Merlin's Ring

Originally published in 1974 by Ballantine as part of its Adult Fantasy series and reprinted six times, Merlin's Ring was an instant sensation among both fantasy fans and critics. This is an epic saga, ranging through history from the fall of Atlantis to Joan of Arc, and linking the Arthurian legends with Mezoamerican god Quetzalcoatl, the legends of Roland, Prester John, and Kublai Khan. It is also a powerful story of two lovers, Gwalchmai and Corenice, whose spirits are separated and reunited numerous times over the course of many centuries. QUOTES: In Merlin's Ring, Munn reaches the apex of his art, a synthesis of myth and history, imagination and reality, to show the heroic qualities by which the human spirit endures. - Don Herron, in Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature The story of Merlin's Ring is a colossal achievement of sheer imagination. From the moment the wandering spirit of the sorceress from Atlantis occupies the body of a Viking maid and liberates Gwalchmai from his frozen tomb within an iceberg, wherein he has lain in suspended animation for centuries, the tale expands to include shamans and witches and magical and supernatural forces. The vast canvas of this novel pictures a panoply of figures from history and myth and legend as background to a love story that survives the ages and traverses entire continents. Joan of Arc is but the most familiar of these, and the period of the Crusades form but a segment of a much larger history. Seldom have I encountered a more ambitious narrative in my exploration of fantasy, and seldom has a gripping human drama of such strength and vigor invested a story of such sweep and scope and vaulting imaginative power. - Lin Carter, from the Introduction to the 1974 Ballantine edition