Merlin’s Blade
by Robert Treskillard
By Merlin’s beard, I’ve finally found a Christian fantasy novel that I enjoy–and one that wasn’t published forever ago. I’m still checking to make sure I haven’t fallen into some weird alternate universe. And this one written by a guy, too. (I generally prefer books written by the ladies, because the characters and relationships tend to be, in my personal opinion, more fully developed.) This book surprised me with its depth and heart, and the battles are epic. It didn’t hurt that I listened to it on audiobook, narrated by a silvery British voice that could have been Gandalf.
Merlin’s Blade, Book One in The Merlin Spiral, is a moving epic fantasy written mostly from the point of view of a teenage Merlin. In the pre-Camelot days of Britain, Merlin is a nobody, the son of a blacksmith. Due to a wolf attack when he was young, he’s also mostly blind. That’s an unlikely hero, if ever there was one. But he’s no helpless victim, bravely brandishing weapons of all sorts in the defense of himself and others. I’m convinced the author of this story wields an enchanted keyboard to help the reader see the world through Merlin’s limited eyesight.
The true darkness of the story is found in an ancient druid stone threatening to consume the hearts and minds of all those within Merlin’s village. When King Uther and his queen visit with their infant, Prince Arthur, the royal family is thrown into a conflict that threatens the future of the kingdom.
I know I’m risking my reputation here, but I might have enjoyed this book even more than The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, stories that I adore and are very much in the same vein as this one. Merlin’s Blade so incredibly well written, I’ve had to swallow all my words about Christian fiction being mediocre or preachy. Please read this book. I give it five fanatical stars.