The Orphan King
Merlin’s Immortals, Book 1
By Sigmund Brouwer
Waterbrook Press
2012
220 pages
Thomas grows up serving the monks in the monastery, but he knows he’s destined for still greater things. When his “parent” Sarah dies, she has him promise that he will seek his destiny and save the kingdom. She has taught him to read and write and he knows several languages—far more than one would suspect of a lowly peasant. Who is this boy with great knowledge and unparalleled bravery?
Thomas saves a knight from the gallows, and the knight owes him his loyalty. He also saves a pickpocket and his companion. The three of them join Thomas on his quest to reach Magnus, a mighty castle held by witches more powerful than even the king. Thomas dares to enter its walls and take command. There are those in power who live in the shadows and have secrets that even Thomas cannot expose.
As he ventures forward, Thomas never knows who his friends are and who will betray him. Many want his power, and others seek to destroy anything that will threaten their lives. Who are the Druids and what is it that they seek? What is the evil that has fallen over the land?
A shadowy figure seems to control Thomas’s fate. A mysterious man who appears in disguises seems to hold the key that Thomas is seeking. When will Thomas know his fate? How will he know how to expose the conspiracy if he doesn’t know what he’s looking for?
Recommended for any history buff and any lover of English history and King Arthur legends and knights of the round table stories.
Grades 7-up. No language. Some bawdiness—It’s medieval England, my goodness!
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