Merlin's Nightmare

The Arthurian legends have been told in retold over the years, from Lord Tennyson’s poems to the BBC drama Merlin.  Among the many adaptations, the Merlin’s Spiral trilogy stands out  with its emphasis on historical context and portrayal of conflict between Druids and Christianity.

Merlin’s Nightmare, the third book in the series, picks up roughly fifteen years after the High King’s death.  Merlin and Natalenya live in relative peace in the homestead of Ector, raising their own children and Arthur. But the fragile peace is cracking under Saxenow and Pieti invasions.  When Vortigern attempts to raise an army to fight the invaders, Arthur unknowingly heads out to aid the man who killed his father.

Like the previous books, Merlin’s Nightmare blends historical settings with fantastic elements.  While Morganthu and her grandfather may think the Voice and the Stone are under their control, they are playing with wildfire that could easily devour them as well as their enemies.  The unpredictability of this power increases the tension instead of providing an easy solution.

The book ends with a surprising twist that sets up a new series: the Pendragon Spiral, while concluding several threads from the previous books. I am looking forward to the new series and seeing what happens next.

I was given a free copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.