At this stage Merlin has found he can best assist Arthur to unite a divided Britain by gathering information undercover from various influential and powerful sources. This third novel in the Merlin trilogy spans the period from when Arthur Pendragon took the throne to the more advanced years of Merlin – a time when the mage’s abilities are in decline. She also added – “but I can hope, in all humility, that my Merlin trilogy may be, for some new enthusiast, a beginning”. She also incorporated elements from other Arthurian legends and candidly begged forgiveness for the many gaps in her knowledge of these tales, stating that - “if I had read more widely, I should never have completed this book”. Like the former books in this series - The Hollow Hills (1973) and The Crystal Cave (1970), Mary Stewart based the story largely on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s highly inventive (and questionable) Arthurian 'history'. The cover (shown) is from the 2003 Eos edition by HarperCollins. The next in the series is The Wicked Day (1983). However, it is, in fact, the third of five novels she wrote novel dealing with Arthurian legend. Following on from The Hollow Hills (1973), it is often regarded as the third book in Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy. The Last Enchantment is an Arthurian fantasy novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1973.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |