Author
Biography
T.A. Barron is a prolific author of
books for children and young adults, particularly in the fantasy genre, as well
as an active founder and supporter of conservation causes. He lives in
Colorado.
Published
By: Penguin Group
USA
Year:
2000
ISBN:
0-399-23456
Reading
Level: Grades 7 and up
Reader’s
Annotation:
Three
threats loom over Fincayra: its tyrannical king’s return, a mysterious
warrior’s bloody rampage, and an invasion of monstrous spirits from the
Otherworld. Can Merlin stop them all, or is this the end of the magical world
he calls home?
Plot
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Merlin is living happily among the
deer-people with his beloved Hallia, when a vision of the great spirit Dagda
appears to him with horrifying news. On winter’s longest night, just two weeks
away, the evil spirit Rhita Gawr will return to Fincayra with an invading army.
Only if Merlin unites all of the island’s various creatures against their
enemy, despite their years of isolation and mistrust, can Fincayra be saved.
To
make matters worse, Merlin soon learns that his father, the corrupt King
Stangmar, has escaped from his imprisonment and is searching for his wife,
Elen. Worse yet, a mysterious warrior known as Slayer, with swords instead of
arms, appears and begins brutally attacking children. While Hallia, Merlin’s
sister Rhia, and other allies set out to warn the land of Rhita Gawr and
Stangmar, Merlin formulates a plan to protect the children from Slayer. But can
his cunning, his magic, and his loved ones’ united efforts possibly save
Fincayra from the looming dangers? And what did Dagda mean when he warned
Merlin that even if they win the battle, “when all is truly gained, all is
truly lost”?
Critical
Evaluation:
This
book provides an epic conclusion to the Lost
Years of Merlin series – the first series of the larger Merlin Saga. In it, the magical world of
Fincayra that both Merlin and the readers have come to love faces the deadliest
danger it’s ever known. In striving to save it, Merlin travels to the
mysterious Forgotten Island, learns the truth behind the legend of the
Fincayran people’s lost wings, confronts the demons from his own past, and
finally comes into his own both as a full-fledged wizard and as a man of
immense wisdom and compassion. This journey leads to a bittersweet ending, as change
proves inevitable to Fincayra, and as Merlin is finally forced to choose
whether to stay with his family, friends, and Hallia, or move on to his destiny
in Brittania and Camelot.
As conclusions go, it isn’t quite
perfect. Two of the main plot points (the idyllic beginning shattered by a danger-foretelling
vision and the prophecy that victory will come with a cost) feel slightly rehashed
from Book #3, different though the details are. Also like its predecessors,
this installment is a shameless fantasy cliché fest, with echoes of Narnia,
Middle-Earth, Prydain, and, yes, Star
Wars. And Merlin’s ultimate decision feels slightly rushed and
under-motivated for something so monumental, though the emotional payoff is strong.
But regardless of its flaws, readers who loved the previous four books will
still be captivated. Almost every character we’ve met before makes a
reappearance, every loose end is tied up, the action is truly high-stakes and
cinematic, and the series’ hallmark blend of adventure, humor, suspense,
enchantment and myth-building are fully in evidence, along with more poignancy
than ever. The final paragraphs are genuine tearjerker material. Merlin’s
magical coming-of-age journey could hardly be more beautifully crowned.
Curriculum
Ties:
•Arthurian
legend
•Welsh mythology
•Fantasy worlds
Challenge
Issues:
•Mild profanity
•Violence
•Disturbing
imagery
•Child
death
Why
This Book?
While
not perfect in every way, this conclusion of Merlin’s journey from boyhood to
manhood and great wizardhood is just as epic and moving as any reader could
hope for.
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