Merlin's Web

Mayse, Susan

ISBN 10: 0688075266 / ISBN 13: 9780688075262

Published by Beech Tree Books, New York, New York, U.S.A., 1987

About this Item

Library withdrawal in the plastic, protective covers. Last blank card pocket page has been ripped out by the library leaving a jagged edge. Some shelf wear and scuff to the plastic covers and the page edge. Stamped at the page edge, this edition remains USEFUL!. Bookseller Inventory # RSCLibNov16VI17

Bibliographic Details

Title: Merlin's Web

Publisher: Beech Tree Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Publication Date: 1987

Binding: Hard Cover

Book Condition:Good

About this title

Synopsis:

Corgi explodes a bomb in a Tywyn, Wales school, Welsh nationalists kidnap the five-year-old future Prince of Wales, and later Corgi meets with a group of men, including a British cabinet minister, to discuss the uncrowned prince's future

From Publishers Weekly:

Two themes mesh uneasily in this debut thriller by Canadian journalist Mayse: Welsh nationalism and the kidnapping of the heir to the British throne. Mayse tries to suggest the atmosphere of a police state, but the narrative lacks emotion and suffers from clumsy points of view, though it improves greatly toward the end. A spider's web of international intrigue is buried by didactic passages on the endangered Celtic culture. We are told more about the terrorists' motivations than we are shown, and they remain two-dimensional, awkwardly manipulated. They are led by fanatical Gwyn Davies, with help from an IRA Provo and a PLO "ambassador." Hot on the story is Peter Holt, a BBC reporter who is sucked into working with MI5 as a negotiator, at odds with the SAS who intend a bloody rescue of their prince. After the kidnapping goes awry, Gwyn finds support from the Welsh, but real help comes only from the wealthy American Welshman, Madog Nilssen, former Army captain in Vietnam. Madog highlights another of the novel's problems: the futuristic background during the reign of King Charles and Queen "Di" clashes disconcertingly with its otherwise contemporary feel. Mayes has yet to learn how to weave "cause" and craft into a seamless unit.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.