I'm as big a fan of Arthurian legend as the next person. Tales of Arthur, Lancelot, Gwenevere (and the various spellings thereof), the Round Table (not the pizza), and chivalry almost make me wish for that long ago time when life was very different. When I came across Merlin's Harp, I thought I'd find an interesting read about a well known legend. There was a comparison on the back to The Mists of Avalon, a book which I really enjoyed, so I bought this novel hoping to be as enthralled. Unfortunately, I was not.
Although Merlin's Harp is very well written (two thumbs up for writing style), the plot is what took away stars in my rating. It can be difficult to rewrite a legend, especially one like this that as so many variations and detailed elements. I liked where Crompton was taking the novel, but the plot was too jumpy for me, and, as stated in previous posts, I don't do well with slow movers, and Merlin's Harp was pretty slow. For instance, I was almost halfway through the novel before the story made it into Camelot. I realize that Crompton deemed it important to explain how the Fey grow up and become who they are, but I can only read about Counsel Oak and the apple trees so many times something before I expect something interesting to happen.
I did enjoy the mysteries about the Fey. According to Aefa, one of the main characters Niviene's friends, no Fey ever knows who his or her father is. Even Niviene knowing that she has a brother, and growing up with him is an unusual thing amongst the Fey. Niviene herself does not know who her father is, and for most of the novel, she doesn't particularly care. There is also the question as to who is Fey and who is Human. Several times, Niviene questions whether some of the people she meets are completely Fey, completely Human, or some of both. She is never sure about her own brother; she believes him Fey as a child, but when they are grown, and he becomes Lancelot (a twist I was excited about), Nivienve thinks that he must be half Human because of the emotions that he shows, but her mother dies before she ever has the thought to ask. There are other aspects about the Fey that I liked, but I'll leave them for you to read, if you'd like.
Scenes such as the ones with Morgan le Faye were really annoying. I think it would have been easy enough to leave out part of the legend that did not affect Niviene or her life, but Crompton wouldn't do it. I suppose that Compton needed a way to introduce Mordred, but this was just ridiculous. Morgan was never mentioned before this scene, and she is mentioned in passing maybe once or twice afterward until Arthur's death scene. She seems to just pop in and disappear for a while, which isn't how to original legend goes. It would have been easier and more conducive to the plot if Morded had just showed up in Camelot with Merlin one day. Instead, there is a battle that's not even a fight that takes maybe 10 pages, before Morgan is soundly defeated by a song, and the Merlin and company take Mordred. They just leave Morgan behind: no magic to seal her away, no dire warning, nothing to keep her from taking revenge. She just accepts it. It's silly!
There are some nice things that Crompton adds to the legend of Arthur, but I think I'd rather watch the painful 1967 musical Camelot, than read the pieces of Merlin's Harp that I didn't like. I think, however, that I can just skip those scenes and enjoy Niviene's perspective about what happened. If you'd like a hilarious, non-musical, Arthurian tale, I would suggest the TV mini-series Merlin. It focuses more on Merlin's view of how Arthur rose and fell, but it's just as interesting as the legends that focus mostly on Arthur himself.
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