Author: T. A. Barron
Title: The Seven Songs of Merlin
Rating: 4
Reviewer: TK Grade: 7
Review:
The Seven Songs of Merlin was about Merlin's adventures to find songs to save his mother. Along the way, he meets his friend Rhia, and a jester named Bumbelwy. He also finds out that he has to be very quick to save his mother as the moon changes shape.
The book starts with the meeting of the Great Council of Fincayra. They met together on the remains of the Shrouded Castle. They talk about all of the questions that need to be answered after the great canyon eagle screeched. After all of the questions are answered, the Great Council departed. After that, Merlin went to work, restoring the Dark Hills, but he suddenly felt a sorrow because he had never seen his mother for so long, and he goes to Caer Neithan to meet Cairpre, a bard, to consult him about how to meet his mother. In the beginning, Cairpre disagrees and says that Merlin needs to restore the Dark Hills first, but Merlin pushes him.
Cairpre reluctantly tells him that he needs to find the wisest speaking shell, but no one has ever done that. At this point, Bumbelwy pops up, and asks if he has done horribly (which he did), and Merlin replies that he did horrible. As Merlin leaves, the jester asks if he could come too, and he reluctantly brings him along.
They reach the shore of the speaking shells, and with the help of a shell, Merlin brings his mother through the mist. But, as Rhia arrives, she tries to stop Elen, Merlin's mother, from smelling a flower that Merlin made from plucking the harp, but, a dark mass leaped out from the center of the flower and goes into her body.
They then all learn that it was the death shadow that went into her body. Merlin asks the wisest shell how to prevent her mother from dying in a month, and the shell replies that Merlin has to find the soul of the seven souls of wizardry, go down to the Underworld, and get Dagda's Elixir.
Merlin then goes on an adventure to find the seven songs that are listed on Arbassa, a great tree. He journeys around the whole of Fincayra to find the souls of each of the seven songs, and learns more about himself. If he succeeds, then Merlin is one step closer to being a wizard.
8/24/04
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