In the wasteland of Britain in the year 500, a cranky Merlin tutors a teenage Arthur. Missing the comfort of the Realm of Dragons, Merlin amuses himself with two simultaneous sneaky marriages to the feuding witches, Nimm and Mother Hubbard. With the help of young Parsifal, they all begin the search for the holy grail, their town's communal cauldron, which was stolen by a Pict witch to make a demon bell. Recovering the cauldron will end the drought in time for Arthur to be King. Along the way they meet a host of colorful characters and face obstacles of a most phenomenal nature. Classic Peter Joseph Swanson-wickedly bawdy.
Check it out at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Merlins-Charge-Peter-Joseph-Swanson/dp/1600761429/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310327950&sr=1-1
A Review by Chris Brockman
Peter Joseph Swanson takes on a formidable challenge with Merlin's Charge. It might be said, in fact, that he's questing for the writer's holy grail. To write, where great pens have gone before, a novel about King Arthur seems to be tilting at windmills, but consider the payoff. Arthurian legend has many followers, and there's a reason it has been taken up by the likes of Twain, White, and Disney.
Readers will have to judge for themselves if Swanson has found the holy grail. In the process, they'll have a good deal of fun at the expense of the concept itself. In Merlin's Charge, a young Arthur, goes on a burlesqued quest for the grail, egged on by Merlin, who must prepare his callow but promising charge to become king. He is accompanied by representatives of the Church, knighthood, the common folk, and witchery.
Each component is rendered smaller than legend as a sort of expose' of some of the Sixth Century reality behind it. The exception is magic and witchery, which are presented as quite functional. This provides much of the fun as fantasy, or it could be looked at as the way people of the time thought the world worked.
In the course of the quest, the reader can see both the essential character of the future king and how it will play out in the establishment of Camelot. One of the joys of the book is picking out things that allude to specific aspects of that future. An example is when Merlin is explains how he has taught Arthur to be realistic. "I hope I have at least taught him to not trust anybody, not if he's to be the King. Not even his wife or best friend." The irony here and throughout is that Arthur is far less cynical and far more fatally idealistic than Merlin wants him to be, with predictable results.
Swanson clearly has done his homework on Arthurian legend. He drops us unceremoniously into the time and story, and it's entirely credible within the sphere of Arthurian legend. Merlin's Charge is smartly written and fun to read.
Fantasy MUST READ By Very Moon "Very H Moon" on November 16, 2010 Format: Paperback
If all fantasy fiction was written as well as Merlin's Charge was, I'd read more fantasy. Peter J Swanson takes Merlin, possibly one of the most abused wizards written in fiction, and makes him believable all over again. This is how Merlin should be written! He's sassy, he's full of fun banter and wisdom, and someone anyone would want as a teacher. Arthur is great fun too- written as a future king who wishes to truly rule fairly for all. One thing I very much enjoyed was the dialogue and relationship between Merlin and Arthur.
PJS weaves in a cornucopia of magical ideas and what sounds like facts. (Was that indeed why witches are pictured as having green faces now?) This should be a MUST READ for pagans everywhere, if for no other reason than to round out their fiction with truly enjoyable fantasy. I also enjoyed several euphemisms and nods to the naughty side of Merlin!
Both this book and PJS exceeded my expectations. I thought I'd enjoy the book, but I wasn't prepared for the bliss that I finished with. I recommend this book to any fantasy or magic lover.
If all fantasy fiction was written as well as Merlin's Charge was, I'd read more fantasy. Peter J Swanson takes Merlin, possibly one of the most abused wizards written in fiction, and makes him believable all over again. This is how Merlin should be written! He's sassy, he's full of fun banter and wisdom, and someone anyone would want as a teacher. Arthur is great fun too- written as a future king who wishes to truly rule fairly for all. One thing I very much enjoyed was the dialogue and relationship between Merlin and Arthur.
PJS weaves in a cornucopia of magical ideas and what sounds like facts. (Was that indeed why witches are pictured as having green faces now?) This should be a MUST READ for pagans everywhere, if for no other reason than to round out their fiction with truly enjoyable fantasy. I also enjoyed several euphemisms and nods to the naughty side of Merlin!
Both this book and PJS exceeded my expectations. I thought I'd enjoy the book, but I wasn't prepared for the bliss that I finished with. I recommend this book to any fantasy or magic lover.
Title: Merlin’s Charge
Author: Peter Joseph Swanson
Publisher: Stonegarden.net Publishing
Length: 224 pgs.
Reviewed by: Jes
The Review: Merlin’s Charge is a novel from Peter Joseph Swanson set in 5th century Briton and it focuses on one story of Merlin and Arthur on the quest for the Cauldron of plenty. This is a well written story that takes from classic legend and ideologies of the Great King and his tutor with adding an updated feel to the characters. Merlin’s Charge follows the young prince as he faces and battles the Pict witch who has stolen the Cauldron of Plenty from an already suffering village. The whole land of Briton is in the middle of a drought and a Cauldron which never empties is a dream come true for the starving people, it is truly the grail as it is more important than gold or treasure. Add in the complications of Merlin’s two wives and Parisfal the Inheritor; you have an interesting weave of personalities.
I enjoyed the writing that Swanson provided: the quips as well as dialogue between all of the characters. It was light hearted and kept the reader intrigued and involved in the story. I felt that Swanson had revitalized the story of Merlin and Arthur. He managed to create a young Arthur who was learning the ways of being a king and kept light hearted to the ideals of youth, while Merlin had an air of knowing and otherworldliness that you would come to expect from a great wizard such as Merlin.
What I appreciated as a reader was the consistency which the author kept to his characters; they had a solid design and kept to the personalities which were introduced. I find that this is one of the harder things in writing, that many authors forget small details either about the characters or their surroundings, where this wasn’t missed in Merlin’s Charge.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fantasy and Arthurian tales or legends. Swanson has managed to refresh very old and popular characters, giving a believable story and respecting the current ideas.
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Posted by Rie McGaha at Tuesday, November 30, 2010