Andre Norton was noted for her unique take on the tropes of science fiction and fantasy and her influence on the genres. In her version of the Arthurian legend, we follow the progress of Merlin/Myrddin with a twist which, as far as I know, having read many Arthurian retellings, is unique.

Two space-faring races have encountered planet Earth in the far distant past. Humanity, under the mentoring of one of them, known as the Star Lords, rose to a technological peak, but civilisation was destroyed in a cataclysm and the survivors reverted to barbarism. Gradually, human beings have clawed their way back up and it is now the time of post-Roman Britain. A beacon placed long ago by the Star Lords guides in one of their automated starships which sets up a base in a cave system and sets out to influence human development, with the aim of eventually restoring the advanced technology of the past.

The first step in the process is to bring about the conception of someone who will work to accomplish certain aims - Myrddin, as he is initially known. We follow the tale of how he is conceived and raised, with the help of an old druid, and gradually comes into his heritage with his discovery of the alien technology in the caves. He must return a certain stone to the Temple of the Sun (pretty obviously Stonehenge) which will activate a new beacon to guide the Star Lords back, as the old one failed some time ago, and also bring about the birth of a leader who will establish peace - Arthur. But an adversary already works against him - a woman called Nimue, the representative of the Star Lords' enemies who do not want humanity to develop a technological society and eventually space flight.

This should have been an absorbing tale given the novel treatment of the well-known legend. And yet the style was quite distant. It is possible to tell an absorbing story even with the older style of omniscient narration, yet here it often set Merlin apart so that it was difficult to relate to his concerns, human as they were. I felt more could have been made of the church's enemity towards him, but there was also a slight continuity glitch. After his unavoidable absence for some years due to Nimue's meddling, he changes his name to Merlin and is supposed to be someone else, as the cryogenic technology in the caves slowed his ageing process, yet everyone still refers to him as having no father, being demon-spawned and the like. That was the rumour about his original self, Myrddin, so why does it persist - years have gone by and no one is meant to remember Myrddin (apart from Nimue), so why should they associate him with someone who hasn't been seen for years and would be older? It's also a bit inconsistent that the church do not target Nimue for their prejudice considering that she is known as a healer, which was something that always brought women under suspicion of witchcraft.

The characters of women - or rather non-characters - suffer greatly in this story. Early on, we are in the viewpoint of the woman who will give birth to Myrddin, but she is rather shallow and can't wait to get married. She is soon sent off stage. A foster nurse has something of a bond with the young boy, but is killed off. Nimue, the main female character, is always trying to seduce Myrddin/Merlin who has to keep himself totally celibate for not very convincing reasons, and doesn't have much of a motive for what she is doing, although there is a little hint of this right at the end of the book which, if it had been brought out sooner, might have been interesting. Morgause is a non-event, only a brood mare to produce Mordred, and Genievere is a shallow woman only interested in being the centre of attention to men: both have small cameo appearances and their importance is more in what they do offstage - Morgause being Nimue's prisoner, then supposedly being the one who spreads the 'truth' about Arthur, and Genievere supporting Mordred against Arthur.

As an informational note, the cover of this edition is rather misleading with its portrayal of the cliched white-bearded old man: Myrddin/Merlin is in his prime, especially in view of the fact that he didn't age at all for at least sixteen years during the story.

Given the distancing narrative style, I found the book slow going although it is not long - only 205 pages. But it took quite a long while to get through which wouldn't nomally be the case for a book of this length. So with this and the other issues, I can only rate it 2 stars. ( )

A cute little book. Nice, escapist Science Fiction and fantasy. Sadly it never goes anywhere. The writing is good, but it is a simple story that sinks when it looses sight of the beach. Norton is much more convincing as a writer when she leaves the boots off planet earth. ( )

An interesting attempt to mix some SF into the traditional Arthurian legend. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite work. The SF elements feel tacked on and don’t really progress the plot. The central idea of telling the story from Merlin’s perspective feels distant and impersonal. Disappointing. ( )

I love the Arthurian mythos and I love Andre Norton, so you would think I would love this book. I remembered reading it back in the mid-1970s and thinking it was bold and exciting. And the science fiction twist on what is usually fantasy should be fascinating.

Alas, on this rereading, I found it to be different, but not exciting. Its depictions of female characters felt dated. I liked the premise, but just didn't enjoy the story as much as I thought I would. I actually felt relieved when I finished it.

Recommended for those who want every book on Arthur or Merlin or for those who wish a complete collection of Andre Norton. ( )

First edition paperback, no isbn