Merlin's Wood - Novel Plot Summary

Novel Plot Summary

Merlin's Wood; or, The Vision of Magic

The main novel is divided into four distinct parts. In the first part, Martin and Rebecca return to the outskirts of Brocéliande, an enchanted forest in Brittany where they grew up as children approximately 15 years earlier. They have returned for the funeral of their mother. Despite being warned to leave by family and local friends, they stay to settle the estate and take up residence in their childhood home.

Martin and Rebecca share stories of the past, some of which involve playing on the path exiting Brocéliande and dancing inside the ghosts that emerge from the forest. As a child, Rebecca gained the gift of song from an encounter with a ghostly troubadour on the path. She later used this gift of song in Australia to bring back her drowned lover, Flynn, from the dead. Conrad, an old man who lives in the woods, relates to Martin a well-kept secret version of the death of Martin's younger brother as a child. Conrad tells how Rebecca became a possessed half-man/half-wolf who fatally mauled the child.

Despite being wary of Rebecca, Martin becomes romantically involved with her, marries her, and together they parent a beautiful boy named Daniel who is deaf, dumb and blind. As they raise Daniel it becomes apparent that Rebecca is slowly losing her sensory perceptions and faculties while Daniel is gaining them. Rebecca first loses her musical ability, then her vision fades, then her speech becomes simplistic, and finally she loses almost all self-awareness. Meanwhile Daniel progresses from being deaf and blind to singing, speaking, seeing and finally possessing a supernatural sense of hearing. Unknowingly the family has become entangled in an age-old struggle between Merlin and Vivien, wherein a part of Vivien's spirit inhabits Daniel while a part of Merlin's spirit inhabits Rebecca. Martin physically confronts Daniel, but realizes he is physically outmatched and retreats. He also asks Father Gualzator to perform an exorcism on Rebecca, but his request is refused.

Daniel and Rebecca disappear into the forest and Martin discovers them dead by drowning. In an attempt to save them, Martin travels deeper into the heart of Brocéliande in search of Merlin. After traveling across a mystical lake, Father Gualzator assists Martin in freeing Merlin from his underground tomb. Merlin emerges and animates the corpse of Conrad and, as a revenant, communicates with Martin. Merlin recounts his age old struggle with Vivien while Martin pleads with Merlin to bring his family members back to life.

During their conversations, Merlin describes a Hollowing as an area "of no magic." Merlin also explains the origin of the ghosts on the path - they represent his magical powers, purposely divested to prevent Vivien from stealing them. Merlin recounts the seven essential powers of magic:

1. Song - the oldest power which creates life and landscape
2. "Moving stones by the power of hidden water"
3. "Flying to and from the hinterlands of the Otherworld"
4. "Connecting the parts of the beast, both hard and soft"
5. "Understanding of the human spirit as sustenance for mind and body"
6. "The movement of awareness between the soft and hard forms of life"
7. "To control, to contain, to employ the vision, hearing and dreams of children".

After a number of conversations lasting over a period of days, Merlin refuses to bring Daniel or Rebecca back to life. As a final blow, he takes possession of Martin's body.