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The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga, Book…
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The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga, Book 1) (original 1970; edition 2003)

by Mary Stewart

Series: The Arthurian Merlin Saga (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
5,7451051,673 (4.05)2 / 366
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrdden Emrysâ??or as he would later be known, Merlinâ??leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon ... and the conception of Arthur, king for once and always… (more)

▾Book information
Member:LisaAnneNisula
Title:The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga, Book 1)
Authors:Mary Stewart
Info:Eos (Trade) (2003), Paperback, 512 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:*****
Tags:None

Work Information

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (1970)

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  2. 74
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    myshelves: Basis for the play/movie Camelot.
  3. 30
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  6. 10
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    Bookshop_Lady: Mary Stuart ties the Arthur legend to Rome through Ambrosius and his brother Uther. Valerio Massimo takes a slightly different turn to the story: The Last Legion is the story of the last Roman emperor, who fled to England searching for the last legion of Roman soldiers, hoping they would still be loyal to him. This last emperor, a youth of about 13 when he attains the throne, will grow up to become Uther Pendragon. Fan's of Mary Stuart's trilogy will appreciate Massimo's interpretation of the Arthur legend.… (more)
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  9. 00
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  10. 00
    The King Must Die by Mary Renault (bjappleg8)
    bjappleg8: so many common threads: the "bastard" son of a royal daughter whose father turns out to be a king; who is god-touched and destined for glory but ultimately tragic. Also, strange to say, both these re-tellings of ancient myths by women feel fairly misogynistic.… (more)
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▾Member reviews
English (102)  Spanish (1)  Italian (1)  French (1)  All languages (105)
date ▼ | votes
Showing 1-5 of 102 (next | show all)
I still love it. (And my preteen crush on Ambrosius is still strong!) ( )
  autumndragyn | Nov 23, 2023 |
Another classic I read as a high school student which I have long remembered.

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrdden Emrys - or as he would later be known, Merlin - leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon, and the conception of Arthur, king for once and always. ( )
  Gmomaj | Oct 6, 2023 |
A re-read for a book I originally read in the late 70s because our grandson was reading it as "summer reading" assignment from the St. Ignatius English department.

As always, the older you get the more you tend to get out of previously read book. A delight. ( )
  Renzomalo | Aug 20, 2023 |
I really enjoyed this when young; clearly I was less critical then. The story is historical fiction, except that the protagonist can occasionally do magic. The magic always seems important to him, although it never makes any particular sense. The conversations are too often full of portent. Plotlines go nowhere in an unrealistic sort of fashion; characters occasionally re-appear, but are just as likely to be introduced new when convenient. I had to find out what happened, though, so I'm definitely reading the sequel. ( )
  themulhern | Feb 16, 2023 |
Good story about Arthur and Merlin etc. ( )
  kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |
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▾Published reviews
Eerste deel van een trilogie over het leven van de legendarische tovenaar en helderziende Merlijn. Hij leefde in het Brittannië van de vijfde eeuw en was in zijn latere leven de opvoeder en raadgever van de grote koning Arthur. Dit eerste deel omvat het verhaal over zijn geboorte en eerste levensjaren, doorgebracht aan het hof van zijn grootvader, de koning van Zuid-Wales. Verder: de ontdekking van de glazen grot en zijn opleiding bij de ziener Galapas. Het boek eindigt met de geboorte van koning Arthur. Een boeiend verhaal over deze magiër; door haar levende verbeelding en vlotte schrijftrant weet de schrijfster de lezer van begin tot eind te boeien. Wordt vervolgd door: "De holle heuvels". Normale druk, volle bladspiegel.
(Biblion recensie, J. v. Leeuwen-v.d. Tempel.)
added by karnoefel | editNBD/Biblion (via BOL.com)
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (31 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Stewart, Mary—primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fishman, MarcIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hämäläinen, InkeriTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lundgren, ElseTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Panske, GünterÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Perkins, DerekNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ratzkin, LawrenceCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thorne, StephenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships
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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
The Crystal Cave
Original title
The Crystal Cave
Alternative titles
Original publication date
1970-08
People/Characters
Merlin Ambrosius [as Merlin, Merlinus, Myrddin Emrys]
Galapas
Ambrosius Aurelianus
Uther Pendragon
Ulfin
Important places
Wales, UK
England, UK
Brittany, France
Important events
Related movies
Merlin of the Crystal Cave (1991 | IMDb)
Epigraph
O Merlin in your crystal cave
Deep in the diamond of the day,
Will there ever be a singer
Whose music will smooth away
The Furrow drawn by Adam's finger
Across the meadow and the wave?
Or a runner who'll outrun
Man's long shadow driving on,
Burst through the gates of history,
And hang the apple on the tree?
Will your sorcery ever show
The sleeping bride shut in her bower,
The day wreathed in its mound of snow,
And Time locked in his tower?
----Edwin Muir
Dedication
To the Memory
of Mollie Craig
with my love
First words
PROLOGUE: The Prince of Darkness

I am an old man now, but then I was really past my prime when Arthur was crowned King.
BOOK I: The Dove

The day my uncle Camlach came home, I was just six years old.
BOOK II: The Falcon

The first I knew of our coming to shore was being roused, still heavy with that exhausted sleep, by voices talking over me.
BOOK III: The Wolf

I was five years with Ambrosius in Brittany.
BOOK IV: The Red Dragon

The way the chronicles tell it, you would think it took Ambrosius two months to get himself crowned King and pacify Britain.
Quotations
"Mithras, Apollo, Arthur, Christ -- call him what you will," I said. "What does it matter what men call the light? It is the same light, and men must live by it or die. I only know that God is the source of all the light which has lit the world, and that his purpose runs through the world and past each one of us like a great river, and we cannot check or turn it, but can only drink from it while living, and commit our bodies to it when we die." -- Merlin
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Engels
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
▾References

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Wikipedia in English (2)

▾Book descriptions
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrdden Emrysâ??or as he would later be known, Merlinâ??leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon ... and the conception of Arthur, king for once and always

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Book description
WHO WAS MERLIN?

Was the famed magician of Camelot and King Arthur's court really a sinister, all-powerful being from another world? Was he truly a Prince of Darkness? Or was he a man with the passions of other mortals? A man with unique intelligence and unusual gifts? Why was he so feared? How did he come by his occult powers? Why was the crystal cave so important to him?

Fifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity, Myridden Emrys -- or as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon ... and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always.
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WorldCat

Genres

Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

823.914Literature › English & Old English literatures › English fiction › Modern Period › 1901-1999 › 1945-1999

LC Classification

PR6069.T46Language and Literature › English › English Literature › 1961-2000

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