The Seven Songs of Merlin

The Lost Years of Merlin, Book Two

By: T.A. Barron

Narrated by: Kevin Isola

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Merlin has brought new hope to Fincayra, the enchanted isle that lies between earth and sky. Having finally freed it from the terrible Blight, Merlin and the forest girl Rhia set out to heal the land using the magical Flowering Harp. But Fincayra remains in great danger still, and the first victim of the renewed tide of evil is Merlin's own mother.

Merlin's sole hope of saving his mother's life is to master the Seven Songs of Wisdom passed down from the greatest wizard Fincayra has ever known, Merlin's grandfather, Tuatha. Only then can he voyage to the Otherworld of the spirits and obtain the precious Elixir of Dagda. Yet to do that, he must first succeed where even Tuatha failed, by defeating Balor, the ogre whose merest glance means death. Even more difficult, Merlin must discover the secret of seeing not with his eyes, but with his heart.

Don't miss the rest of the Lost Years of Merlin saga.

©1997 Thomas Archibald Barron (P)2002 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"Spellbinding...readers will relish not only the action and the well-crafted setting but also Merlin's growth from a callow youth to a wiser, more caring wizard-in-training." (Booklist)
"Merlin is a combination of pride, bravery, and recklessness, qualities narrator Kevin Isola conveys in every nuance of his voice....A fine performance." (AudioFile)

The most moving series I've read since I was a kid

I read this series as a child and loved it and I still love it to this day it is the most moving series I've read in ages so good.

Excellent!!

I've loved these books since the first time I read them. I was worried after reading some reviews concerning the narrator's performance, but I was quite happy with it, overall. He's no Jim Dale or Stephen Fry, but very good in his own rights.

Good story, Narrator took too much creative liberty

The story was good. I enjoyed revisiting this book from my childhood and listening to Merlins spiritual quest to understand magic.

The narrator really made me cringe, especially in the later part of the book. Not sure why the narrator thought they could do a different voice for every character. I was just imagining the narrator with a tomato red face straining to over exaggerate every scene while also trying to blow out a candle as they spoke. Glad I read it but you might want to consider a hard copy for this series.

The Story and the Narrator are AMAZING!

I know that a few of the other reviewers are not fans of Kevin Isola's performance, but I thought he was fantastic. He breathed life into this story that the previous narrator did not in the first book. The story itself is rich with wonder, emotion, and humor. I have owned this series for many years, and have read it many times over. I love T.A. Barron's ability to weave a story. I have loved these and his other books since childhood, and will far into old age.

great but grating

i loved this series growing up and decided to revisit the books as audio. i still love the story, as i think it has value for older fantasy lovers as well as a young audience, but the voice acting was really over the top. most of it is fine but the very first scene had so many loud, or scratchy, or painfully draw-out buts of dialogue that i almost ditched it from the start. i worked thru the beginning and it got more normalized but i do wish the narrator would chill out!

wonderful book in a wonderful series

What a unique telling of Merlin's journey to master wizard. The narrator brings great life to the characters. unfortunately the audio file like many on audible nowadays is plagued with skips, loss of sound at important moments that seems to be hard coded, and strange pauses. none of which are the book or narrators fault. i really wish audible would fix this issue. The quality problems have marred many a great book.

Great book but I do not like the narrator.

The narrator cannot do female voices at all, but the story is worth the listen.

Wow!!!

This series is amazing!! Perfect mix of Tolkien, Rowling, Ende and Aristotle. A must read for everyone. The imagery is descriptive and every adventure is captivating continuously keeping you engaged. Most powerful of all is how cerebral the concepts of the story are. Clearly a lot of research was done into history and philosophy. I loved the moments of reflection and introspection into morality. I honestly felt like it could have been written by a young Merlin himself. Powerful for a young audience but appropriate for an older audience as well. Well done!

One of my favorite series from childhood

T.A. Barron brought wonder and magic to my childhood, inspiring me with his series to explore outside and comforting me when confronted by bullying. I used to feel angry and ashamed of that time because of the bullying, but now I look back and see the gift of reading that was bestowed upon me and I’ll always have that with me. Thank you, T.A. Barron.

The man that reads these books is amazing.

Where does The Seven Songs of Merlin rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Wonderful, I close my eyes and I'm there. I'm thinking these were written for younger folk, but I'm 74 and love them. Merlin is a snotty boy of 13 which is very believable. And Reea is a more mature thoughtful 13. Just like real life. ;) I have trouble with reading for long periods of time, so love to just sit and listen, Just love the Lost Years of Merlin series.

What other book might you compare The Seven Songs of Merlin to and why?

Herry Potter, but not the first one. I love Herry Potter too. Like these just as much.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Merlin finds out that getting what you want isn't always good. When he brought his mother to him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

O my yes, both.

Any additional comments?

If you like fantasy you will love these books.