merlinrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
momreads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Everyone knows the story of King Arthur. This is the story of Merlin. The book begins with Merlin's childhood and continues through to the conception of King Arthur. Merlin's interactions with the people in his life were well written and gave helped to flesh out both the wizard and the boy/man. I read this years ago and remember loving it then. It was my second fantasy book. My first being the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Great story for fans of King Arthur and Merlin.
kellysavagebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
Lush and atmospheric, this book was bound to reel me in. The prose is so stunning, the descriptions so vibrant and sensual, the entire book pervaded with the sense of gravitas and fantasticality that any good Arthurian tale evokes. Stewart weaves together mythology and history so flawlessly that the story becomes entirely believable while retaining enough of the uncanny to maintain the wonder.
Merlin himself was a delight to follow. He's single-minded, which narrows the focus of his perspective in a very interesting way. Side characters, while they feel real to the reader, are in large part seen by Merlin only in the light by which he needs them. He is willing to manipulate, deceive, and put others in danger to fulfill his duties, but he feels the weight every time he does so. He's brilliant and he knows he is, but he also knows when he's been very lucky or been given a leg up. He's lonely, always separated from the people around him, either too high or too low to be seen as an equal, too strange and fae for most people to want to get close to.
Negative reviews of this book often cite the treatment of the female characters, and while it's admittedly not great, it doesn't read (to me) like the work of a misogynist either. This is a first-person retrospective directly through the eyes of Merlin, who clearly doesn't have a healthy view of women (ignorant "women are mystical beings" misogynist rather than woman-hating misogynist), but the narrative itself does give women, tangential as they are, a level of agency and necessity. It's not great, this book is certainly no feminist bible, but it's not book-ruining either. Then again, I started reading this directly after finishing the ludicrously misogynistic Tigana, so maybe I'm biased.
Anyway, if you're like me and love a good slow-paced, atmospheric read with gorgeous prose and a ladleful of mythology, this one's a must-read.
Merlin himself was a delight to follow. He's single-minded, which narrows the focus of his perspective in a very interesting way. Side characters, while they feel real to the reader, are in large part seen by Merlin only in the light by which he needs them. He is willing to manipulate, deceive, and put others in danger to fulfill his duties, but he feels the weight every time he does so. He's brilliant and he knows he is, but he also knows when he's been very lucky or been given a leg up. He's lonely, always separated from the people around him, either too high or too low to be seen as an equal, too strange and fae for most people to want to get close to.
Negative reviews of this book often cite the treatment of the female characters, and while it's admittedly not great, it doesn't read (to me) like the work of a misogynist either. This is a first-person retrospective directly through the eyes of Merlin, who clearly doesn't have a healthy view of women (ignorant "women are mystical beings" misogynist rather than woman-hating misogynist), but the narrative itself does give women, tangential as they are, a level of agency and necessity. It's not great, this book is certainly no feminist bible, but it's not book-ruining either. Then again, I started reading this directly after finishing the ludicrously misogynistic Tigana, so maybe I'm biased.
Anyway, if you're like me and love a good slow-paced, atmospheric read with gorgeous prose and a ladleful of mythology, this one's a must-read.
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this when I was a freshie in high school, and Im super excited that I took a few days to reread it!
the_cassie_case's review against another edition
4.0
Slightly a Lord-Of-the-Rings-esque style but much more interesting and hooked me in immediately.
marilynsaul's review against another edition
4.0
A fun book to read, and I liked it much better than I thought I would (I'm not a big fan of Arthurian legend books). Although I knew it was totally fictitious, I was admittedly taken aback when, only a few pages in, MS describes a 3rd-4th century A.D. woman's hair as being cornsilk in color. Well....there was no cornsilk in Britain at that time, corn being a New World crop and, at that time, yet undiscovered. So I just chuckled and read on.
djedi74's review against another edition
5.0
My mother got this for me when I was a pre-teen and I was riveted by it. I still see it is a significant eye opener to the world of fantasy.
disreputabledog's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
westcoastchelle's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this spin on the Merlin legend. While I don't usually enjoy books with so few women I have to admit this one had me hooked. If you're at all into things-Camelot you need to read this book.
gcullman's review against another edition
3.0
Kinda liked it but wasn't a rave because it was misogynistic.