A Letter to My Readers in China
In advance of the publication of The Merlin Saga in China at the end of this month, I wrote the following letter for my Chinese readers. If you’re in China or you enjoy reading in Mandarin Chinese, I hope you’ll consider picking up these new editions.
Greetings to all my readers in China!
China is an ancient civilization. Your people have long walked on the banks of the Yangtze River—and on China’s many valleys, meadows, and mountains. You have a very long history and a beautiful, rich culture that has thrived for many centuries.
Stories about Merlin, the original great wizard, have also thrived for many centuries. But almost all those stories show Merlin as an old man, a powerful wizard who can change into any creature or travel through time. I wondered what Merlin would have been like as a young man—before he mastered all his magical powers. That’s why I wrote these books about Merlin’s mysterious past.
Questions filled my mind. What secret adventures shaped his destiny? What people helped him as loyal friends or harmed him as evil enemies? How did he learn to master his powers, to love the beauty of nature, and to visit the realm of immortal spirits?
I hope you will enjoy finding the answers in these books! And perhaps someday you might see Merlin himself walking on the banks of the Yangtze River.
My best wishes,
T. A. Barron