[Book Review] Revelations: Book One of the Merlin Chronicles

Revelations: Book One of the Merlin Chronicles / Daniel Diehl (Goodreads)
"In Revelations, the first book of The Merlin Chronicles, archeology student Jason Carpenter discovers a mysterious orb that has housed history's greatest wizard for 1,600 years. Forced into an uneasy alliance, Jason and Merlin are sucked into a web of deceit, intrigue, and murder in a race to outwit and outrun Merlin’s ancient nemesis, the evil sorceress Morgana LaFay, a gang of drug smugglers, and a 500-year-old Chinese necromancer. It’s a race against time to complete their quest before an army of dragons is unleashed on a vulnerable and unsuspecting 21st century world."
For some reason I assumed this would be a YA novel, possibly based on the cover art or the title, both of which would fit right in on a shelf of teen oriented books.  If you are reading my review take this opportunity to learn from my initial mistake so that you are not surprised at the texture of the novel.  Don't expect something that read's like Harry Potter or even a Mercedes Lackey novel (which I often find mixed into the Teen collection at libraries).  Instead Revelations turned out to be an intricate and academic fantasy pulling on real life and fable.  I did have some issue with the focus on the power of Christ, but I am willing to concede to some bias based on personal history with Christianity, and the story did expand to discuss other religions with equal examination.  This is a great read for anyone who wants more from their fantasy than wish fulfilling magic or who enjoys tales incorporating established fable, not just fans of the Arthurian legend.

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