“A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” but sometimes necessary when saving your own life, and telekinetic Arthur Merlin finds himself damaging a few in The Secret of Excalibur by Sahara Foley. Arthur, who possesses paranormal powers countries want to control, teleports himself to the Institute of Psychic Research in London to demonstrate his skills, and becomes Doctor Ruth Burns’ case study under the watchful eyes of Commander Dobie, MI6. While fishing at Lake George, Arthur’s sensors detect unusual activity beneath the lake, where the Lady of the Lake supposedly resides, guarding Excalibur. He realizes an unseen force is weakening his powers and enlists the help of Commander Dobie to investigate the mysterious undersea cave that appears to be operated by dangerous enemies.

I have read several adaptations of King Arthur, but The Secret of Excalibur is a fast-paced, urban fantasy by Sahara Foley. She has created a sci-fi theme that is intriguing, and the main characters - who are not afraid to speak their minds or express their feelings - narrate it. She writes very nicely and allows all her characters to participate in the drama, whether it is a big scene or a minor one. This strengthened the story, which has witty dialogue and adventure. Just when you get comfortable with the events unfolding, Sahara Foley pulls another creative twist without warnings or previous hints that divert The Secret of Excalibur onto a new route. Although the conclusion is unexpected as well, I still liked it and recommend this entertaining book.

In Sahara Foley's novel, The Secret of Excalibur, we follow an American man with supernatural abilities named Arthur Merlin. Gifted with multiple abilities, Arthur has been the target of London's Psychic Research Facility. He refused to be treated as a lab rat, demanding that he be treated as an equal, and volunteered to aid the facility in their research. During his stay in London, he will stay with Ruth, a curt lady, or so it seems. Arthur thinks he will live peacefully, but the facility has other schemes of their own.

I like the idea of having Arthur, one of the protagonists, to be a special character. His ability to perform numerous supernatural phenomena is impressive and eye opening. It is even described in the novel as such. Not only are his powers well developed, so is his personality. He is goofy and funny, something that readers can relate to.

The plot itself is also well written and deserves praise. I like how the author purposely switches between viewpoints throughout, giving both sides of the story and adding suspense as well. As such, its clear that the author is switching POVs, using either line breaks or different chapters entirely. Well done for not leaving readers hanging!

There is one thing that really bothers me and that is Arthur seems perfect. Sure, he did accidentally burn someone and had some bad days here and there, but he should have more flaws. He can go anywhere undetected, manipulate anyone, and bend things to his will. Making him more realistic will give him a vital flaw that adds to his character. This makes him much more interesting and readers will surely like him more.