Sword Across Time
By Catherine Anne Collins

     If you remember the NBC miniseries “Merlin,” you’ll appreciate Sword Across Time, even without Martin Short and Helena Bonham Carter. Merlin still loves Nimue, Nimue betrays him, and there is a dark enchantress, priestess of the Old Ways, with a foul attitude who sees Merlin and Nimue as nothing more than pawns.

    The difference is, Morgan Le Fay, often called Morganna as she is in Catherine Anne Collins’ mystical Arthurian-meets-modern fantasy romance, comes between Merlin and Nimue out of hatred and power lust, not out of dedication to the Old Ways. Still, this Morganna would be a delicious role for Helena Bonham Carter to play. Who can blame Morganna? It’s always Marcia, Marcia, Marcia…er, Arthur. After all, Morganna’s mother Igraine was raised in Avalon, even if Ingrate, er, Igraine is a tad bit closed-minded, having embraced Christianity although not Christ’s acceptance of lepers and pariahs. Morganna figures, hey, the Old Ways got her mother pregnant with the future King of England. Why not rebel if it means you get everlasting power?

      Centuries later, Tamara has the same battle with her mother Diana, who insists Tamara is descended from Nimue, something Tamara doesn’t want to hear after spending a childhood being teased about her “witch” mother and growing up without a father. Does Mom really know best? And what about Merlin’s descendant Gavin’s loving parents, who fear that the string of mysterious deaths in their family linked to a once-in-a-blue-moon alignment of stars may continue with their PI son? And why can’t Gavin and Tamara resist their magical attraction?

    The mother-daughter texture, as well as the conflict of Old Ways versus Christianity and Tamara’s logic, add layers to the genre mastered by Mary Stewart and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Will ancient curses be broken? Of course they will. Will hero and heroine find love after the typical romantic, and dare we say it, human sparring and stubbornness? Is Excalibur the sword of righteousness?

     The sword, like love and spirituality, can be used for good or for ill. Collins uses the Arthurian tradition to spin a soulful, electrifying tale that leaves you spellbound.