Adam Ardrey's new book, Finding Merlin, which exposes the true history of the legendary Arthurian wizard, is reviewed today in Kirkus:The Merlin of myth was a legendary magician and prophet in the court of King Arthur. Ardrey uses etymology, newly discovered historical documents and a fair dose of logical thinking to trace the roots of this forgotten man to sixth- and seventh-century Scotland, a radical discovery given that scholars have long proposed the real Merlin lived a century earlier in England and/or Wales. "If I am right," writes the author, "British history for the period from the late fifth to the early seventh century stands to be rewritten..." The discoveries of the real birthplace, battlefields and final resting place of Merlin, the man, as well as the many intriguing riffs into the lives and bitter rivalries of other important figures of that time, provide enough fodder to maintain reader interest...
A significant book for die-hard Merlin fans and skeptical scholars.
