The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga, Book 1) Paperback – May 6, 2003

I’ll be the first to admit that, despite reading a few Arthurian-based tales in high school and college, I am not very well versed in the Arthurian legends and consider myself a novice. However, I found that The Crystal Cave was an enjoyable ride, filled with entertainment, fantasy and high drama.It’s only my second novel from Mary Stewart, but I have a strong inclination and belief that she is just a really good writer who engages her audience. I think this is especially true with this novels because, while I had some criticisms, she overcomes them all by creating an interesting tale from young Merlin’s point of view and bringing this setting and world to authentic life.The Crystal Cave is the first in a series of Arthurian retellings, and the initial focuses on a young Merlin’s vantage point and chronicles his adventures from childhood to becoming a young man. As a youngster, Merlin begins to become aware gradually that he has a gift if you will, of second sight. One of the more prevalent scenes begins when Merlin visits a cave and has a strange vision.The crystal cave, the basis of the title, sort of comes to embody the overall symbol of Merlin’s strange, yet uncontrollable, powers that he has:“A cave. The crystal cave. Sometimes I think it is death, and at other times it is birth or a gate of vision, or a dark limbo of sleep…I cannot tell. But some day I shall know. Till then, I suppose I am not afraid of much else. I shall come to the cave in the end…”My main quibbles with The Crystal Cave were both the many, many characters and relations to keep track of, which I couldn’t begin to do, and the rather anticlimactic moments. There were so many deaths of key characters in this book, and many of them happen “off screen” if you will, and explained away in rather abrupt manners, which lessened the impact of the moment.This aside, The Crystal was an entertaining, enchanting story for the most part, and it is easy to see why this novel has quite a following. This is a novel that a reader can enjoy it they do not worry too much about the characters and their relations and the world building and instead just take it all in. I would be interested in checking out the sequels in this series.

I had my Arthurian period like many readers. There was a time when I found the legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and Merlin irresistible.The period when I was most susceptible to these stories happened to coincide with the time of greatest popularity of the Lerner and Lowe musical adaptation of them, known as Camelot. Come to think of it, maybe that wasn't a coincidence. How I loved that musical!At any rate, it had been a number of years since I paid a visit to Camelot, but when Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave was recommended to me, I was intrigued. In spite of the reading I had done concerning the legends, I had never read Stewart's work. Obviously, that was a serious oversight on my part.Stewart was an excellent writer and she pulls together all the threads of the Merlin origination story and weaves them into a page turner of a tale.Merlin was the bastard child of a Welsh princess. His mother never told him, or anyone, the name of his father. As a child, he lived with his mother at his grandfather's court, but he was an outcast, without status or friends.As he got older, he enjoyed wandering the hills on his own and one day he found a strange cave and met the even stranger man who lived there, Galapas. Galapas was old and wise and had the gift of "seeing," as did Merlin although he hardly knew it at the time. Galapas became his teacher and he had other tutors as well who educated him in languages, math, and engineering as well as medicine and religion. And, of course, magic.Perhaps Galapas' most important lesson for Merlin was this: "The gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path. And that takes courage." Merlin learns the truth of that and learns to be open to the gods and always put himself in their path.The student grows in knowledge and power and, following the death of his grandfather and the ascension of a king who is even less kindly disposed toward him, he runs away from home and ends up on the shores of Less Britain which is under the control of the exiled king Ambrosius.Ambrosius' brother is Uther, who will one day be known as Uther Pendragon and will father yet another bastard child who will be named Arthur and given into the care of Merlin. But all of that is still in the future.In the meantime, Stewart shows us Ambrosius attempting to bring the peoples of Britain together under one king and the parts that Merlin and Uther play in his grand scheme.Merlin's renown grows throughout the land until he is seen as a great wizard, able to see into the future and to affect how that future evolves.The stories here are very well known and yet Stewart manages to make them seem fresh. She weaves together historical details and myth in a wonderful tapestry that finally reveals to us the whole colorful picture. Her writing is vividly descriptive and makes the reader feel as though she is there by Merlin's side as he works his "magic." Indeed, not just Merlin but all of the characters, including relatively minor ones, were well-developed and one felt empathy for them.This book was published in 1970 and yet it did not feel dated. It was as timeless as Merlin himself, perhaps still sleeping somewhere in his crystal cave, waiting to be called by Arthur to wake and defend the beloved kingdom once again.

Couldn't get into it. My whole bookclub couldn't get through it.

Everything was delivered as promised, and the book's condition was better than expected.

Having heard the stories of King Arthur for years, I was curious to see what this was all about while looking for a book to fulfil a reading challenge. This book takes us back to what you could regard as the beginning, focusing on Merlin.The book opens with us seeing Merlin as a young boy. Used to being ignored by those around him, Merlin knows his father’s identity is the source of many rumours. His mother refuses to share the name of the man who made her pregnant, but we are plunged into a world of intrigue and machinations. In this tumultuous environment, Merlin tries to find his way.We follow Merlin as he is trained by a hermit. We see his uncanny ability to see things he should not know. We also see him in danger as he escapes threats from his mother’s family. Through luck and the use of his wits, Merlin finds himself taken under the wing of a man challenging for the right to rule the kingdom.Of course, much of the story has a sense of familiarity. It was interesting to gain a sense of Merlin growing into his role, and the part he plays in the life of King Arthur.While this could in no way be regarded as a historical account, it was a great story.

This first book in the Arthurian Saga series starts when Merlin is little. A few years later he comes across Galpas and the crystal cave and a legend begins to be born.I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Mary Stewart. The Crystal Cave is a sweeping saga which one can get caught up in. Well written with brilliant characters I can't wait to read the next part of the dtory.Highly recommended.

Mary Stewart’s three Merlin centric arthurian books (of which this is the first) are, as far as I am concerned, the best re-telling of Merlin’s story I have had the pleasure of reading. There is a magic in her words that mirrors the magic she ascribes to Merlin - quiet, unshowy but deeply powerful and moving. I re-read this book (and the two that follow it) often and always find joy in it.

Mary Stewart was a gifted writer. ( She passed away in 2014). Her use of language is a joy to read. Her words paint a vivid picture which transports the reader to the time and place. Added to that this book is a brilliant, fascinating read. It brings to life all the legends of Merlin to life in a way that is imaginative but believable. I am looking forward to reading all the others in this series. I highly recommend this book as an imaginative and engrossing read.

This book is one of the best versions of Arthurian legend out there. Stewart’s description of events relies heavily on Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gildas, and Nenius. Her genius is in her description of places—so much so that years later you will stumble across real locations and recognise them from her books.