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acw2's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
livstie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
This is the second book in Stephen R. Lawhead's epic Arthurian series and stays second place in my ranking. I haven't read the following books yet so I can only compare it to the first, "Talliesin."
"Merlin" is shorter but feels longer than the first book. It spans many decades and has long very drawn out parts in the midst of a good plot.
Merlin's childhood is hard to get through and I often found myself reaching for other books. His youth and power in battle is definitely more exciting but then there's another drawn out boring part while he returns from his exile. Suffice to say, the book keeps this pattern the whole way through.
When it's good however, it is very good and really feels like you're in the middle of ancient Britain. That being said, I hope the third one is more exciting. It should be, since the first two books are really laying the ground-work for the rest of the series (I assume).
"Merlin" is shorter but feels longer than the first book. It spans many decades and has long very drawn out parts in the midst of a good plot.
Merlin's childhood is hard to get through and I often found myself reaching for other books. His youth and power in battle is definitely more exciting but then there's another drawn out boring part while he returns from his exile. Suffice to say, the book keeps this pattern the whole way through.
When it's good however, it is very good and really feels like you're in the middle of ancient Britain. That being said, I hope the third one is more exciting. It should be, since the first two books are really laying the ground-work for the rest of the series (I assume).
chitownbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fritz2022's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Significantly more grim than the first book, and even more than the following books. It is good though. I rate it well, but it still I think ranks last for me in this series because the others are even better.
meghan_heart's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
carlacbarroso's review against another edition
3.0
Apesar de gostar da lenda de Artur, não sou grande fã da personagem do Merlin, foco deste segundo livro do Ciclo Pendragon.
Neste o narrador é masculino e a história contada na primeira pessoa por Merlin, contudo não gostei do narrador a início, sobretudo com o nome de algumas personagens a terem uma pronúncia completamente diferente. No entanto, com a continuação lá me fui habituando e acho que o tom algo arrogante até ia bem com a personagem.
Já não gostei tanto da história deste livro como do anterior, sobretudo no que à Morgian diz respeito, o que não adivinhava nada de bom para os seguintes livros. A escrita do autor é boa, não digo que não, mas infelizmente deixa a desejar no que toca ao desenvolvimento tanto da história como, sobretudo, das personagens. O autor é muito bom a descrever batalhas, mas em tudo é muito tell e pouco show. O exemplo mais notório é com a personagem da Morgian. É-nos simplesmente dito que ela é má, com poucos exemplos dessa maldade para além do desconforto que o Merlin sente quando está na sua presença.
Neste o narrador é masculino e a história contada na primeira pessoa por Merlin, contudo não gostei do narrador a início, sobretudo com o nome de algumas personagens a terem uma pronúncia completamente diferente. No entanto, com a continuação lá me fui habituando e acho que o tom algo arrogante até ia bem com a personagem.
Já não gostei tanto da história deste livro como do anterior, sobretudo no que à Morgian diz respeito, o que não adivinhava nada de bom para os seguintes livros. A escrita do autor é boa, não digo que não, mas infelizmente deixa a desejar no que toca ao desenvolvimento tanto da história como, sobretudo, das personagens. O autor é muito bom a descrever batalhas, mas em tudo é muito tell e pouco show. O exemplo mais notório é com a personagem da Morgian. É-nos simplesmente dito que ela é má, com poucos exemplos dessa maldade para além do desconforto que o Merlin sente quando está na sua presença.
rheren's review against another edition
5.0
Rather to my surprise (considering I gave Taliesin a 3-star rating), I'm giving this one a 5-star rating. It didn't keep my spellbound throughout, and in the middle I felt it dragging several times, but really, now that I'm finished with it, I found myself rather impressed, indeed.
The first person perspective works much better in this one than the third-person perspective of Taliesin. Reading it is like seeing out of the eyes of a strange, crotchety, yet impressive and ageless old man, which is exactly the image Stephen Lawhead was going for in his vision of Merlin. I was quite impressed. Now, obviously this is a Christian take on the Merlin myth, so I can understand people who are confused by that. Very different than most other Merlin tales you'll read, and it took me a bit to get used to that. But hey, if it's a myth anyways, a Christian interpretation of it isn't any less "true" than any others, right? I appreciated it for the unabashedly Christian fantasy that it was.
The storyline feels slow at points, but overall I was continually intrigued by where it was going and found it very believable and interesting to read. Stephen Lawhead struck an interesting balance between Merlin having glimpses of the future but not being omniscient and annoyingly self-assured. He felt quite human. I'm looking forward to reading Arthur next.
The first person perspective works much better in this one than the third-person perspective of Taliesin. Reading it is like seeing out of the eyes of a strange, crotchety, yet impressive and ageless old man, which is exactly the image Stephen Lawhead was going for in his vision of Merlin. I was quite impressed. Now, obviously this is a Christian take on the Merlin myth, so I can understand people who are confused by that. Very different than most other Merlin tales you'll read, and it took me a bit to get used to that. But hey, if it's a myth anyways, a Christian interpretation of it isn't any less "true" than any others, right? I appreciated it for the unabashedly Christian fantasy that it was.
The storyline feels slow at points, but overall I was continually intrigued by where it was going and found it very believable and interesting to read. Stephen Lawhead struck an interesting balance between Merlin having glimpses of the future but not being omniscient and annoyingly self-assured. He felt quite human. I'm looking forward to reading Arthur next.
londokampung's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5 Not as good as Taliesin, but still superbly written. Unfortunately, the plot is very stale and seems to never reach anywhere. Also, I wasn't a fan of it being written in the first person.
tarugani's review against another edition
4.0
I don't absolutely love these, sometimes the pacing seems quite slow, but it's an intriguing take.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I have a collection of books about Arthurian legend and have done since seeing Excalibur back in the day. This is one of my favorite series based on that legend. It remains my favorite of the series. The beauty of the legend is that it can be told in a myriad of ways with Arthur, Guinevere, Camelot, etc as the core. Here it's told with Atlantis being part of the mix.
I like that Merlin's story gets told, he's often in a strong background character in other books. He gets to tell his story here, not just as a magical being but as a warrior who can wield a strong sword.
He has frailties but his strength and wisdom outweigh them.
I had a bit of difficulty becoming accustomed to the narrator, but eventually did as the book went on.
I can absolutely recommend this book, series and author. If you enjoy Arthurian legend, it's a must. If you like a story well-told, it's a must.
I like that Merlin's story gets told, he's often in a strong background character in other books. He gets to tell his story here, not just as a magical being but as a warrior who can wield a strong sword.
He has frailties but his strength and wisdom outweigh them.
I had a bit of difficulty becoming accustomed to the narrator, but eventually did as the book went on.
I can absolutely recommend this book, series and author. If you enjoy Arthurian legend, it's a must. If you like a story well-told, it's a must.