Title: The Brotherhood of Merlin
Author: Rory Nelson
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-48356-836-2
Pages: 390
Genre: Epic fantasy
Reviewed by: Courtney McDermott
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Rory Nelson’s The Brotherhood of Merlin is a fastpaced, fantasy epic about good and evil with a cast of interesting characters and vivid, memorable battle scenes.
The novel begins with Dante, a young boy whose father, Lucian, works for the King. His father returns one day, bringing Dante a gift. This gift is a carved figure of Merlin, the legendary fighter who Dante is enraptured with. His father then announces that he has left the King’s court to be at home with the family; Dante, his sister Isabella, and their beautiful mother are delighted. But then the Archangel Michael appears, and reveals that Lucian is actually Lucifer, the fallen angel. Michael demands that Lucifer return with him, taking him away from Dante. Dante’s family is endangered, so he flees with his mother and sister only to be pursued and attacked in a fight that leaves his mother and sister dead. Dante is then on his own until a lone wolf becomes his protector. The first 70 pages center on Dante and his family, the departure of his father and the death of his mother and sister. The novel at first appears to be about Dante, but then he disappears and does not return until the last 15 pages. His father never returns again. It is unclear why the Dante storyline is even included, unless Nelson intends for there to be a sequel.
The novel then shifts to the priest and celebrated soldier Merlin, as he leads his brotherhood in battle against Jason, King of the VisiGauls. Jason is pillaging villages, raping young girls and slaughtering men. Merlin and the Confederate Knighthood stand their ground, protecting innocent lives and defeating evil with their goodness of heart. In the end, after the war has ended, Merlin encounters young Dante and vows to be his guardian and protector.
In a culture obsessed with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, it is difficult for a writer to carve out his/her own world that is distinct enough from the classics but is true to the characteristics of a good fantasy novel that readers enjoy: good vs. evil, battle scenes, magic, power-hungry rulers, politics, and heroic peasants. The Brotherhood of Merlin possesses all of these characteristics. There are nods to these other mythologies: Orks (“ogrish creatures” not unlike the Orcs of Middle Earth), wolf companions to the soldiers much like the wolves of the Stark family in Game of Thrones, and the inclusion of Christianity (King Herod, Michael the Archangel, and Lucifer). However, The Brotherhood of Merlin is not unique enough of a world; It doesn’t build upon these well-known stories and mythologies, but rather muddles them.
The language is inconsistent throughout the book. There is modern-day slang juxtaposed with forced medieval language peppered with pirate sounding phrases. The author either needs to commit to keeping the story time period accurate or needs to go all out and create an alternate history that can include pistols, sequin dresses, and other artifacts of modernity. As it stands, the book wavers in this murky middle ground.
If there is one place that Nelson excels, it is with descriptive battle scenes. Though graphic, these scenes are less about sensationalism and more about accurately portraying the horrors of hand-to-hand combat. The action is continuous, pulsating, keeping a steady pace that pulls the reader in. Nelson carefully and believably crafts the politics of this world and the power struggle that dominates the plot. Hopefully the story of Dante and Merlin will continue in another book, as Nelson has set up this world for a sequel. I recommend The Brotherhood of Merlin by Rory Nelson to all fantasy enthusiasts.
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