Merlin must save Fincayra once again, but this time it may cost him his life. The stakes are higher than ever before in The Fires of Merlin, the third book in The Lost Years of Merlin epic.

Before Merlin can go to battle, he must confront the sorceress who has stolen his magical talisman-a talisman needed to stop Wings of Fire.īut according to the prophecy, the one who destroys the dragon also dies… The dragon called Wings of Fire has awakened from his enchanted slumber-a spell cast by Merlin’s grandfather-and only the descendant of the wizard who first defeated the dragon possesses the power to stop him. (Cover picture courtesy of Free Book Notes.) Readers will cheer for Merlin every step of the way through his difficult quest and will be thrilled as more familiar elements from the Arthurian legends fall into place. This is a nod to Merlin’s parentage as well his evil father and his good mother give him a sort of symmetry. Just the way all people are filled with both light and dark, Fincayra is populated with dark creatures like marsh ghouls but balanced out with good creatures like the ballymag. Filled with creatures from Celtic mythology as well as completely new creatures, it contains more diversity than many mainstream novels. Barron’s world-building is second to none in the world of fantasy fiction. Filled with mystery, despair and tragic prophecies while still managing to captivate readers, The Mirror of Merlin is my second-favourite book in The Lost Years of Merlin series, only surpassed by the first novel. The novel’s prologue starts out with a haunting observation from Merlin looking back on his youth and it definitely sets the tone of the entire novel. “Mirrors, I assure you, can cause more pain than broadswords, more terror than ghouls.” But first he must travel to the very centre of the swamp with the deer-woman he loves in order to retrieve the sword Nimue stole from him. What if you could go back in time to talk with your younger self and warn him/her about impending danger? Or what if you could look into a mirror as a teenager and see the person you will become? Well, that’s what the mysterious mirror in the middle of the Haunted Marsh allows Merlin to do. Together with Hallia, the deer-woman Merlin has fallen in love with, he must embark on a journey through the haunted land that will test his knowledge and his courage to find his stolen sword.īut then Merlin discovers a magic mirror capable of altering a person’s destiny-and the visage he finds within the glass is someone he never imagined he’d see… There is something wicked in the swamplands on the magical isle of Fincayra-an encroaching evil intent on destroying the land-and only young Merlin possesses the power to stop it. (Cover picture courtesy of Open Library.)

The lost years of merlin series