Book review: Merlin's Shadow (The Merlin Spiral) by Robert Treskillard

The author Robert Treskillard is a self-described a Celtic enthusiast and this becomes clear in this second installment of his Merlin series.After reading Merlin's Blade, I was excited to read the second book Merlin's Shadow because the story of King Arthur and the role of Merlin have been fascinating me since childhood. I often was disappointed by books, especially young adult books, that tackled this subject. But Mr. Treskillard does an outstanding job of bringing the time period and its characters to life in a way that teenagers can enjoy these books and appreciate the story.

In this book, the action picks up from the first book and continues to explore the battle between Merlin, his friend Arthur (the future king) and the mortal enemy of all good, Vortigern. Merlin is on the run from Vortigern and seeks shelter in the fortress of Dintaga. Having lost his king and Arthur still a young boy, Merlin faces more danger and single handled must now protect Arthur and his group from enemies, including members of Merlin's own family.

This book is a vivid description of the life of Merlin. The characters are well developed and the language is age appropriate for teenagers. What I appreciate about these books in particular is the fact that the heroes are real-life heroes, even though they are based on fictional characters.What makes them real life is the fact that these "heroes" are not flawless. The heroes have doubts, grow weak, fail at time and, this is most important to me, learn to overcome failure and doubt and move on.

available at Amazon.com here.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.