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The Lost Years of Merlin
by T.A. Barron
Merlin is a character who has fascinated people for centuries -- a powerful wizard who shaped the legendary King Arthur. And T.A. Barron gives his densely, mythologically fantastical take on Merlin in "The Lost Years," a colorful and lushly-detailed novel about the teenage wizard's formative years. The "Star Wars" twist is rather predictable, but otherwise it's a delightful story.
Years ago, the boy Emrys was washed up on the shores of Wales, along with an equally mysterious woman named Branwen. He can't remember her, or anything else from his prior life.
And for some years, he and Branwen live in a small Welsh village, where they are reviled because of their strangeness. When some village boys attack Branwen, Emrys' magical powers are unleashed -- and he ends up blind, but able to use his "second sight." Since Branwen refuses to tell him anything about his past, Emrys sets off on his own quest.
He ends up on the shores of the magical land of Fincayra, where he meets the quirky woodland girl Rhia. Unfortunately, Fincayra is slowly being withered by a magical blight. With the help of Rhia and a diminuative giant named Shim, Merlin must find use his heart, brain, powers, and the mysterious Galator pendant to defeat the evil Rhita Gawr, find the Seven Treasures, and save Fincayra.
T.A. Barron obviously loves two things -- myth'n'legends, and nature. "The Lost Years" is soaked in both these things. He writes in a lush, intoxicatingly detailed prose, with the overhanging presence of living trees, cool leaves and wild magical places. It's a bit like wandering into an enchanted grove, and watching the epic story unfold outside.
Like his prior novel "The Merlin Effect," Barron laces it softly with Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend (such as the magic cauldron and the god Dagda), as well as some interesting ideas of his own ("historical" versus "sacred" time). The only problem is that Barron pulls a "Star Wars" twist out of his hat late in the novel, which is one of the few rampant cliches in here. Come on, couldn't he have done something a LITTLE more imaginative?
And Barron's Merlin is a powerful reimagining of the legendary wizard -- this Merlin is a confused, outcast boy who is terrified of his own dangerous magic. Rhia is a likably quirky supporting character, just odd enough that she seems like a convincing forest baby, and there are a number of eccentric characters -- the Grand Elusa, Domnu and Cairpre -- that really draw in the reader.
"The Lost Years" is a striking, lushly-written fantasy novel that adds new mythical dimensions to our favorite Arthurian wizard. Wondrous, magical and lovely.
Years ago, the boy Emrys was washed up on the shores of Wales, along with an equally mysterious woman named Branwen. He can't remember her, or anything else from his prior life.
And for some years, he and Branwen live in a small Welsh village, where they are reviled because of their strangeness. When some village boys attack Branwen, Emrys' magical powers are unleashed -- and he ends up blind, but able to use his "second sight." Since Branwen refuses to tell him anything about his past, Emrys sets off on his own quest.
He ends up on the shores of the magical land of Fincayra, where he meets the quirky woodland girl Rhia. Unfortunately, Fincayra is slowly being withered by a magical blight. With the help of Rhia and a diminuative giant named Shim, Merlin must find use his heart, brain, powers, and the mysterious Galator pendant to defeat the evil Rhita Gawr, find the Seven Treasures, and save Fincayra.
T.A. Barron obviously loves two things -- myth'n'legends, and nature. "The Lost Years" is soaked in both these things. He writes in a lush, intoxicatingly detailed prose, with the overhanging presence of living trees, cool leaves and wild magical places. It's a bit like wandering into an enchanted grove, and watching the epic story unfold outside.
Like his prior novel "The Merlin Effect," Barron laces it softly with Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend (such as the magic cauldron and the god Dagda), as well as some interesting ideas of his own ("historical" versus "sacred" time). The only problem is that Barron pulls a "Star Wars" twist out of his hat late in the novel, which is one of the few rampant cliches in here. Come on, couldn't he have done something a LITTLE more imaginative?
And Barron's Merlin is a powerful reimagining of the legendary wizard -- this Merlin is a confused, outcast boy who is terrified of his own dangerous magic. Rhia is a likably quirky supporting character, just odd enough that she seems like a convincing forest baby, and there are a number of eccentric characters -- the Grand Elusa, Domnu and Cairpre -- that really draw in the reader.
"The Lost Years" is a striking, lushly-written fantasy novel that adds new mythical dimensions to our favorite Arthurian wizard. Wondrous, magical and lovely.