Such a great way of re-telling the many facets of Merlin within the Arthurian legend! Jane Yolen has crafted her wit and abilities in a way i've never seen before.

Each chapter tells of a character in Merlin's legend: Merlin as an infant, a wild child, a young boy seeking his way in the world. Then there are chapters that tell of other characters in the cycle, such as Gwenhyfar, Arthur, Lancelot, Sir Kay, with Merlin serving as a character behind the scenes. Geoffrey of Monmouth or Mallory is the heading in each chapter, which then tells a tale Merlin's birth while scribing the last words from Father Blaise, or capturing the thoughts of a wild boy as he lives a year in the wild, or the birth of a white child called Gwynhfar that the Old One knows is destined to unite a kingdom.

In the telling of Elaine's tale, Guenevere is called Veree; her true name of Gwyneth is not revealed until the end when Merlin comes to take the sword from her on the Isle of Women. Or he is doddering old Master Linn, seemingly everywhere, and bringing young Artos to a cave where he can learn from a dragon.

The final story is more present-day, and involve the archeological dig that uncovers a skeleton from the early Bronze Age in the fens that could, just maybe, be that of Merlin. It's told from the POV of a trio of journalists present at the unveiling, complete with the Crown Prince of England who helped direct the archeological dig.

Reading the many versions of the Arthurian myth has got my interest back to reading and re-reading all the many books I have about King Arthur. It points out, in its slim volumed way, that there is no one true version of the Arthurian cycle. ( )

A collection of short stories and poems about the various facets of the character of Merlin. Legends and literature have depicted Merlin variously as a half-devil, a wild man, a wise man, a mage, and others, and Yolen's short stories and poems explore these different aspects. Each is introduced with a quote from an older source, usually Geoffrey of Monmouth's history or Thomas Mallory's literary account, Le Morte D'Arthur.

I liked some more than others. There are two very different portrayals of Guinevere - 'The Gwynhfar' takes the usual depiction of her as a beautiful but empty headed doll to the extreme conclusion, whereas 'The Sword and the Stone' shows her as likeable and resourceful though I would have thought rather unlikely to do the silly things the legend requires.

There is some beautiful scene setting and evocation of character in some of these such as in 'Evian Steel' set on an island of women, although I didn't get all the allusions - I think Elaine was the woman who pined away for love of Lancelot which didn't fit at all with her character here, and I'm not sure who the older girl was supposed to be unless she is another version of Guinevere.

The weakest story is 'Epitaph' the last in the collection, which deals with what would happen if Merlin's mummified body were to be discovered in the modern world - it is seemingly set some time after the year 2000 (the book was published in the 1980s) as it makes two references to the 1990s as being in the past. It dropped a few 'clangers' - an Oxford don would not refer to candy bars as this is an American term - and none of the characters came alive in the way they did in the stories set in an imaginary past.

Overall, an enjoyable read and a different take on the Arthurian legends. ( )

I put this book on the kids' bedtime story shelf because they've been into Arthurian legends. I had only a few moments where I regretted that decision when reading this to my nine-year-old. (This wasn't really intended for kids, but it mostly worked out okay.)

This collection of stories about Merlin is not really connected -- in fact some of these stories are fairly incompatible with each other. But each story on its own is certainly interesting. I found myself wanting more of certain versions of Merlin, which made me realize how little Merlin has been in most of the Arthurian books I've read with the kids so far. Also, how superficially we've scratched the surface of Arthurian legends.

My favorite stories are probably "The Wild Child," where Merlin is a feral child taken in by a falconer, and "The Sword and the Stone," where Guenevere disguises herself as a boy to challenge a knight who dishonored her sister.

Now I need to read more Merlin, and perhaps more Yolen. ( )

This collection of short stories and poetry intrigued me as I followed up on Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. It is not a cohesive whole, rather a collection that shows different facets of the possible Merlins out there. Child of a demon, mage, wild child, fool of love, wise man -- all of these are possibilities and part of the many legends. As with the best fiction, this one makes you think, sometimes to the point of uneasiness.

"What is a magic maker but a mage? A mage deals in images, the prestidigitation of the mind: imagination. Mage, magic, image, imagination. It was all the same."

It is well worth the reading if you enjoy thoughtful fantasy and beautifully used language. ( )

I’ve yet to list Jane Yolen as one of my favorite authors, but I do think she’s a master. I’m always excited to see her name listed in anthologies. Her short story “Meditation in a Whitethorn Tree” is a masterpiece, and her award-winning picture book Owl Moon is just lovely. Oddly enough, I’ve found her novels hit-and-miss; she seems to do better with shorter forms.

Merlin's Booke contains thirteen stories and poems centered around the figure of the mythical mage. Merlin appears in many different guises over the course of the collection: the devil-child born of a nun and an incubus, the feral wood-boy, the young dreamer who sees truth “on the slant,” the mysterious orchestrator of a king’s conception, the old druid arranging political marriages, the bard who undertakes a young boy’s education, the old dotard who falls for a vixen’s charms.

“Was not Merlin a shape-shifter, a man of shadows, ... a creatures of mists?” Yolen asks in her introduction. “There is not one Merlin, but a multitude.”

I didn't care for the poems that open and close this collection, but the other verse pieces are beautiful, showcasing Yolen’s musical ear and shifting gracefully from the general to the specific. I love this stanza from “The Annunciation”:

Love goes in motley
and in mask
and, counterfeit,
completes the task
that I have set him
for this night.
So love plays love
without the light.

The short stories are just as good, if not better. Some feel a little incomplete at their endings, as if they are merely the beginning of stories. But then, I don’t read Yolen for plot, which is not her strong suit; I read her for her characters and the beauty of her language. And most of the time you can guess what follows if you are at all familiar with the mythos. I was impressed with the opening tale, “The Confession of Brother Blaise,” which takes a part of Merlin’s story that I dislike and somehow turns it into a tale of redemption. “The Gwynhfar” is an odd, eerie, haunting little tale that is completely unexpected, but somehow unforgettable—probably my favorite in the collection. And “The Sword and the Stone” may be even better than the novel she turned it into, Sword of the Rightful King, which I remember liking quite a bit.

What really makes Yolen’s take on the Arthurian legend special (both here and elsewhere) is her ability to suggest, with just a few carefully chosen words, possibilities, subplots, and relationships that you might never have thought of before. For instance, I want to know more about the Lancelot of “The Sword and the Stone,” even though he was a minor character at best. And this is coming from someone who is usually not too taken with Arthur’s greatest knight.

If you’re looking for short stories about the Matter of Britain, this collection is highly recommended. (Also check out Parke Godwin's anthology Invitation to Camelot.) ( )