The Eternal Flame (The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3) [Hardcover]

T. A. Barron (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3

Avalon, the great tree world connecting the earth and the heavens, is about to be destroyed. The warlord Rhita Gawr is bent on conquest—and using an army of deathless warriors, a corrupted crystal, and a plague of arrogance and greed to succeed.

Three unlikely heroes are Avalon's only hope. Tamwyn, the wilderness guide, must travel the secret pathway to the stars. Elli, the brave young priestess, must defeat a terrible sorcerer in a realm of utter darkness. And Scree, the eagleman, must lead his winged people to do what seems impossible . . .

This spectacular final volume of T. A. Barron's bestselling trilogy combines gripping adventure with profound ideas about the powerful connections between humanity and the world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Barron reaches for some Tolkienesque grandeur in this final installment in this series. He has several plotlines going at once as he picks up the story of Tamwyn, Elli, and Scree. The story moves back and forth among the quests of these three heroes and among the realms of the great tree that is the world of Avalon. Rhita Gawr, the evil sorcerer, is trying to destroy Avalon by finding doors through which his warriors can enter. Tamwyn seeks a path to the very heights of the great tree to understand magic and his own destiny. Elli has to go in the opposite direction, down into the darkness of Shadowroot. Scree must learn how to be a leader in battle. These three plotlines lead to a conclusion that features three cataclysmic battles raging simultaneously. The finale features a brief cameo from Merlin. The writing is sometimes poetic, but sometimes too dense, and the story doesn't stand on its own. It will be best appreciated by those who have been following the trilogy from the beginning, and will have even more meaning for fans of Barron's Merlin saga (Philomel). A substantial appendix includes an Avalon time line and descriptions of all of the characters.–Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Taking up where Shadows on the Stars (2004) left off, this novel is a fitting finale to the trilogy that began with The Great Tree of Avalon (2004). Tamwyn continues his journey up the Great Tree to relight the stars darkened by the malevolent Rhita Gawr, who seeks to conquer Avalon before attacking Earth. In the meantime, Eli and the caustic sprite Nuic make their way to the Lost of City of Light to destroy the powerful crystal guarded by Rhita Gawr's minion, the evil sorcerer Kulwych, while Scree, now leader of the Bram Kaie eaglefolk, prepares his followers to join in the looming battle on the Plains of Isenway. It is this battle, fought in the sky and on the ground, that pits the alliance of elves, humans, eaglefolk, tree spirits, and more against Rhita Gawr and his ogres, trolls, and immortal dragons. The battle scenes, written in the grand tradition of epic sagas of the battle between good and evil, are gory, brutal, and fierce, and at the end, Barron leaves himself an opening to revisit his Arthurian realm yet another time. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; First Edition edition (October 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242139
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242137
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

T.A. Barron is the award-winning author of fantasy novels such as The Lost Years of Merlin epic--soon to be a major motion picture. He serves on a variety of environmental and educational boards including The Nature Conservancy and The Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, and is the founder of a national award for heroic children. Following a life-changing decision to leave a successful business career to write full-time in 1990, Barron has written seventeen books, but is happiest when on the mountain trails with his wife, Currie, and their five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Ending, to A Great Trilogy, December 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Eternal Flame (The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Some book series end with a disappointment, or cliffhanger. Some books end with a poorly written ending, or one that does not make sense. That, however, is not the case with this book. The Great Tree of Avalon: The Eternal Flame is a great ending to a great series. The book is the final installment of the trilogy, and follows the story of the three separate paths that each character takes in the book. It follows the original path of Tamwyn as he makes his way up to the upper branches, and stars beyond of the Great Tree. As well as following the story of Tamwyn, this book also follows the stories of Eli as she makes her way into the darkest reaches of Shadowroot, to destroy the crystal of Vagelano. On top of those two stories, this book also follows a third. The journey of Scree as he makes his way back to his native land, to band together his kinsmen for the fight for Avalon.

This book is the best in the trilogy in my opinion. It excellently wraps together all of the main storylines, as well as a few other minor storylines that are less important. There are no plot holes, as far as I can tell, and everything is perfectly wrapped together. This final chapter of the trilogy also has many more twists and turns, and unexpected surprises than the other two. Along with being a very complete novel, this book is also very well written. There are no unimportant characters. Every character in the entire book has a significant part to play. Each character also has their own personality, which other authors often fail to do. This book is also very imaginative. The names of the made-up lands, are very believable and well thought up. The entire book is extremely descriptive, and as a whole, paints a very good picture of the land of Avalon. There is not a single vague scenario in the entire book.

This is a hard book to just pick up and start reading. The reason for that is that this is the last book in a trilogy, which is a spin off of a previous five book series. It would be very advisable to read the initial Lost Years of Merlin series, before reading this trilogy. Although it is possible to pick up in the middle, it is hard, and you will more than likely find yourself lost. This book is also listed as a children's book, but it is by no means. Although this book is described to be for a younger audience, there is nothing childish about it. This book contains everything a good epic/ fantasy story should have. It has a good plot, descriptive battle scenes, a very good description of the land, and older characters. This isn't just another story of kids going off to save the world. There is much more detail to this, and for that reason, it is really readable by anyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grand, but not a finale, I hope, October 25, 2006

By 

John Rogers ClarkIV "Seawizard" (Hartland, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eternal Flame (The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3) (Hardcover)

T.A. Barron left readers with a bundle of unanswered questions at the end of book two in the Great Tree series. In the final installment He answers many of them, provides a terrific finale and leaves the door open a crack for further visits to Avalon. There are an immense and wonderful number of actions that flesh out the events in this final book. As you read, expect to be totally immersed in the action. Plan to be deeply saddened as one character dies and discomfited as another doesn't. Expect to be very surprised as Batty Lad and Hennie the Hoolah reappear and one of them turns out to be much more than they appear. Most of all, expect to enjoy a wonderful and extremely well written conclusion to the trilogy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avalon: A magnificent creation, October 20, 2006

By 

Rebecca Narrob - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eternal Flame (The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 3) (Hardcover)

"You know, Tamwyn, you have your own inner flames, though they cannot be seen. And the most powerful fires reside in the soul." And what a magnificent creation Mr. Barron has brought forth through his own powerful flames! This book--the third in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy--is incredible.

The sense of place, the sensory experience, the images, the lovable characters, the quest for goodness and the reverence for nature are all superb. And I love how he gives female characters such strength and resourcefulness. As for his imagination...I don't know how to convey the awe I feel for his imagination. It seems beyond humanly possible. He makes the reader want to stretch her own imagination. Finally, I fell in love with Avalon's amazing characters--they were so courageous and genuine. I sobbed when Batty Lad revealed his true identity and cried when the stars sent their sparks to the new point of radiance. "Stars all across the sky joined in each sending a tiny bit of their light." That's how all of us who read and imagine want our world to be!