Merlin's Mistake
The Merlin's Mistake series, Book 1
Robert Newman
Volo
Fiction, YA Fantasy
Themes: Legendary Stories, Twists, Wizards
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Description
In an England where Camelot still stands and magic is real yet elusive, sixteen-year-old Brian is ready to leave his castle home to find adventure.
Unfortunately, his mother, still grieving the long-ago loss of his father in the Crusades, won't allow it. Brian chafes under her restraint. He just
knows he's bound for something greater.
One day, adventure seems to come knocking on his door. Tertius has come far from his uncaring father and brutish brothers, bearing the burden of a
botched christening gift. The great wizard Merlin was supposed to gift him with knowledge of all things magical. Instead, distracted by his love affair
with the enchantress Nimue, he gave Tertius all future knowledge. Now, the boy seeks a tutor to educate him in the ways of magic. It sounds like a
worthy quest to Brian, and a chance for some yearned-for adventure... but quests are notorious for not going as planned.
Review
This is part of a Lost Treasures series by the publisher, where older works are being re-released to today's audience (this story was originally written in 1970.) I was somewhat skeptical after being so dismayed by Dragonworld, another revived title, but it was rather cheap, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did. This is a fun, if somewhat standard, fantasy adventure tale. Some of the twists were a bit obvious to me, but I liked the characters, and the story moved at a decent clip. I lost an entire afternoon to this book, certain that I'd put it down at the end of the next chapter but only succeeding when the story was over. I didn't give it the top rating because it was a bit formulaic, and I found the ending to Tertius's quest to be somewhat convenient and unsatisfying. All in all, it was a fun tale, and a steal at the price (two dollars brand-new.)