Tabea

Cozy background story for the sidekick of one of the most famous European legends

The BBC's series Merlin is one of my all time favourite cozy TV show. And this book had the same vibe, I was constantly reminded of it and in a good way, not copycat like. Admittedly, it must have been the other way round, given the dates of publication.
We learn about Merlin's life, starting in childhood all the way to him becoming a young man and understanding his given powers. At times, Merlin feels a little too self righteous and overly confident, but then again what teen doesn't?
My biggest issue is with the lack of female characters and the portrayal of women; what a surprise for a book that was first published in 1970 and takes place in the European Middle Ages. Im looking forward to more female characters in the next few books!


Mild spoiler for those who have never heard of the Arthurian legend.
* I personally preferred this way of Arthur's conception but knowing what I know of history... the other version is more likely *

Re-read (or first time listening)
Tolkien started my love for fantasy but ever since the first time reading it when I was a teen, I have only watched the movies which are my favourites of all time.
I had only read it in the established translation to German but knowing the genius of Tolkien, I have long wanted to read it in its original English version. Now for reading I didn't have the time but I listened to the audiobook read by Andy Serkins. He is an amazing voice actor and this added yet another beautiful layer (although heavily influenced by the movie version and his co-actors)
I forgot plenty of minor details from the first read (because impatient and action-loving teen me wanted the plot not the blablabla surrounding it).

First, LotR is a musical, and I'll die on that hill. What the hell?

Worthy ending of a great series

I kept putting off finishing this series, partially because I read a spoiler in the Crows duology (or so I thought) and partially because I didn't want it to end.
There is again set backs, fights, and fear. But most importantly the story emphasises friendship and what even a ragtag team can accomplish if the put their differences aside and focus on their shared ideals and goals.
Bardugo also doesn't shy away from including the ugly sides of war concerning the people fighting in it, both physical and mentally.

While I'm still somewhat in love with the whole Merlin story (and now sprinkles of Arthur) I realise that Merlin ist pretty manipulative and pulls plenty of puppeteer strings in the back. The scheming was quite entertaining. The character that was the most interesting to me however was Morgause. What she did - knowingly - is beyond appalling. But looking at when and where the Arthurian legend takes place, Society did not take kindly to smart and determined women, and this also includes Merlin. Expressions about other cultures and peoples, just as well as the competencies of women made me queasy.

Depressing depiction of war for the sake of war

This is not a book to read when you want cozy happiness. It's brutal, it's depressing, it hits you with everything thinkable.
Our heroes are actually sad excuses for heroism, they are traumatised, have unhealthy coping mechanisms (violence, self-harm, addiction) and cannot seem to get a lucky break. While in a lot of other stories, the heroes (or at least most of them) manage to turn the tide with some clever master plan when faced with unwinnable situations, they... do not. While all this might seem like I think it's a bad book, that's not quite true: it is very raw, frankly disturbing and yet so powerful and important for all the ugly aspects of war.