Stephen R. Lawhead’s retelling of the classic King Arthur story isn’t afraid to present the rise of Christianity in Britain, and the first two episodes of The Daily Wire’s new series, “Pendragon: Rise of the Merlin,” brings that story to life—and will leave audiences wanting more.

From majestic views of Britain, to arresting scenes of Merlin’s mother “dancing” with bulls in the mythical city of Atlantis, to spiritual battles surrounding Merlin’s father, the first two episodes present a fantasy world on par with “The Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones,” but more grounded in history.

Merlin’s father Taliesin, played brilliantly by James Arden, emerges as a spiritual warrior, rejecting Britain’s pagan past and accepting the gospel of Jesus. Merlin’s mother Charis, brought to life by Rose Reid, unites an English clan with the survivors of a lost Atlantis.

The Daily Wire brings out some of the best elements of Lawhead’s first book in “The Pendragon Cycle,” “Taliesin.”

The first two episodes left me wanting more, but not always in a good way.

The singular key to fantasy as a genre is world-building, and presenting a fictional world to an........

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