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Arthurian Triptych #1
Mad Merlin
Merlin—the madman on the heath, clad in rags, wild and irreverent, and the only one with the answers to King Uther’s questions.
Merlin—the senile grandfather of the foundling child Arthur, who hints at great fates and wars with the gods.
Merlin—the prophet of Avalon and protector of the new King Arthur, the hope for a new and better world and the sworn enemy of the gods who wish to postpone the Age of Men.
Here the eccentric wizard of Camelot is transformed into no less than a fallen god in a tale of the rise and fall of empires, religions, and the role of men in the universe.
Merlin—the senile grandfather of the foundling child Arthur, who hints at great fates and wars with the gods.
Merlin—the prophet of Avalon and protector of the new King Arthur, the hope for a new and better world and the sworn enemy of the gods who wish to postpone the Age of Men.
Here the eccentric wizard of Camelot is transformed into no less than a fallen god in a tale of the rise and fall of empires, religions, and the role of men in the universe.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2000
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507 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 26, 2016
Mad Merlin is without a doubt a different book and a long one as well. I'll come to that later. The story starts from Uther asking Merlin help to seduce Igraine and continues with the classic growing up of Arthur with Kay and Ector, Arthur becoming king and then his first big battle against the Saxons.
The novel is definitely an epic one, rich of characters and interwined mythos. In particular the mythology part of this book is the best part. Merlin is Jove, he is mad, as in he sees visions, he can't understand what is real, what really happened and what is not. He meets with Loki and asks his help, ending up in defining not only Arthur's life but Guinevere's as well. By the second half of the novel, the story of Arthur and the new born Camelot, is interwined of scenes of gods, of Merlin talking with the gods and delineating the battle against Wotan. The book has also a lot of typical Celtic/Welsh mythologies and elements (Rhiannion, the idea of Guinevere being one of the little people, virginity as bringer of magical power, Guinevere as the land, the representation of the land etc.) which really created an enormous world in this triology first book.
The characters are amazing. While I admit Arthur and Guinevere both did not look particularly characterized, Merlin, Ulfius and especially Loki and Kay ended up being the most interesting ones. Oh yes, there's Loki as well and he will probably have an important role in the future books.
So yes, 5 stars because the plot is engaging, the characters are well rounded for the most part and I liked the mixed feelings of arthurian and other mythologies. Said this, the book /is/ slightly old and a bit boring in some parts, but it is worth it!
The novel is definitely an epic one, rich of characters and interwined mythos. In particular the mythology part of this book is the best part. Merlin is Jove, he is mad, as in he sees visions, he can't understand what is real, what really happened and what is not. He meets with Loki and asks his help, ending up in defining not only Arthur's life but Guinevere's as well. By the second half of the novel, the story of Arthur and the new born Camelot, is interwined of scenes of gods, of Merlin talking with the gods and delineating the battle against Wotan. The book has also a lot of typical Celtic/Welsh mythologies and elements (Rhiannion, the idea of Guinevere being one of the little people, virginity as bringer of magical power, Guinevere as the land, the representation of the land etc.) which really created an enormous world in this triology first book.
The characters are amazing. While I admit Arthur and Guinevere both did not look particularly characterized, Merlin, Ulfius and especially Loki and Kay ended up being the most interesting ones. Oh yes, there's Loki as well and he will probably have an important role in the future books.
So yes, 5 stars because the plot is engaging, the characters are well rounded for the most part and I liked the mixed feelings of arthurian and other mythologies. Said this, the book /is/ slightly old and a bit boring in some parts, but it is worth it!
January 9, 2023
I read this more than 20 years ago but recently came upon it and decided to give another go. I forgot how wonderful it was. J. Robert King weaves new myths into the existing Arthurian Legends and breaths life into every character. A great take on Merlin. Despite knowing the big reveal going into this, it was still super well told; in fact it was nice knowing in advance because I was able to pick up the trail of bread crumbs King laid out.
July 24, 2020
King Arthur books--no pun intended--can be a bit of a double edged sword.
On one hand, it's no secret that the legend of the Once and Future King is a Frankenstein monster of different legends, stories, monsters, and myths. Whenever you read about the King, its like watching someone pop the Lego head off of their favorite myth/legend/monster/hero/story and jam it into the Lego body of the Arthurian canon. Done right, and Arthurian fans everywhere will happily toss thier money at you.
On the other hand, if you do it wrong, it all falls apart. And despite the fact that the story of King Arthur is already a collection of barely cobbled together stories, it is done wrong a lot. Sometimes there's too much King Arthur. Sometimes there's too little. Sometimes someone's favorite character is warped into the villain. Sometimes the books is too middle age-y, sometimes the book is too 14th century.
Sometimes it is a 2020 Netflix show with the entertainment value of a shoelace.
Whatever it is, there is a reason that there are just as many Arthurian misses as there are hits. And this book, I hate to say, is a miss. The idea is good-a nutty Merlin looks for the King Arthur to help regain his sanity--but the author decided that the mythology sandbox had no limits, and that literally every myth needed its time in the sun. The complete lack of mythology limits (Loki makes an appearance fairy early, just to give an example) means that any attempt to create limits on the story would fail, because it just was never clear where the limits of the "world" were. It also stopped any attempt to put limits on Merlin's or insight, which is not great when Merlin is the one driving the story.
The reason I didn't just give the book a single star and walk away was because there were quite a few scenes that showed that with a little editing, the author has serious potential. I mean, all of these scenes were ruined by a random character from Norse mythology or something wandering in, but still. The humor had a nice bounce to it, the author never took himself too seriously, and there was a real attempt to yank a clean story line out of the Arthurian bog of stories. I like these sort of takes on Arthur, and do want authors having fun with Arthur more...as long as they write with more focus, more limits, and more rules.
On one hand, it's no secret that the legend of the Once and Future King is a Frankenstein monster of different legends, stories, monsters, and myths. Whenever you read about the King, its like watching someone pop the Lego head off of their favorite myth/legend/monster/hero/story and jam it into the Lego body of the Arthurian canon. Done right, and Arthurian fans everywhere will happily toss thier money at you.
On the other hand, if you do it wrong, it all falls apart. And despite the fact that the story of King Arthur is already a collection of barely cobbled together stories, it is done wrong a lot. Sometimes there's too much King Arthur. Sometimes there's too little. Sometimes someone's favorite character is warped into the villain. Sometimes the books is too middle age-y, sometimes the book is too 14th century.
Sometimes it is a 2020 Netflix show with the entertainment value of a shoelace.
Whatever it is, there is a reason that there are just as many Arthurian misses as there are hits. And this book, I hate to say, is a miss. The idea is good-a nutty Merlin looks for the King Arthur to help regain his sanity--but the author decided that the mythology sandbox had no limits, and that literally every myth needed its time in the sun. The complete lack of mythology limits (Loki makes an appearance fairy early, just to give an example) means that any attempt to create limits on the story would fail, because it just was never clear where the limits of the "world" were. It also stopped any attempt to put limits on Merlin's or insight, which is not great when Merlin is the one driving the story.
The reason I didn't just give the book a single star and walk away was because there were quite a few scenes that showed that with a little editing, the author has serious potential. I mean, all of these scenes were ruined by a random character from Norse mythology or something wandering in, but still. The humor had a nice bounce to it, the author never took himself too seriously, and there was a real attempt to yank a clean story line out of the Arthurian bog of stories. I like these sort of takes on Arthur, and do want authors having fun with Arthur more...as long as they write with more focus, more limits, and more rules.
June 22, 2022
Merlin is the dreamer and the dream. Facing the traumatic dilemma of succession after he predicts the death of Uther Pendragon, Merlin connives to bring Arthur into being by way of the Duchess Igraine. He then steals the child and disappears, only returning when Uther lies dying. Striking an alliance between the humans and the faerie, Merlin tries to make Camelot a safe haven for all the beings of Britain. Fate, though, has a way of finding its own way to chaos.
This is an interesting novel, narrated by the mad Merlin. The pantheon of gods and monsters are realistically portrayed and Arthur's vision is pure and aspirational. King's use of various mythologies and the earthy realism of the humans makes this, at times, over complicated, but it is still a good version of the Arthurian saga.
This is an interesting novel, narrated by the mad Merlin. The pantheon of gods and monsters are realistically portrayed and Arthur's vision is pure and aspirational. King's use of various mythologies and the earthy realism of the humans makes this, at times, over complicated, but it is still a good version of the Arthurian saga.
August 4, 2019
Felt a lot flatter than when I read it the first time a decade or two ago. Interesting nexus of various mythologies with the Arthur mythos, but it suffered from a lack of depth and too many anachronisms that have been absorbed into the mythos over time.
I had originally planned to reread the second book of the series and foamy read the third, but instead the whole series went into the donate box.
I had originally planned to reread the second book of the series and foamy read the third, but instead the whole series went into the donate box.
December 27, 2020
An excellent book. Merlin is interesting as is the relationship between Arthur and guenivere
April 5, 2021
Mad Merlin is the greatest book ever! I like the writing. It has you read as if you are in Merlin's head and how he does his actions. Great book with lots of adventure and goofiness.
June 11, 2016
Definitely an interesting take on the Arthurian legend. With my love of both Arthur and Norse mythology, this combination of the two (with a dash of Roman myth tossed in) brought new elements to this old story. My favorite parts were early on, when Merlin was truly mad (or, more likely, schizophrenic, which is apparently even more devastating when you're a wizard) and he was struggling to figure out who he was. Also the appearances of both Loki and Odin (Wotan) brought elements of unknown, giving me the opportunity to not know exactly how this story was going to go (pretty cool for this story we've all heard many times before). My least favorite parts were the repeated, massive jumps in time that could've been used to build an even greater world, and felt as if those years were cut out by a television editor, eliminating those years for the sake of running time. I also found Guinevere and Arthur's chaste marriage to be dull, boring and immature. Oh, no, they can't have sex or they will lose everything! *eyeroll* Grow up, sex shouldn't be forbidden or villified, especially between grown, married adults who clearly want each other. But other than those things, this was pretty good and a solid 3 stars.
April 15, 2010
I hit another dud here. "But Stephanie," you say, "with a title like that, what were you expecting?" (At least, that's what it sounded like you said. Really shouldn't talk with your mouth full.) Anyway, I kind of like giving Arthurian-based fiction a shot, just in case it's awesome (and it sometimes is). This was not one of those times. The cover said the author was doing a brilliant retelling, weaving in the ideas of Joseph Campbell. Um. If by "weaving" you mean hauling out a generic myth and braining the reader over the head with it, sandwiched in between gore and slapstick silliness, then you'd be right. I suppose it wasn't as bad as I'm making it out to be; it's just that I'm protective of my myths, y'know? Treat them with respect and don't trivialize them by shoddy portrayals, bent to your whim.
July 30, 2007
Basically a retelling of the Merlin’s side of the story from before Arthur’s conception to after the epic battle between the Saxons and the Britons as well as their respective gods. A must read for those who are interested in the myths. Some slightly different takes on things, pulling from the classics of course.
The first in a trilogy.
The first in a trilogy.
June 19, 2025
Interesting re-telling of the story of King Arthur. I really liked it, and I recognize that a lot of research went into this book. Merlin's viewpoint is unique.
The next time I read this book, I want to be more knowledgeable about the legends and lore of the British Isles. It would really help to grasp the depth of the story.
The next time I read this book, I want to be more knowledgeable about the legends and lore of the British Isles. It would really help to grasp the depth of the story.
June 1, 2010
Okay, I didn't really finish it, but the incorrectness (for lack of a better fake word!) of the plot really threw me off. I was really hoping for a retelling/reinterpretation of the story, a la Marion Zimmer Bradley. Merlin's antics in Mad Merlin started to get old rather than humorous or quirky.
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July 21, 2016VERY good mix of "what could have happened" and fantasy -- love the way the author pulls in the "island" stories, as well as the pantheon of beliefs held. looking forward to learning about Lancelot in book 2 of the series
July 11, 2008
Amazing! It ties in Roman and Pagan religion into the classical story of Merlin. It's funny too!
September 1, 2008
Merlin's much more believable in this series and more barbaric
September 21, 2008
In this story Merlin is stark raving bonkers and he's the main character. Great story, written like an older tale.
June 16, 2010
interesting after you get past the first 50 pages or so
September 12, 2010
One of my all time favorite books from the Arthurian genre with a very different take on Merlin's true identity as he struggles to remember who he is and what he's supposed to do.
April 4, 2012
Fantastic book im sure you've never heard of. Probably my favorite version of the Merlin/Arthur story and by far the one I found to be most thought provoking.
August 16, 2012
Awesomely written, the detail painted a great picture. I loved this version of the story, how merlin was portrayed... Just a great way to tell the story no silly childrens fantasy here.
February 5, 2013
Merlin is definitely mad! His magic is like a loose canyon striking without motive or reason.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews