Customer Reviews

Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Whenever I see as many reviews as this book has, I doubt that anyone will ever see mine, but at the same time it says a lot of people have read it, and that is a good thing. Mary Stewart happens to be one of my very favorite authors, and I have all of her books. When the Merlin Trilogy came out, I was already a big Mary Stewart fan. I could hardly wait to get my hands on the trilogy. Her descriptive style is one of the aspects of her writing that always left me feeling as though if I ever went to any of the places she described, I'd recognize them. The Merlin Trilogy is refreshingly different than the usual Arthurian Legends; Mary Stewart has created a Merlin who is believable, not entirely without magic, but endowed with wisdom, and common sense. I think perhaps he has more magic than he is willing to admit, but I got the feeling that that is just what Lady Stewart intended for me to feel. She weaves a mystical web in this trilogy that enthralled me. Although not part of the trilogy, The Wicked Day, deserves to be included, because it brings the entire story to a close with an entirely different view of Mordred. I only wish she'd dared to have a different ending. But what a magnificent tale to read by a fireside on cold winter nights...and having them all together in this way is wonderfully convenient. A beautiful product and a magnificent gift!

The story of Merlin has always intrigued me. Yet I have found the various books and movies distasteful. They portray Merlin in ways that do not jive with my inner sense of what might have been real. Mary Stewart, on the other hand, has portrayed a real individual in her books. A boy, Myrddin Emrys, who grows up spending a great deal of time alone, exploring and thinking. He is then believable as an adult because the magic he practices is ensconced in political wisdom, the beliefs of the people, strategic thinking, and the type of shamanic power that no doubt exists in the world. When the Merlin stood on a hillside overlooking Arthur's troops entering battle, of course they won. They won because they knew they would. Amazingly simple. Was it wizardry or was it the power of belief? Or both? I was permanently affected by this book. I named my son Emrys. I came to believe that the king's merlin no doubt existed, much as political advisors exist today. It is the realistic portrayal of this very important historical character that no one else has managed to conjure in quite so convincing a way.

I believe that no story has been told more often than the Arthurian legends. Stewart, however, has based much of her story on historical record, which lends a certain ring of truth that other versions do not have. The story is told from Merlin's point of view and begins with his childhood and the uncertain parentage that people believe gave him his extraordinary abilities. As the High King's advisor, his prophecies unfailingly come to pass, much to the surprise of some and despite the orchestrations of others. His intelligence helps guide the kingdom through the dark times and into the light.

Through Merlin's eyes Arthur, Ygraine, Uther, Guenever and Morgause are created anew. He shows us their loves, their secrets, their treachery, and their lives. The magician shows us much that is hidden from plain view, and the scandalous truths that even Arthur himself does not know. The original heroic fantasy tale, I recommend it to both history and fantasy buffs alike.

He's the archetypical wizard, right alongside J.R.R. Tolkien's Gandalf -- Merlin, the magical wise man who mentored the legendary King Arthur. In the Merlin Trilogy, Mary Stewart presents her fantastical but realistic portrayal of Arthurian legend -- it's engrossing and hauntingly written, and has become a classic of the fantasy genre.

"The Crystal Cave" tells of a young boy in Wales, a king's bastard grandson who is constantly treated with suspicion. But Merlin learns that he is no ordinary boy -- he has ancient powers at his command. And as he travels across the land, Merlin sets into motion events that will lead to the birth of Arthur, the future king of Britain.

"The Hollow Hills" take us to ahead in time. Merlin is guardian of Arthur, a boy who has no idea that he's going to be king -- or any of the other things that await him. Eventually, Merlin takes him to learn of his true identity, and Arthur begins to establish himself as a strong young king. But his malevolent half-sister Morgause does something that may destroy Arthur and Merlin as well...

"The Last Enchantment" takes us to the end of Merlin's long life, as he sees Arthur rise in power. But Arthur is threatened by his evil half-sister Morgause, and the child they conceived during an incestuous night together (Arthur didn't know she was his sister). Merlin watches as the end of Arthur's kingdom begins, as he falls in love and watches his pupil/lover Nimue take his place.

Merlin has been reinvented countless times, ranging from a confused little boy to a Druid holy man to a deranged lech. Mary Stewart's is a unique vision, only rivalled by T.A. Barron's Merlin -- her Merlin is entirely human and sympathetic, but endowed with mystical, earthy powers that seem like something out of an old Celtic legend.

Stewart's writing goes at a slow burn. Nothing happens quickly; even battle scenes are sort of distantly written. This can get a little dull at times, but her slow style is perfectly suited for the intricate, engaging relationships between the characters. And she has a flair for suspense, building up a sense of doom over Arthur's entire life.

Merlin is not a distant sage or a weird old man here. Instead he's an ordinary person who becomes an extraordinary one, with doubts and weaknesses like anyone else. Arthur and the other supporting characters aren't quite as interesting. They're only seen through Merlin's eyes, so they fail to be quite as three-dimensional.

Mary Stewart wrote many novels, but none have proved as popular or as striking as the Merlin Trilogy, and the sequel "The Wicked Day." Engaging, spellbinding and beautifully written.

Years ago I started reading A Crystal Cave and put it down because it wasn't the Mary Stewart I was used to. Then one day I read The Hollow Hills, loved it and then went back and finished A Crystal Cave, and read The Hollow Hills again. I must have read both these books a dozen times before The Wicked Day was finally published. When you read the Trilogy, especially the first 2 parts, watch for Biblical allusions. There's an allegory here. Watch for the Flight to Brittany scene in The Hollow Hills. And above all, pay attention to the language. When Merlin speaks there's rhythm and cadence that create power.

Before I read these books when I thought of Merlin I thought of magic, dragons, and fantasy. Today my view is so very different. Mary stewart follows Merlin from early childhood to the time of Arthur with her trilogy. And along the way she shows us a realistic young Merlin whom we can all relate to. This series makes the myth of Merlin and camelot seem like it was fact and happened this way. This is my favorite series of books and I will reread and enjoy them for the rest of my life.

I have hundreds of books, so it's very hard to pick out my favorites, but Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy is definitely in the top ten. The descriptions are so vivid that the moment I open a volume I am back in 5th century Britain with Merlin and his companions, who are as all as real to me as my own friends. I love this series so much I just purchased the trilogy volume so I could have just one book to carry with me instead of three. What a wonderful thing to be able to carry an entire enchanting world around with you.

This trilogy, along with the final book, The Wicked Day (told from Mordred's point of view), is my favorite retelling of the Arthurian story. One of its great pleasures is that it really focuses on Merlin and then Arthur, instead of being a book with Arthur's name on it but really all about Lancelot, Tristan and the like (e.g., La Morte d'Arthur). Both Arthur and Merlin are realistic and vital characters instead of cyphers or symbols for the author's message. Stewart's explanation of Merlin's and Arthur's acceptance of their fates (being buried in the cave, dealing with the adultery of a spouse and best friend, facing death at the hands of your son) is convincing and moving. The only weakness with the four books is that Guinevere remains something of a non-entity. But the majority of the characters are beautifully drawn, the story is always compelling and the themes are complex.

I was given the first two of this set when I was eight or nine and I still love it ten years later! This set (particularly the first two) absolutely entrhalls me. A brilliantly original Arthurian retelling (from someone who has read countless versions!). I would love to give this to my husband one day or to my children - just as someone very dear once gave it to me as a gift. It truly is a gift to enter this world.

These stories are wonderfully absorbing. I have read and re-read all of them for many, many years, and as exciting as they were to my adolescent mind, they remain quite as engaging in (what passes for) maturity. I can still remember finding out, as a senior in high school, that the football hero also loved Mary Stewart's Arthurian saga, and had read the books more than once. (And what a delightful thing for the troublesome geeky girl to learn!)

To this day, I can remember the day I found these books. I can remember the weather, the town, the bookstore - and, of course, the experience of voraciously tearing into each story, consuming every passing page. To be able to pinpoint such a moment of discovery after twenty-four years ... this must say something fine about any book. It's the finest thing I can say for Mary Stewart's gifts to Arthuriana. That and, "Thank you."