T.A. Barron has captured some of the old magic in Merlin: The Lost Years, the story of the young Merlin. The book is the first in the Merlin Saga by Barron running a total of twelve books! A film is currently in development at Disney with Michael Matthews, director of the sci fi teen film, Love and Monsters (2020). The attached writer is Philipa Boyens who wrote the story for the anime film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024). Merlin made an impact played by Nicol Williamson in the adult fantasy, Excalibur (1981). A lively adaptation was the animated Disney film, The Sword in Stone (1963), based on T.H. White’s brilliant 1938 novel. This had the older Merlin teaching the boy Wart to prepare for his destiny.
There was a BBC series, Merlin (2008-2012) that starred Colin Morgan as a teen Merlin, a fun adventure. The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) had a Merlin as an older teen played by Angus Imrie moving fingers in pantomime gestures to cast spells! There is a map, spoilers alert!, I wish it was instead in the back. T.A. Barron provides an author’s note telling about following the character of Merlin. He said he found “an unexplained gap in the lore”, Merlin as a boy. The best part of Barron’s style with the novel is that he has a sense of the ancient stories, but giving it a twist, and created a magical books, great for kids and all readers! It begins with a 13th century ballad, “Of Arthur and Merlin”, in Middle English which might be confusing for readers.
The prologue has an older Merlin looking back at his youth, looking at his time “long ago”, remembers the Galator, and also the baby Arthur. It starts in a third person look at the boy, seeing him from the outside. He is unconscious washed up on a beach. Barron is able to say it is Wales, called Gwynedd in those days, and the boy is seven years old. He wakens and finds that there is a pain in the back of his head. Also, that he has no memory of himself! The boy finds that he has pointed ears!, an unusual trait, that is not remarked on by other villagers. He hears a moaning and then notices a pain between his shoulder blades. The pain is a mystery that runs through most of the book.
The search for self identity is fantastic. It brings the readers in and takes the character on a journey of his discovery. He finds that it is woman with yellow hair and in a blue robe. The boy is suddenly in danger and pulls the woman to an old oak. I’m trying to stay away from spoilers, but I suspected that the threat is something out of Celtic myth. We see again in italics, the perspective of Merlin, I think in this case it is prophetic vision, called precognition now. The italicized point of view is a look at the past and then the future(?), interesting. Merlin wakes up five years later, he still feels his shoulder pain, he’s on a straw pallet. They are in the village of Caer Vedwyd. The city of Caer Myrddin is to the south. I also knew that Merlin was called Myrddin which is his name in Welsh.
He sees an ant struggle to carry a worm. I keep thinking that everything he notices is symbolic to his life. I wonder if the ant is a nod to T.H. White. In the Book of Merlyn, he is transformed into an ant and learns about society from a colony of ants. He is in a hut with Branwen, the woman whom he found on the beach, and is now sleeping. The boy doesn’t think Branwen is not his mother because she is so distant. She had also told him that his name is Emrys. This is the Welsh name for Merlin. He is known by this name through most of the book. She is a storyteller and likes to tell him about “giants and gods, the monsters and quests, in the Greek myths.” The hut is filled with the herbs and flowers that Branwen uses in her poultices. Emrys likes the smell of all of them except dill which makes him sneeze, nice detail.
He sees a pendant on her neck and then the word “Galator” comes to his mind. This is also a mystery for a good part of the novel. Emrys thinks back when Branwen healed a monk with a “Christian blessing” and a “Druid chant” which offends the monk. It is interesting that Branwen uses all traditions. When she wakes up, Emrys asks her about the Galator which shocks her. Branwen keep silent, so Emrys walks out of the hut, All of his years spent at the village, Emrys doesn’t think of it as home, the villagers basically shun them and think Branwen uses black magic. Emrys hears an inner voice tell him, “An owl is coming”, he turns as an owl passes! I also think this may be another nod to The Book of Merlyn with the owl named Archimedes. In The Sword in the Stone, Archimedes was memorably voiced by Junius Matthews.
Five+ Galators out of Five!
#MerlinTheLostYears, #TABarron, #Emrys, #Branwen
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