The Wings of Merlin (Barron, T. a. Lost Years of Merlin, Bk. 5.)

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Summary: and excellent ending to an excellent epic
Review: All the books of, "The Lost Years of Merlin," are truly wonderful! I can never stop reading them, although now I am forced to, since the series is ending. I do not want to give away the plot to the people who have not read this yet, but if you have enjoyed the other books in this series, you will like this one. This book also features the hardest decision that Merlin made in his life. This book is written in such a way that you feel what the character is, and feel the love for Merlin's love, the hate for Stangmar and the pain of how his race was. Do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this book!

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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.

Rating:
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: Wings of Merlin
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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Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: Would you ever be able to unite almost every creature in the world within two weeks, while trying to stop an insane man with swords as his arms from killing innocent children, in an effort to stop the evil dark spirit lord along with his spirit army, or would you just give up trying?

In T.A. Barron's fantasy novel, young Merlin must face unbeatable odds as he tries to unite all the creatures of Fincayra together. He faces many person versus self conflicts such as guilt, where he fails to do one of his duties. He experiences sorrow, when he must part with his true love. He must face the conflict of people versus people for the war to come. And he must face person versus nature when he must unite all of the independent creatures to fight a devastating war. And on top of all that he has to make the most powerful decision he will ever make.

To me this book was excellent, a real page turner. I really liked the way Barron used so much detail, it made it seem you right there with Merlin. You could listen to the birds or feel the misty air. I also liked the way he surprises you around the climax, when he brings someone back into the story. The only thing I really didn't like about the novel was how short the end was. I think it could use some more length. Overall I loved the book. Barron's work was brilliant. I encourage all others who like magic and adventure try the Lost Years of Merlin Series.