Merlin Book 10: Shadows on the Stars
Shadows on the Stars Cover
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| Author | T. A. Barron |
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| Original title | The Great Tree of Avalon: Shadows on the Stars |
| Illustrator | David Elliot |
| Cover artist | Larry Rostant and Tony Sahara |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Merlin Saga |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Penguin Young Readers Group |
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Publication date
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6 October 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 430 pp(hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 58832613 |
| LC Class | PZ7.B27567 Sha 2005 |
| Preceded by | Merlin Book 9: The Great Tree of Avalon |
| Followed by | Merlin Book 11: The Eternal Flame |
| Website | Shadows on the Stars |
Shadows on the Stars is a work of fiction by T. A. Barron, published by Penguin Young Readers Group. The book is the tenth novel in the 12-book series known as Merlin Saga. It was originally published as The Great Tree of Avalon: Shadows on the Stars, the second novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, and is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.
In the previous book, Merlin Book 9: The Great Tree of Avalon, the evil sorcerer Kulwych made a pure crystal of élano out of the water from the White Geyser of Crystillia. Élano is the most powerful substance in Avalon and is known for its power to create life. At the beginning of Shadows on the Stars, the wicked spirit Rhita Gawr corrupted this pure crystal of élano and thereby transformed into an anti-matter-like version of itself, called vengélano, which destroys whatever it touches.
Facing this danger, the three young heroes, Tamwyn, Elli, and Scree, must push their abilities to their limit to save Avalon. Tamwyn must somehow find and relight the darkened stars of the constellation Wizard's Staff. Elli must seek the crystal of vengélano and destroy it. Scree must confront his greatest mistake, which nearly cost him his life and the staff of Merlin, to help defeat Rhita Gawr's army.
Tamwyn, accompanied by Henni the hoolah and the small, winged creature called Batty Lad, leaves Avalon's root-realms – the seven familiar sections of Avalon, home to the greatest diversity of lifeforms – and enters the trunk and is separated from his friends. He discovers, among other things, growth rings of the Tree that tell its history; places where giant termites dwell; and the Ayanowyn, whose once glorious society has become a dystopia. When living with the Ayanowyn, Tamwyn learns that if a wreath of mistletoe were to appear among them, the one to whom it appeared would become their leader. While leaving the Ayanowyn to continue his travels, Tamwyn finds such a wreath and leaves it with his former host.
Because, as a rule, humans think of trees as being wooden, the description of Avalon's trunk as being essentially made of stone and consisting of such topography as exists in our real world creates some ambiguity. In Avalon's tree-world, a knothole becomes a valley, and the outside of the trunk becomes similar to a cliff, or to Amara, though Avalon's surface is less steep than Amara's.
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