Customer Reviews

The Mark of Merlin

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mark of Merlin is a fun, quick read, packed with mystery, a wonderful dog, and great characters. The romance is mild enough for a mom to hand this book to a twelve-year-old with no qualms whatsoever. It's an early work for McCaffrey, before she created Pern and its marvelous dragons, but her fans will find strong, quirky characters, empathy between humans and animals - a lot of the same qualities that make her science fiction so much fun to read. I'm so glad this is being published again!

This gothic romance/ mystery is one of my all time favorite books. This book was originally published in 1971, and even at this early in Ms. McCaffrey's career, her talent and maturity as a writer is already apparent. The characters are vivid and well balanced. The plot does not drag or falter. All in all a very good read!

I'm a McCaffrey fan, and this story shows that Anne McCaffrey can pick any genre and succeed.

It's set just after WWII, and stars a young girl down from university, who is the daughter of a military man, just killed in the war. It also stars her fabulous dog Merlin, and several of her father's collegues, including one who has just taken her on as his ward, but doesn't realise that James Carlise is actually female!

It's probably best described as a mystery, with wonderful characters popping in and out. Watch out in particular for the Vet.

The descriptions of the countryside, and the way the characters relate their war experiences makes this a gripping read, and this is one book that I keep returning to - after all, if you're in need of a McCaffrey fix, it's much quicker to read one book than re-read the start of the series, and then get so involved you read them all again.

This is the book to start with if you love a good writer, but aren't into sci-fi/fantasy, or if you are, and want a change of pace. It's a definete must for anyone who likes McCaffrey's stuff -Enjoy!

P.S. In Australia, this story is packaged in a book with two others. It's the best of them, but the others are also interesting. Three for the price of one!

A young woman leaves school to meet her guardian because her father has died in the war. She and her faithful Alsatian Merlin are _not_ what were expected... But then, neither were the violent threats to their lives!

While this novel doesn't have all the polish of more recently written Anne McC offerings, it definitely carries her trademarks: close bonding between a misfit human and a very special animal friend; just enough suspense; and a slick, readable style which skillfully nudges the reader's emotions.

If you are a fan of her SF/Fantasy, or her romance novels, I'd suggest this lesser known gem.

James Carlysle "Carla" Murdock refuses to let life get her down. She may have just lost her father in World War II, she may be recovering from a debilitating illness, and she may have slightly misled her new guardian into thinking that she was a boy, but she refuses to leave her beloved dog, Merlin, alone in a cage on the train. So begins the story of The Mark of Merlin, a murder-mystery romance from Anne McCaffrey, best known for the Pern series. When Carla arrives at her destination, she has to explain to the gruff young Major Laird her minor deception and figure out what to do from there. The Major instantly realizes that it is improper for Carla to stay with him, but where else can he take her in the middle of a blizzard? As more guests surprise Carla and Major Laird with their appearances, Carla becomes more and more suspicious about her father's death and eventually realizes that he was murdered. But why? Her father was a highly respected officer and all of his men loved him. Determined to find out, Carla lets nothing stand in her way - not even her growing feelings for the handsome Major Laird...

I felt that the story itself was fine, a little blah, like I said, but it moved along at a good pace. The part that was the most lackluster for me was the characters themselves. I simply could not identify with any of the characters and found that I didn't particularly like them either, especially Carla. As Carla is the only female in the book and the main character, this didn't make me enjoy the story any more. Carla waffles between being a spoiled brat, a great housekeeper, and a growing young woman. How someone like Major Laird could have fallen in love with her in just a few days is simply beyond me. The story is well written, the little details about World War II provided good background information, many of the secondary characters, particularly the villains, were great, but I would only buy this book if you find it for a very good deal in a used bookstore.

This is not a new book but it is a good one, very different to Anne McCaffreys current style as it is a fiction novel not Science Fiction. An enjoyable light read.

This book would be good for middle school girls interested in romance adventure stories.

Anne McCaffrey has a fabulous way with words, and this book is no exception. The details about the people's lives, their personalities, the world events they live through make this story one of the most engaging I've ever come across. The characters are witty and resourceful and completely real, and McCaffrey, with well-crafted style, presents their ideas and emotions on the page in a remarkably seamless fashion.

Of course it is not the first time this story has been in print, though the themes within are timeless to modern readers. It was originally in "Three Women" which included short stories "The Kilternan Legacy" and "Ring of Fear" (also fabulous stories). I was excited to see these reprints come out, actually, because the original books were nearly impossible to find until even used book prices were becoming outrageous. The "three women" in these stories seemed so much like friends that I reread my book until it fell apart. I'm glad to know these stories are now available to another group of women.

I read this book when it came out in 1971--yes that's the original paperback release. I have the original paperback in my book collection. I loved the story as it hovers between a love story,a gothic novel and a mystery. Reading this again and again as I have it has become a nostaligic trip to the gentler time of the 70's. It is a sweet story of love, redemption and an awesome German Shepherd. What more do you want?

I bought a used copy of this book since it had been written so long ago and I found myself wishing it had been longer and had a few sequels. I am a dog lover and Merlin is quite the character. I finished it in one day since I couldn't put it down.