Having mildly enjoyed his trilogy on Robin Hood (Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck), I was interested to see how Stephen Lawhead would tell the story of King Arthur. Taliesin is book one of the Pendragon Cycle, his six-book spin on the legend. Here, Charis (a princess from Atlantis) meets Taliesin (a British druid of interesting origin) and their eventual union produces "Myrddin"- or Merlin, as we know him.
Despite some promise, I couldn't get through this. The overall plot seemed okay, and Lawhead also makes some attempt to be historical, which I like. There were some interesting elements- incorporating Atlantis into the legend, for example- but these things didn't compensate for the shortfalls: the writing wasn't great, the character development rushed, and it's just not compelling. After reading 14%, I put it down. If you're an Arthur nut, go for this. If not, move on.
Rating: B-
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