The Merlin Conspiracy
Encyclopedia
The Merlin Conspiracy is a fantasy
novel for young adults by Diana Wynne Jones
, published in 2003 by HarperCollins
.
) to contain and control the natural magic in the world. Roddy and her best friend, Grundo, uncover a sinister plot involving Grundo's mother and the new "Merlin" – the magical governor of Blest – to take over the throne and the magic of the universe. When Roddy and Grundo try to warn the adults around them of the plot, they are not believed, and Roddy ends up making a spell to ask help of someone from another world – unfortunately, the only person she manages to find is Nick.
Nick Mallory (a.k.a. Nichothodes Koryfoides) is a boy living in our own England who dreams about becoming a Magid and travelling to other worlds. A Magid is a sort of magical policeman who travels between worlds and helps people. Nick finds himself accidentally wandering the dark paths between the worlds, where he finds Roddy and then the powerful magician Romanov. Nick finally makes his way to Blest when he finds Maxwell Hyde, Roddy's grandfather, who is a Magid. But Grundo's mother and the fake Merlin have been kidnapping all the most powerful witches and wizards in Blest – including Maxwell Hyde and both of Roddy's parents – and it is up to Nick, Roddy and Grundo to raise the land and stop the plot.
(called Roddy) and Nichothodes Euthandor Timosus Benigedy Koryfoides (a.k.a. Nick Mallory) come from alternate worlds (The World of Blest and Earth respectively) and the book is written from their point of view (each one writing alternate chapters). The Merlin Conspiracy is set in the same multiverse as Jones' Deep Secret
, although the only character in common with that book is Nick and his father, Ted Mallory.
Ilsabil and Isadora are two twin sisters whose mother and grandmother are hereditary witches.
Maxwell Hyde is a Magid who travels between worlds. He lives in Blest London with Dora (Maxwell's daughter) and Toby (Dora's son).
spirituality with the grand old Stonehenge
/White Horse/Arthurian
/Britain-as-Magicland material into a strong concoction", but felt that the characters could be more vivid and the mythology more inventive.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel for young adults by Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction...
, published in 2003 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.
Plot
In a parallel universe, Roddy (a.k.a Arianrhod), daughter of two magicians who serve the King of Blest, has traveled with "the King's Progress" her entire life. The King's Progress is a mobile Court that continuously roams the Islands of Blest (our EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) to contain and control the natural magic in the world. Roddy and her best friend, Grundo, uncover a sinister plot involving Grundo's mother and the new "Merlin" – the magical governor of Blest – to take over the throne and the magic of the universe. When Roddy and Grundo try to warn the adults around them of the plot, they are not believed, and Roddy ends up making a spell to ask help of someone from another world – unfortunately, the only person she manages to find is Nick.
Nick Mallory (a.k.a. Nichothodes Koryfoides) is a boy living in our own England who dreams about becoming a Magid and travelling to other worlds. A Magid is a sort of magical policeman who travels between worlds and helps people. Nick finds himself accidentally wandering the dark paths between the worlds, where he finds Roddy and then the powerful magician Romanov. Nick finally makes his way to Blest when he finds Maxwell Hyde, Roddy's grandfather, who is a Magid. But Grundo's mother and the fake Merlin have been kidnapping all the most powerful witches and wizards in Blest – including Maxwell Hyde and both of Roddy's parents – and it is up to Nick, Roddy and Grundo to raise the land and stop the plot.
Characters
The main characters, Arianrhod HydeArianrhod Hyde
Arianrhod Hyde is a fictional character from the novel Merlin Conspiracy, written by Diana Wynne Jones, published by HarperCollinsPublishers. Arianrhod Hyde is one of the two protagonists in the novel.- Introduction :...
(called Roddy) and Nichothodes Euthandor Timosus Benigedy Koryfoides (a.k.a. Nick Mallory) come from alternate worlds (The World of Blest and Earth respectively) and the book is written from their point of view (each one writing alternate chapters). The Merlin Conspiracy is set in the same multiverse as Jones' Deep Secret
Deep Secret
Deep Secret is a 1997 novel by Diana Wynne Jones. It is the first in the Magid series.-Plot:The multiverse, shaped like a lemniscate, contains Ayeward and Nayward worlds. It is the task of the magids to urge the worlds in an Ayewards direction. In Ayeward worlds, magids can operate openly...
, although the only character in common with that book is Nick and his father, Ted Mallory.
Ilsabil and Isadora are two twin sisters whose mother and grandmother are hereditary witches.
Maxwell Hyde is a Magid who travels between worlds. He lives in Blest London with Dora (Maxwell's daughter) and Toby (Dora's son).
Reception
The New York Times gave cautious praise to this novel, saying it "blends some New AgeNew Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
spirituality with the grand old Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
/White Horse/Arthurian
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
/Britain-as-Magicland material into a strong concoction", but felt that the characters could be more vivid and the mythology more inventive.