The Hollow Hills

Again a book with very little relation to the actual myth, in the sense that it is a story on its own. There is a good participation of known characters like Arthur (although still a boy), Merlin, Morgause and Uther. The attempts to represent fiction based on reality were well placed, and added a lot to the sense of foreshadowing. There are some subtle and some more overt references to Guinevere, Excalibur and Camelot.

The story picks up right at the end of the previous book, and it deals with Merlin trying to protect Uther's newborn son, through the use of some clever trickery and a little bit of clairvoyance (again magic is very much downplayed). He must find a way to convince the king and queen to allow him to take charge of the boy, then find a secure place to raise him, find the means to hide his travel to such a place, keep an eye on the boy even from afar, ensure he is raised properly by a good family and also educated in the way of kings.

After securing baby Arthur, Merlin travels the world in search of Caliburn, a sword he sees in his dreams as the sword of the one true king. After finding it, he inserts himself into Arthur's life and becomes a friend and a mentor to him. It is the start of the story everyone knows.

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.