Rating: 
Summary: The Merlin Conspiracy....sounds like a cool book, right?
Review: To start out with, it's not nearly as good of a book as it sounds like. I got the book thinking that it would be awesome, but, once again, I was wrong. The book is very hard to follow, switching through two different, yet very much alike, stories with little explanation of why until very late in the book. The story starts out kind of boring, then builds up, and just when it seems like it's going to get really cool, it drops back to boring. To put it bluntly, this book is nothing great.
Rating:
Summary: The Merlin Conspiracy....sounds like a cool book, right?
Review: To start out with, it's not nearly as good of a book as it sounds like. I got the book thinking that it would be awesome, but, once again, I was wrong. The book is very hard to follow, switching through two different, yet very much alike, stories with little explanation of why until very late in the book. The story starts out kind of boring, then builds up, and just when it seems like it's going to get really cool, it drops back to boring. To put it bluntly, this book is nothing great.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books from Jones in a long time
Review: While not quite up to the level of her classic children's works - Archer's Goon or Witch Week - The Merlin Conspiracy is definitely one of the best, and most characteristic, books she's written in a long time. Plot Summary Roddy's world is in trouble; only she and her friend Grundo know there's a conspiracy to unseat her King, and no one will listen to them. Nick, meanwhile, is having his own problems. His attempts to learn magic aren't working, he misses the adventures he used to have, and apparently someone wants him dead. But when Roddy, Nick, and Grundo unite, they'll be able to solve the problems of several different worlds, and their own into the bargain. Commentary This is a children's novel, but it's sort of a sequel to Jones's adult novel Deep Secret. This causes a few complications. The adult main characters from Deep Secret (Maree and Rupert) don't appear in Merlin; Nick Mallory has a starring role without ever mentioning his cousin or friend. Also, there's some redundancy in explanations. But a fan of Deep Secret will still enjoy Merlin Conspiracy. And Merlin Conspiracy can stand alone, although readers of the first book will be far more familiar with the world and the concepts in it. This book resembles Deep Secret in narration. Varying narrators tell the story in first person, sometimes offering different viewpoints on the same events but sometimes relating entirely different plot threads. However, this isn't complicated enough to pose serious problems for any kid old enough to read the book in the first place. And this book is well worth reading. The plot is quite good, an unusually well-done mystery for children. The world is infinitely more appealing and realistic than, for example, the one from Dark Lord of Derkholm. And Jones does something she hasn't done in a kid's book since her heyday - she provides characters with real flaws as well as real strengths. The multiple-narrator technique works well here, giving the reader different takes on each main character. All in all, this is an excellent book for children or adults. Fans of Jones's previous work will almost certainly enjoy Merlin Conspiracy. It isn't as funny or as enchanting as her best books, but it is one that will definitely stand the test of time.
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