Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs

Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs

Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs Cover
Author	T. A. Barron
Original title	The Seven Songs of Merlin
Language	English
Series	The Merlin Saga
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Penguin
Publication date	1997
Publication place	U.S.A.
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	336 pp (hardcover edition)
ISBN	978-0-399-25021-7
Preceded by	Merlin Book 1: The Lost Years
Followed by	Merlin Book 3: The Raging Fires
Website	The Seven Songs

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Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs is a fantasy novel by T. A. Barron, published by Philomel Books in 1997. ^[1] The Seven Songs is the second book in a 12-book series known as The Merlin Saga. This book was originally published as The Seven Songs of Merlin, book two of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, a 5-book series. ^[2] These books chronicle the childhood of Merlin.

Plot 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 Wizardry 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.

The Seven Songs

The Seven Songs refer to the seven major arts of Wizardry. These arts are Changing, Binding, Protecting, Naming, Leaping, Eliminating, and Seeing. A song written on the walls inside Arbassa (Merlin's Sister's Home, an Oak Tree) by Merlin's grand father Tuatha tells of these seven arts and it is only by finding the "Souls of the Songs" that Merlin can begin to master these arts and venture into the Otherworld to retrieve the cure for his Mother.

References

1. "The Seven Songs of Merlin". Kirkus Reviews . August 1, 1997. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
2. Dodds, Georges T. "The Lost Years of Merlin". SF Site. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.