Rating: 
Summary: not for true Arthurian legend lovers
Review: I read the first 100 pages of this book - and closed it for good. I wish I had read the available reviews a little closer - mostly to learn that this book is NOT for traditional Arthurian legend lovers. It truly is not. I have read many many very good versions of the Arthurian legend - they are a literary passion of mine. I love how the character's roles can be developed differently in each telling - sometimes only slightly but the different twists are always enjoyable. Merlin has always been dear to my heart...his love for Arthur, his power and magic, his sentiments toward the "old ways", his imposing image. This book portrayed Merlin as a laughable disgusting buffoon - I couldn't even use my well-developed power of imagination to begin to like him. He was gross...eating most of the time but getting most of the food in his beard and on his clothes instead of in his mouth. His magic was a bit much. I much prefer a subtle magic, which stretches the imagination to almost believe it...but not quite. Clouds that form faces and talk...pickles that turn into iron and fly around in mid-air sword-fighting...come on!!! Perhaps I should have given this book more of a chance but it was torture to keep trying.
Rating:
Summary: not for true Arthurian legend lovers
Review: I read the first 100 pages of this book - and closed it for good. I wish I had read the available reviews a little closer - mostly to learn that this book is NOT for traditional Arthurian legend lovers. It truly is not. I have read many many very good versions of the Arthurian legend - they are a literary passion of mine. I love how the character's roles can be developed differently in each telling - sometimes only slightly but the different twists are always enjoyable. Merlin has always been dear to my heart...his love for Arthur, his power and magic, his sentiments toward the "old ways", his imposing image. This book portrayed Merlin as a laughable disgusting buffoon - I couldn't even use my well-developed power of imagination to begin to like him. He was gross...eating most of the time but getting most of the food in his beard and on his clothes instead of in his mouth. His magic was a bit much. I much prefer a subtle magic, which stretches the imagination to almost believe it...but not quite. Clouds that form faces and talk...pickles that turn into iron and fly around in mid-air sword-fighting...come on!!! Perhaps I should have given this book more of a chance but it was torture to keep trying.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: J Robert King brilliently takes the story of Merlin, King Arther and Camelot and encapsulates it in a magical fantasy story. I could not put this book down. King's words to describe the actions taking place are of none other I have ever read before. Emotions poored out of me: excitement, sorrow, happines, anger, and even teary eyed . King puts you right there in the story with Merlin and Arthur with great detail of each event happening. No doubt a 5 star, must read, fantasy novel.....
Rating:
Summary: A Vibrant and Imaginative take on the Arthurian Legend
Review: J. Robert King has taken a familiar story and given it a new point of view and a very fresh interpretation. Where Merlin is so often portrayed as the shadowy figure lurking around the edges of the tale, King dives right into the old wizard's tangled psyche. The writing is lively and vibrant, the language inspiring.Unique plot twists include explanations for the origins of Merlin and Excalibur--each a stunning and poignant surprise--and the use of a host of gods, faeries, and other enchanted beings struggling for survival in the dawn of the Christian era. The book opens with Merlin wallowing in the depths of complete insanity, unaware of his own origins. The quest for that identity provides an excellent element of mystery, with an utterly satisfying resolution. The magic in this tale is powerful and dramatic. King makes no attempt to explain his wizard as some kind of master of alchemy and sleight-of-hand--this is a mage in the classic Gandalf archetype (though, I suppose, it was originally Merlin who was the archetype for Gandalf!). In any event, he can fly, hurl fireballs, change his shape, and carry whole armies on swift, magical marches. This book will have strong appeal to all lovers of the Arthurian legends, and also stands alone as an epic of high fantasy. One caveat: King does not recount all the elements of the classic King Arthur story...I have a feeling that readers might be waiting (rather impatiently) for a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Wherefore art thou Merlin...
Review: King does seem to have made a genuine effort in his first original novel (he's written novelizations, but not original stuff) but unfortunately the result is decidedly unpalatable. This is a very skewed version of Arthurian legend, shot through with dubious mytho-theology and a weird undercurrent spawned by Merlin. Uther Pendragon orders a soldier named Ulfius to bring in the legendary mad wizard Merlin, who lives off in the woods by himself, and can't tell his dreams from reality. Ulfius encounters a horde of beggars claiming to be Merlin - and all exhibit magical powers. He finally finds the real Merlin (who has been watching it all from a hill and talking to the god Loki in the form of a stump) and brings him to Uther. Unfortunately, Uther soon becomes infatuated with Ygraine, the wife of a small lord. In exchange for Merlin's help, Uther promises that any child resulting from his night with Igraine will be given to Merlin, as Merlin foresees that the baby will help him discover who he is. He and baby Arthur end up in the castle of Sir Ector and his imaginative young son Kay. Except for the "true" stories of events centuries before, "Grandfather" and Arthur live peacefully. Then Ulfius reappears ' Uther is dying, and Arthur must be taught to be king. From there it launches into the familiar legend -- from Mad Merlin's perspective, one that spans many lands and many gods. Let me start by saying that I love Merlin -- his independence, intelligence, subtlety and the fact that he is a force unto himself. Many authors have treated him terribly over the years ("Mists of Avalon's" cowed, weak Druid; Rosalind Miles's raving, power-hungry loony) or is beautifully portrayed (Stewart's intelligent, strong Merlin; Jane Yolen's poetic young dreamer; TA Barron's hero of legend). But I have rarely seen a loss of dignity in a character like this. Merlin is often a sympathetic character, especially when he meekly admits that he doesn't know what is real. On the other hand, he also is kind of disgusting, eating all food in sight and getting it on himself. His magic is flashy, without the subtlety we've come to associate with Merlin -- I almost winced when he caused those barrels to explode and dance around the place, while he calmly goes off and eats. And he seems to get kind of nasty when dealing with priests. I commend King for courage in trying to combine different mythos such as Norse, Greek, Roman and so on into one big pantheon. It takes a lot of guts to go into such an attempt; and, admittedly, it was intriguing to read about his theories on the origins of Excalibur. That was original and intriguing. Unfortunately he includes Christianity in the mix, and can't seem to make up his mind whether he's for or against the Christian God (who, for some reason, is called Tetragrammaton. Don't ask why, I'm not sure myself). God is more powerful than the pagan deities and is slowly pushing them into extinction, yet there is none of the exploration into Christianity as there is into the other faiths (and Christianity teaches that there is only ONE God, not Big God over Little Gods, as it is implied here) Arthur, Ector, Uther, and most of the characters are pretty much ordinary. Kay is intriguing because of his obsessive love of fantasy; Igraine is given a spine and a brain, she's not just a passive pawn who gets pregnant by Uther, but a strong woman dragged into a very difficult situation; Ulfius is one of the best, an intelligent and courageous man who has to deal with a seeming lunatic and events far out of his control. He's by far the most human character of all. King's writing is excellent, managing to draw mental images into the mind, such as the mob of loonies and beggers who are suddenly endowed with magical powers. Sadly the storyline does not match the excellent writing. I see that he's putting out "Lancelot du Lethe." Given the dissimilarity of the two characters, I sincerely hope that his second effort is superior, and will read it optimistically when it comes out. But if you want Merlin, read Mary Stewart, TA Barron, or Jane Yolen. You won't find him here.
Rating: 
Summary: Get that wizard some prozac
Review: Mad Merlin is yet another take on the King Arthur legends of early Britain. Sometimes, it seems like Arthurian pastiches are a dime a dozen. But King does a wonderful job of mixing the legends with other mythologies, creating a taut tale of magic, intrigue, violence and royalty that will take your breath away. Books based on the Arthur legends can be predictable, and in a sense this isn't any different. However, King throws so many interesting side elements into the mix that the reader is constantly wondering what's going to come next. He has created, in Mad Merlin, a very interesting character that you want to read about. Not only is he destined to aid Arthur in his quest, but through Arthur he will come to know his own mind. He is truly mad at the beginning of the book, and it is only through his actions and his time with Arthur that he slowly becomes aware of who and what he is. What is his relation to Excalibur? What is the source of his power? As the book goes on, you find out more and more and the story never lets you go. I'm not going to reveal Merlin's secret, but it just adds another intriguing layer to an already interesting character. The side elements are the flavoring for the Arthurian myths, and they make the book a great read. King throws in the Roman pantheon of gods, the Norse gods, the land of the fey (fairies, pixies, nayads, and many other mystical creatures) and tells a tale not just of personal destiny (in the case of King Arthur) but also of religious destiny. The war is not just between men, but between gods. There are a lot of Christian images that will infringe on the other pantheons if they don't fight back. Christ himself is not portrayed in any way, but the Christian mythos is portrayed as an overwhelming force that will wipe out anything that stands in its path. I liked how this book moved beyond the typical Arthurian legends, even as it rewrote them. All of the main elements are there: Merlin, Guinevere, Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake (though she's called something different in this one), Camelot, and the Round Table. Lancelot doesn't show up until the next book, though (one which I will also review shortly). Even the origins of Morgan Le Fay and Arthur's son Mordred are detailed, probably in much the same way as the legends go, though the details surrounding these events are different. There's even the act of Arthur removing the sword from the stone, though the circumstances are very different, and it even becomes a bad thing that he does it when he does. This impulsive mistake drives the action for the rest of the book, and adds an interesting element to the mix. The language and the prose King uses are magnificent. It took me forever to read this book (and the next one), and I thought it was because of the mood I was in. But I'm reading another, lighter book now, and I'm breezing through it. Looking back on this book, I realize that it's the beauty of the imagery and description that kept me going so slowly. King really knows how to tell a story. When the battles rage, you're right there with blood flowing, heads being caved in and swords finding their way into the seams of plate mail armour. The good times, the festive and romantic times are also well told. At times King gets a bit excessive with the description, but it's so beautiful (or chilling, depending on what is happening), that you normally don't notice. You just notice that you haven't moved very far into the book. There is one strange thing about this book, however. It feels like it's two separate books combined into one. There's no hint that this is true, and books are divided into "Books 1 and 2" quite often. However, the second book begins with a bunch of description of the previous events, a recap of sorts, that isn't really needed considering the events in question happened just a few pages ago. It's almost like the second book was supposed to be published separately (or it was published without any indication in this book of this fact). I found it quite distracting, but thankfully that only lasted until I got into the second book. It was quickly gone again. A couple of other minor problems mar what would otherwise be a marvelous book, both having to do with the ending. The final battle just drags on a little too long, and then the sequence with Loki in the land of the Saxon gods, while entertaining at times, seems a bit useless. I realize that Loki's exploits have a lot to do with Excalibur so they are important to the story, but the writing of these events just makes them feel extraneous. It's the only place where the writing fails a little, and it makes the final sequence more of a chore to get through than it should be. This combined with the seemingly never-ending final battle makes for a dull thud of an ending. All in all, though, this is a great King Arthur book. I picked it up on a whim, and I'm glad I did. What a marvelous mixture of everything. You think you know King Arthur? Think again. Then read this book, and its sequel. You'll be glad you did. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Get that wizard some prozac
Review: Mad Merlin is yet another take on the King Arthur legends of early Britain. Sometimes, it seems like Arthurian pastiches are a dime a dozen. But King does a wonderful job of mixing the legends with other mythologies, creating a taut tale of magic, intrigue, violence and royalty that will take your breath away. Books based on the Arthur legends can be predictable, and in a sense this isn't any different. However, King throws so many interesting side elements into the mix that the reader is constantly wondering what's going to come next. He has created, in Mad Merlin, a very interesting character that you want to read about. Not only is he destined to aid Arthur in his quest, but through Arthur he will come to know his own mind. He is truly mad at the beginning of the book, and it is only through his actions and his time with Arthur that he slowly becomes aware of who and what he is. What is his relation to Excalibur? What is the source of his power? As the book goes on, you find out more and more and the story never lets you go. I'm not going to reveal Merlin's secret, but it just adds another intriguing layer to an already interesting character. The side elements are the flavoring for the Arthurian myths, and they make the book a great read. King throws in the Roman pantheon of gods, the Norse gods, the land of the fey (fairies, pixies, nayads, and many other mystical creatures) and tells a tale not just of personal destiny (in the case of King Arthur) but also of religious destiny. The war is not just between men, but between gods. There are a lot of Christian images that will infringe on the other pantheons if they don't fight back. Christ himself is not portrayed in any way, but the Christian mythos is portrayed as an overwhelming force that will wipe out anything that stands in its path. I liked how this book moved beyond the typical Arthurian legends, even as it rewrote them. All of the main elements are there: Merlin, Guinevere, Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake (though she's called something different in this one), Camelot, and the Round Table. Lancelot doesn't show up until the next book, though (one which I will also review shortly). Even the origins of Morgan Le Fay and Arthur's son Mordred are detailed, probably in much the same way as the legends go, though the details surrounding these events are different. There's even the act of Arthur removing the sword from the stone, though the circumstances are very different, and it even becomes a bad thing that he does it when he does. This impulsive mistake drives the action for the rest of the book, and adds an interesting element to the mix. The language and the prose King uses are magnificent. It took me forever to read this book (and the next one), and I thought it was because of the mood I was in. But I'm reading another, lighter book now, and I'm breezing through it. Looking back on this book, I realize that it's the beauty of the imagery and description that kept me going so slowly. King really knows how to tell a story. When the battles rage, you're right there with blood flowing, heads being caved in and swords finding their way into the seams of plate mail armour. The good times, the festive and romantic times are also well told. At times King gets a bit excessive with the description, but it's so beautiful (or chilling, depending on what is happening), that you normally don't notice. You just notice that you haven't moved very far into the book. There is one strange thing about this book, however. It feels like it's two separate books combined into one. There's no hint that this is true, and books are divided into "Books 1 and 2" quite often. However, the second book begins with a bunch of description of the previous events, a recap of sorts, that isn't really needed considering the events in question happened just a few pages ago. It's almost like the second book was supposed to be published separately (or it was published without any indication in this book of this fact). I found it quite distracting, but thankfully that only lasted until I got into the second book. It was quickly gone again. A couple of other minor problems mar what would otherwise be a marvelous book, both having to do with the ending. The final battle just drags on a little too long, and then the sequence with Loki in the land of the Saxon gods, while entertaining at times, seems a bit useless. I realize that Loki's exploits have a lot to do with Excalibur so they are important to the story, but the writing of these events just makes them feel extraneous. It's the only place where the writing fails a little, and it makes the final sequence more of a chore to get through than it should be. This combined with the seemingly never-ending final battle makes for a dull thud of an ending. All in all, though, this is a great King Arthur book. I picked it up on a whim, and I'm glad I did. What a marvelous mixture of everything. You think you know King Arthur? Think again. Then read this book, and its sequel. You'll be glad you did. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: An interesting take on the story of Arthur
Review: Stories about King Arthur and the other people of the legend can be looked at as being similar to the same situation that is being addressed in the excellent TV show "Smallville". We Know that Clark is fated to become Superman. We Know that he and Luthor will become enemies. We Know that Kryptonite will kill him, he'll have certain powers as an adult and that he will move to Metropolis and... Yet the delight in this show is its take on how Clark gets there. The stories the show tells are good on their own, but they hang together because of what We know will be. In other words, we don't really worry aobut why or how Clark is getting these powers because we Know that he is supposed to. The references placed in the show to "their" future are an extra treat. We accept this interpretation of that future will come to be because we already know what that future is and the adventure is filling in the details and seeing how it all fits into what one day will "be". This story has to be looked at in the same vein. There are a lot of gods, godesses, Celtic and Norse mythology and even some T. H. White thrown into this mix, all hung on the framework of what we "know" of Arthur. We Know there's going to be a Modred and that Morgan will bring him into being from her hate for Arthur becuase of what Uther and Merlin did. The story doesn't have to explain her motivation for that hate more than that because we Know that hate exists. It is not a "classic" Arthur, but it fits within the frameowrk. Jack Whytes wonderful "Eagles Brood" series or Godwin's superb "Firelord" aren't "classic" either, but tehy do fit within teh History and events of Arthur as we Know them. Does the retelling under inspection remain true to the legend even if the details vary? As long as a story does this, it is OK to look at the legend though a differnt lens. This King does, and his take is marvelous. The other reviews talk a bit how he does this, but I will just recommend this book without reservation.
Rating:
Summary: Took awhile but finally got there...and I enjoyed it.
Review: This book took awhile to get past the normal arthur legend and moved on finally to an interesting twist. I will say I did enjoy the tale in full...but you must read the entire book to realize the writers plan for the story. I would recommend this for a nice change.
Rating:
Summary: Took awhile but finally got there...and I enjoyed it.
Review: This book took awhile to get past the normal arthur legend and moved on finally to an interesting twist. I will say I did enjoy the tale in full...but you must read the entire book to realize the writers plan for the story. I would recommend this for a nice change.
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