Merlin's Godson

a readers review. Merlin's Godson, the story of Merlin and a lost Roman contingent settling in among native Americans following Arthur's death, is equally as over-written but not nearly as entertaining or fantastical as the book it prequels, Merlin's Ring . Even so, fans of detail- and geography-obsessive alternate histories will probably find plenty to like. Munn's created an interesting universe in which savages cower at acts of "magic" that are obviously just proper application of scientific knowledge, but gods and mysticism rear their vengeful heads just often enough to make you realize those savages have reason to cower. This is actually a combination of two previously published novels, King of the World's Edge and The Ship from Atlantis, which helps to explain why the last section of the book (featuring the early adventures of the titular hero, Gwalchmai) feels tacked on. Also important to note is that King of the World's Edge was originally published in 1939, and written as early as 1925, so taken in context it's a pretty impressive piece of work. Still, Godson is probably of interest mainly to people who've already read Ring and want a little flesh on the backstory.


Genre: Fantasy