Merlin said kindly, “Child. Out in the kingdom, Arthur’s Peace is endangered. I need an assistant mage to help me assure the common good, and you are among the best I know. Come out there with me.”
Everyone loves a story, and there is no story quite so well known or retold as that of King Arthur. We’ve all heard the name King Arthur, the fair Lady of the Lake, and of the wizard Merlin. Of the beautiful, adulterous Gwenevere, of the disloyal knight, Sir Lancelot, of the treacherous Morgan La Fey, the scheming Mordred. But if you have not read Merlin’s Harp by Anne Elliot Crompton, than you’ve never experienced it this richly, this inventively, this beautifully.
Anne Eliot Crompton pulls apart the threads of the Arthurian Cycle and weaves them back together intertwined with shimmering gold. Merlin’s Harp is a lyrical tale told from the point of view of the mage Niviene, apprentice to Merlin, daughter of the Lady of the Lake, and one of the mystical Fey. Niviene, after losing something precious, drowns her heart and sets off with Merlin to Arthur’s kingdom.
Once there, Niviene learns about herself, about Humanity, and about love. She encounters terrible enemies, old friends and misguided opponents. Because of Niviene’s obligation to help Merlin keep the tentative Peace in Arthur’s realm, she encounters evil magic, betrayal, and a lover all but forgotten. Niviene spends years among humans, observing them always and occasionally feared.
When push comes to shove, Niviene must piece together what she’s learned of emotions and of loyalty to make difficult decision about to whom her allegiance lies and with whom she truly belongs. She uncovers awful truths about those with whom she is close and the secrets that have been kept from her.
This splendid novel that strikingly reinvents the legends we’ve all heard, magic meets mystery and stunning truths about the power of love are uncovered. A magnificent novel for anyone who enjoys fantasy and myth.
"This resurrection, this resurgence, is not Fey. This springtime spirit is a Human trait, like the courage I have had to learn, like love."