Product Description

When Merlin, suffering from a case of severe amnesia, discovers his strange powers, he becomes determined to discover his identity and flees to Fincayra where he fulfills his destiny, saving Fincayra from certain destruction and claiming his birthright and true name.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #661824 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441006687
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
"Readers may find this attempt to create a biography for Merlin less of an organic novel than a showcase for the author's deft recycling of Welsh myth," said PW. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8?This first installment in a planned trilogy about Merlin's shadowy youth takes some intriguing twists. Young Emrys washes up on a Welsh beach with a woman who claims to be his mother. For years, they share a hovel, but Branwen tells him nothing about his past. One day he discovers that he has some unusual powers; using them to kindle a fire in Branwen's defense, he is blinded by the flames. However, he learns to see without eyes?using his "second sight." Desperate to know about his past, Emrys, now 12, sets off on an ocean journey. He lands on Fincayra, where he plunges into a dangerous quest to rescue the island from the destructive blight caused by a pact between its king and an evil power. In the process, he befriends a young Fincayran girl and a dwarf who becomes a giant through a brave deed. Emrys also learns the truth about his origins. The Fincayran portion of the story is very much like Lloyd Alexander's "Prydain Chronicles": a young boy and girl team up with a cute non-human to save a kingdom from the force of evil, with Welsh-style names abounding. Also, while the characterization of the hero is excellent, the portrayal of some minor figures is fair at best. However, the fast-moving plot is sure to keep readers turning pages. The tale is compelling enough to ensure that they will anticipate the next book in the series to learn how the events ultimately tie in to the more familiar body of Arthurian legend.?Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7^-10. This is the first volume in a planned trilogy about Merlin's youth, an area generally ignored in traditional Merlin lore. Barron has certainly come up with an intriguing perspective of what he calls Merlin's lost years, as told by the future wizard himself. A boy, hurled on the rocks by the sea, regains consciousness unable to remember anything--not his parents, not his own name. He is sure that the secretive Branwen is not his mother, despite her claims, and that Emrys is not his real name. The two soon find themselves feared because of Branwen's healing abilities and Emrys' growing powers, and when they are attacked, Emrys strikes out, causing an inferno that blinds him when he plunges into the fire to rescue his antagonist. Branwen and Emrys are taken in by nuns, and as Emrys despairs and heals, he discovers yet another talent--that of second sight--which enables him to embark on a quest to find his true name and heritage. His journey leads him back across the sea to the isle of Fincayra, a mysterious land "not of the Earth, nor of the Otherworld." There he joins forces with the forest girl Rhia and the heroic little giant Shim to battle the evil Rhita Gawr, whose blight is destroying the isle. Barron has created not only a magical land populated by remarkable beings but also a completely magical tale, filled with ancient Celtic and Druidic lore, that will enchant readers. Sally Estes

Customer Reviews

A definite must - read book and series!
When I scanned through the shelves of my public library about a year and a half ago and picked up an interesting looking story, I had no idea that I had just discovered what would become one of my favorite books and series of all time. I read The Lost Years of Merlin twice on my library rent, and soon bought the rest of the series as it came out. I am now awaiting the 5th and final novel in the excellent series. The book opened my eyes to the fascinating wizard whom I had never thought of as more as the wise and deft wizard with a long beard who tutored King Arthur. I had never thought of the childhood and growing up he must have experienced or struggles he may have overcome. T.A. Barron's epic has put a human face on the great wizard known by so many. Written in an excellent 1st person, it truly puts you in the shoes of the young and not yet formidable wizard. With him you experience barriers, both emotional and physical that he must overcome. The stories are never dull, and Barron weaves them expertly through the pages of his fascinating books. I highly recommend this series to people of all ages, as it will not only entertain, but spark an interest in the famous wizard, not only his accomplishments, but his struggles, and triumphs, great and small.

Merlin's Beginnings
The book The Lost Years Of Merlin, by T.A. Barron, is the story of a seven year old boy who is thrown onto shore by a storm and, in the process, hits his head resulting in amnesia. A woman named Branwen, who claims to be his mother, takes him in and lives with the boy, Emerys, for six years. During this time, he discovers he has mystical powers. Since Branwen won't explain his past, Emerys finds he must travel to a world named Fincayra, a place Branwen claims to be from, to find out. Emerys sets out on a raft and reaches the coast of Fincayra. Emerys discovers that this land is in grave danger and he may be the only one who can save this world. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, fantasy, mystical powers, and the possiblility of other worlds. You also get the chance to watch a boy's life unfold and discover his past along with the character himsself. It's wonderfully suspenseful as you meet new characters and discover the effect each one has on Emerys, who risks his life every step of the way. It is a very well written book that creates a perfectly woven image of a mystical world.

Enchanted adventure
"Lost Years of Merlin" is one of the few genuinely new pieces of Arthurian fiction out there. Most either retread old ground or try for realism. T.A. Barron does just the opposite, utilizing his sense of magic and knowledge of Celtic mythos for a delightful fantasy/Arthurian book.

An amnesiac boy washes up on the shores of Wales, with a golden-haired woman nearby. She says that their names are Branwen and Emrys, but somehow he doesn't believe her. Merlin - with his slightly odd appearance, hermit-like mother, and growing supernatural powers - is an outcast from the village. One day, a group of boys' taunting goes horribly wrong. Merlin and Branwen go to a nearby convent, where he finds that he has lost the use of his eyes. Despite his fear of his powers, his "second sight" asserts itself and allows everyday life.

But Merlin isn't content to stay with the nuns, as Branwen seems to be. He goes off on a journey, and on a hunch rafts himself off to sea - and lands again on a foreign shore, that of the mystical isle of Fincayra. This time, however, there are intelligent hawks attacking rats, girls gowned in leaves, and trees that block his path. He lands in the middle of the Druma Wood, where he meets a strange woodland girl named Rhia.

Rhia and Merlin encounter trouble (two kinds - the hawk is also called "Trouble") when they find that evil things and a sinister blight are creeping across the River Unceasing - and then a band of goblins try to kidnap Merlin. With the help of a diminuative giant named Shim, Merlin must find use his heart, brain, powers, and the mysterious Galator pendant to defeat the evil Rhita Gawr, find the Seven Treasures, and save Fincayra.

Barron's prose is one of the rare kinds that becomes intoxicating when he really gets going. It's fortunate that much of this book takes place outdoors, as his nature descriptions are amazing and the character interactions concerning trees, especially, are delightful. He utilizes Celtic myths and legends - such as the name Branwen and the legendary Dagda - to good effect, as well as he did in "Merlin Effect." Humor is present in the form of Shim the tiny giant (so tiny that he still wears giant baby clothes) but it never becomes annoying.

Characterizations? Merlin is entirely believable as an outcast boy afraid of himself, and of what he might become if he allows his powers to run rampant. Rhia is just a little out of sync with him, enough to make it believable that she grew up in the woods. Shim doesn't experience quite the same level of interest, but he's a good supporting character. And characters like Domnu, the Grand Elusa, and Cairpre help round out the story with a bit of realistic weirdness. Even evil characters like Stangmar are more developed than the usual ... dark lords.

Perhaps the main flaw of this book is that the pacing feels a bit off, as compared to the next four books. We go at a moderate pace, but after Domnu appears we zip through the rest of it, especially the last twenty pages. And of course, it leaves you wanting more.

I would like to address the claims that this story rips off Lloyd Alexander: Barron has obviously done his homework on Welsh and Irish legends, as Alexander did, and such things as the cauldron and the treasures probably stem from those. There is also a little dash of speculation on "sacred" and "historical" time that may intrigue adults, but be over younger kids' heads. Examine the plotlines and mythical objects of both serieses, and you'll see very little similarity in how Merlin and Taran must overcome their problems and foes. As for the idea that Mary Stewart "covered" Merlin's childhood - good gravy, people, that was HER fictional retelling, not a legend in its own right. Barron's has just as much right to be read - maybe, given his writing and research, even more!

For fans of wizards and Arthuriana (though not the gritty kind), this book cannot be beat. I will add my voice to the chorus that says: This book, and the four that follow (a five book trilogy!), is vastly superior to Harry Potter.