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| Avalon High Manga: the Merlin Prophecy | 
 enlarge | Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Category: Book
Buy Used: $3.29
Used (4) from $3.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 2205405
Format: Import
Media: Paperback
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 4.8 x 0.4
ISBN: 0330453165
EAN: 9780330453165
ASIN: 0330453165
Publication Date: July 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Delivery is usually 5 - 8 working days from order, International is by Royal Mail Airmail
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
Slow but fun January 1, 2009
The Merlin Prophecy is a continuation of Avalon High in manga form, but even if you haven't read the book, it's doubtful that you'll get lost. There's a recap of pertinent events at the beginning, so any new-comers to the series won't be confused -- too bad it takes an ample portion of the graphic novel to do so. This plus the fact that the manga is already on the shorter-side makes the To Be Continued page even more dreadful, for it ends just as the plot really starts to move forward. The back-history, while interesting, slows down the action too much. There are redeeming qualities for Meg Cabot fans, however. Her trademark writing style isn't lost in the change of format, and Jinky Coronado's illustrations liven up the story in a fresh, quirky, and sometimes mesmerizing way. Despite its faults, The Merlin Prophecy is a fun, promising start to a trilogy, the King Arthur-reincarnation concept leaving me intrigued enough to read the next two volumes.
 My Meg Cabot Maiden Voyage November 9, 2008
I've not read any of the original novels, so one could say this manga was my maiden voyage into the Meg Cabot writing world.
Abridged Opinion:
-> understandable with no Cabotism back knowledge
-> I'll read the second, given I can find it at a library
-> manga should be MANGA, even when drawn by a westerner
Unabridged Opinion:
Good writing. I was entertained. Sadly the art made me flinch. I did eventually get over it, but from the perspective of a manga fan I didn't really enjoy myself. The art is very "American" but toned. Part of the joy of American comics is that they're colored, often beautifully, but tones just don't work. The drawing style was also not to my taste, but that's a personal bias.
Made me want to read the original novel July 2, 2008
Manga version of Avalon High.
Ellie is a normal high school girl attending a normal high school where many of the students just may be reincarnations of the big players in the King Arthur legend.
The book has promise, but just as I was getting interested, it ended on a cliffhanger with nothing resolved. Kind of a waste of time unless you have the next book at hand!
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too February 9, 2008
Fans of Meg Cabot are treated to a change in style by the author. Paired with artist Jinky Coronado, Ms. Cabot retells AVALON HIGH in a comic/manga style. Readers do not have to have read AVALON HIGH to follow this new version of the story.
Elle Harrison has just moved to Annapolis with her history buff parents. Almost immediately weird things start to happen. Her history teacher, Mr. Morton, explains it as the return of King Arthur and the Age of Enlightenment. Apparently Elle is the Lady of the Lake and the football star, Will Wagner, is Arthur reincarnated. Elle's parents totally believe the story. Will thinks it's all a joke. And Elle, she doesn't know what to believe. The pieces all seem to fit together perfectly. Is it too much of a coincidence?
What takes 300 pages to be told in the original young adult story is told in just over 100 pages via the comic version. Of course, many of the details are left out. But the drawings reveal the story beautifully. Elle has to try to convince Will that he is King Arthur before the Homecoming dance. If he doesn't accept that he is the reincarnated King, the Age of Enlightenment can not happen, and the world will be thrust into darkness. No pressure, right? And to make matters worse, Will's brother, Marco, previously thought to be locked safely in a mental institution, is now out, and no one may be safe.
This is my first foray into this book style. Having read AVALON HIGH, I must admit I enjoyed THE MERLIN PROPHECY more than I expected to. I was instantly drawn to Elle and her adventures. The pictures were very vibrant, even in black and white. The details were amazing, and the story unfolded quickly and smoothly. Of course, Ms. Cabot leaves the reader wanting to learn what comes next. Not even the original story reveals how all the characters turn out. The reader will just have to wait for the continuation in AVALON HIGH CORONATION VOL. 2: HOMECOMING, due out in June 2008.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Good Beginning to 3-Book Series December 20, 2007
Meg Cabot is a high profile author whose books have gone on to become movies and television shows. Her series include The Mediator, 1-800-Where-R-You (which became the television show, MISSING), The Princess Diaries (which became movies of the same name), and others as well as many stand-alone books of romance and humor.
AVALON HIGH was originally a stand-alone title but was picked by TokyoPop to become a 3-volume graphic novel series. The book is also in development with Disney to become a live-action film.
The story is very familiar, culled from the Arthurian mythos and brought into the high school arena. Arthur is now known as Will, and he quickly becomes the boyfriend of Elle, who is basically the character of the Lady of Shalott. All of the other Arthurian legends are represented as well: Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, Modred, and Morgan Le Fey.
Jinky Coronado's black and white drawings are a pleasure to view and up the frenzied pace of the book. Coronado blends the pure manga stylings with current, popular comic book art that creates an interesting hybrid on the pages. The sequential action draws the eye naturally. Several of the panels kept drawing my attention back to them because they were so well done.
Cabot's story is pretty straightforward and simple. King Arthur has been reborn once more, but that means his enemies have also been reborn. The main problem: according to Mr. Morton (Elle's history teacher and very probably Merlin the wizard), Will Wagner must recognize and accept himself as the rebirth of Arthur. That's not going to be an easy feat because Will is certain he knows who he is. And he has to do it within a few weeks or the world will be destroyed.
The impending destruction of the world is such an easy thing to lay on teenagers! But Elle is quickly off and running as she tries to deal with being the new girl in school, being Will's girlfriend, and dealing with the enemies they have separately as well as together. Morgan in particular doesn't care for Elle.
Unfortunately, the first third of the graphic novel is more or less a summary of things that have gone on before. This choice really impedes the story for a while, and it takes up so many pages that by the time the tale gets underway, it's practically over. Still, the cliffhanger ending should bring readers back around for a do-over.
I'm looking forward to reading the other two volumes in the series, as well as handing it off to friends of mine who are heavily into graphic novels. But now I have to go back and read the book as well, because I somehow missed that one. And I'm going to be interested in the upcoming movie as well.
If you want light, easy entertainment with some extended value (or at least something you can share with other and talk about quickly), Cabot's new manga series is a good choice. It's not as far out there as some of the Japanese manga, and it's a great size to throw in a backpack or back pocket for on-the-road reading.
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