T. H. White

The Once and Future King

T.H White′s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. Here all five volumes that make up the story are published in one volume, as White himself always wished. Exquisite comedy offsets the tragedy of Arthur′s personal doom as White brings to life the major British epic of all time with brilliance, grandeur, warmth and charm.

Brandon Eckroth

"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then-to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you.

I read a decent chunk into this (listened to the audiobook and got about halfway through before giving up. I was just so bored, and the weird complacent way the characters acted in their own story just got really annoying. 

I liked the occasional references to other legendary characters (such as Nimueh, Morgan Le Fey, Robin Hood (Wood) & Maid Marian, etc, but there was just nothing motivating the story forward much except for Merlin's exposition of what was inevitably going to happen in the future. 

Basically I was just so bored the entire time.

Also, this book just reminded me how much I hate songs being in books. I am not musically imaginative, I can't just make up a tune in my head to go along that sounds good, and most audiobook narrators just sort of sing-talk the songs, which is even more annoying.

Emma Lechner

I read a decent chunk into this (listened to the audiobook and got about halfway through before giving up. I was just so bored, and the weird complacent way the characters acted in their own story just got really annoying. 

I liked the occasional references to other legendary characters (such as Nimueh, Morgan Le Fey, Robin Hood (Wood) & Maid Marian, etc, but there was just nothing motivating the story forward much except for Merlin's exposition of what was inevitably going to happen in the future. 

Basically I was just so bored the entire time.

Also, this book just reminded me how much I hate songs being in books. I am not musically imaginative, I can't just make up a tune in my head to go along that sounds good, and most audiobook narrators just sort of sing-talk the songs, which is even more annoying.

Once And Future King

Laura Mauler

I couldn't get into this book. The writing style keeps you at a distance instead of putting you in the action. For example,the narrator is describing the castle, and then says that it is mostly falling down now, and that it is nice to lay on one of the exposed floors and watch the sky while tourists walk around below. 

The author's writing style just didn't work for me,I had to put this book down and move on.

Ryan LaFerney

T. H. White created perhaps the most accessible and moving work surrounding the legends of King Arthur. It is a self-aware work, full of arcane words and shocking passion and betrayal. This is nothing like Disney. This is an underrated classic of fantasy that should perhaps sit next to Tolkien.

Aidan Francis

I wasn’t sure about this book at first but the more I read, the more I fell in love. This story is truly amazing and I wish TH White got more recognition for it. Probably in my top 5 of my favourites this year, I hope to read this to my child one day!

Kwan Ann Tan

This is a story about Arthur, Guenevere & Lancelot. This is also a story about war & peace, and how small we are in the face of tragedy, danger and the surge of human nature. It is a story about love- both romantic and platonic, and religion with its many faces. It is a story about the rise & the fall of a kingdom (again & again & again.)

Lea Marshall 

the most exciting part of the book was lancelot's story. And kind of in the last book. But the first two books were pretty boring.

Bob Simone

Something about these somewhat one-dimensional characters was really moving to a 20 yo me.

Faith

Unfortunately, the writing style did not vibe with me. Made it 100 pages in, but I'm gonna have to put it down.

Amber Laha

I absolutely could not stand the writing. He lists basically everything and it is so boring that it literally put me to sleep. The sad thing is if I could have gotten past the horrible writing style, I would have enjoyed the story. there was some pretty funny bits.

Guin Hartinger

The greatest work of fiction I have read outside of J.R.R. Tolkien. White gives an astounding amount of life to his characters, and their tragedies are heartbreaking. An exploration of a timeless quest: finding an antidote for war. Human nature is discussed in excruciating honesty. A must read for any concerned about justice in our time.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Horribly disappointing.

Written by T.H. White, this book, ON THE COVER, totes itself as being "THE WORLD'S GREATEST FANTASY CLASSIC". Lies. Give me my Hobbit any day.

If I was still in middle school, I may have enjoyed this story more.

This is another re-telling of King Arthur, that is that it sadly only shows us his childhood and then goes over to Lancelot and his story. Part of this disappointment has to do with the writing style, most of it has to do with White constantly telling me what he wants me to get out of the story. And all of the historical references to more modern stories that are SO UNNECCISSARY! It was a pain to work to finish this book, and I only did because it is a tale of King Arthur.

There was only a passing mention of the Lady of the Lake, of the quests, the second half of the novel was focused on Lancelot and Jenny. And that is the most hated part of the story for me. Always have been.

If you are into King Arthur, it is worth the read to see the interpretation, but if not, don't bother. Seriously.

Elke Maasbommel

All authors inevitably put something of themselves into the books they write. Each book that is written has some aspect of their creator in them, whether it is in the style in which they are written, or the subject matter, or an ideology. A perfect example of this is the book The Once and Future King, by T. H. White. His retelling of the Arthur legend was highly influenced by the time in which he lived, which not only resulted in an original take on a well-known story, but also clearly shows us the author’s view on the Arthurian legend itself.
 
It comes in handy to have some knowledge of King Arthur and his wife Guenever, Sir Lancelot and the other Knights of the Round Table, but it is not necessary. White conveniently starts at the very beginning, where the famous King Arthur is a young, ignorant boy, called The Wart. He is brought up by Sir Ector, although he is not his father, and educated by his tutor, Merlyn the magician. Arthur famously lifts the sword Excalibur from the stone, and he becomes the King of England. What follows is an account of the legend we all know: the marriage of Arthur and Guenever, the affair of Guenever with Arthur’s favourite knight, Sir Lancelot, the feud with the Orkney clan including Sir Gawaine and Arthur’s illegitimate son Mordred, and the rise and fall of Arthur’s new chivalric Order of the Round Table. The story is divided into five books, although they are closely connected; each book lays out a specific aspect of the eventual outcome of the book, and is closely connected to the other parts.
 	The most important person in Arthur’s life must be Merlyn, without whom Arthur would have been a very different person. Living backwards in time, Merlyn possesses wisdom unlike anyone else, and it is Merlyn who teaches Arthur based on the insights he has gained through his long life, including anachronistic references to the Victorian Age, but also to Adolf Hitler and the Second World War. Furthermore, turning Arthur into animals teaches him about humanity, which he later applies into the way in which he rules his kingdom. For Arthur organises the country in a way that was never done before, by having knights, who used to do whatever they pleased, come together at his Round Table, instructing them to use their Might to do Good. Unfortunately, this also becomes his downfall.


Read the rest of my review on my website: https://elkesopenbook.wordpress.com/2...

The Once and Future King

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