Guardian of the Balance
(Merlin's Descendants: Book 1)
Irene Radford
DAW Books, 1999
ISBN:0-88677-826-3 (hardcover)
Arthurian legend is one of the richest and most mined sources of both fantasy and
historical literature. Yet no matter how many tales are told of Arthur, Guinevere,
Merlin, Lancelot, and the many allies and foes who people the court of Camelot and the
realms surrounding it, the fascination with exploring this time and place continues to grow.
With GUARDIAN OF THE BALANCE, Irene Radford joins the ranks of such renowned writers as T.H.
White, Mary Stewart, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, as she weaves her own magnificent vision of
this era that might have been.
Her name was Arylwren-Wren to those she numbered among her friends. She was the child
who should not have been, daughter of Myrddin Emrys-The Merlin-and Deirdre-The
Morrigan-high priestess of the Druids. Both had been promised to the gods, and Myrddin,
gifted with prophecy from childhood, had been sworn to eternal celibacy in exchange for
the Sight. But in an age when the followers of the old ways were greatly diminished
and the number of believers in the White Christ were growing, both Myrddin and his daughter
would have destinies to fulfill. And so those to whom Myrddin was sworn made him violate
his own oath-and Arylwren was born.
As a child Wren roamed the land with her father, the two welcomed everywhere for the
bardic tales and the information they brought. Thus The Merlin could secretly watch
over his other charges: Arthur, who would one day be King, and the other youths who
would prove Arthur's most loyal followers. During their travels Myrddin taught his
daughter of the old ways and the small magics and bardic skills. Yet he feared he
could never teach her enough to insure her safety in a world that was becoming more
perilous with each passing year.
But even The Merlin could not foresee the power with which Wren had been blessed,
blinded perhaps by a father's love and concern. Nor did Wren tell him of the visions
which had been given to her alone: images of war to come, of a forbidden passion brought
to fruition, and of those whom she loved in peril of being devoured by all-consuming
forces of darkness. She only knew that she must learn to master the talents she had
been born with, for a time would come when she must become both sword and shield for
The Merlin, for Arthur, and for the people who would be put in her charge.
And even as the memories of childhood faded to a distant dream, Wren was confronted
with the unpleasant realities of adult life. Wedded to a lord she could never love,
and forced to share her new household with a sorceress determined to possess all Wren
herself held dear, The Merlin's daughter would have to tread a careful path through
magic's twisting labyrinth to find a haven for those who fought to preserve the legacy
of Merlin and Arthur....
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