Passager (The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One)

Rating:
Summary: Short and sweet
Review: I do not know why this book was published as part of a trilogy, rather than the trilogy being one larger book. Nevertheless, it's a must-see for lovers of lyrical wording.

This book follows the early life of a young boy abandoned in the forest, who rapidly forgets who he is and where he has come from. He adjusts rapidly, though, living in the glory of nature, outside of contact with other humans. His one fear, however, is dogs.

He is found and adopted by a kind woodsman named Robin, the boy's fatherly reintroduction to the human race. The scenes in which Merlin encounters such "marvels" as glass are wonderfully done, as is the scene where he remembers his name. We are never told fully where he comes from -- there are only hints at beginning and end.

The writing style is lovely. Yolen is one of the few writers of our time who can captivate with almost no dialogue -- through a good portion of the book, people are not talking. Yet it never grows overdescriptive nor too stark. It's like a very long poem at times, with the descriptions of the forest where Merlin lives and of the things that he sees.

If you want to introduce your kids to Arthurian fiction, start with this. A wonderful book, a must-read! (On to the next two books)

Rating:
Summary: It's a chapter, not a book
Review: I love Jane Yolen's work; I've been reading her stories for decades, and I rarely find her depth, imagination, and power as a writer surpassed. I know her Merlin story is going to be wonderful too, but I'm disappointed in the marketing of this one. Passager is a chapter, not a part, of the story. I came away feeling overcharged for it, and I've decided to get the remaining volumes out of the library rather than buying them--even though I usually collect Yolen's works. What were they thinking?

Rating:
Summary: It's a chapter, not a book
Review: I love Jane Yolen's work; I've been reading her stories for decades, and I rarely find her depth, imagination, and power as a writer surpassed. I know her Merlin story is going to be wonderful too, but I'm disappointed in the marketing of this one. Passager is a chapter, not a part, of the story. I came away feeling overcharged for it, and I've decided to get the remaining volumes out of the library rather than buying them--even though I usually collect Yolen's works. What were they thinking?

Rating:
Summary: This was a hyped up book
Review: I thought this book was very bad. it was too short, and incredibly pointless. I heard it was good, but it is not, it is very bad.

Rating:
Summary: Passager:a great book
Review: The setting is midevil times in the woods. The story is about a boy who is dumpted in the woods by his mom and dad. So he lives in the Wilder- ness for one year. So one day he follows a falconeer home secretly. He then came very close to the home of the falconeer and the falconeer jumped out and captured him. The boy who had become very wild while living in the woods was tamed by the falconeer and given the a new name

Rating:
Summary: This was a short Book.
Review: This book would've been better off if they had combined the trilogy. After saying that, this book was a very good book for being short. If the author could've described everything a lot more. To me, this seemed like a long poem, in that it evoked emotion, and still gave the story.

Rating:
Summary: A smashing chronicle of Merlin's early childhood.
Review: This is the first of three outstanding books dealing with the childhood of the Arthurian Merlin, from the time he is nine onward. Passager is about a young boy living in the woods with no name, who cannot speak. He is found and given homage by a local hawker. Some contreversy starts to spark as the young boy begins to remember bits and pieces of his tortuous past.

Rating:
Summary: Passager
Review: This story is about an eight-year-old boy who is abandoned in the woods of medieval England. A year passes. A year of hunger, sleeping in trees, and outrunning packs of wild dogs. Until one day a man, who lives near by, captures him and takes the boy home with him. While the boy is living with the man, the man teaches the young boy to be mature. Then one day when the boy reveals something he never knew before.

My opinion is this book is boring because it does not tell you enough information. It is too short and if it had more details it might be okay. And it does not have enough stuff a good book should have.