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07/30/2004    
S. M. Smoller     e-mail

     The book The Lost Years of Merlin, written by T. A. Barron, is a fantasy book about when Merlin was a kid.  He travels to the legendary island of Fincayra where he meets his bird, Trouble, his friend, Rhia, and his evil father, Stangmar.  Merlin goes throughout Fincayra meeting many friends and enemies.  He finally reaches Stangmar's castle and destroys it, but his hawk, Trouble, was killed.  Merlin becomes the hero and the book ends.
     The main setting is the isle of Fincayra.  There are many locations on Fincayra like Druma Wood, The Haunted Marsh, and The Rusted plains.  There are a lot of villages in Fincayra, such as the village of the Bards and the village of the Slantos.  My favorite landmark by far is the River.  Unceasing because it hold a secret, the rocks by the river are actually dragon eggs from the great dragon, Valderag.  But, you don't find that out until the third book.  All in all, Fincayra is an extravagant and magical place.
     One of the main characters name is Rhia.  Rhia is a forest girl that lives in Druma Wood.  She has a slender figure and is extremely quick footed.  For the people who have played The Legend of Zelda OCarina of Time, she looks like saria, but with brown hair and clothes made completely out of leaves.  She befriends Merlin early in the book and stays with until the end.  Rhia is my favorite character in the book except for Merlin, of course.
     The most exciting part is when Merlin is being held by two zombies at the foot of  King Stangmar's throne, about to be thrown into the cauldron that would kill him instantly.  After Merlin gives a short speech, King Stangmar tells the zombies, "Now, throw my son into the cauldron!"  That meant that King Stangmar was Merlin's dad.  I never expected that to happy at all, but believe me, there are a lot more surprises in books 2, 3 and 4.
     I think that it was one of the best books I've ever read.  There area a lot of details in it and the characters seem real.  Every page is like a picture that forms in your mind as you read the page.  It is the type of book that you absolutely cannot put down.  Fans of Harry Potter will love this book, and the three sequels after it. The Lost Years of Merlin is a book that any age would love.  Let The Lost Years of Merlin ensnare you in its beauty, secrets and adventure as it did me.