Literateur: "Merlin's Mirror" by Andre Norton

So once upon a time I went to my local library's semi-annual book sale. Like I do.

And I got a stack of books. Like I do.

I brought them home and filed them on my to-read shelf. Like I do.

And I discovered I now owned not one, but TWO unread copies of Andre Norton's "Merlin's Mirror."

When you can't even keep track of what books you own and haven't read, it's time to get busy reading or get busy dying.¹

Let's talk about the author.

Andre is a giant. She has an amazing bibliography. Over her 70 year career, she produced an astounding 161 books, according to andrenorton.org.²

I've spoken with several Norton fans that didn't even know she was a "she." "Andre" is a pretty gender neutral name,³ and there's nothing distinctly feminine about her prose.⁴

And my, my, my- that prose. She cranked out several books a year, but still managed to jam them with dense, muscular writing, chock full of colorful descriptions, vivid concepts, unpredictable action, and intensity. Norton's style has a firm handshake.

"Merlin's Mirror" is one I've never heard anyone list as their favorite by the author.⁵ But it's a gem.

What we have here is a science fiction/ fantasy/ secret history retelling of Camelot. King Arthur? Kind of a punk. Lady of the Lake? An evil witch. Merlin's power source? Aliens.

Now ya know.

Norton's humanism is spiced with a nice mix of optimism and pessimism, as Merlin acts as a bridge between mankind and the superior alien race. Humans struggle to be worthy of alien technological gifts and advancement, as our pesky savage medieval natures keep getting in the way.

Is it YA? I guess so. There's no pottymouth, nor gratuitous sex or violence. Heinlein's early books in this vein from this time period were labeled "juvies" and that's more fun to say than "YA."⁶

Also praiseworthy: it's a stand-alone. Its open ending leaves almost endless intriguing narrative possibilities across space and time. But Norton cut it off here and let the story be. That's the mark of a writer with ideas and words to burn.

For someone who sometimes cranked out a book a month, Norton's consistency is miraculous. Her lesser work is still fun. And "Merlin's Mirror" is a very fun lesser work.

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1. To atone for my sin of bibliographic gluttony, I read it immediately. But in my defense- I have a LOT of Norton books to keep straight. This stack, impressive as it may appear, represents a small fraction of her work:

2. And unlike her literary peer, Philip K. Dick, she didn't need methamphetamine to pull it off!

3. She didn't hide behind a blatant pseudonym like renowned sf writer James Tiptree Jr.- A.K.A. Alice Sheldon.

4. Though she's always had a fixation on cats, which speaks more for her desire to be a crazy old cat lady than anything particularly feminine.

5. It hasn't been adapted to film, like "The Beast Master," nor is it connected to a popular series of hers, such as the "Witch World" books.

6. Let's call ALL books aimed at younger audiences "juvies" from now on. WHO'S WITH ME?

-Phony McFakename

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