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Historical Gloria: The Merlin and the Saint by Ann Chamberlin $24.95 / High Country Publ. / 2005 What if Joan of Arc's life were part of a preordained destiny prophesied by an ancient pagan religion and what if Joan herself was actually a witch? Those provocative questions are partially answered in the latest installment of Ann Chamberlin's Joan of Arc Tapestries series. While the premise may be offensive to some readers, others will find Gloria: The Merlin and the Saint an imaginative retelling of the legendary tale. The book begins with Joan's arrival in Chinon, where she is received by Yann, an accomplished sorcerer and Merlin's heir, whose task it is to lend magical support to the Maid. He arranges her famous first meeting with the French dauphin Charles and helps her identify the disguised prince through the use of divination. Working closely with other members of their coven, Joan and Yann then move onto Orléans, where their powerful magic is the catalyst for successfully lifting the longstanding siege. The book ends with Charles' coronation at Reims. Few writers can match Chamberlin's ability to immerse her readers in the hidden realms of magic. Her description of a shapeshifter's experience as an owl is marvelous, as is a seer's gut-wrenching vision of an arrow that finds its mark. The author's gift for imagery is phenomenal and much of her prose reads like poetry; tantalizing, evocative, and unforgettable. Ironically, Gloria will probably garner little enthusiasm from the Maid's most ardent fans, for some will undoubtedly find the concept of their beloved saint as a practicing witch highly objectionable. Medieval scholars will also have a hard time swallowing her dramatic license, as key historical figures and events are rewrought to better fit the story. (For example, the tragic Charles VI, who suffered from schizophrenia, is painted as a coward driven mad by fear that the pagans need his royal blood for a sacrifice.) Such contrivances are rare but require an almost painful stretch of the imagination. Taken as a whole, Gloria offers a new and well-crafted spin on an old tale. While purists may find themselves wishing Chamberlin would use her powers for good, others may decide that the author has created in Gloria a little magic of her own. —Shantel M. Sellers

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