CSFF Blog Tour: Two Distinguishing Characteristics

Last year CSFF toured Merlin’s Blade and Merlin’s Shadow, the first and second books of Robert Treskillard’s Merlin Spiral; now we finish the trilogy with Merlin’s Nightmare.

But not the story. That will continue with the Pendragon Spiral.

I’ll be reviewing Merlin’s Nightmare tomorrow. Actually, I was going to review it today, but that was back when I was going to do this post yesterday. Life happens, but as long as it doesn’t happen tomorrow, I will review the book.

For today, here is what struck me as the two most distinguishing characteristics of this trilogy:

One, all the history. The fantastical elements are quite prominent, but I am impressed by how the whole of the story is anchored in history.

Two, Merlin’s age. I always had a vague image of Merlin as an old man, probably with a long beard. In the Merlin Spiral, he’s a young man, and that actually struck me more in this last book than in the earlier two. He was a teenager in Merlin’s Blade and Merlin’s Shadow, but that was before Arthur’s time, and I knew he was young once. But in the final book, Merlin is thirty-four, possibly thirty-five, as he takes his place as King Arthur’s counselor – a new image for me.

As I said, I’m planning an actual review tomorrow. For now, here are the links:

Merlin’s Nightmare on Amazon;

Robert Treskillard’s website;

and the tourists, as we have been called:

Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Vicky DealSharingAunt
April Erwin
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Emileigh Latham
Jennette Mbewe
Shannon McDermott

Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller

Mirriam Neal
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Writer Rani
Nathan Reimer
Audrey Sauble
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Robert Treskillard
Phyllis Wheeler

Elizabeth Williams

2 thoughts on “CSFF Blog Tour: Two Distinguishing Characteristics

  1. I was impressed also by Merlin’s relative youthfulness in this book. But as it’s YA, perhaps 35 is the same as being 75 for the children that read YA.

  2. Perhaps! Good point, Nissa.

    Merlin’s father-son relationship with eighteen-year-old Arthur may also make him seem older. To us, at least. In the fifth century, that might not have been unusual.

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