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Merlin #8
Ultimate Magic
Avalon is on the verge of total destruction: an army of warriors, a swarm of fire dragons, and a lethal plague are all laying waste to Merlin's beloved land. But Merlin is nowhere to be found. Leading the fight in his place is Basil, the once tiny lizard who is now the most powerful dragon in Avalon.
But to restore peace, the mastermind behind this chaos, Doomraga, will need to be discovered and destroyed before his power grows stronger and Avalon and its inhabitants are beyond saving. For Basil to triumph, he and his friends may need to make the ultimate sacrifice.
In this final book of the Merlin's Dragon trilogy, T. A. Barron brings this saga to a thrilling--if bittersweet-- end.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2010
About the author
T.A. Barron
71 books1,319 followersT. A. Barron is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 highly acclaimed books, including the Merlin Saga, being developed into a feature film.
Awarded the de Grummond Medallion for “lifetime contribution to the field of children’s and young adult literature,” he also serves on a variety of environmental and educational NGO boards. In 2001, he founded the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a national award for outstanding young people.
A lifelong adventurer and conservationist, T. A. Barron draws inspiration from the natural world, especially the mountains of Colorado, where he lives.
Follow along on Instagram or TikTok and sign up for his newsletter — he loves staying in touch with his fans!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 18, 2010
T.A. Barron does it again with this enchanting and action-filled third book in the Merlin's Dragon series! Ultimate Magic picks up right where Book 2, Doomraga's Revenge, left off, with the threat of the mysterious "darker than dark" evil that's haunting the wonderful world of Avalon. Basilgarrad, everybody's favorite gargantuan emerald green dragon, can barely keep up with the conflict growing in his magical realm. However, in the end, and with the help of a few friends, he might be just be able to save the day! This book will grab you from the start, whirl you around, and leave you, exhilarated, wanting more. With memorable characters, thrills, chills, love, revenge, epic battles, and more, this story has something for everyone.
June 15, 2024
YEAR OF THE DRAGON YEAAAAAAAAH
I’m going to go ahead and say that I have not been particularly impressed by the “Merlin’s Dragon” trilogy. I liked this one better than the second one, I think, but also they never should have been separated. This one feels as if it’s the conclusion of a book, stretched out to make the story into a trilogy when it didn’t need to be.
There are things that this book does better; this feels more like a dragon book, for starters. All the dragon characters in this one are introduced in the last one, but here the book feels like it’s actually about them, which is cool and I prefer that. I would love to have seen more Avalonian dragon adventures, and the bits we got here were a good start. If only we had gotten more! Still, it’s really cool to see Basilgarrad, a water dragon, and a fire dragon, team up to fight the forces of evil.
Merlin’s better in this one, too. Here we get kooky-old-man-Merlin, as opposed to slightly-aged-up-Lost Years-Merlin, who is just a doof. I am back to liking him; he isn’t flawless, but he feels like he makes much more sense. There’s also a better idea of where this fits in the timeline with King Arthur and stuff, from comments that Merlin makes, which is something that has long bothered me with the Avalon books.
Krystallus is a mixed bag. Merlin’s son is still a doof. And I understand why! But at times it goes too far. One bit of dialogue claims that Merlin treated him the way Merlin’s own father treated his son, which no one corrects, and, uh, NO. Not even a little bit. Get your head out of your butt. I’m not sure about his relationship with Serella, either, considering that we KNOW he has a child later on, and I’m pretty sure Serella isn’t the mother? That’s an interesting sort of history for the character. At the same time, Krystallus and Serella’s relationship goes with the trend that Barron started in “Great Tree of Avalon” which is “Bickering Couple = True Love”, which is a bit annoying.
Also! Tell me, Thomas Archibald, what is the point of Doomraga? When he shows up in the first book, I assumed he WAS Rhita Gawr; the second names him and reveals he’s Rhita Gawr’s minion, and then in this one gets possessed by Rhita Gawr, meaning… he might as well have just been Rhita Gawr to begin with. Given how silly ‘Doomraga’ is as a name, and that he’s never mentioned again, and has no distinct personality traits… he doesn’t need to be a thing.
I wanted to like this trilogy much more than I did; it’s about Merlin’s Dragon Friend, after all! But it’s just kind of… filling in the gaps that didn’t need to be filled with a mostly bland story that isn’t interested in doing something all that new.
I’m going to go ahead and say that I have not been particularly impressed by the “Merlin’s Dragon” trilogy. I liked this one better than the second one, I think, but also they never should have been separated. This one feels as if it’s the conclusion of a book, stretched out to make the story into a trilogy when it didn’t need to be.
There are things that this book does better; this feels more like a dragon book, for starters. All the dragon characters in this one are introduced in the last one, but here the book feels like it’s actually about them, which is cool and I prefer that. I would love to have seen more Avalonian dragon adventures, and the bits we got here were a good start. If only we had gotten more! Still, it’s really cool to see Basilgarrad, a water dragon, and a fire dragon, team up to fight the forces of evil.
Merlin’s better in this one, too. Here we get kooky-old-man-Merlin, as opposed to slightly-aged-up-Lost Years-Merlin, who is just a doof. I am back to liking him; he isn’t flawless, but he feels like he makes much more sense. There’s also a better idea of where this fits in the timeline with King Arthur and stuff, from comments that Merlin makes, which is something that has long bothered me with the Avalon books.
Krystallus is a mixed bag. Merlin’s son is still a doof. And I understand why! But at times it goes too far. One bit of dialogue claims that Merlin treated him the way Merlin’s own father treated his son, which no one corrects, and, uh, NO. Not even a little bit. Get your head out of your butt. I’m not sure about his relationship with Serella, either, considering that we KNOW he has a child later on, and I’m pretty sure Serella isn’t the mother? That’s an interesting sort of history for the character. At the same time, Krystallus and Serella’s relationship goes with the trend that Barron started in “Great Tree of Avalon” which is “Bickering Couple = True Love”, which is a bit annoying.
Also! Tell me, Thomas Archibald, what is the point of Doomraga? When he shows up in the first book, I assumed he WAS Rhita Gawr; the second names him and reveals he’s Rhita Gawr’s minion, and then in this one gets possessed by Rhita Gawr, meaning… he might as well have just been Rhita Gawr to begin with. Given how silly ‘Doomraga’ is as a name, and that he’s never mentioned again, and has no distinct personality traits… he doesn’t need to be a thing.
I wanted to like this trilogy much more than I did; it’s about Merlin’s Dragon Friend, after all! But it’s just kind of… filling in the gaps that didn’t need to be filled with a mostly bland story that isn’t interested in doing something all that new.
January 10, 2021
Si ce n’était pas du fait qu’il en reste seulement deux, je crois que je laisserai tomber cette série. Cela n’a pratiquement plus rien à voir avec Merlin. Ce tome ci terminait le deuxième cycle, alors peut-être que le troisième, et dernier, redonnera un souffle pour la finale, mais ce livre, et ce deuxième cycle en général, ne se compare en rien au premier. Alors que je me serais attendu que la série « vieillisse » en quelque sorte avec le lecteur, au contrainte, cela semble plus enfantin que jamais, de longs dialogues répétitifs, et les fameux objets magiques ou le héro qui arrive de nulle part au bon moment… ouff ça commence à faire beaucoup. Au point où l’on ne s’inquiète plus du sort d’aucun personnage, car on sait que tout finira par s’arranger. Je recommanderai tout de même la lecture du premier cycle, mais la série aurait très bien pu, et peut-être dû s’arrêter là.
December 28, 2021
"Vision, even for a dragon, is woefully unreliable. What you see with great clarity may not be real; what you cannot see may be the ultimate reality."
"Trouble has many siblings. And like most siblings, they usually appear when you least expect them."
"Some questions must be answered. Others, though, should never be asked."
"People reveal a lot about themselves by how they enter a place. And even more by how they leave."
"Sometimes people will ask a friend to do what they would never ask an enemy."
"Trouble has many siblings. And like most siblings, they usually appear when you least expect them."
"Some questions must be answered. Others, though, should never be asked."
"People reveal a lot about themselves by how they enter a place. And even more by how they leave."
"Sometimes people will ask a friend to do what they would never ask an enemy."
January 6, 2019
This book was OK, but I really hated how the author felt the need to bring the love interest, Marnya, back to life.
January 7, 2013
This book, this particular trilogy within the Merlin saga, has been fine, perhaps even good. But it does not live up to the Lost Years 5 books and I am now wishing they had left it a separate series. Its a good fun read. I just have a few issues, the time thing is always messed up first you spend all this time doing nothing, then everything happens in a week, then you find out its hundreds of years later, but everybody, including the non-magical Krysallus is still around. I just don't like that. Then there is the fact that Barron is great author, but he can't right a love story to save his life, and in many ways they are just distracting. The last thing is making Basil small again at the end, that is ridiculous, and I think its a copout so that these three books could be inserted in the middle of the other two series. Maybe if there was some reason for it, but there wasn't it was just all the sudden at the end, sorry Basil we have to make you tiny, to hide you from the immortals, yeah, right. Aside from those things though the books are fine and fun.
October 25, 2013
Spoiler alert!
I really like how the author pulls togther fantasy, fiction, and destiny, and magic. He creates a wonderful world in my mind, and I feel as though the book is happening all around me! I really love this triology and hope you will read it as well! I hope to see more books by this author.
Basil is one of the main characters in the book, and is quite a bit like me. He hates anything that threatens the world around him. He is kind, caring and hopes to stop evil from overrunnig his world as well as those around him. He is also friends with the famous wizard Merlin, who is the arch-enemy of Rhita Gawr, the immortal warlord from the Otherworld.
This book is full of mythical creatures like dragons and faries. I am amazed how some try to help save their world, and others try to speed it towards the end. I like it how Basil, who was once so small, gained a great body to match his heart. I wish to read the fourth book in this series.
I really like how the author pulls togther fantasy, fiction, and destiny, and magic. He creates a wonderful world in my mind, and I feel as though the book is happening all around me! I really love this triology and hope you will read it as well! I hope to see more books by this author.
Basil is one of the main characters in the book, and is quite a bit like me. He hates anything that threatens the world around him. He is kind, caring and hopes to stop evil from overrunnig his world as well as those around him. He is also friends with the famous wizard Merlin, who is the arch-enemy of Rhita Gawr, the immortal warlord from the Otherworld.
This book is full of mythical creatures like dragons and faries. I am amazed how some try to help save their world, and others try to speed it towards the end. I like it how Basil, who was once so small, gained a great body to match his heart. I wish to read the fourth book in this series.
August 14, 2012
The 8th book in T.A. Barron's Merlin series "Ultimate Magic" is the finale to the saga of Merlin's Dragon. In this book, we have the final battle with Doomraga, the return of Merlin & a surprise by Krystallus. Barron's story is as engaging as ever & Basil is his usual treat along with Maryna. The action also moves at a breakneck pace & the separate storylines keep moving long in such a way that when they merge in the climactic finale it doesn't feel forced & is an ending that is acceptable for all parties involved. Granted there is a jump forward in time in the end & a hint of what's to come, but this entry is a nice finale to a trilogy in this series dealing with Camelot's favorite wizard.
October 29, 2015
This book is scary and exciting. Perfect for Harry Potter fans. One scary part is when Basilgarrad starts to find Doomraga on his own (without Merlin). When Merlin comes back you think Avalon won't end! Doomraga is very terrifying at the end.
February 19, 2016
I didn't like this series as much as the Lost Years ones.
October 1, 2016
Merlin's Dragon #3 or Merlin #8. I think this one starts with a jarring continuity error, though I'm too lazy and unmotivated to actually check to make sure. A mediocre end to a mediocre series.
July 28, 2015
HOLY SNAPPA CRACKAS! AWESOME! FELT LIKE THE WHOLE SECOND BOOK WAS JUST THE PRELUDE OF THIS!!!!!!
August 25, 2016
This is an excellent trilogy for all ages, even little ones who enjoy a good bedtime story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to learning much more about the land of Fincayra in the future.
January 20, 2024
Ultimately I think this series was a disappointing follow-up to the Lost Years. It's a fine read for a middle-school audience but it doesn't have the 'magic' of the original 5 books.
January 1, 2022
I can't believe that Basil is going to be small again. Great book
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews