As mentioned on the back cover, this story covers Merlin's early childhood through the conception of Arthur. It was intriguing to see so many familiar aspects of the famous legend, but I have to admit that I think I prefer magical Merlin to merely clever Merlin. Yes, it's kind of neat how you can explain away his "spells" with ingenuity and careful calculation, but to me it takes away some of the fun of the story. That said, this was well-written and I may pick up the rest of the trilogy at some point. ( )

Reviewed by Mr. Deken (Social Studies)
Perhaps the best imaginative retelling of the Arthur legend, the story is done from Merlin's perspective. Stewart's sweeping grasp of religion, politics, love, and history give the story a depth and plausibility too often missing from simplified Sword-in-the-Stone versions of this tale. This book opens with the young Merlin and carries him through his twenties. In case the reader becomes as entranced as I was, Stewart's two succeeding volumes continue the story through Arthur's advent and the rise and fall of Camelot. Volumes two and three are entitled The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment.

Mary Stewart is a great writer. This reminded me of two of my other favs- a young wizard with a rough beginning in life discovering who he is (uh, hem) and a little of the wonderful way that CS Lewis turned the myth of Cupid and Psyche into an engaging novel. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. ( )

I was hooked on this story when I read Mary Stewart's vivid realistic description of Merlin as a little boy, playing among the Roman ruins at Bath. I have loved fantasy literature since I was a child, and grew up listening to teh tales of Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table, but this book is something different.
This beautifully written book encorporates the author's research on 5th century Brittain and her personal knowledge of the settings into the traditional Arthurian mythology. She re-examines the stories in the light of (what was, in the 1970s) the most current archeological evidence about Britain for the time period in which most scholars think the man who inspired the tales actually lived. Even though more evidence has come to light that puts some of those 1970s interpretations in doubt, the wonderful vivid world and striking characters that Mary Stewart created for these books still stand as wonderful in their own right. (This book is part of a trilogy including "The Hollow Hills", and "The Last Enchantment".) I definitely recommend these books - especially to readers who enjoy fantasy , historical and main stream because this book straddles those three genre, and does so beautifully! ( )

Need to reread this. ( )