Status Updates From The Crystal Cave (Arthurian...

You know what? Kudos for writing that and admitting that it's bad, Ms. Stewart. A lesser writer would have had all the other characters gushing about how great it is.

Wow, this Mithraist ceremony would probably be significant if Stewart explained what the hell any of it meant.

YEEAAH, I'm starting to see why other reviews have issues with how this book treats women.

Is anti-Saxonism a thing? Because I feel like this book is anti-Saxonist.

"The end came in the second week of May."

That's a fun little coincidence, reading that now. Same thing happened with Le Morte D'Arthur, when I read about Gawain's death on May 10.

How do you ogle a nun? I mean that literally. You shouldn't be able to make out a "supple young body" beneath a habit.

"If the priests believed my mother, and Vortigern believed the priests, then I could not see where danger could come from."

I mean, now they'll just think you're half-DEMON. Why would they want to hurt you then?

Also, what kind of priests are these? Christian, Mithraist, pagan...?

Okay, so Merlin reunited with his mother...off-page? Why does this book keeping setting things up as important and then doing this?

Why does anyone believe this "son of a devil" story? Merlin hasn't demonstrated supernatural powers to most people (as far as we know, but the fact that Cadal knew just came out of nowhere). The fact that Niniane won't name the father shouldn't make people jump to demonic explanations.

"...and indeed, I believe now that the fear came from the god."

That's this book's explanation for everything you think or do.

"I went with Ambrosius to the shrine of Mithras below the farmstead, and with Belasius to the gatherings in the forest."

Are we gonna see these scenes? 'Cause this book is making a big deal about these various pagan sects, it seems like this should get more than a passing mention. Especially since druidism is being framed as evil but we don't know why, except that they killed a guy who did some unknown "sacrilege."

I assume "Comes" is a typo and is supposed to be "Comte."

"Men that have god's-sight, I have found, are often human-blind."

Cool quote. Not sure if it's applicable to anything in real life, but cool nonetheless.

We've never heard anything about Merlin acting this way before, nor gotten any indication that his power frightens him.

Relatedly, I feel like he would work better if he wasn't our viewpoint character. His characterization really isn't very strong, so while he might be intriguingly mysterious from another POV, as is he's almost a blank slate who just acts however the story requires him.