But he soon finds that amidst the excitement there is a darker side to Camelot. Magic is outlawed here, so Merlin must keep his unique magical talents a closely guarded secret...From the BBC TV series: Merlin

    As he weakens, Britain is being torn apart by the squabbling of kings. Only one man can bring them together. This is the legend of Artorex, the man destined to be King Arthur. Artorex, tall for his years, is growing up in the household of Lord Ector. Artorex was sent here by the Bishop of Glastonbury when he was but a babe in arms and, although his parentage is unknown, life has been unremarkable. That is, until the arrival of three men who arrange for him to be trained in the skills of the warrior; blade and shield, horse and fire; pain and bravery. By the time the men return, Artorex is both a father and a warrior -- and married to Lady Gallia. The country is in a desperate state -- Londinium is about to fall to the Saxons and Artorex is needed to help fight their advance. But to do so, he must leave his wife and family in the care of others. In an act of appalling treachery, they are slaughtered. But despite his terrible grief, Artorex's destiny is set. He launches into a campaign of battle against the Saxon hordes, earning himself the trust of all men, and proving himself to be the only worthy successor to Uther.But Uther cannot accept Artorex's role and hides his sword and crown. If Artorex is to unite the kings and fulfil his destiny, he needs the weapon destined to be worn by the High King of the Britons. Can he find the embittered Uther's hiding place? The future of Britain is at stake...

    Merlin is poisoned by the sorceress Nimueh and Arthur seeks the only antidote that can save him — but the prince is walking into a trap.

    Uther ignores Gaius' warning, that the creature's bite is always fatal, and sends Arthur and his knights out to kill it. The beast knocks Arthur unconscious and bites his shoulder. As Arthur's life hangs in the balance, Merlin must travel to the Isle of the Blessed and there strike a potentially fatal bargain with the sorceress, Nimueh. The young warlock is the only one who can save Arthur - but at what cost?

    But sorcery is outlawed in Camelot and so he must learn to hide his own unique magical talents. When a mysterious new knight arrives for the sword tournament, Merlin suspects that dark magic is afoot. He's determined to investigate, but soon finds that keeping the magic secret - and Prince Arthur alive - is much harder than he thought.

    Gaius is baffled and a new physician arrives to help. He seems to have all the answers, but Merlin suspects that there's something sinister going on.With a graphic novel element to really bring the text to life, each book covers two TV episodes.

    Like any preteen, she enjoys having a good time, but also is unable to refrain from getting into trouble and rebelling against her father's authority. And, even though Guinevere lives in the Middle Ages, she still has to deal with going to school. This includes being chastised by for not doing her homework. However, being a princess does create problems for her because at thirteen she is expected to leave childhood behind and assume the position of the Lady of the Castle. While she is sure that she is not ready to grow up, several adventures help guide her to accept her future and even to look forward to it. Because of her preoccupation with growing up, Guinevere mistakenly shoots a wild boar with an arrow when she and seven-year-old Cedwyn are out hunting rabbits. The two scramble for their lives, and their reward is the discovery of a rabbit in one of their traps. This innocent rabbit creates problems when it gets loose in the kitchen. The rabbit's escape leads Guinevere on a race to redeem herself and puts her directly into the path of a charging knight on his steed, with disaster narrowly averted by Merlyn. One night, Guinevere's father holds a giant feast in honor of King Arthur. Guinevere and Cedwyn marvel at the different knights, enjoy the feast and hear the storytelling by the bard. Guinevere is introduced to King Arthur for the first time experiences the first stirrings of love. After the feast Guinevere is treated to a surprise encounter with Merlyn, Nimue, and a special unicorn. Merlyn doesn't miss his chance to relate the tale of the unicorn to Guinevere's future as a queen. Later at a meeting with her father and Merlyn, Guinevere discovers that she has been promised in marriage to King Arthur. Her response to that is an emphatic "No "; as she storms out of the room and literally trips over Cedwyn. Guinevere informs Cedwyn that she is running away, and he comes with her. On their runaway, Cedwyn learns that Guinevere is to marry King Arthur, and his excitement further enrages Guinevere. King Arthur is his idol, and one who can help him become a knight. Not understanding Guinevere's reluctance and anger, Cedwyn helps her to see that she is just like the princesses in the stories who become queens so that they may take care of their people and friends, like him. Guinevere returns home to make amends with her father. Grudgingly, with many misgivings, she accepts her future. On Guinevere's thirteenth Birth Day, people from all over the kingdom travel to enjoy the festivities. The excitement of the day buries her doubts of her marriage. She is met with good wishes wherever she and Cedwyn go. They traipse through the tents and join in a rousing game of kickball before the evening feast begins. Merlyn's firework show ends with a magnificent display just for Guinevere highlighting her future. One year after Guinevere's thirteenth Birth Day finds her and Cedwyn in the forest again, but this time Guinevere is teaching Cedwyn to shoot a bow and arrow. A final shot by Cedwyn is filled with disaster as his arrow finds a stray boar, and the two are in the same predicament as they were a year ago. However, by this time, Guinevere has accepted her future and even fallen in love with Arthur. This historical novel of approximately 29,000 words Is written at the mid-fourth grade reading level. The dual purpose of this novel is to acquaint young readers with Guinevere and to entice reluctant readers.

    Old secrets, long hidden, are stirring and the king is afraid for his only son. The black knight seems invincible and Merlin senses that only magic can stop him...

    Somehow Merlin must help Gaius find a cure and save his friend. But before long Merlin is poisoned too! Prince Arthur sets off to find the antidote, but is he walking into a trap?

    Now, in anticipation of the seventy-fifth anniversary of comics’ longest-running adventure strip, and to celebrate their own just-launched reprinting of the strip’s classic earliest years, Fantagraphics is proud to present an expanded version of this hard-to-find collector’s item. Compiled by award-winning Foster biographer Brian M. Kane, The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion beautifully and definitively showcases the careers of artists Hal Foster, John Cullen Murphy, and Gary Gianni.In addition to updating the original version’s story synopsis section with over thirty years of material, The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion also contains rare and new articles. Included in this volume is a never before reprinted newspaper feature from 1949, Foster’s final interview conducted by Arn Saba, an extensive interview with John Cullen Murphy, and a new interview with the current Prince Valiant creative team of Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz. The Companion also contains a new, in-depth article by Kane on Foster’s artistic influences, as well as a foreword by comics historian Brian Walker, and an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ray Bradbury.A special feature of The Companion is a sixteen-page color section of carefully selected strips from the entire run of the comic. Showcasing this section are eight pages by Foster, scanned and digitally restored from original color engraver’s proofs that had been carefully stored and preserved for over forty years. For the first time ever, collectors will be able to see Prince Valiant as Foster intended it to be seen, with all of his fine inked line work intact. Rounding out this section are four John Cullen Murphy pages from the Murphy family’s collection of proofs, and four Gary Gianni pages that were selected by the artist and digitally recolored under his supervision.Proceeds from the sale of The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion will go to The Friends of Hal Foster Society to aid in the creation of the Prince Valiant statue in Foster’s birthplace of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Part of the popular series, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, this expansive volume enables a fundamental understanding of Arthurian literature and explores why it is still integral to contemporary culture. Offers a comprehensive survey from the earliest to the most recent works Features an impressive range of well-known international contributors Examines contemporary additions to the Arthurian canon, including film and computer games Underscores an understanding of Arthurian literature as fundamental to western literary tradition

    Merlin must help Gaius find a cure and save his friend from execution.

    Lost, they escape through a door to the outside only to find themselves in a new and unbelievable world where mammoths draw gigantic caravans and two great blue moons light up the night sky. Here too are primitive birds – small, sly and intelligent; unicorns and huge fighting beasts; Big Foot is here and a race of Elf-like creatures as well as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights who long ago lost the ideals of chivalry.Against this backdrop, the fifteen year old Francis and friends have to find their way back to their own world while making sense of this one and helping Merlin to keep his secret cave hidden.The story races along with caverns used as a prison, manned bird racing and slave trading all mixed in with magics rediscovered by the heroes.Welcome to Merlin’s world, explore it, enjoy it, but tread carefully.review -Everett Coles has crafted an enthralling, fast paced narrative sure to gratify the 10 – 15 age group target audience. Coles sets in place an intriguing premise: what might take place should the Wizard Merlin need aid and call upon descendants for help, and the author then sets about spinning a tale certain to thrill the most discerning reader. Occupied with tumult, potent ingeniously interwoven plots within a plot, stratagems, snappy dialog, machination and wondrous creatures Merlin’s Kin is filled with the elements of a first rate fantasy. Forceful motivations, treachery, friction aptly determined abound against a backdrop of sights and sounds, fragrance and sensation designed to draw the reader straight into the tale. Characters are richly fleshed, acceptable and believable. Dialog is tart, at times gritty and hard hitting.This audacious account is a pleasure read awash with change and spins and awe and remarkable mythic creatures. Vocabulary used is British dialect. Younger readers will enjoy the challenge in trying to figure out various terms they have not seen before. Older readers will find the dialect only adds to the charm of the tale.Good addition to the classroom pleasure reading ‘book report’ list, personal and home library and homeschool curriculum.Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend.Molly Martin www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin20+ years California classroom teacher