The Merlin Effect

Rating:
Summary: The Merlin Effect Review
Review: Kate Gordon, a strong teenage girl, gets trapped in a whirlpool. She meets Geoffrey of Bardsey who is a monk that has been trapped in the whirlpool since the Middle Ages when the ship he was aboard sank. When an underwater volcano threatens to erupt, Kate and Geoffrey desperately search for a way out of the Remolino de la Muerte, The Whirlpool of Death. I really enjoyed this book because it was exciting and had interesting characters. The Merlin Effect is a very exciting book. Every minute the characters Kate and Geoffrey (along with many others)are faced with life and death situations. These situations also make the book unpredictable, which made it hard to put down. The characters are magical, unique, and strange. Nimue the evil sorceress is a cloud of smoke that has the ability to take the shape of anything. Geoffrey of Bardsey is an old monk who is always falling asleep, strongly believes in magic, and has a secret identity(you'll find it out when you read this book!). There is one negetive thing about this book; it is very short(only 256 pages long) and the story seems to fly by because of this. Overall, I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who likes books about magic and fantasy. Old and young will like The Merlin Effect by T.A. Barron.

Rating:
Summary: The Mystical World of Adventure
Review: Mr. Barron is my favorite author. The Ancient One was the first book, which I've read. The Ancient One was such and astounding book that it led me to read the trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading Kate Gorden's next adventurous journey. The Merlin Effect is a wonderful book about Kate's journey to save both her and her father's life. Each of Mr. Barron's books teaches a important moral lesson of human ethics, at the end of the book. The mistake I found is, the mythological King Arthur is believed to be the real life Charlemagn, who lived during the early Middle ages (1000AD) but not in the late Middle ages (1500sAD). The background picture of the cover on the book matches the 1500 gothic architect called the flying buttresses, but this feature did not exist in King Arthur's (Charlemgn) time. Other than those mistakes this book is very believable and sucks you into an magical world of an adventrous journey.

Rating:
Summary: Strong "Effect"
Review: T.A. Barron has said that writing this book spurred him to begin his epic "Lost Year of Merlin" saga. That said, "The Merlin Effect" is a book that is only similar to his high fantasy series because of... well, Merlin. The old wizard is only one source of magic and mystery in Barron's third entrancing novel.

Kate Gordon has been tooling around around near her dad's research vehicles in Baja, California. Her father, Jim, has come there determined to prove the validity of the ancient sunken ship, the Resurreccion, and the fabled horn of Merlin that it contains. The Horn of Merlin, the Serilliant, was once filled with a mer-king's gift: the gift of forever remaining young. And the "Ballad of the Resurreccion" mentions this horn.

Now Jim, Isabella and Terry, a marine biologist and an obnoxious sonar expert, are finding some very strange things in the vicinity of an enormous, never-ending whirlpool. When they set out to find out more about the whirlpool, Kate finds herself on the Resureccion -- with a strange old monk who has lived down there, kept alive by the presence of the horn. Now they must find the horn, and battle the evil enchantress Nimue, before a rupture in the ocean floor destroys all of them...

T.A. Barron has made a reputation for himself with his lush, imaginative fantasies laced with little bits of myth and legend. And "Merlin Effect" shows how he can take even seemingly silly ideas -- the horn of Merlin on an old Spanish ship? -- and make them plausible fantasy plots. He also gives a few new twists on Arthurian legend, bringing the character of Merlin forward in time without silly gimmicks.

Barron's writing is typically lush here, with ornate descriptions of the California shoreline and the strange, eerie interior of the shipwrecked Resureccion (an apt name for the ship, considering the horn's effect). He makes the story come alive with little details, sounds and smells and colors; the message of the book is in the true effect of the horn, which will come as something of a surprise. And little tidbits of real Celtic legend are woven in, such as the various treasures at the climax.

Thankfully, Barron doesn't "wise-up" Kate to the point that she seems unreal. Rather, she seems like a teenager who has seen and experienced too much to not be intrigued by the strange and surreal. Merlin himself is pretty easy to spot, but the way he fakes doddering eccentricity is amusing to read. Even the malicious Nimue is given a bit of extra dimension, when Merlin reveals that once she was good and selfless.

T.A. Barron's "Merlin Effect" is a worthy predecessor to the "Lost Years of Merlin" and "Great Tree of Avalon" series, a solid fantasy-adventure full of beauty, magic and color.

Rating:
Summary: Stellar fantasy
Review: TA Barron has told us that writing this book spurred him to begin his epic "Lost Year of Merlin" saga. But even if you don't like "present-day" fantasy, this one is engulfed in enough ancient mystery and magic to satisfy anyone.

The novel starts with Kate Gordon, heroine of "Heartlight" and "Ancient One" paddling around near her dad's research vehicles in Baja, California. Her father, Jim, has come there determined to prove the validity of the ancient sunken ship, the Resurreccion, and the fabled horn of Merlin that it contains. The Horn of Merlin, the Serilliant, was once filled with a mer-king's gift: the gift of forever remaining young, in a certain way. Later the horn came into Merlin's hands, and from his arrogance, he ended up killed or missing or whatever, and the Horn missing for centuries. But the "Ballad of the Resurreccion" mentions this horn...

Now Jim and Isabella and Terry, a nice marine biologist and an obnoxious sonar expert, are finding some very strange things in the vicinity of an enormous, never-ending whirlpool. A fish is found with perpetually regenerating cells. A sonar image of a ship is found, only to be mysteriously obliterated.

They set out on a submersible and ship, but Kate is swept overboard in a storm, and awakens down deep in front of the Resurreccion. There she encounters a slightly doddering old monk, Geoffrey, who has lived down in the middle of the whirlpool for hundreds of years, somehow kept alive by the presence of the Horn. Geoffrey is able to fill her in more detail about the Horn, Merlin, and the evil sorceress Nimue who has been trying to get the Horn for many, many centuries. (Oh, and Terry also gets swept into the whirlpool. He finally has to admit that the legends are true)

When Terry reveals that a fissure in the ocean floor will soon obliterate the Resurreccion and everything else on that part of the ocean floor, Geoffrey leads them out of the whirlpool via magic. What ensues is a tense, magical battle with immortal sea captains, evil enchantresses, sea demons, and the sad-singing whales of the West Coast - all for the mysterious immortality of Merlin's horn.

TA Barron has yet to write a bad book (I just read his latest, "Tree Girl") and in no way does "Merlin Effect" disappoint. Additionally, his books always have a fine-grained moral lesson that doesn't preach or bang you over the head with The Message -- perhaps it's because these messages are in tune with what the heroes do, and in tune with the better parts of human nature. In addition, as always this book is beautifully written and interwoven with scenes and descriptions that show his talent for nature descriptions.

Kate is, as she was in the prior books, an intelligent and sympathetic heroine, who has ability, humor, brains, strength, and compassion. (She thankfully can't be described by the worst of heroine descriptives: "spunky") She's young enough for the readers to identify with her as a peer, but due to her surroundings and past experiences, she is never juvenile. In addition, unlike many lead characters she is not an anti-hero, and doesn't turn on her principles. An excellent lead--I wonder if Mr. Barron will write more for her in future?

The supporting characters are well drawn as well. Though I wish we could have seen a little more of Jim and Isabella (who remain offstage for most of the book), we find two intriguing characters in Geoffrey and Terry.

Terry is the ultimate Scully-type, a super-skeptic: He refuses to believe that myths and legends are often partially rooted in fact, and prefers hard scientific data and specialized equipment. When he sees an occurrance he can't explain, he completely disregards the possibility of a supernatural or even a new scientific phenomenon. Only when he's sucked into the whirlpool and sees the Resurreccion does he begin to soften this skepticism, and he becomes progressively more sympathetic as he ventures deeper and deeper into danger with Kate.

Geoffrey is perfectly drawn. When Kate first meets him, he's an unkept, slightly erratic old monk who has spent centuries counting pretty combs and eating dates. But when a real crisis arises, "Geoffrey" starts to show his real personality, which is intelligent, magical, knowledgeable and extremely focused. He also has a secret side that nobody suspects. Nimue is pure evil (and that's the way we like her) but a few lines of Merlin's hint that she was once a far better person, before she became obsessed with the Horn. Accompanying her is a sea caption who is enchanted to not age, and to have to remain below the sea until he drinks from the Horn.

The magic of the Horn itself is an excellent one, with a great message and which honestly came as a total surprise to me. There is a lack of gimmicks in this book, as it melds different areas that fascinate people (Arthurian legend, marine biology and sunken Spanish ships). And the descriptions of the rising of the Resurreccion, the Glass House, the whale's rescue, and the transformation into sea creatures are breathtaking.

Overall, this is an amazing fantasy. A must-read, for anyone who appreciates an excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Stellar fantasy
Review: TA Barron has told us that writing this book spurred him to begin his epic "Lost Year of Merlin" saga. But even if you don't like "present-day" fantasy, this one is engulfed in enough ancient mystery and magic to satisfy anyone.

The novel starts with Kate Gordon, heroine of "Heartlight" and "Ancient One" paddling around near her dad's research vehicles in Baja, California. Her father, Jim, has come there determined to prove the validity of the ancient sunken ship, the Resurreccion, and the fabled horn of Merlin that it contains. The Horn of Merlin, the Serilliant, was once filled with a mer-king's gift: the gift of forever remaining young, in a certain way. Later the horn came into Merlin's hands, and from his arrogance, he ended up killed or missing or whatever, and the Horn missing for centuries. But the "Ballad of the Resurreccion" mentions this horn...

Now Jim and Isabella and Terry, a nice marine biologist and an obnoxious sonar expert, are finding some very strange things in the vicinity of an enormous, never-ending whirlpool. A fish is found with perpetually regenerating cells. A sonar image of a ship is found, only to be mysteriously obliterated.

They set out on a submersible and ship, but Kate is swept overboard in a storm, and awakens down deep in front of the Resurreccion. There she encounters a slightly doddering old monk, Geoffrey, who has lived down in the middle of the whirlpool for hundreds of years, somehow kept alive by the presence of the Horn. Geoffrey is able to fill her in more detail about the Horn, Merlin, and the evil sorceress Nimue who has been trying to get the Horn for many, many centuries. (Oh, and Terry also gets swept into the whirlpool. He finally has to admit that the legends are true)

When Terry reveals that a fissure in the ocean floor will soon obliterate the Resurreccion and everything else on that part of the ocean floor, Geoffrey leads them out of the whirlpool via magic. What ensues is a tense, magical battle with immortal sea captains, evil enchantresses, sea demons, and the sad-singing whales of the West Coast - all for the mysterious immortality of Merlin's horn.

TA Barron has yet to write a bad book (I just read his latest, "Tree Girl") and in no way does "Merlin Effect" disappoint. Additionally, his books always have a fine-grained moral lesson that doesn't preach or bang you over the head with The Message -- perhaps it's because these messages are in tune with what the heroes do, and in tune with the better parts of human nature. In addition, as always this book is beautifully written and interwoven with scenes and descriptions that show his talent for nature descriptions.

Kate is, as she was in the prior books, an intelligent and sympathetic heroine, who has ability, humor, brains, strength, and compassion. (She thankfully can't be described by the worst of heroine descriptives: "spunky") She's young enough for the readers to identify with her as a peer, but due to her surroundings and past experiences, she is never juvenile. In addition, unlike many lead characters she is not an anti-hero, and doesn't turn on her principles. An excellent lead--I wonder if Mr. Barron will write more for her in future?

The supporting characters are well drawn as well. Though I wish we could have seen a little more of Jim and Isabella (who remain offstage for most of the book), we find two intriguing characters in Geoffrey and Terry.

Terry is the ultimate Scully-type, a super-skeptic: He refuses to believe that myths and legends are often partially rooted in fact, and prefers hard scientific data and specialized equipment. When he sees an occurrance he can't explain, he completely disregards the possibility of a supernatural or even a new scientific phenomenon. Only when he's sucked into the whirlpool and sees the Resurreccion does he begin to soften this skepticism, and he becomes progressively more sympathetic as he ventures deeper and deeper into danger with Kate.

Geoffrey is perfectly drawn. When Kate first meets him, he's an unkept, slightly erratic old monk who has spent centuries counting pretty combs and eating dates. But when a real crisis arises, "Geoffrey" starts to show his real personality, which is intelligent, magical, knowledgeable and extremely focused. He also has a secret side that nobody suspects. Nimue is pure evil (and that's the way we like her) but a few lines of Merlin's hint that she was once a far better person, before she became obsessed with the Horn. Accompanying her is a sea caption who is enchanted to not age, and to have to remain below the sea until he drinks from the Horn.

The magic of the Horn itself is an excellent one, with a great message and which honestly came as a total surprise to me. There is a lack of gimmicks in this book, as it melds different areas that fascinate people (Arthurian legend, marine biology and sunken Spanish ships). And the descriptions of the rising of the Resurreccion, the Glass House, the whale's rescue, and the transformation into sea creatures are breathtaking.

Overall, this is an amazing fantasy. A must-read, for anyone who appreciates an excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Quevondo ...
Review: The main chracters of the book are Kate Gordon her father Jim ,Treey Nimeu,and Merlin. The stroy is mainly about kate,merlin.and
Teery,as they try to stop Nimu from getting the Horn Of Merlin and from controlling the

Rating:
Summary: Exciting & "Spell-Binding"
Review: The Merlin Effect by T.A Barron is an adventurous novel. It is about a young girl, Kate, and her father, Jim. Jim is a historian who is trying to prove that the legends of Merlin are real. Along the way he meets many "mythical" people. He, Kate, and a few others must battle the evil sorceress Nimue, to save themselves and the cause of Merlin. Nimue and Merlin each know the existenece of a great power; the power of eternal life. This power is contained in a shell called the Horn of Merlin. This exciting, spell-binding book captured the essence of humanity. It tells of wisdom, life, love, and compassion, the elements that make mankind. Also, around every corner is a new surprise. At one moment Kate is hanging on to a boat for dear life in the middle of a storm, and the next minute she is talking to a 500 year old man. You never know where this book will take you. It takes you from the highest mountains, to the ocean floor. You will meet sea monsters, an evil sorceress, sea demons, singing whales, mer-people, extinct fish, and many more. If you are at all interested in Merlin or Magic, or even just a good book, then you will most certainly enjoy The Merlin Effect.

Rating:
Summary: Merlin Effect
Review: The Merlin Effect is a great book that includes a fantasy, mystery, and a adventure all in one! Kate and her father travel to Baja California where they are trapped in a mystery about Merlin. When Kate and her family are swallowed by a whirlpool wierd events start to happen including Kate's dad and Isabella, a marine biologist who came along on the trip, are captured by a sea witch. The story has an exciting ending with a surprizing twist.

Rating:
Summary: This book is very action packed and keeps you reading.
Review: The Merlin Effect was very wonderful. It was about a young girl that ventures into a dream world questioning the difference between fact and fiction. She finds herself trapped at the bottom of the ocean in the center of a massive whorlpool. The beginning setting alone shows that the creativity that went into writing this novel is extraordinary. She comes across an old man with whom she passes through the wall of the whorlpool and becomes a fish. The magic is incorperated to add a sense of fantasy. The author of this book is a true genius.

Rating:
Summary: The Merlin Effect Review
Review: The Merlin Effect, by T.A. Barron, was well- written because it had a good plot and gave many details on the characters. I personally felt that this book is a great choice for readers, and I liked it. The story is based on the main character, Kate Gordon, and her lengthy expedition to find her father along with some remains of a sunken ship. The crewmates on her ship though don't play a big role in Kate's adventure because she meets up with some other characters, and they generally go off on their own. Some of the characters include Geoffrey, who helps Kate throughout her many hardships, an evil enchantress, Nimue, and of course, Merlin. She will encounter many obstacles and challenges in her journey (which I shall not give away), as the interim of either her success or failure of her goal. This book had a lot of action, excitement, and suspenseful events as a result of the new people and creatures Kate meets and the problems she encounters; although it sometimes went on and on about the same topic or sequence of events. Almost every time you'd turn the page, something important would happen and at times it seemed hard to keep up with. Despite those things, the book would always keep you wondering and waiting to find out what would happen next because of its constant action and dialogue, which really livened up the book. To conclude this review, Barron did a terrific job in writing The Merlin Effect and i recommend it to everyone.