Merlin's Greatest Weakness Could Become His Greatest Strength. With the balance of power between the Druidow and King Uthur’s court in sway, can Merlin find it in himself to overcome his past or will he bring Britain to its knees?

When a meteorite crashes near a small village in fifth-century Britain, it brings with it a mysterious black stone that bewitches anyone who comes in contact with its glow---a power the druids hope to use to destroy King Uthur's kingdom. The only person who seems immune is a young, shy, half-blind swordsmith's son named Merlin.

As his family, village, and even the young Arthur, are placed in danger, Merlin must face his fears and his blindness to take hold of the role ordained for him by God. But when he is surrounded by adversaries, how will he save the girl he cherishes and rid Britain of this deadly evil ... without losing his life?

The Winner of the 2014 Silver Moonbeam Award for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, Merlin's Blade includes:

Christian, faith-based retelling of the Arthurian legend
location map and detailed character guide
rich historical details

Merlin’s Blade by Robert Treskillard, is historically rich and true to the Arthurian literary tradition. The story centers around young Merlin, son of the local blacksmith and blinded at an early age by a fierce wolf attack. His disability has not defeated him, however, and he turns out to be a worthy opponent to the druids who want to take over the town and return it to their pagan ways. There is humor, romance, heroism, and a touch of the poetic reminiscent of Tolkien. Once I finished reading the entire thing, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to readers who enjoy all of the above. I’m not going to lie, however. The book was a bit of a slow starter for me. I had to plug through, at times, finding the unfamiliar names confusing and the poetry tedious. That being said, I am not a fan of the poetry in Tolkien, either, so I guess that is more of a personal preference than a negative commentary on the author’s style and choices. About half way through, happily, I was totally engaged and was glad I had persevered. My final view is that this is a book worth reading – an exciting and worthy addition to other spin-offs of the legend of King Arthur and his knights. ( )

King Arthur. Sir Lancelot, Lady Guinevere.
But what came before them all?
Merlin.

It was with great anticipation I jumped into this book and I barely looked up until it was finished. This is a masterful, thrilling fantasy story that gives us a glimpse on how it all could have started.

During the infancy of Briton, unseen forces are set in battle array; fighting for religious dominance of that great country. Druids and monks, evil fighting against the good, the physically blinded against the spiritually blinded is the overall plot,

The story starts in the year 477 with the innocent Merlin and Garth - as things spiral out of control, the readers watch in horror as neighbors - once friends - become the deepest of enemies, all because of the mysterious Stone the Druids want the people to swear fealty to. How is it possible this stone wields such power over the people? Can anything break this power and take away the poison leaching into their hearts? When Merlin encounters the demonic stone, he knows right away it's not right. Trying his best to warn the people, he must learn that there is only One who can destroy the power of the stone and it's up to him to trust God's guiding hand and to obey.

As I am not the biggest fan nor the most learned of people in regards to Arthurian legend/folklore, I found the fascinating pronunciation guide and glossary the author included an indispensable resource I referred to on many occasions.

Mr. Treskillard writes an exciting beginning that will firmly hook his readers and urge them to read the next two books in the series. I liked The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I LOVED Merlin's Blade. ( )

I am a big fan of novels that use the Arthurian legends as their base. Before I read Merlin’s Blade, I would have said that Stephen Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle was my favorite. Now I can add Robert Treskillard’s first novel to the list — and can impatiently await the next book in the series due out in September. Merlin’s Blade, a YA fantasy, can be enjoyed by Middle Schoolers through adults. It is an epic story that has all of the Arthurian elements you expect, but with a fresh and sometimes unique spin that makes this a book that is definitely a keeper.

Merlin is a young man that has been scarred, physically and emotionally, by a wolf attack years before. The wounds have healed, but they have left him virtually blind and viewed by the people of his village as damaged, incompetent or worse, intellectually deficient. There are a few that can truly see his abilities and character — and some of those are his enemies. The novel starts slowly in its development of plot and characters. I enjoyed getting to know the many diverse personalities populating the book — Dybris, an intense monk, Natalenya, the daughter of the magister, Garth, an orphan ruled by his stomach, Owain, Merlin’s blacksmith father, and of course Uther, father of the legendary Arthur. Treskillard unites all of the characters through a mysterious stone the long hidden druids bring to the village. It has a variety of effects on these characters as well as the village as a whole. It seems to know a person’s weakness and woos him with promises and deceptions. The stone is a great device to depict the allure of sin and its hidden ugliness.

Merlin is of course the central character and is a type of Christ. I was often reminded of Isaiah 53 while reading Merlin’s Blade.

He sprouted up like a twig before God,
like a root out of parched soil;
he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention,
no special appearance that we should want to follow him.
He was despised and rejected by people,
one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;
people hid their faces from him;
he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. (Isaiah 53:2-3)

At one point in the novel he even takes the punishment for young Garth’s crime.

This is one reason that I think Merlin’s Blade would be an excellent book for a family to read together. There are also some very strong female characters that act within the boundaries set by 5th century customs and culture. And because the story does develop slowly, the discussion it prompts can be in-depth. But don’t think that there isn’t any action in this story. There is plenty, and when Uther comes on the scene it comes fast and furious. Merlin’s Blade is a beautifully written novel, and an excellent first effort for Treskillard.

So are you a fantasy fan, an Arthurian aficionado or do you just like to read a good tale? If so, pick up Robert Treskillard’s debut, Merlin’s Blade.

Highly Recommended.

(Thanks to the publisher for a copy of Merlin’s Blade for review. All opinions are mine alone.) ( )

Merlin has been living peacefully as the blind son of a village blacksmith when druids invade the area with an evil stone that usurps the minds of the villagers and turns them against God. Merlin is the only villager who is unaffected by the stone's powers. His problems become worse when the High King Uther and his infant son Arthur arrive in the village and are attacked by the druids. Merlin must save his village as well as the young prince. This was a fun retelling of the young Merlin's back-story. It's marketed as a Young Adult Christian Fiction, though I think it could be enjoyed by a wider audience. Merlin's Blade isn't "preachy," which is a complaint of many Christian Fiction books, though it does (understandably) perceive the worship of a stone to be an "evil" act. The druids are portrayed as mostly bad (or at least mislead) people, but I appreciated that some of the druids were actually rather likable. I'm a fan of Christian fiction writers who are able to see the humans behind the non-Christian characters. So, if you're a fan of retellings (especially YA retellings), I think this is a book you might enjoy. It took some interesting liberties with the story of Merlin and Arthur, but it was also rather fun to see how that sword got stuck in the stone to begin with. :)

I'll be waiting for the next book in the series! ( )