3.0 out of 5 stars
So-So Medieval Mystery, April 23, 2010
This review is from: The Pendragon Murders (A Merlin Investigation) (Mass Market Paperback)
Third in A Merlin Investigation featuring Merlin of Arthurian legend in Medieval England.
was really looking forward to this book. I enjoy the Camelot and Merlin tales. I loved Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment). So to have Merlin as an amateur sleuth was an appealing concept to me.
Plague has been brought to England via merchant ships. Merlin and his two aids, Nimue and Petronus, are in the port town of Dover for the autumn market festival. Merlin is first on the scene and identifies it as the plague. They hurry back to Camelot to be a nerve center and try to be a communications hub for news of the spread of the plague. But on the way back they come across a Baron brutally murdered at Stonehenge. Then a death occurs at Camelot seeming to be the plague, but Merlin isn't convinced. Could somebody be killing off contenders for the thrown by mimicing the plague? Merlin grows more suspicious as the body count rises.
The book leaves much in the way of period language completely out which was a bit jarring. Even more jarring are the modern concepts of how disease spreads that Merlin embraces. Merlin has a reputation as a wizard that he hates. He is portrayed as a scholar and an early physician who hates all forms of superstition. He is flippant, arthritic, cranky and has a really cynical view of the world and of human nature. Merlin's cynical outlook is perhaps why this seems to be a bit darker book than I was anticipating.
Merlin's aid Nimue is a rather liberated and free thinking woman for the time period which is really out of place. Out of all the characters she has some potential but was only a minor player in this book. I hope she gets more attention in other books in the series.
Arthur seems to be two different people, one self absorbed who won't listen to wise council and the other a statesman adept at...
Read the complete review here:
[...]
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Exactly Wizardry, February 2, 2010
This review is from: The Pendragon Murders (A Merlin Investigation) (Mass Market Paperback)
This unusual take on the King Arthur legend takes some getting used to.
Not because Merlin is a scholar and minister instead of a wizard, but because the language is modern and rather casual in feeling.
The end result is that, instead of being caught up in the story and the period, you are constantly reminded that you are reading a book.
Arthur, never free of plots and insurrections often led by his sister Morgan, is alternately regal and whiny. Meanwhile, Merlin's assistant, a girl disguised as a boy, never seems believable.
The story itself is well told. When a nobleman and his sons are found dead at Stonehenge, and reports of plague are noted throughout the country, Merlin has his hands full. If you don't worry too much about characterization, it's a good story.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
