by Jason Joyner | May 30, 2013 | Blog, CSFF, Merlin's Blade, Robert Treskillard, speculative fiction
The CSFF Tour is featuring our own Robert Treskillard and his debut YA novel Merlin’s Blade, just released.
I have been excited to read this book ever since I heard that he got his publishing deal. Unfortunately, this month was full of training and certification at work, so I will be reading it a little later in the summer and posting a review at that time. In the meantime, I have arranged for a guest reviewer to share his thoughts on Merlin’s Blade.
My twelve year old son Nathan.
He is an avid reader who finished the Lord Of The Rings set and The Hobbit earlier this year. As a young adult who is the target audience, I thought he’d be the perfect stand-in for me and this tour. So here are his thoughts. He’s not quite done, but here’s his straight forward thoughts.
Merlin’s Blade
A stone hypnotizes people and the druids try to use it to control people. Merlin may be the only person to be able to stop them.
First off I want to say that it has been a very fun book to read.
And I really like the dynamic of Merlin being blind, and seeing him grow as a character because I really like what the author did with him. The fact he is blind makes it a big conflict for him. It’s not something you usually read.
But I do wish that Garth was used more; he seemed to be a fun character.
I also like the romance with Merlin and Natalya, and the relationship with Merlin and his father.
So I really want to keep on reading to find out the secret about the druidow stone.
And I keep on wondering what those visions mean so it’s definitely a book that you want to keep on reading.
There you go. You can see other tourmates below for more on Merlin’s Blade. I’m excited for more to come from Robert.
Noah Arsenault Beckie Burnham Keanan Brand Jeff Chapman Laure Covert Pauline Creeden Emma or Audrey Engel April Erwin Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Timothy Hicks Jason Joyner Carol Keen Krystine Kercher Shannon McDermott Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Joan Nienhuis Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Jojo Sutis Robert Treskillard Steve Trower Phyllis Wheeler Shane Werlinger Nicole White
I received a promotional copy from the publisher, for which I’m grateful but will not guarantee a good review. Chocolate on the other hand may help things along…
by Jason Joyner | May 28, 2013 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, Merlin's Blade, Robert Treskillard, speculative fiction, young adult
Welcome to medieval England for the May feature of the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Tour. We are featuring our own member Robert Treskillard and his debut YA novel, Merlin’s Blade.
Robert’s been with us a long time, and I’ve enjoyed interacting with him throughout the years. More importantly, I’m so excited that we are able to feature him after so much hard work.
From Amazon:
In Robert Treskillard’s take on the Arthurian legends, young Merlin is faced with the challenge of saving his country and those he loves when a mysterious, and dangerous, stone falls from the sky.
Partially blinded years ago, Merlin is a timid swordsmith who wants nothing more than to live a quiet life and win the hand of Natalenya, the beautiful and kind daughter of a magistrate. But after he and his friend Garth encounter a strange stone in the wood, one protected by druids, Merlin receives a series of visions and prophecies that he is to save his land and his Christian faith from a dark force. As the power of the stone grows and threatens his family and friends, Merlin is forced to embrace his calling—for he may be the only one immune to the stone’s power.
Touching on multiple elements of the classic Arthur story—from the Lady of the Lake, the creation of Excalibur, the sword in the stone, and the rescue of Arthur himself—this fantasy tale will appeal to young adults looking for adventure and a hint of romance, as well as adults who enjoy the classic tale this series is based on.
I’ll have more on the book tomorrow, but I want to point you to his blog for a special contest he’s having. The grand prize winner gets a sword created by Robert himself. Wow. I might have to learn how to spin cloth or something. Oh, you’ll have to see this post for the rules.
You can find more information at his blog or author site, and see my tourmates below for their thoughts as well.
Noah Arsenault Beckie Burnham Keanan Brand Jeff Chapman Laure Covert Pauline Creeden Emma or Audrey Engel April Erwin Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Timothy Hicks Jason Joyner Carol Keen Krystine Kercher Shannon McDermott Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Joan Nienhuis Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Jojo Sutis Robert Treskillard Steve Trower Phyllis Wheeler Shane Werlinger Nicole White
