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The Crystal Cave (Coronet Books)
 
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The Crystal Cave (Coronet Books) (Paperback)

by Mary Stewart (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; New impression edition (1 Oct 1983)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340151331
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340151334
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.4 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 20,482 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > S > Stewart, Mary

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Product Description

Review

'Vivid, enthralling, absolutely first-class' -- Daily Mail 'Mary Stewart brilliantly recreates the Britain of the fifth century' -- Books And Bookmen 'Her style is simple yet vivid, displaying a love of words and the sounds they make, and her story is poetically imaginative' -- Daily Telegraph 'A deft colourful ... re-creation of Merlin's early life' -- Sunday Times 'A fascinating story which lays a firm hold on the imagination' -- The Scotsman 'Mary Stewart lightens the Dark Ages with legend, pure invention and a lively sense of history. -- New York Times


Books And Bookmen

'Mary Stewart brilliantly recreates the Britain of the fifth century'
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging re-telling of the life of Merlin, 4 Jul 1999
By A Customer
The Crystal Cave is one of a multitude of fictional works pertaining to the times and life of the legendary King Arthur. It differs from the others however, in that it focuses on the life of the great enchanter Merlin, who although intrinsic to the legend, rarely is considered by authors as a principal character of their stories. Generally, Merlin is presented as a learned sage of whose earlier life little is known. Mary Stewart shows Merlin to be more human, than the reader has encountered him in the other Arthurian tales. She achieves it by creating for him a childhood and parentage. In the popular myth it is believed that Merlin was a devil- begotten child, hence his magical powers. The Crystal Cave shows him a very real person possessed of heightened perceptions and extraordinary intellect, which a medieval audience, whence the original stories of Arthur stem, would very likely have equated with powers beyond an ordinary mortal. The book is an engaging and highly probable tale, beautifully written and entertaining. Mary Stewart cleverly links her story with original legend and her fresh approach makes for excellent reading. Even an adult reader well familiar with the legend will be transported to another world, one he might not have visited since his childhood days.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite retelling of the Arthur myth, 31 Jul 2008
This review is from: The Crystal Cave (Merlin Trilogy 1) (Paperback)
First read this series (Crystal Cave - Hollow Hills - Last Enchantment - Wicked Day) in the seventies and it stands the test of time well.

Mary Stewart makes the best attempt I have so far read to combine most of the legends passed down to us (especially Geoffrey of Monmouth who is her main source) with such historical knowledge of the period as was available at the time. And she does it in a way that is highly readable, with convincing characters, good pace, and a version as near plausible as anything that must cover some magical element can be.

Monmouth would have voted for it.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Merlin from boy to profit... and it's actually quite believable..., 5 Feb 2008
By Robbie Swale - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: The Crystal Cave (Merlin Trilogy 1) (Paperback)
Mary Stewart's much lauded Merlin Trilogy starts here. As a regular reader of fantasy novels, and a sucker for King Arthur and everything related to him since I was little, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, and in particular the Crystal Cave.

Stewart takes on the unenviable task of making a character of extreme legend - Merlin - and focussing a story on him. The reason it works comfortably and entertainingly is that she works in interesting bits of history with the legend. She looks for the links between the legend (based on older versions of the Merlin stories) and facts. You still have to suspend your disbelief, and Merlin still works magic, but he is also an engineer and a mathematician. Overall, he's clever, brave, lucky, and a little blessed by the gods.

The Crystal Cave follows Merlin from childhood through a number of the famous early episodes of his life - such as the dragons under Vortigern's fortress. It adds some twists and turns, and a little humour. It links him with a variety of powerful figures from the time's history, and shows us of course all sides of being a young profit and wizard!

I can recommend this novel. It is not a rip-roaring blockbuster, but it moves on with purpose and a good deal of interest. And there are scenes here that are as vivid and engrossing as one can hope for in a novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The best telling of the Merlin / Arthur legend
I first read this book about 10 years ago and it has vividly remained with me as one of the best books i have ever encountered. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Violetta

5.0 out of 5 stars Merlin's Cave!
This wonderful book captures the legend of Merlin beautifully. I felt like I was in the cave, surrounded by crystals and magic. Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2007 by John-Joel D'ersma

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic Read
I read "The Crystal Cave" and the following books this year for the first time. I thought they were spell-binding. Beautifully written and the dialogue is so real. Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2006 by Rebecca Bryant

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