Giant

The Unlikely Origins of Shim

By: T.A. Barron

Narrated by: John Lee

A prequel to the bestselling Merlin saga starring Shim, a young giant who must embark on a dangerous adventure when he's shrunk to the size of a man's knee.

*“An excellent jumping-in point for new readers as well as pleasurable reading for established fans…Simply delightful.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Read it before you see it! The Merlin saga is soon to be a major motion picture!

Shim has only ever known a world of peace. Unusually big and strong even for a young giant, he lives on the magical isle of Fincayra, immersed in nature as well as tales of wizards, mer folk, and dragons.

Suddenly that world explodes in chaos. A terrible attack forces Shim and his mother to flee — and take a hazardous journey to reach the only person who could possibly help them, the mysterious Domnu. But when a wager goes horribly wrong, Shim shrinks down to a tiny fraction of his size. Now only as tall as a man’s knee, he finds himself lost in a deadly swamp. Worse yet, he has forgotten something important, something truly essential. But what?

As small as he is now, Shim must find giant-size courage. He embarks on a perilous quest to discover what happened, what secret he forgot, and what it really means to be a giant.

Combining his trademark passion, adventure, and spiritual depth, T. A. Barron tells the origin story of this beloved character from his highly acclaimed, international bestselling series, The Merlin Saga. As the Prequel to the Saga, this story is as big as a giant... and as magical as Merlin.

Critic reviews

“A novel rich with magic.”
— The New York Times Book Review

“Brilliant first volume . . . an intense and profoundly spiritual adventure.”
— Lloyd Alexander, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Chronicles of Prydain

“An extraordinary journey of mind, body, and spirit, for both Merlin and ourselves.”
— Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, and winner of the Newbery Medal

“Fans who have followed young Merlin through his many adventures will still enjoy trekking with him.”
— The Horn Book

Great Story

I read The Lost Years of Merlin years ago and just found the rest of the series and am definitely enjoying it.

giant and bigly

loved the story and narration! I would recommend this one! and hate writing 15 words

Giant Review

I read all 12 Merlin books and I always wondered what the origins of Shim where. Now I know!