Merlin's Dragon: Doomraga's Revenge
Grade 6 Up—Basil has become accustomed to his large size as a powerful dragon, his new name, and his greater role in the fate of his world. With Avalon teetering on the edge of catastrophe, he and Merlin search for ways to squelch the violence erupting throughout the realms. The action is packed with battles between dragons and dwarfs, crows and terns, and many more creatures of Avalon. Readers will also find new love, loss, and relationships on the brink. Unfortunately, the book suffers extensively from middle book syndrome. Too many subplots cause Basil, Merlin, and readers to lose sight of Rhita Gawr. As for Doomraga, readers will have to wait for the cliff-hanger ending to learn who he is, and for book three to read about his revenge. Of course, even with the problems, no one can compare to Barron when writing about Merlin or Avalon. Once again, he brings texture, color, and love to the seven realms. His many fans will gobble up this new offering, but new readers will need to start with book one.—Lisa Marie Williams, East Gwillimbury Public Library, Holland Landing, OntarioEND