5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible book!, October 12, 2008
Merlin's Dragon is a combination of Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, and T.H. White, but better. It is a sparkling adventure brimming with excitement, adventure, and characters that feel totally real. I would recommend this book to any and all fantasy lovers, ages 1 to 111.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little lizard, December 27, 2008
This review is from: Merlin's Dragon (Hardcover)
One of the more memorable supporting characters of the Great Tree of Avalon trilogy was Batty Lad, Tamwyn's chatty winged companion.
And having finished that trilogy, T.A. Barron zips back in time to explore the history of that quirky little character, and his relationship to the legendary wizard Merlin. "Merlin's Dragon" runs a bit slow at first, but speeds up to some surprising revelations about the mysterious little winged lizard who wants to be "special. Just... special."
At the very beginning of Avalon, a wind sister rescues and cares for a tiny egg -- which hatches a little winged lizard with a knobby tail.
Barely surviving in a dangerous world, the little lizard has a near miss with a heron, who reveals that little Basil has the ability to make smells. Unfortunately Basil also has a nightmare about the legendary wizard Merlin, in which he is killed by a bat-winged creature who looks a lot like Basil himself. Over the years, he tries to tell Merlin many times but kept getting interrupted.
Unfortunately, Basil's strange dream is not the only problem -- after an encounter with the god Dagda, he learns that the evil Rhita Gawr has managed to infiltrate the newborn world of Avalon. And though he's still only a bat-winged little lizard, Basil may be the one who can save Avalon -- and maybe, just maybe, figure out what he really is.
"Merlin's Dragon" is a bit of a nostalgia ride for those who have read Barron's last two trilogies -- he writes of things only hinted at in the Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, such as Merlin's wedding to his deer-girlfriend Hallia. And there are plenty of familiar and semi-familiar faces -- Shim the giant, Gwynnia the dragon, the Dagda, Nuic the maryth, the Grand Elusa, and many others. Even a "mooshlovely" ballymag makes a cameo.
The first third of the book is a relatively slow-moving part -- it's mostly poor little Basil repeatedly avoiding dangerous creatures and trying to figure out what he is. With the reemergence of Rhita Gawr, things speed up considerably as Basil careens into magical new realms. And it all climaxes with his battle with a magic-sucking monster and the realization of what he truly is -- although the whole conflict with Rhita Gawr is only hinted at and never really gets done in here.
And Barron's lush, mildly humorous prose is still rich with woodsy language, full of trees, leaves, wild creatures and the scent of damp earth and flowing rivers. Even more impressive, he's able to convincingly take readers into the mind and feelings of a little lizard with batwings -- not an easy feat, especially since his past heroes have been human.
A kind and wise Merlin is a vital character in this story, and we get to see him marry, become a father, and protect Avalon. But the real star here is Basil, who can be a bit whiny but is overall quite brave and gutsy when he has a real task to perform. And he provides a bit of comedy too -- such as when he gets into a brawl with a baby dragon.
"Merlin's Dragon" is a rich, promising fantasy story about a very unlikely little hero, and bodes well for future books about the little "dragon fairy."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great-Hearted Novel, December 27, 2008
Since T.A.Barron is one of my favorite authors,I purchased this book with high expectations,and I wasn't disappointed.This magical tale starts with a small,glowing egg in Fincayra that contains our hero.His life almost ends before it begins when a hungry hawk snatches him up,but luckily the wind sister Aylah rescues him,depositing the egg by the seed that grows into the Great Tree of Avalon.Later,after his egg is basically absorbed into the tree,he hatches in Woodroot.He is a strange little creature,looking like a very(very,very,VERY)tiny dragon with luminous eyes.Aylah appears to him,and explains that she saved his egg because of a vision from Dagda,who said that his life is 'well worth saving.'Aylah then leaves,and many years pass.During this time our hero constantly has to evade hungry predators,discovers his abilities of flight and being able to produce smells, andacquires the name Basil.One day,Basil also has a terrifying dream in which the great wizard Merlin is attacked(and killed!)by a strange monster with jagged,bony wings.More time passes,and Basil accidentaly goes through a portal to Stoneroot,crashes Merlin's wedding,and a while later meets none other than Dagda,the god of wisdom.But Basil also sees the vile Rhita Gawr,who has hitchhiked on Dagda in the form of a leech.Basil is able to warn Dagda about the evil god's prescence,but he escapes,and Dagda gives Basil a mission:to find Merlin and warn him about Rhita Gawr...and save him from Basil's dream monster.With Aylah,Basil begins a desperate search through all the root-realms of Avalon.But can they reach Merlin in time?And can Basil find an answer to his heart's constant question,"what am I?" Melin's Dragon is a deep,wondrous,book,and Basil is an incredibly real character who I was able to connect deeply with.And,and the ominous cliffhanger ending plainly indicates,his story is far from over.I wait immpatiently for the sequel!
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