The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring and powerful of myths, and Mary Stewart's classic
The Merlin Trilogy
is one of its most beloved and acclaimed retellings. In prose that is as vividly, achingly real as it is poetic,
New York Times
bestselling author Mary Stewart brings to life the man behind the myth: Myrddin Emrys ... Merlinus Ambrosius ... Merlin.
The Crystal Cave
The Hollow Hills
The Last Enchantment
Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys — or, as he would later be known, Merlin — leads a perilous childhood in
, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of UtherPendragon ... and the conception of Arthur — king for once and always.
Keeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon in
, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain.
In
, Arthur Pendragon is king at last. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise as Merlin works to keep safe the once and future king. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause — Arthur's own half sister — ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven.
Extensively researched and beautifully written,
is the epic culmination of an acclaimed career, a legend in and of itself.