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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book, but I found it so dry and wooden in places I nearly gave up on it a couple of times. It's such a good story. I feel it deserved a better telling.
Surprisingly, the one element I did not like as much was the sequence most essential to the Arthurian Legend. Stewart creates a fully-realized tale of a young Merlin. His path of growing up and developing his wits as well as his magic is exceptionally well done. I especially enjoyed the scenes of Merlin and his father.
It is too bad that they could not have finished their tale. Just as things reach a pleasant peak, Stewart remembers that this also literally the conception of the Legend. Merlin has no time to mourn because he must ensure Arthur is created. The ending feels tacked on and rushed. It’s all great writing, but it’s as if Merlin’s story is run to ground so Arthur’s can begin.
It is too bad that they could not have finished their tale. Just as things reach a pleasant peak, Stewart remembers that this also literally the conception of the Legend. Merlin has no time to mourn because he must ensure Arthur is created. The ending feels tacked on and rushed. It’s all great writing, but it’s as if Merlin’s story is run to ground so Arthur’s can begin.
This is a great treatment of the Arthurian legend, and would have gotten four stars if it hadn't fallen off a bit at the end (although maybe that was just me).
I've actually always thought I had read this series, but apparently not.
I've actually always thought I had read this series, but apparently not.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
I really enjoyed the first half but it slowed way down the second half and I struggled to get through.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels like home; it is the mark of a good retelling that I feel such a deep yearning for a world lost to myth and characters entombed as legend. I’ve loved the Arthurian stories since I was very young, so it was the heart of a younger version of myself I think that was captured by The Crystal Cave, allowing me to become so lost in the world that upon finishing the book I felt a jarring disconnect from myself and my surroundings. The first person narrative of Merlin is constructed with such care and character that into the legend is breathed true life, allowing for a vivid illustration of the difficulties of following an ordained path towards destiny - a destiny that may necessitate a disconnect from and disregard of true nature and morality. What worth is the sacrifice of one man’s free will in the building of a golden age, a nation united in peace and common understanding? I don’t know how Stewart will end Merlin’s tale (how far does history and legend limit her choices as the hands of fate limit Merlin’s?) but I know it will be a feat of storytelling!
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
The first in the Merlin series, interesting but I'm not sure it grabbed me enough to read the whole series.
I found the tension between giving a grounded, historical presentation of the arthur story and explaining as tricks or exaggerations much of merlin's "magic" really strange when throughout the story Merlin also does deliver prophecies and do some genuine magic.
I found the tension between giving a grounded, historical presentation of the arthur story and explaining as tricks or exaggerations much of merlin's "magic" really strange when throughout the story Merlin also does deliver prophecies and do some genuine magic.