duncanshaw's review
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
I feel like this book could have been much more.
It was an enjoyable read, and I gained much from it. The author covers many of the historical sources in some detail and, I am sure, explained the basic basis for the figure of Merlin. At the end of the day, this is what I bought the book for.
However, I had several complaints that potentially led to the book being less than it could have been, and reading it was slightly clunky and unenjoyable at times.
Firstly, and most blatantly, the editing was not great. There were fairly regular mistakes that slipped right past proofreading. It just made it feel a bit sloppy. This was more frequent towards the end.
Speaking of the end, secondly (and this is more specific), I did not care for the last chapter at all. This was when.
Finally, I understand what the author was trying to do by taking the different aspects or "guises" of Merlin as chapters and expanding on each individually. However, I feel that it wasn't done as well as it could have been. I believe it led to the book feeling slightly disjointed and having a lack of cohesion. Some aspects or mentions seemed to pop up and disappear randomly, and some things felt repetitive. I think, also, that, as the author was trying to present such a wide picture of Merlin, he had to stretch things quite thin to make some points to bulk out some of the sections, although I may be being a bit harsh here.
In conclusion, this review takes a very critical and negative view of a book that, to be honest, I did enjoy reading most of the time. I would say to someone interested in Merlin or British mythology that it's worth reading, however, I am sure there are better books on the topic out there. Books that maybe take a more cohesive and scholarly approach. Despite this, I realize it was definitely written for a very popular audience and maybe I personally look for this sort of book to be more strict and scholarly. The author did create an intriguing and powerful image of Merlin and left me feeling not regretful that I had read it at all.
It was an enjoyable read, and I gained much from it. The author covers many of the historical sources in some detail and, I am sure, explained the basic basis for the figure of Merlin. At the end of the day, this is what I bought the book for.
However, I had several complaints that potentially led to the book being less than it could have been, and reading it was slightly clunky and unenjoyable at times.
Firstly, and most blatantly, the editing was not great. There were fairly regular mistakes that slipped right past proofreading. It just made it feel a bit sloppy. This was more frequent towards the end.
Speaking of the end, secondly (and this is more specific), I did not care for the last chapter at all. This was when
Spoiler
he was tediously going through what felt like every modern book, movie, and TV with mention of merlin, even if brief. For each, he would give a description of the plot and give his personal opinion on the piece, sometimes (and fairly often) not even Merlin-related. Stuff like poor acting or bad CGI. It felt so unnecessary and I felt didn't add to the book at all. Fair enough making a brief mention of influential or noteworthy modern adaptations, but this chapter just went onFinally, I understand what the author was trying to do by taking the different aspects or "guises" of Merlin as chapters and expanding on each individually. However, I feel that it wasn't done as well as it could have been. I believe it led to the book feeling slightly disjointed and having a lack of cohesion. Some aspects or mentions seemed to pop up and disappear randomly, and some things felt repetitive. I think, also, that, as the author was trying to present such a wide picture of Merlin, he had to stretch things quite thin to make some points to bulk out some of the sections, although I may be being a bit harsh here.
In conclusion, this review takes a very critical and negative view of a book that, to be honest, I did enjoy reading most of the time. I would say to someone interested in Merlin or British mythology that it's worth reading, however, I am sure there are better books on the topic out there. Books that maybe take a more cohesive and scholarly approach. Despite this, I realize it was definitely written for a very popular audience and maybe I personally look for this sort of book to be more strict and scholarly. The author did create an intriguing and powerful image of Merlin and left me feeling not regretful that I had read it at all.
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