Received as an ebook as part of the January 2012 batch of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. With the book originally published in 2000, I suspect that this edition was to mark the publication as an ebook. The epub edition I was given translated fine onto a Kobo (my ereader of choice).

This story is a take on the Arthurian legend, from the standpoint of Merlin's daughter Wren. Merlin is a Druid, who has brought up Arthur to be a warrior king and take his rightful place as High King when his father - Uther - dies.

Wren is a priestess of the old religion - the Christians beginning to make a mark on the country. It is her role to keep a balance in the world, between good and evil, the darkness and the light. She doesnt always do this well, and has to suffer the consequences.

This is not a book for the prudish - there's plenty of explicit sex, including those of an incestual nature, and not for those who dont like magic as the latter is one of the driving forces of the book.


Found it to be a fairly strong book (if a little long). It's the first of a series and whilst the majority of the major characters in this book were dead by the end (spoiler alert!) there's plenty of room for the sequels


( )

Once I'd realised this was solely an Arthurian fantasy, and wasn't going to jump into the future (descendants implies a longer timescale) I could enjoy it properly. It's a very well worked retelling of some of the myths. The choice of protagonist as an unknown childhood friend worked very well.

Wren is Merlin's secret daughter. The gods forgave his one night of passion on Beltane, and charged him to look after her in addition to his responsibilities to Britain. Wren has grown up knowing her father's love, and gained only some of his secrets, and a few of the Morrigan's and a few of her own. Fairies speak to her, when the conditions are right, and she remains steadfast in her obedience to the Old Gods despite the spread of christianity. As the years pass, Britain grows more troubled and the old king Uther finally dies. Her father reveals that Wren's old playmate is truly Arthur, but by this time Wren has been married off to a husband not of her choosing. The only was Merlin can assure her safety in these wild times. Wren's husband is more brute than any expected and has ties to the demon worshipping Naeme and Morgaine. He is often away, and Wren manages to carve an oasis of calm in the small caer she rules in his name.

It's complex. You do need some familiarity with the more common interpretations to get the best out of this I think. The story is always Wren's rather than Arthur's and better for it, but it does mean that some of the more famous events only get a passing mention. Wren endures a lot, but remains a wonderfully inspiring character, honest to herself and the world around her, and always mindful of the required balance between the elements and powers around her. there's very little magic as such, a little faerie that creeps in, and the demons. It's not fast, and covers an entire life, but the pacing is well done with enough action and time covered to always keep you interested. Some actions have long consequences as they should do.

I enjoyed this, I'm not sure there is sufficient for a series of 5 but I will certainly try the next. ( )

In all my readings of the Arthurian mythos, the sole representation of the women of that era has been "The Mists of Avalon." Now, there is this book, bringing a character into the warp and weft who is the sole daughter of Merlin. Unlike Bradley's Merlin, but more in the Mary Stewart aspect, Merlin here is allowed one night's liaison with Deirdre, the Lady of Avalon, as long as he swears to all the Dieties that he will raise her in the traditions of ancient Britain. He does, and when his daughter is born, Wren travels the length and breadth of this land, keeping an eye on Curyll and the other fosterlings of Ector while teaching his daughter the various magicks of his craft.

This book relies heavily on magick (with a k) and ritual and the change of seasons, as well as fairies and the religious change in the world. The overarching theme is balance: balance of the elements, the king balancing the land, humans balancing their needs with the good of their folk, and so forth. Interwoven into this re-telling are the characters of Nimue, Ygraine, and Morgaine (here not a sympathetic character). While Merlin's voice is one of several POV, his is the only male voice that tells a story; the others are given to the women of the time with the exception of Ygraine and Guinevere. Radford also choose to make Lancelot a contemporary since boyhood of Arthur's and yes, he does fall in love with Guinevere. But Wren and Arthur also share a profound love since childhood, and Radford is able to make that love part of the tragedy that befalls the Arthurian legend. ( )

I received this book for review from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I wasn't sure about it, didn't know if I would like it or not, since I kind of hate the cover. But it was an ebook, so I really didn't have to look at the cover too much. I started it on the way back from a business trip to St. Louis and soon found that I couldn't put it down.

The book covers the life of Arylwren, daughter of The Merlin. Yes, that Merlin, sorcerer and advisor to Arthur, he of the Round Table. The book is the first in a series called Merlin's Descendants. I have not yet read Marion Zimmer Bradley's iconic series, and what little I know of Arthur is from childhood stories and maybe a little from my humanities classes in college (although I don't think we covered much about King Arthur). Wren, as Merlin's daughter is known, grew up with Arthur, then known as Curyll, and not yet realized as the future king of Britain. She helps Curyll overcome his stuttering, preparing him for leading men in battle and guiding the whole country as king. She herself is a powerful sorceress, and she uses her magic to heal others, rather than to control. Wren battles against Morgaine, a dark sorceress in her own right, for control of the realm. Will she succeed, or will Morgaine and her minions take over Britain, wielding their power for evil?

To caution the squeamish: there are some triggers in this book - the females are VERY young when wed; there are a few characters who engage in incest, and it is NOT skimmed over; there are many references to dark magic and demonic entities; and Wren is the victim of domestic violence at least twice. If any of the above give you pause, this book is not for you.

I, however, do not squick easily. So I LOVED it. I really didn't anticipate how much I would enjoy it. And I was more than pleasantly surprised. Recommended for fans of medieval literature, of the King Arthur tales specifically, and anyone who likes books with a strong heroine. I was sad that Wren could never be with her true love, but I did enjoy her healing ability and the other ways in which her life was fulfilling. Five out of five Whatevers. ( )

I won this book through librarything. I don't usually like the Arthurian books because none of them can live up to the epic greatness of The Mists of Avalon. But I was happily surprised by this one. Being Wiccan myself I loved reading an account( though fictionalized of course) of the slow takeover of my faith by the Christians. I really fell in love with the characters in this book, and I was actually sad to see it end. I plan on reading the whole series. ( )