Friday, October 29, 1999
Youngsters can find magic in 'Merlin'
BY SARA PEARCE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Young sorcery fans, I know this is asking alot, but I want you to set aside Harry Potter and pick up Merlin.
That is, pick up The Mirror of Merlin (Philomel/Penguin Putnam; $19.99; ages 10 and up). It's the fourth volume in T.A. Barron's inventive, intense and riveting “Lost Years of Merlin'' series, which traces the early years of the wizard.
These are the years we've read little about in the mountain of Arthurian literature, the years in which Merlin peels away layer after layer of magical powers as he learns his true identity and grows into manhood.
In this book, Merlin faces an evil force on Fincayra, the mist-shrouded isle that is his homeland. Marsh ghouls are extending the perimeter of the Haunted Swamp, devastating the land surrounding it.
But more than ghouls are at work. Merlin and his young love, Hallia, learn about each other's pasts and test their own relationship as they search for what's behind the baffling events and try to put an end to them.
In an ingenious twist, involving the mirror, Merlin comes face to face with his own inner demons and ... well, that would spoil the surprise.
The writing is taut yet filled with rich images, sophisticated allusions to Celtic folklore and surprising touches of humor (though not the belly laughs provided by Harry and his Hogwarts classmates).
For those who want to start at the beginning, the first book, The Lost Years of Merlin, has just been released in paperback (Ace Books/Penguin Putnam; $5.99). As for books two (The Seven Songs of Merlin) and three (The Fires of Merlin), they are available in hardcover only ($19.99 each), for now.
T.A. Barron discusses and signs Mirror of Merlin 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today at the Oakley Blue Marble, 3054 Madison Road, Oakley, 731-2665; and 7-8 p.m. today at Books & Co., 350 E. Stroop Road, Kettering (937) 298-6540.
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