Jacket art © 2004 by David ElliotStory—the very best way to travel. In the world of story, there are no limits at all to where we might go, who we might be, and what we might discover.

My own stories—my own travels—have involved journeys to many diverse places. Those places have been both wondrous and unexpected…and sometimes so compelling that I couldn't resist returning time and time again. Here is a brief review of my fiction, to help you choose your own favorite destinations:

If you haven't read any of my books yet, you may want to start with my three novels about a heroic young woman named Kate Gordon. The New York Times Book Review said about The Ancient One: “Mortality, in all its splendor and sadness, is T.A. Barron's subject.” Perhaps so, but Kate's three adventures concern other subjects, as well—the fragility of our environment, and the power of just one person to make a difference. She travels far and wide in these books: back in time to a lost Native American tribe in The Ancient One; to a distant galaxy to save the life of her astronomer grandfather in Heartlight; and down to the very bottom of the sea—“the womb where the waters are born”—in The Merlin Effect.

But don't take my word about these books. Read the reviews and the excerpts, and judge for yourself. You can read the first chapters right on this website by going to the world of the “The Heroic Adventures of Kate.” I hope you will come to the same conclusion as Madeleine L'Engle, who has called these books “stories to celebrate.”

You could also join the great wizard Merlin—the great mage of Camelot and mentor to King Arthur—as he reveals at last the secrets of his lost youth. My 5-book epic, The Lost Years of Merlin, gave me a chance to add another, truly human dimension to the lore of this fascinating, immensely rich character. The tale begins when a young boy washes ashore, nearly drowned, on page one of Book One of The Lost Years of Merlin…and finally concludes when that same young man, now a wizard, makes the most agonizing choice of his life in the final pages of Book Five. By the end, Merlin has come a long way from that boy who washed ashore: He has grown into the greatest wizard of all times.

What have readers said about these five books? Lloyd Alexander called them “brilliant, significant, and illuminating…an intense and profoundly spiritual adventure.” To see reviews by other people—or to read the first chapters of any of the five books—just go to the world of The Lost Years of Merlin. And I hope you'll also enjoy the color map of Fincayra that you will find there!

Lots of people have asked me why I spent almost a decade writing about Merlin. Well, the answer is that he is much, much more than a great wizard. His story is, in truth, a metaphor—for the idea that all of us, no matter how weak or confused, have a magical person down inside, just waiting to be discovered. Through his struggles, losses, and triumphs, Merlin comes to understand both his dark side…and his own inner magic.

My new trilogy, Merlin's Dragon, picks up where The Lost Years of Merlin books leave off. This is the story of Merlin's wondrous adventures in Avalon—seen through the eyes of his most special (and most bizarre) friend.

The Great Tree of Avalon, my final trilogy about Merlin, completes the sagas of Merlin's realms. I hope you'll enjoy this magical journey as much as I have! All three books are available in paperback or hardback; some are also audio books. And the series made the New York Times best seller list. Isabel Allende has called this trilogy “a real gift”, while Robert Redford has said that “appreciation for nature shines through [this] rich and inventive tale.”

It is NOT necessary to have read The Lost Years of Merlin books or the Merlin's Dragon trilogy to enjoy The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy. Still, you will discover that these two sagas bring to life a world with much in common with Merlin's isle of Fincayra: Both worlds lie somewhere in the mists between dark and light, mortality and immortality. And both are full of mystery, wonder… and surprise.

If you are a younger reader, or work with them, you might enjoy my short novel, Tree Girl. It features a brave girl named Anna, who sets out on a dangerous quest to find the secret of her true identity. On the way, she finds more than she ever expected. Barbara Helen Berger called this book “a breath of the forest—a delight.”

—T.A. Barron