The Lost Books of Merlyn: Druid
Magic from the Age of Arthur by
Douglas Monroe
Online Book Club
Part adventure tale and part grimoire, The Lost Books of Merlyn remains
true to the Druids method of wrapping important knowledge in a story.
Monroes tale of the British Celts, their conflict with the Romans, and the
last days of King Arthur, recounts the demise of the Druids but reveals the
hope of their resurrection today. Coupled with an abundance of spells,
charms, and sacred rites, this is more than just a well-written fantasy,
more than just a well-stocked spell book. The Lost Books of Merlyn is
both teacher and course. Whether you read it as a work of fiction or dig for
a deeper meaning, you will hear a voice in these pages speaking to you
as Merlyn speaks to the author: Now, at last, it is your turn to understand
what has already been lived, and what may come of it. --Brian Patterson
Personal Review: The Lost Books of Merlyn: Druid Magic from
the Age of Arthur by Douglas Monroe

TO AMAZON READERS: I work with Douglas Monroe as a long-standing
partner at New Forest Mex. In fact, I have trained with him for eleven
years now. Throughout this long time, I have watched with a sort of
morbid fascination, the controversy surrounding his work escalate until,
with the publication of the final book in the Merlyn series in sight, I finally
asked him `why he didn't directly address the points of greatest
controversy?'
His answer was not surprising, having been one that I had heard in several
forms over the years. And, simply put, it is this: Anything I would ever
answer in my own support, has already been written into my books---
those readers who have looked deeply enough, will have found it;
answers sufficient to see-through any storm of detractors. Those who
have not, were not primed to use the book in the first place. But, once
again, this has all been said in-context, and nowhere more clearly than in
the closing paragraph of the Prologue to book one.
He suggested that I read it again, and so I did. And he was right--- it was
there. I quote from the suggested source:
"...lastly, let the reader be aware that the world outlined in this book is not
intended for everyone... its views on religion and sexuality will only be
appreciated by those for whom it is destined... and to those persons
skeptical of such an approach, try it and see..."
Clearly, then, Douglas was aware from the very start that his work would
subject him to criticism on many different levels, such as faulty scholarship,
myth-making, misplaced sexuality, financial enterprising and so forth.
Clearly, he expected that the Merlyn books would run contrary to today's
mainstream paganism, contrary to the way in which human sexuality is
viewed in today's social structure. From the very beginning back in 1990,
he expressed his intention never to address the...
"...arena of English social soap--- those who live in a world of media-
showmanship: the Web being the new tool for personal venting and
rampant railroading--- those who basically `cry wolf' at the top of their
lungs to any audience who has the same sympathetic insecurities. Cry
wolf to self-validate themselves." (In short, his intention of never entering
what he foresaw as an out-of-control soap box opera).
Yet his method of dealing with this has always been consistent to my
knowledge: to distance himself from it, letting his work speak for itself.
And, looking back, this approach seems to have been a wise one.
Readers of the Merlyn series are sharply divided into two clear factions: I
call them the "competitors" and the "sympathizers."
The competitors are just that: those who have their own set views of what
they believe the world to be; those whose reputations and [in the case of
neo-druid re-constructionist CEO's] their finances depend upon their own
up-held versions of Druidism. These are the Amazon.com "one-stars."

The "five-stars" are those who sympathize, who resonate, with the inner
messages secreted within the Merlyn volumes: "those few for whom the
books were written." Personally, I find it interesting the many times
Douglas has mentioned his surprise at the sheer high numbers of triggered
readers [his term], far surpassing what he had anticipated. Bottom line:
Douglas is not in any way concerned with critics.
And, to me at least, this well explains his consistent reaction to public
position. Let me here mention that Douglas' public silence is in no way
due to an inability to address points of criticism, (he has done so effectively
to me and my associates countless times during our own course of
training), but to a seemingly wiser disinterest in dealing with those not
resonant to his work. He will never engage in soap-box futility and baited
word-bantering [his own words from an email].
Lastly, I would like to re-quote a few lines from the THE LOST BOOKS OF
MERLYN, a rare instance where the author published a personal reaction
to critics of his work:
"...here we tackle a question [of authenticity] which has become, for some,
paramount in regards to my work... let it here be stated in the records that
[these] questions are without value to [me]... because my concern is not
how authentic my sources are (this, one may only guess at), but how
effective their philosophies and methodologies... I merely state that the
[Pheryllt] manuscript, forged or original, ancient or recent, exists as an
absolutely fascinating collection of writings, and that their framework
works... historians and library scholars will never understand the essence
of Druidism by examining mistletoe dust and monks' renditions--- only a
true poet stands this chance today." [Prologue, xii/xii]
Another example of web-hype I have constantly read about: Monroe
advocates poisonous Mistletoe and deadly herbalism. An amazing
statement, considering any 5-second Yahoo search under "Mistletoe
herbal" will reveal countless sites specializing in Mistletoe
tinctures/powders and pills, which have been used for ages to treat
arthritis, heart and blood problems, etc. A good example is at
Mountainroseherbs.com.
And pumpkins (squash-like gourds) were absolutely imported into Britain
as foodstuffs during their long occupation, a fact a small amount of web-
search will reveal. These two examples go a long way in showing me how
short-sighted Douglas's critics can be.
In summing up, I think my favorite novelist (no, it's not Douglas Monroe!)
William Styron had a good response to critics of his own work, which
applies equally well to Merlyn critics. He said:
"Writers have a duty to meditate on history and bring understanding
through imagination."

For us, Douglas has always been an honest man with a clear message. I
welcome this final book #3.
Francisco "Frank" Trias
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