after this one I won't bother. The concept of this book though unoriginal is very interesting. The idea of universal themes and fundamental myths that speak to the core of the human psyche is the grist of forklore classes and the keynote of Joseph Campbell. It is a great idea and one that may still have room for exploration. Don't look for it here. Frey is trying lamely to devise a formula for hacks.Have you ever written a twelve-page term paper based on a three-page idea? Haven't we all? This is a book written like that. I would imagine that Frey asked his publisher if he could double space. You and I are are likely to have spent more time in the library doing our work than did Mr. Frey. His literary alusions are to such masters as Steven King and Ian Fleming. James Joyce is cited as an bad example. He believes Ahab is the Evil One in Mobey Dick. and he makes repeated referance to someone he calls "Big Nurse" in "One Flew Over KooKoo's Nest". How could anyone forget a name like Nurse Rachet? She is called "Rachet" for a reason, Mr. Frey. It is a name with meaning, like Finn-again. You want a good book on the craft of writing? Read Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird". You want to write like Steven King? Read Steven King's "On Writing"(and see Eudora Welty's work by the same name). You want to become a great writer? Read Joyce and Dispair. It is a gift, Steven King says so. Look at Lamott, and Joyce, and King and Frey and take heart. It is a gift that doesn't make you happy anyway. Worm farming is more fun and apt to pay bettter. Write if you must. All art is sorrow in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Overly simplistic, but possibly helpful
Review: If you're not willing to read the many exciting books on the role of myth in story creation (like Campbell's classic, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"), Frey's book may be a shortcut. But don't be duped into thinking he's done all the work for you. Believe me, this ain't a "Cliff's notes" version of the harder books on mythology -- it's the Reader's Digest version. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you know what you're getting. As a previous reviewer noted, Frey is too limiting in his definitions of who the protagonist and antagonist can be in your story (he overlooks completely the fact that an antagonist need not be a person at all -- it could be the weather, or a giant whale, or an entire town, among other things). Also, many of Frey's plot and character suggestions are too dramatic, and would have no place in literary fiction, where readers demand a greater degree of subtlety. But if you're looking to write rollicking adventure stories, and you want to see how other authors have used mythology to create a firm, workable structure for their stories, this book may be the right place to start. I wouldn't stop there, though. If you want to write works of any depth or meaning, it would be better to move on -- if Frey manages to pique your interest in the power of myth rather than just turning you off -- to the harder, but more insightful stuff than Frey offers in this limited book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Power of Myth
Review: If you've struggled with other versions of the Hero's Journey and found them too obscure, too formulaic, or too screen-oriented, James N. Frey's The Key may be just what you are looking for. Frey goes back to the structure and study of mythology and concentrates on characters and their interactions rather than plot structure, an approach much better suited to novelists. He also gives examples from a wide variety of novels and films, and demonstrates his points with a novel outline (which I'll buy if he ever gets around to writing it). He shows you how to develop character bios based on mythic patterns and includes several examples of journal entries written in character voice ("show, don't tell" is a rule more writing teachers should apply to their own writing!). You don't need to have read Frey's "How to Write a Damn Good Novel" series to appreciate this book, but once you've read it you will probably want to add those two volumes to your collection as well. The Key is an excellent and accessible book which I intend to recommend to my writing buddies.
Rating:
Summary: Power of myth
Review: In countless interviews George Lucas told us how he used the power of myth to create his masterpiece, "Starwars." So why was "Phantom Menace" no more satisfying than a spectacular videogame? After you read "The Key," you'll know the answer. Mythic storytelling requires more than throwing archetypes and classic plot elements onto the page. Mr. Frey shows us how to tap into the deepest human emotions using a structure that has been with us since before the written word. He shows us how to look at our own writing and decide where the various aspects of myth might make our story stronger. Walking us through the development of a myth-based novel, Mr. Frey "auditions" characters, steps, and complications. Some work and are incorportated into his story, some don't work and are tossed. This is an extension of techniques he outlined in his two previous "how to" books, but here the process is even more accessable. "The Key" is not the first book on fiction and the hero's journey, but it's the best I've read. In "The Key" we learn to use the hero's journey as a tool, not a formula. I've already ordered copies of "The Key" for my writer friends, my teenagers, and their creative writing teachers. Perhaps if Mr. Lucas had read "The Key" we would have seen him at the Academy Awards this year.
Rating:
Summary: A good intro to the Hero's Journey archetype
Review: It can be a bit too simplistic at times, but this book is a very good introduction to the Hero's Journey. As a matter of fact, I found it more informative than Christoper Vogler's The Writer's Journey. I'm not the greatest admirer of "how-to" writing books - I think you either know how to write a story or you don't - but if you want to get a grasp on the basic structure that is used by most commercial novels and movies these days, then this is the book to get.
Rating:
Summary: Hit and myth
Review: Joseph Campbell wrote "The Hero With 1000 Faces," arguably one of the most influential books of the 20th century.
Christopher Vogler wrote "The Writer's Journey," which might have been renamed "The Hero With 1000 Faces For Dummies."
Now James Frey has written "The Key," which might be renamed "The Writer's Journey For Dummies."
The only thing you will find in this book that is not in the previous books is countless directions to read Frey's "How To Write A Damn Good Novel," and other "Damn Good" books.
Do yourself a favour and read Campbell and Vogler instead.
Rating:
Summary: Frey seems to understand
Review: On a subconscious level, anyone who is interested in literature recognizes the structure and key elements of the epic story where the archetypical hero leaves the security of his home, goes into the unknown 'woods', confronts evil and is somehow transformed by the whole adventure. Some built-in human chemistry allows this kind of story to excite us, no matter how many times we have heard it. The elements are all familiar, but unless you've read Campbell or taken a course on the mythical hero, you have not put all the elements together in a format that is easy to understand and utilize. Frey does just that.
Frey looks at the power of myth and creates a template that will help any level writer create a journey of transition. He employs various examples to back up his premise and analysis and relies heavily on outlines discussed in his two previous "Damn Good" how-tos. (I don't have either of the other works and I was able to make perfect sense of Frey's suggestions.) Frey's analysis provides fledgling writers such as myself a way in which to formulate a concrete foundation before actually attempting to delve into the literary process that entails the use of distinctive language. I am hoping that in employing his tips I will avoid my usual sandtraps---adding too many scenes simply because I enjoy placing my fictional creations in situations that have little to do with the message of my book.
Bottom line: I believe Frey's ideas wonderfully readable and easily employable. He suggests fleshing out each character by defining him/her physiologially, sociologically and pyschologically and then writing a journal in the character's voice to better facilitate 'stepping into that character's shoes.' Along with this he defines certain qualities that are de rigueur for a mythic hero and for the hero's nemesis, "the Evil One.' Other secondary characters are explored along the way, as Frey explains the different stages the mythic hero lives through in order to accomplish his mission and transform himself in the process.
The Flaw: While every one of Mr Frey's suggestions make sense,I believe that without some real intuitive writing---and Frey does warn of this--- the outcome,if one merely follows his formula would be just that---formula. Frey uses examples that run the gamut of the literary spectrum--i.e. Homer's "Odyssey" to Grisham's "The Firm"--he illustrates how the mythic hero template fits over each of his examples--- but I don't want to write a novel that simply bestsells as in the Grisham case, I want my work to actually mean something. His example, "The Blue Light", detracts from the otherwise great advise that the book offers. 'The Blue Light', is typical of the sensationalized writing that unfortunately seems to sell. Okay,its just an example and just a first draft, but the characters are trite, in particular the macho woman armed with itching powder, fearless and unwilling to do just about anything to get her story--blah,blah,blah---any mass media paperback that you pick up at the drugstore contains the same type of character---so why do I want to write a 'movie-of-the-week' wannabe that pretty much everyone else and his brother are writing?
Nevetheless, I enjoyed reading 'The Key'; I found my mind spinning with ideas on how to fix something I am working on and at the same time tighten all the loose ends that would otherwise destroy the essential ideas. The format is fun and easy to read --Frey does not teach you how to write--he helps outlines a structure that if applied is sure to help your story become a personal success.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept but no follow through
Review: The 'Key' mentioned in the title is what the author describes as the monomyth. A supposed model of a mythic story that contains certain elements and has been replicated for centuries and across many societies because it is basic to humanity. While the idea of extracting a universal pattern from great literature is intriguing the result is not necessarily useful. The book consists largely of a long laundry list of elements that may or may not be found in a particular story. Included are a large number of self serving references of the form 'as I said in my other book...' which I found irritating since I bought this book not another. The author has attempted to support the idea of a great model by including an example based on using the techniques described. You would think that if you were writing a book on how to write, and demonstrating a great technique, that you would make sure your example was a wonderfully written piece. It isn't. The author's excuse it by adding at the end that it is 'Only a draft'. I'm unimpressed by the example and the technique.
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