The focus in Hobby is on the development of the character Merlin, on the events he experiences as a young adult that will shape what he becomes when he is the grownup wizard of the Arthurian tales.

Usually a secondary figure in literature, a supporting player to King Arthur, who is the usual center of attention, in Hobby Merlin is shown to be an interesting and important figure in his own right.

We live in an era in which the experiences of childhood are viewed as important in shaping the adult. In the case of Merlin, Yolen has a mysterious magical figure who in the Arthurian tales can be cold, remote, almost inhuman, and who is even so a father-figure for King Arthur, who relies on him for guidance. Merlin had to have been a child at one time, and Yolen builds for him...