The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well (Joan of Arc Tapestries, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy at its Best
Review: It's not an easy feat to write a fantasy novel that will stand out from others, but that is exactly what Ann Chamberlain has done. She has adeptly managed to seamlessly blend truth, fiction and myth in a story that transports readers to another time and place. Although there are instances where the names and places were a bit confusing, it was easy to overlook that and focus on how skillfully the story was told. It read more like history than fantasy and at times I had to remind myself that the spells of magic in the book were fictional...or weren't they? That's what Ms.Chamberlain makes you think and feel. At some points in the book I felt the influence of pagan rites (for lack of a better term) and realized that she had successfully woven it into her story and managed to show it in a better light than others have previously done. In this story the heretical and heathenish behavior unfavored by the Catholic church was shown to the reader to have origins of good intentions--something that I'd never seen before in a book. Ms. Chamberlain's storytelling also was successful in creating characters that were extremely likeable and/or despicable. I pitied Jean Le Drapier and also liked and disliked Gilles, his milk-brother. I have yet to make a determination about his character until the next book, which unfortunately won't be out for several months. For me, this book is exceptionally good and I'll be sure to put it right next to my other favorite trilogy: The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific blend of history, fantasy, and action/adventure.
Review: Merlin of St. Gilles' Well blends Arthurian legend with the story of Joan of Arc's rise. History, fantasy and action blends in this opening book which represents the first of a focus on Joan of Arc. Here a boy's vision of a Maid and her powers slowly evolves to reality against a backdrop of change and discovery.

Rating:
Summary: skillful weaving
Review: Only a minority of modern Christians seem aware of the blending and synthesis of the newer religion with the "pagan", that took place historically, and continues to occur to the present day. In this first volume of her Merlin series, Ann Chamberlin makes this fact the "weft" into which she weaves the story of Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War. Yann le Drapier and Gilles de Rais, the two central characters, form opposite sides of the same coin. Their adventures, always challenging, dangerous and exciting, always have the good of France as their purpose. While working wholeheartedly toward the same goal, their paths diverge and the two young men develop in very different ways. This is a thoughtful retelling of an old story, an effective attempt at presenting familiar events from the perspective of the medieval mind. The legends surrounding Joan of Arc, who was not canonized until the 20th century, are full of misconceptions. The Merlin of St Gilles Well, although Joan is still a peripheral character at this stage, places her more firmly in her own time and place. For me, this makes her more human and more real. In a similar fashion, the legend of Bluebeard arose from the actions of Gilles de Rais, and it is also interesting to trace that legend from its source and discover how it was transformed over time. The Merlin of St. Gilles' Well can be read on several levels, all of them intriguing.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written and engrossing
Review: The author tells a fascinating story, blending the ordinary and everyday with the mythic in medieval France. The quality of the writing is very high; my favorite scene is when the little boys hunt the wren, a very old custom. They are ordinary little boys and one just senses he is part of something far bigger than himself, which he will be indeed.