false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171013330m/82192.jpg 82192 25 Initially published nearly thirty years ago, Mary Stewart's <I>The Crystal Cave</I> has been spellbinding readers and converting them into serious Arthurian buffs ever since. The first in a series of four books, this novel focuses on the early life of Merlin the magician, and the political developments of fifth-century Britain. Not for the fainthearted, this verbose text pays careful attention to historical details and methodical plot development.<p> Merlin's childhood is formed by the absence of his reticent, convent-bound mother and his unnamed and unknown father. As the bastard grandson of a local king, Merlin is the object of both envy and ridicule. His strange powers and predictions earn him greater status as a pariah, and he leaves home as a preadolescent. Returning years later as a young man--empowered by self-knowledge and magic--Merlin finds himself caught in the currents of the shifting kingdoms.<p> As an established classic in this genre, and the first in a popular series, <I>The Crystal Cave</I> introduces this familiar character with fresh sensitivity. While readers looking for the romance of <I>First Knight</I> will be disappointed, those happy with tight writing and a complex story line will be satisfied. <I>--Nancy R.E. O'Brien</I> 1864677 book 1970 The Crystal Cave (Merlin, #1) (Arthurian Saga, #1) total:3444|5:1221|4:1363|3:713|2:116|1:31| 3444 13959 4386 289 2 7 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 01 20:03:48 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 25 09:31:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1989 Mon Oct 27 10:49:51 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 13 07:06:14 -0800 2008 3 It felt as if I were there watching the events unfold before my eyes.
]]> 5 2 false false Wed Aug 15 17:24:36 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 16 15:15:12 -0700 2007 Mary Stewart's work. She always mixes the right amount of supernatural and realism, and here is no exception.

Throw out your previous ideas of Merlin, Arthur, and Magic. Here's something a little more Organic. In her Arthurian Saga, Stewart mixes historical figures with figures o...more...]]> 5 1 false true Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1979 Sat Apr 04 04:16:59 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 04:27:48 -0700 2009 6? more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Jan 11 12:39:59 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 12:41:52 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 11:44:47 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 06:31:30 -0700 2009 The Crystal Cave that Mary Stewart owes quite a bit to the genre of fantasy--and I mean this here in both senses. Not only is her primary source material Geoffery of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (and an excerpt, concerning the legend of Merlin, is included), but the lang...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Oct 08 15:56:53 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 23:55:40 -0700 2009 Before I read this book I decided that I wanted to begin reading a series that incorporated a hint of magic and fantasy in a historical context. After researching online many different options, I fell upon the Arthurian Saga by Mary Stewart and decided to try and find it in paperback at the l...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Dec 27 17:03:14 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 17:03:33 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 true false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 10:20:05 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 07:38:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jun 27 11:26:26 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 16 13:20:14 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 11:01:43 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 09:52:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 16 20:03:35 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 20:40:21 -0800 2009
I really loved the depth of the book and how it dug do...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 06:42:14 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 13:33:05 -0700 2009
This series tells the story of Merlin, the legendary magician who helped King Arthur bring a new age of unity and peace to a war-torn, (probably) Dark Age Britain. Beginning at the beginning, rea...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Apr 12 13:43:19 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 11:48:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Sep 09 12:03:08 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 12:15:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Sep 29 16:55:54 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 29 16:55:54 -0700 2008 at least 15 times 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 11:30:32 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 11:35:08 -0800 2009
I went to the library with a list of 5 books to read... all of which were checked out. So I grabbed this. Who doesn't love the whole King Arthur/Camelot thing... this was more of a historical take on it. I don't like this author's writing style, I found myself skipping over...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1985 Thu Aug 27 06:45:49 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 06:46:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Aug 26 20:01:40 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 20:13:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1985 Mon Jun 15 11:58:18 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 12:01:38 -0700 2009 ` more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=82192