Synopsis
It's 500 years after the nuclear holocaust that devastated the earth's population and left the few survivors dealing with unending winter. At their remote British boarding school, Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna have a lot in common. Both are misfits trying to avoid attention, and both are fascinated by Earl, a tall, calm, older boy with no recollection of his past, but a remarkable knack for showing up when he is needed most.
When a blow to the head brings Earl's memory back, he claims that he is actually Merlin . . . a 2000-year-old wizard.
Originally published in two volumes in the mid-1980s, Pamela F. Service's creative, futuristic spin on the Camelot legend will appeal to Arthurian purists and fantasy lovers alike.
Publishers Weekly
In this sequel to the exciting fantasy, Winter of Magic's Return, Service begins her story two years after Heather, Wellington and the strange boy Earlreally the wizard Merlin, preserved through the centuries and returned as a youthhave conjured King Arthur and his army from Avalon. Britain is becoming united once more, and when Merlin negotiates an uneasy truce between warlike Queen Margaret of Scotland and Arthur, all of Britain looks toward the south, where Morgan the enchantress is raising her army. Merlin's Old Magic is not working, but he sees a glimmer of a new and better Magic in Heather's empathy with animals. Although her talent and the New Magic are elusive, Heather ultimately provides Merlin with the means to save Arthur and the world. Although not quite as exhilarating as the first bookwith its almost giddy sense of discovery for the readerthis book will satisfy fans of the three protagonists. Ages 10-13. (September)