T. A. Barron

Having washed up on the shores of ancient Wales five years prior, young Emrys has no recollection of his life before. He lives humbly with his healer mother (well, she claims to be his mother, but how can he really be certain with absolutely no memories of this woman who claims to have raised him?), and although outcasts, they are at least tolerated.

After a terrible accident leaves him with a permanent injury, Emrys takes to the sea in an attempt to find his true home, answers about where show more he came from, and what this frightening power building within him means. His journey takes him to the magical land of Fincayra, a bridge between Earth and the otherworld. Emrys soon finds his journey of self discovery is entangled with the evil spirit Rhita Gawr who's powers are slowly destroying Fincayra and everything good within it. Can Emrys discover his past while at the same time protecting the future of a land in which he feels a deep connection?

This book blew me away! It was humbling to read a tale of one of the most formidable sorcerers in literature as an awkward, fumbling teenager. It's a great reminder that we all come from somewhere; we all go through that awkward stage of childhood and adolescence where we are unsure of ourselves, must determine our strengths and weaknesses, have our character tested, and make hard decisions. It's not only the large moments in life, but the small ones too; the ones we make day in and day out that ultimately determine the people we end up becoming. We have choices to make every day. Choices to fight, to concede, to preserve, to overcome. No one is born great, they become great through those series of choices. It is not always brawn and muscle which win but cunning and wit.

The entire cast of supporting characters was phenomenal, making the book really that much more special and enjoyable. From the Druma girl Emrys befriends, Rhia who really serves as the catalyst for the entire conflict against Rhita Gawr, to the loveable pint sized troll, Shim (my favorite character for sure). Even Trouble, the pest of a Merlin hawk who really didn't take no for an answer when befriending Emrys. Everyone served such an important role not just in the progression of the plot but also in the development of Emrys as a character.

As the first of 12 books in the series, I will absolutely be continuing on to see how else Emrys (now Merlin) continues to grow and evolve into the ever powerful sorcerer he is destined to become. show less

Inspired by the Cave of Hands, in Argentina - "Cueva de las Manos" refers to a series of caverns whose walls were stenciled with numerous hand outlines some 10,000 years ago, presumably by the native people of Patagonia - author T.A. Barron spins the fictional tale of Auki, a young boy of the Tehuelche people who longs to become a hunter like his father. Rebuffed once again, when the season to hunt guanacos comes, Auki run off on his own, determined to prove himself. After a surprise show more encounter with a puma, the young boy finds himself injured, and stranded in the forbidden canyon, where the fabled cave of ghosts is located. Here he has an encounter with the elderly painter who guards the cave, and after another run-in with the puma, eventually learns the secret of the hands painted upon the cave wall...

Ghost Hands was quite the revelation! Not only did I enjoy the story for its own sake, immediately involved in Auki's quest to prove himself, I also found the book quite informative. I know very little about Patagonia, its people, past or present, or the folklore associated with it. I had never heard of the Cave of Hands - now that I have, it reminds me of France's Lascaux Caves, which also contain prehistoric artwork - nor did I know about the Tehuelche, the native people of Argentina who were (alas!) persecuted and hunted into extinction. I didn't know about the guanaco, a camelid species related to the llama and alpaca; I didn't know about calafate berries (which have their own distinct folklore); I didn't know about the tero bird; and I had never heard of Karut, the thunder god of the region. In short: I knew nothing, nothing at all about this part of the world, its history, its geography, and its culture, when I began the book. How fascinating it all seemed, reading T.A. Barron's foreword, and then his story. I'd love to track down a collection of legends and folklore from Patagonia, if such a thing has been published in English. Recommended to anyone with an interest in the Cave of Hands, and also recommended to those who have never heard of it before, but value a good story and find prehistory as fascinating as I do. show less

I STILL can’t believe that this series continued and I had no idea. While the focus shifts from Merlin to a strange little creature named Basil, it’s so good to be back in this world Barron has created.

This book is definitely different than others in the series; it’s a bit slower and focuses more on Basil’s character development rather than having a lot of action, though there is a bit of adventuring and action in parts. And from what is hinted in this book, A LOT of action is soon show more to come. This story also has a nice introduction to all the different types of worlds found in the Great Tree of Avalon, which is fun to read about.

The middle dragged a bit, but I loved how it all wrapped up and I enjoyed learning more about the world Merlin was living in. Though we don’t get to see a whole lot of Merlin, there was enough of him to still make it feel like a Merlin book. I do wish that we were tackling a new big bad instead of sort of rehashing what happened in the original books, but hopefully it’ll be different enough to seem new.

I’m excited about what this new addition to the series will bring–I think Basil is a great main character and I can’t wait to read more about his adventures!

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

I tend to be a bit careful about Arthurian retellings. I really like the whole Camelot aesthetic, but I feel like they often underwhelm. Not all of them, I know! And, also, I haven’t read them all. But I came into The Lost Years feeling careful, and I think that was a good choice.

Some scenes were great. I really enjoyed the voice when Emrys was in the “human world”, as well as the scene with Cairpre and his amazing room of books. Standalone scenes stood out to me, but the book as a show more whole had a bit of that… stumbled over feeling. Most of Emrys’ adventures were because he tripped and fell into something and while that cliche plot twist is fine when used sparingly, T.A. Barron loves it.

The characters in themselves were just… fine? Nothing really stood out and made them memorable as individuals – they all felt like fantasy archetypes. In a more modern book, I’d be pretty harsh about this, but in 1996, fantasy wasn’t exactly the literature of choice. May older books use elements that feel especially cliche today, and I’m sure in another 20 years, the things we find fresh will be considered cliche as well.

Shim, as a character, bothered me. His character arc was really obvious and the author’s choice in dialogue just made me cringe. This is such a personal thing, but I wanted to mention it. Also there was a really questionable point in the early chapters where the village kids decide it’s a good plan to stone a Jew and while it doesn’t sit well with Emrys, he doesn’t prevent it. This scene set off SO MANY red flags in my head and I was really concerned this was going to end up having an anti-Semitic dialogue. It didn’t, but the choice was so very unnecessary and did not sit well.

I think The Lost Years will suit younger readers better. There are some scenes that feel intended for older readers, while others read very young. The writing style is scattered all over the place. Generally, I think this is best for more mature middle grade readers. A lot of reviewers on Goodreads are comparing it to The Black Cauldron, and having only read one book in each series, I think I liked The Book of Three better than The Lost Years. Alexander’s story had a better voice, enough so to make a difference. Otherwise, I think they’re fairly good companions. show less