|
| The Crystal Cave (Merlin Trilogy 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £3.31
You Save: £3.68 (53%)
New (18) Used (5) from £3.31
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 5774
Media: Paperback
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0340839929
EAN: 9780340839928
Publication Date: March 13, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new and in stock - usually dispatched within 48 hours and delivered 1st Class by Royal Mail from the UK. International Delivery is by Airmail.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews:
Favourite retelling of the Arthur myth July 31, 2008
First read this series (Crystal Cave - Hollow Hills - Last Enchantment - Wicked Day) in the seventies and it stands the test of time well.
Mary Stewart makes the best attempt I have so far read to combine most of the legends passed down to us (especially Geoffrey of Monmouth who is her main source) with such historical knowledge of the period as was available at the time. And she does it in a way that is highly readable, with convincing characters, good pace, and a version as near plausible as anything that must cover some magical element can be.
Monmouth would have voted for it.
Merlin from boy to profit... and it's actually quite believable... February 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mary Stewart's much lauded Merlin Trilogy starts here. As a regular reader of fantasy novels, and a sucker for King Arthur and everything related to him since I was little, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, and in particular the Crystal Cave.
Stewart takes on the unenviable task of making a character of extreme legend - Merlin - and focussing a story on him. The reason it works comfortably and entertainingly is that she works in interesting bits of history with the legend. She looks for the links between the legend (based on older versions of the Merlin stories) and facts. You still have to suspend your disbelief, and Merlin still works magic, but he is also an engineer and a mathematician. Overall, he's clever, brave, lucky, and a little blessed by the gods.
The Crystal Cave follows Merlin from childhood through a number of the famous early episodes of his life - such as the dragons under Vortigern's fortress. It adds some twists and turns, and a little humour. It links him with a variety of powerful figures from the time's history, and shows us of course all sides of being a young profit and wizard!
I can recommend this novel. It is not a rip-roaring blockbuster, but it moves on with purpose and a good deal of interest. And there are scenes here that are as vivid and engrossing as one can hope for in a novel.
Merlin's Cave! June 19, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This wonderful book captures the legend of Merlin beautifully. I felt like I was in the cave, surrounded by crystals and magic. This is part one of a trilogy, which means there will be two more coming. Count me in!
A fantastic Read June 26, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read "The Crystal Cave" and the following books this year for the first time. I thought they were spell-binding. Beautifully written and the dialogue is so real. Mary Stewart makes Merlin so human and believable. I couldn't put the books down. One of the best reads I've ever read!
Engaging re-telling of the life of Merlin July 4, 1999
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
The Crystal Cave is one of a multitude of fictional works pertaining to the times and life of the legendary King Arthur. It differs from the others however, in that it focuses on the life of the great enchanter Merlin, who although intrinsic to the legend, rarely is considered by authors as a principal character of their stories. Generally, Merlin is presented as a learned sage of whose earlier life little is known. Mary Stewart shows Merlin to be more human, than the reader has encountered him in the other Arthurian tales. She achieves it by creating for him a childhood and parentage. In the popular myth it is believed that Merlin was a devil- begotten child, hence his magical powers. The Crystal Cave shows him a very real person possessed of heightened perceptions and extraordinary intellect, which a medieval audience, whence the original stories of Arthur stem, would very likely have equated with powers beyond an ordinary mortal. The book is an engaging and highly probable tale, beautifully written and entertaining. Mary Stewart cleverly links her story with original legend and her fresh approach makes for excellent reading. Even an adult reader well familiar with the legend will be transported to another world, one he might not have visited since his childhood days.
|
|
|
© StudentMidwife.NET. All Rights Reserved | |
