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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This is another one that I can't remember who recommended it, but I'm loving it. I've always been super into the King Arthur canon, so this is a welcome addition. On to the next one!
This deals with the first part of Merlin's life up to the conception of Arthur. Now, for some reason, Merlin was never my favourite character in the Arthur mythos (neither was Arthur himself, for that matter), but I still enjoyed reading this take on the first half of his life. There are some anachronisms, but I think most people will overlook them (I probably missed a few myself), and at some places the structure of the writing is a little off, but all in all, I quite liked this as a holiday read. I do have a huge soft spot for all things Arthurian, which might help. It doesn't hold a candle to, say, [b:Mists of Avalon|402045|The Mists of Avalon (The Mists of Avalon, #1)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347354878s/402045.jpg|806813], but I'm inclined to read the rest of the series, although I doubt I'll ever re-read it, which is my rule of thumb for a 4 star read.
3.5/5
3.5/5
“The gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path. And that takes courage.”
Quite enchanting fantasy/historical saga that promises to deal with mythological king Arthur, however at first the stage is set by explaining who the main characters are, therefore this particular book is focused on childhood of legendary Merlin and how he came to be feared and notorious wizard of Bronze Age Britain. Like so many classic literary orphans who later grew from ugly ducklings into majestic swans, this boy (called by his Welsh name Myrddin Emrys here) has to endure cold and loveless childhood, just to find the solace and friendship trough mysterious hermit Galapas who welcomes him in a lonely cave and this is where boy learns to use his clairvoyant powers. Almost everybody in this story is just a piece of a much bigger puzzle, so its not accidental that Galapas is here to teach Merlin what he needs to know later in life, when his main task becomes clear.
Mary Stewart was already famous author, when in her fifties she came up with this retelling of Arthurian legend - obviously inspired with unforgettable "The Once and Future King". In fact, chronologically and aesthetically this fits perfectly somewhere between T.H.White and later Marion Zimmer Bradley - its not exactly masterpiece like "The Once and Future King", neither pagan-worshipping, dark "The Mists of Avalon" but their very enjoyable distant cousin with distinctive qualities, poetic language and beautiful imagery completely distinguished on their own. Stewart does her own magic by pulling the reader in a post-Roman Britain with its dangers, treacheries and superstitions, in a world where people put their ears to ground to hear horses arriving and wars are fought frequently left and right (Britain still has to be united as such) - if personally I find one small objection, it would be that Stewart sacrifices the flow of the action for lyrical descriptions of forest and valleys, which pretty as they are, freeze the story cold - but one must take it as a essential part of her storytelling.
One interesting (and somewhat puzzling) thing is that Stewart completely shies away from any strong female characters. I understand this was written in pre-feminist time, but since writer herself was a woman, you would kind of expect just one powerful woman - not to be found here (if mentioned at all, they are servants, milkmaids, washerwomen and nuns). Perhaps Stewart was just being cautious, since the Arthurian legend has characters set in the stone and she basically weaved her story around the established frame - it took nine more years until Marion Zimmer Bradley arrived with her "The Mists of Avalon" that completely changed this point of view and introduced women as much more than livestock. In fact, where initially I found "The Mists of Avalon" enjoyable but trashy guilty pleasure, now it seems as much more important progress in variation of ancient legend (it gave Arthurian women voices where previously they were silenced).
Quite enchanting fantasy/historical saga that promises to deal with mythological king Arthur, however at first the stage is set by explaining who the main characters are, therefore this particular book is focused on childhood of legendary Merlin and how he came to be feared and notorious wizard of Bronze Age Britain. Like so many classic literary orphans who later grew from ugly ducklings into majestic swans, this boy (called by his Welsh name Myrddin Emrys here) has to endure cold and loveless childhood, just to find the solace and friendship trough mysterious hermit Galapas who welcomes him in a lonely cave and this is where boy learns to use his clairvoyant powers. Almost everybody in this story is just a piece of a much bigger puzzle, so its not accidental that Galapas is here to teach Merlin what he needs to know later in life, when his main task becomes clear.
Mary Stewart was already famous author, when in her fifties she came up with this retelling of Arthurian legend - obviously inspired with unforgettable "The Once and Future King". In fact, chronologically and aesthetically this fits perfectly somewhere between T.H.White and later Marion Zimmer Bradley - its not exactly masterpiece like "The Once and Future King", neither pagan-worshipping, dark "The Mists of Avalon" but their very enjoyable distant cousin with distinctive qualities, poetic language and beautiful imagery completely distinguished on their own. Stewart does her own magic by pulling the reader in a post-Roman Britain with its dangers, treacheries and superstitions, in a world where people put their ears to ground to hear horses arriving and wars are fought frequently left and right (Britain still has to be united as such) - if personally I find one small objection, it would be that Stewart sacrifices the flow of the action for lyrical descriptions of forest and valleys, which pretty as they are, freeze the story cold - but one must take it as a essential part of her storytelling.
One interesting (and somewhat puzzling) thing is that Stewart completely shies away from any strong female characters. I understand this was written in pre-feminist time, but since writer herself was a woman, you would kind of expect just one powerful woman - not to be found here (if mentioned at all, they are servants, milkmaids, washerwomen and nuns). Perhaps Stewart was just being cautious, since the Arthurian legend has characters set in the stone and she basically weaved her story around the established frame - it took nine more years until Marion Zimmer Bradley arrived with her "The Mists of Avalon" that completely changed this point of view and introduced women as much more than livestock. In fact, where initially I found "The Mists of Avalon" enjoyable but trashy guilty pleasure, now it seems as much more important progress in variation of ancient legend (it gave Arthurian women voices where previously they were silenced).
Strong writing and a compelling take on the Arthurian legend. A tad boring here and there…the thought of more books in this series is a bit daunting.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read as a "book published 10 years before I was born" for the Library book challenge, this novel has also been sitting on my shelf for approximately 20 years, waiting to be ready for sentimental reasons as it was a favorite of my dad's. While I have long loved the Arthurian legend, counting The Mists of Avalon as one of my favorite books of all time, I had not ventured into the origin story of our favorite wizard, Merlin, until picking up this book. I did enjoy it plenty, however, it was so heavy on the political/historical details of battles and alliances it was easily about a hundred pages too long. Overall, I'm glad I read it and may continue the series, since, again, they've been sitting here for 20+ years waiting. :)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A slower-paced and more historically-accurate take on the legend of Myridden Emrys. There are some genuinely profound and beautiful passages within these pages.