''The Coming of the King: The First Book of Merlin'' is a 1988

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthu ...

novel by Nikolai Tolstoy drawing upon

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

and more broadly, Celtic and

Germanic mythology Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism. Origins As the Germanic langu ...

. The novel is the first in an as-yet unfinished trilogy. Tolstoy is also the author of the 1985 nonfiction ''The Quest for Merlin'', which explores the historical roots of Merlin.

Plot summary

Set in 6th century Europe after Arthur's death, the novel retells part of Merlin's life using the Black Book of Carmarthen, Robert de Boron,

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...

, and other sources. Elements of the childhood of

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...

are also used. The novel covers Merlin's life from infancy to adulthood as well as

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Saxon conflicts, climaxing with a battle at Dineirth in Wales. Historical and legendary figures appearing in the novel include Cynric of Wessex, Maelgun Gwynedd, Beowulf and Taliesin himself. Merlin serves as mentor to Maelgun instead of Arthur as popularized by

Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of ''Le Morte d'Ar ...

and others. The novel also features mythological figures like the gods

Woden Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory ...

and

Lir Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...

as characters.

Sequels

The second novel in the trilogy, tentatively titled ''The Thirteen Treasures'', is planned to feature Merlin's search for the

Thirteen Treasures of Britain The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain ( Welsh: ''Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain'') are a series of items in late-medieval Welsh tradition. Lists of the items appear in texts dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.Jones, Mary"Tri Thlws ...

and involves him meeting the dead Arthur through shamanism. The third novel is planned to cover Merlin's stay in the Caledonian Forest where he finally dies a " triple death". As of 1989, Tolstoy stated his work on the succeeding novels was being delayed by a libel case involving alleged British war crimes.

References

Works based on Merlin Modern Arthurian fiction British fantasy novels Novels set in sub-Roman Britain 1988 British novels Bantam Press books {{1980s-fantasy-novel-stub