I rather thought I'd like this more. I mean I did like it well enough, but I couldn't warm to the main character and I don't really care what happens to him. (Edit: you know, thinking back, does he have a sense of humour at all? Even a spark? I don't recall. That could be it. Yet Ambrosius didn't have much of one either and I liked him. I did get a well-defined sense of personality from Ambrosius, though, whereas Merlin just seems... blank.)

Apart from Ambrosius, the only real sparks of interest I had, character-wise, were for Merlin's mother and Ygraine - and their presence was brief on both counts, which was irritating considering the book meandered on endlessly about nearly everything else. (It's not like there were any other female characters to spend time with instead. I do recall Merlin patronisingly thinking well of Ygraine in that he'd never talked to a woman as if she were a man (i.e. thinking person) before. Perhaps if he'd talked to any women at all his horizons would be broadened; as it is I'm rooting for Niniane and she hasn't even arrived yet).

Rather lengthy for what it was; it could have lost some flab I reckon. T.H. White this is not, but if it's a rainy day and you've nothing better to do to pass the time it could be a lot worse.