Caliburn

About the Book

“Destiny is a persistent master, but sometimes the path it lays is shrouded in mist.”

Merlin

Two aging Briton warriors are caught in a fierce snow storm and are forced to take shelter in a foreboding abandoned castle, where they encounter a spectral figure, a man in a Druid’s robe, seemingly as old as time itself and nearly frozen from the storm.  The old man, from one instant to the next alternately angry and laughing, menacing and cordial, offers to tell the warriors a story in return for a share of the meal they are cooking.  

The tale begins with an event every Celtic child knows well, Arthur’s journey to the annual tournament in London.  But what happens at the journey’s end, when Arthur first sees Caliburn, the Sword of Destiny, was later obscured by Arthur’s legend as it grew from one generation to the next.  

This is a time of great danger and turmoil, when the powerful Saxons, under their mad battlelord Vollo, who had a reputation for being invincible, are planning to invade Britain from across the sea.  The barbaric Celtic tribes of the far north are growing bolder, and the coastal raids of the Norsemen continue unabated.

In addition to these challenges, Arthur faces others as well – a talentless but ambitious brother, a spy within the Briton ranks, a meddlesome and jealous woman.  

The Britons need a leader or their civilization will be consigned to the darkness of history.   But despite Merlin’s years of planning and grooming, Arthur is still a youth who is indecisive and easily distracted, more interested in play than training, more focused on women than duty.  

And so the world of Merlin’s Britain is about to be turned upside down.

About the Author

Virgil Renzulli has been a professional writer for more than 25 years as a journalist and news bureau director. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he studied creative writing at New York University and scriptwriting at Temple University. He is currently Associate Vice President for Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he is responsible for media relations, the university newspaper, publications and advertising, video production, and Columbia’s web news.