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Summary: The last, best chapter
Review: All good things must come to an end, and no good thing could come to a better one. The last chapter in the Lost Years of Merlin saga is the best. It is full of everything that makes Barron's books so wonderful- excitement, suspense, surprises, and unexpected twists. It is a tale of love and friendship, of hope and despair, of defeat and triumph, of revenge and forgiveness. Here is a wonderful, heartbreaking story, a story to make you laugh and cry, a jewel of a story to treasure forever, to read again and again. I would recommend this book, this entire series to anyone who wishes for a beautiful, true story. For while the story of Merlin's youth is a fairy tale, in it's fantasy it is truer than the facts in any book- to the spirit at least. I would encourage children to loan it to their parents, and parents to read it with their children. Reading this book is a truly marvelous experience.
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Summary: As good as the others if not better!
Review: Barron has added a great inclusion not only to the series but to the life of the legendary Merlin...Though it wasn't the best in the series it was still a marvolous book. Like the book's predacessor's I couldn't put it down, from its mysterious beginning to its triumphant end the book is wonderful. My only regret was that it ended, but since it had to it ended as wonderfully as it could have. The final battle lifted my spirits like no other book has done; it combined aspects of all four of the other books and the outcome was fantastic. In the final chapter (I won't spoil it by telling you the details) I couldn't help but feel saddened but like everything an end must come eventually. I encourage you to read the dramatic conclusion to the series but not before you've read its predacessors. May the Force be with you...
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Summary: "what is gained is still lost" in this last strive to finish
Review: Do not view these as five individual books, but as five pieces of a whole saga. To read only one would be to cheat one's self of seeing an entire picture. The epic begins with an child with no memory being raised by a mysterious woman in a small village. Both of them are regarded as local oddities and driven to live in a convent. The boy is known as Emrys, but never feels that that is his true name. As he matures, he develops gifts and wonderous powers, along with an increasing need to know who he is. Eventually, he goes upon a quest in search of his heritage, one that will lead him to the lands his mother's stories spoke of, the Hidden World outside of time and this life. He finds himself in the midst of a battle between warring demigods, and finds a new name for his own, Merlin. As Merlin journeys through the five books, he makes new friends and bitter enemies. This is a world filled with dragons, witches, goblins, and lost treasures. Secrets that are as powerful and painful as a two edged blade are discovered. Otherworlds are crossed, time itself bends to give the boy a glimpse of his own destiny, and choices musst be made that will affect far more than just Merlin. ***** Elements of other classics are hinted at, but applied in new ways and familiarity only serves to endear. This is a grand saga without the weightiness of other epics. Rather, it is easy to read and charming. This Merlin can stand alongside Tolkien's hobbits or Harry Potter proudly. ***** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
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Summary: The Final Book
Review: T.A. Barron first brought this new and original concept of Merlin to life in THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN. That book was a wonderful read that brought new views and old themes into a retelling of the timeless legend. The books that followed definitely kept the reader involved, although the plots themselves became pointless at times, and some of the minor characters were just stupid. Still, the final book in this epic is written with personality and tells a very worthwhile story with a minimum of the meaningless tangents that were seen in some of the other books. I do not mean to criticize this series too much. I enjoyed it very much and I think that Mr. Barron created an excellent conclusion. This book certainly matched the first one in the level of excitement that passes through our young wizard into every reader's imagination. This is definitely worthwhile, especially if you have read the previous books. p.s. The similarities to the Star Wars films that were found in the first book are definitely not present in the final book.
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Summary: A fitting finale
Review: T.A. Barron is probably the freshest, most outstanding voice in fantasy and Arthurian literature in... well, a very, very long time. His "Lost Years of Merlin" series is clearly destined to be a modern classic, an exquisitely-written epic saga that reinvents the legendary Merlin. "Wings of Merlin" is no exception -- it's a fitting end to a wonderful five-book trilogy. Merlin and his beloved Hallia are enjoying the peace after "Mirror of Merlin," shapeshifting into deer and romping under the amused gaze of Merlin's sister Rhia. But Merlin's powers aren't quite what they could be. And their peace is shattered by a vision of the Dagda, in which he warns Merlin that the battle against Rhita Gawr is about to come to a head. Dagda can't attack Rhita Gawr directly without unbalancing the world, and so it's up to a wizard -- Merlin -- to rally Fincayra's weird and wonderful array of races against Rhita Gawr. Merlin meets up with his old friend Shim the Giant, and receives terrible news: His father, the evil Stangmar, has escaped his prison and is going after Merlin's mother Elen of the Sapphire Eyes. To make things worse, a sinister masked man with swords instead of arms is killing children -- and Merlin's spells don't work against him. Merlin must rally together the giants, the dwarves, the marsh ghouls, and everyone else in Fincayra -- but it may not be enough. Until T.A. Barron's "Merlin" series, there were very few satisfying books about Merlin's early life. Spinning off from his amazing "Merlin Effect," this series managed to take elements of folklore (primarily Celtic) and rework them into something sparkling, magical, and entirely his own. The story of the old couple turned into trees is written exquisitely. In my local bookstores, this series is frequently misshelved with the adult books, which speaks of its universal appeal (the mark of a classic). Barron's writing is lush and descriptive, especially when the characters are in natural surroundings -- skies, trees, oceans, sights, sounds, smells, no detail is left unnoticed. You can really feel as if you're there. The dialogue isn't modern-feeling, but isn't the painful "ye olde" dialogue that so many fantasy writers use. And Barron proves that he doesn't do plot elements at random: the man with sword-arms has a specific reason to be mad at Merlin, and readers may be shocked when they find out who he is. The battle against Rhita Gawr somehow elevates itself above the usual fantasy cliches of the good guys versus the evil Dark Lord; Barron knows how to write his villains. Merlin has changed a lot from the insecure, slightly whiny boy of the first book, who didn't want magic and barely knew how to use it. But Barron doesn't make him all-powerful; he still has doubts, worries, and there are things he hasn't figured out how to do. Rhia is funny and mischievous (and so is the little creature in her pocket). Returning characters like Shim, Elen, Cairpre (who doesn't love Cairpre?) and others are almost as good. And while there is a bittersweetness to leaving the magical Fincayra (good and bad) and the story of Merlin, readers can content themselves with the knowledge that Barron is publishing a sequel trilogy with some returning characters. Brilliantly written, wonderfully thought out, and a fitting finale.
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Summary: An interesting book
Review: The ending is fairly easy to predict his choice if you have read "The Sword in the Stone". A great book however and plays on the other books in the series along with event in the story. Everything seems to all fit together and nothing seems out of place.The book shows his fears, how he faces some problems thrown at him and which ones he decides to deal with first and how. An interesting, i recommend it to Merlin fans.
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Summary: Wings on a Wizard!
Review: The Wings of Merlin is a fantastic fantasy book with amazing characters such as Merlin the wizard and Hallia of the deer people. We cannot forget the sister of Merlin, Rhia a girl destined to live among the trees. Merlin is the kind of guy that always saves the day, with a spot of clumsiness. He tries "hopelessly" with his magic so he can try to stop an evil army. Merlin and Rhia's parent were separated when Stang mar (Father) became an evil ruler and tried to kill him, his sister and mother (Elen). Thank God he has Dagda a spirit in the other world to forewarn him of the dangers ahead! But the real bad guy is Rita Gwar who wants to take over all of Finceria, and destroy that entire dimension! There are also some pretty crazy things in this story but some are pretty neat. Take Merlin's shadow for instance, it seems to me that he hates his owner and loves to dance in flames! Wouldn't it be awesome if trees grew as much good fruit as you needed? Well Merlin has a seed to such a tree and maybe he needs to plant it, the world may never know. Who could imagine a warrior with swards for arms? I probably couldn't! I suggest reading this fantastic fantasy I did and I enjoyed it!
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Summary: A Book for When " You is Feeling Full of Madness"
Review: The Wings of Merlin, the 5th and final installment in the Lost Years of Merlin Series, is fantastic. The imagery and emotion that the author is able to convey throughout this book, and all of the books for that matter, is simply amazing. In this book Merlin has to conquer his nemesis, Rhita Gawr, or suffer the destruction of his beloved homeland of Fincayra. But the only way to do this is to unite the people of his land who have been at each other for centuries. The mystery of the lost wings is revealed, and his destiny is chosen. T.A. Barron has done well with this last book. A great series for any fantasy lover.
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Summary: GRRREAT BOOK!
Review: This book really helped pass the time. I was originally skepical but as soon as I began reading, I was begging for more.
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Summary: A Magical Masterpiece
Review: Tom Barron has done it again with his captivating conclusion to the Merlin series. The final book is magical and enthralling as is the series as a whole. I loved the book and have shared it with several friends and family members, all of which enjoyed it as much as I. The incredible adventures of Merlin, coupled with the amazing character imagery portrayed in Barron's story leaves you yearning for the story to continue. Barron spins his tale with a new twist on the classic character of Merlin, showing the lost years of his youth throughout The Lost Years Of Merlin series, and this book, The Wings Of Merlin, finished the series with a tragic and beautiful story of love, hate, retribution, and forgiveness. This is a book that will be hard to put down, and with the conclusion and closing of the amazing series, Barron finds his place among the literary greats of both fantasy writing and literature as a whole. Two thumbs up
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