The wings of Merlin

Format:

Book

Title:

The wings of Merlin

Author:

Barron, T. A.

ISBN:

9780399234569

9780441010240

9780441009886

9781404641303

Publication Information:

New York : Philomel Books, 2000.

Physical Description:

352 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Series title(s):

Lost years of Merlin ;

Number in series:

BK. 5.

Summary:

Merlin's fragile home on the isle of Fincayra is threatened by the attack of a mysterious warrior with swords for arms and by the escape of Stangmar from his imprisonment, as Merlin continues to move toward his ultimate destiny.

Reading Level:

Middle School.

770 Lexile.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader 5.8.

Reading Counts! 5.8.

Personal Subject:

Merlin (Legendary character)-Juvenile fiction.

Merlin (Legendary character)-Fiction.

Merlin (Legendary character)

Subject(s):

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Lyons Public Library	SF BAR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Barron, T.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	TEEN BARRON	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Winter's longest night is rapidly approaching as Merlin faces the most difficult challenge of his life: to unite all the people of Fincayra against an invasion by the evil Rhita Gawr. But how can one man, in two weeks' time, gather them all--the dwarves, the canyon eagles, the walking trees, the living stones, and more--when none of them will listen? And now comes the mysterious Swordarms, who is hunting down Fincayra's children. Only if Merlin can unite the battling forces within himself, can he save the children, unify the Fincayrans, and regain the long lost wings that will enable him, and his people, to choose their true destiny.

Author Notes

Born Thomas Archibald Barron in 1952, author T. A. Barron grew up in Colorado's "ranch country". He graduated from Princeton University and also attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Before writing, Barron had a successful career as a venture capitalist manager in New York City. In 1989, Barron became a full time writer and conservationist. Many of his books incorporate nature and ecological concern into their themes, garnering him two Nautilus Visionary Book Awards in 2005 and 2007. He has also received International Reading Association and American Library Association awards for his works. He resides in Colorado with his wife, Currie and their children.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-9-In this fifth and final volume of the series, Slayer, a monstrous creature with swords for arms, is preying on the orphans of Fincayra, and the spirit lord Dagda brings tidings of peril and destruction to everyone and everything that young Merlin holds dear. Thus, he and his companions must convince the various creatures of Fincayra to work together to save their world. Friends and enemies from past volumes return (in sometimes surprising guises) and the themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and destiny are played out on a mist-shrouded stage. Followers of the well-written fantasy series will find plenty of action and drama, with familiar touches of humor. This conclusion is painful yet satisfying and will serve to propel interested readers further into Arthurian lore. Knowledge of events and characters from previous books is critical.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

Young Merlin faces his greatest challenge yet in the fifth and final book in the series. With only two weeks to spare, he has to convince all the creatures of Fincayra to band together to battle Rhita Gawr's evil army. But he is distracted from this task by a fearsome enemy from his past, who is terrorizing the island's children. Barron brings his epic story to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 7^-10. Barron brings his Lost Years of Merlin saga to a resounding, satisfying close with this fifth volume. Although Merlin's mastery of his powers continues to grow, he now faces a particularly daunting challenge: Fincayra and the Otherworld will soon come together and Rhita Gawr, warlord of the spirit world, and his evil forces will invade. Merlin's only hope is to get Fincayran creatures and races to put aside their distrust of one another and do battle together. This formidable task is complicated by the emergence of a masked warrior who is attacking children throughout the land in an effort to lure Merlin into a battle to the death. As the fast-paced story winds to a conclusion, Merlin faces his most difficult decision yet. A love of the natural world and sense of spirituality infuse the saga as a whole, and we see Merlin, who has come to understand his dark side as well as his strengths and ideals, finally ready to become the legendary magician and mentor to King Arthur. --Sally Estes