27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A definite must - read book and series!, August 3, 2000
When I scanned through the shelves of my public library about a year and a half ago and picked up an interesting looking story, I had no idea that I had just discovered what would become one of my favorite books and series of all time. I read The Lost Years of Merlin twice on my library rent, and soon bought the rest of the series as it came out. I am now awaiting the 5th and final novel in the excellent series. The book opened my eyes to the fascinating wizard whom I had never thought of as more as the wise and deft wizard with a long beard who tutored King Arthur. I had never thought of the childhood and growing up he must have experienced or struggles he may have overcome. T.A. Barron's epic has put a human face on the great wizard known by so many. Written in an excellent 1st person, it truly puts you in the shoes of the young and not yet formidable wizard. With him you experience barriers, both emotional and physical that he must overcome. The stories are never dull, and Barron weaves them expertly through the pages of his fascinating books. I highly recommend this series to people of all ages, as it will not only entertain, but spark an interest in the famous wizard, not only his accomplishments, but his struggles, and triumphs, great and small.
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanted adventure, March 4, 2002
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 of Merlin," 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 of Merlin" 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.
And 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 of Merlin" is a striking, lushly-written fantasy novel that adds new mythical dimensions to our favorite Arthurian wizard. Wondrous, magical and lovely.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Merlin's Beginnings, October 30, 2000
A Kid's Review
The book The Lost Years Of Merlin, by T.A. Barron, is the story of a seven year old boy who is thrown onto shore by a storm and, in the process, hits his head resulting in amnesia. A woman named Branwen, who claims to be his mother, takes him in and lives with the boy, Emerys, for six years. During this time, he discovers he has mystical powers. Since Branwen won't explain his past, Emerys finds he must travel to a world named Fincayra, a place Branwen claims to be from, to find out. Emerys sets out on a raft and reaches the coast of Fincayra. Emerys discovers that this land is in grave danger and he may be the only one who can save this world. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, fantasy, mystical powers, and the possiblility of other worlds. You also get the chance to watch a boy's life unfold and discover his past along with the character himsself. It's wonderfully suspenseful as you meet new characters and discover the effect each one has on Emerys, who risks his life every step of the way. It is a very well written book that creates a perfectly woven image of a mystical world.
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