Rating: 
Summary: A magical tale
Review: In The Sword in the Stone by Terence Hanbury White, fantasy and adventure are woven together to create a picturesque and suspenseful story set in Medieval England. The Sword in the Stone recreates the life of young King Arthur as he is taught how to be a gentleman by Merlyn, the powerful but absent-minded magician who lives life backwards. Young Arthur, who is commonly know as the "Wart," finds himself entwined in many adventures, such as being magically transformed into a fish, a hawk, and a badger. He also meets the likes of Robin Wood, Maid Marian, and Little John on a dangerous adventure he goes on with Kay, his brother. All of the adventures he experiences in the book are part of his training. Merlyn wants him to view life from all different perspectives so that he will be prepared to become the king of England.While Arthur's older brother Kay is preparing for knighthood, it is discovered that King Uther Pendragon, the ruler of England, has died. There is word that there is a sword stuck in a stone which bears an inscription saying that whoever pulls out the sword is the "rightwise king born of all England." Arthur stumbles upon this, not knowing it is the sword, and manages to pull it out, using everything Merlyn taught him. Merlyn is the key to The Sword in the Stone. If you removed his character from the book, you wouldn't have a story anymore; just a vague picture of a boy named Arthur. Merlyn personifies both humor and wisdom. The fact that he lives life backwards instead of forwards- knowing what will happen next as opposed to knowing about the past- makes him all the more important in this novel. He already knows in advance what the future holds for Arthur, and his training of the boy is really to prepare him for ruling England. Although The Sword in the Stone centers around a young boy's coming-of-age and story elements normally considered juvenile, this novel would be more appreciated by a mature audience, due to the wordiness. Those interested in Arthurian legend will love this book's twists on tradition. The novel starts at a crawl and then suddenly picks up pace, hurling one adventure after another at the reader. This sudden change is difficult to adjust to at first, but slowly you see that it is all part of T.H. White's genius. Arthur's life progressed in this same way, beginning slowly and then picking up speed, as he became tangled in Merlyn's world of magic and whimsy. I found The Sword in the Stone to be quite an engaging book once I got past all the fancy vocabulary and focused on the story. I admire how T.H. White took a historical legend and incorporated so many humorous fables. He was obviously a well-educated man who had a deep passion for Arthurian legend. The novel held some personal meaning for me, since I can relate to Arthur's never-ending need for knowledge, intellect and maturity. Give T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone a try. If you cannot swallow a mixture of imagination, satire and realism all in once shot, you might not want to attempt it. If you do happen to enjoy it, though, I promise you will want to read it repeatedly over time.
Rating: 
Summary: There's different versions of this story!
Review: T.H.White must have published at least three slightly different versions of this story. When I read the full Once And Future King book a few years ago, there was no Madame Mim episode, there was a buttery version of the fairy castle (Robin Hood) episode, there was an Archimedes/Wild Geese episode, and some other minor changes/additions.
When I read a paperback Sword In The Stone twenty years ago, there was a much nicer non-buttery version of the FairyCastle/RobinHood episode, and I don't think the Giant Galapas episode was there, etc.
Now I've just read the illustrated hardcover Sword In The Stone edition, and the FairyCastle/RobinHood episode is replaced by an Anthropophagi/RobinHood episode, Giant Galapas is there, and the Archimedes/WildGeese isn't (its been replaced by an Archimedes/Athena episode). Anyone else notice these differences and have an explanation for them?
Rating:
Summary: Sword in the stone
Review: The book "The Sword in the Stone" by: T.H White, is about a young boy named wart along with many friends going on long journeys during the Middle Ages, through out royal land and castles, getting lost in the woods, and meeting strange mystical people along with meeting Merlin the magical magician. I really liked the book "The Sword in the Stone" because I found it very exiting and extremely interesting because once you get into it, it's very hard to put the book down. It's a book for all people because it has action, science/fiction, and comedy. Even though it is a short 288 page book, there is still a lot of action and there is definitely a lot of Medieval people, events, etc. The best part of reading "The Sword in the Stone" is that there is a lot of things to learn about and there is a lot of interesting parts in the book. If you really like a book with character and exiting action, comedy, and interesting facts, you should read "The Sword in the Stone". I really think that the author "T.H White" did a very well job with keeping myself and everybody interested in the book and making it an extremely lovable book. In conclusion, I think "The Sword in the Stone" is one of the best Middle Ages books to read, it's an educational book, and especially, I think that more people should read it and get other books written by T.H White, because he writes the best medieval books.
Rating:
Summary: Sword in the stone
Review: The book "The Sword in the Stone" by: T.H White, is about a young boy named wart along with many friends going on long journeys during the Middle Ages, through out royal land and castles, getting lost in the woods, and meeting strange mystical people along with meeting Merlin the magical magician. I really liked the book "The Sword in the Stone" because I found it very exiting and extremely interesting because once you get into it, it's very hard to put the book down. It's a book for all people because it has action, science/fiction, and comedy. Even though it is a short 288 page book, there is still a lot of action and there is definitely a lot of Medieval people, events, etc. The best part of reading "The Sword in the Stone" is that there is a lot of things to learn about and there is a lot of interesting parts in the book. If you really like a book with character and exiting action, comedy, and interesting facts, you should read "The Sword in the Stone". I really think that the author "T.H White" did a very well job with keeping myself and everybody interested in the book and making it an extremely lovable book. In conclusion, I think "The Sword in the Stone" is one of the best Middle Ages books to read, it's an educational book, and especially, I think that more people should read it and get other books written by T.H White, because he writes the best medieval books.
Rating:
Summary: The Sword In The Stone book Review!
Review: The book "The Sword In The Stone" written by T.H. White was a very exciting and interesting book. The book was about a young boy named The Wart brought up in a wealthy family of his father, Sir Ector, and his brother, Kay. He met a wizard who became his tutor but not any ordinary tutor. This tutor, Merlyn, turned The Wart into different animals and what-not to give Wart the greatest adventure of his life. I really liked this book because it was really exciting and kept you on your toes. The adventures that Wart was faced with were exciting, fun, and entertaining. One of the adventures that I liked the most was the first one The Wart was sent on. He was turned into a fish and seemed so vulnerable then because he needed to learn how to swim and to get used to the water. It was exciting! Even when the book started to get a little bleak the author would always come back with a new, fun adventure to keep you on your toes. There was only one point that I didn't like. The author would spend one out of about every five chapters just describing the scenery and the place they were in. That got rather monotonous to read. I would recommend this book to a skilled reader but no one under the age of ten. This book was wonderful and fun-filled, and if you love excitement and fantasy this is a book for you! ALWAYS, Ken
Rating: 
Summary: The childhood of a legendary king
Review: The Childhood of a Legendary King
The tale of King Arthur's youth is an enthralling one. The Sword in the Stone explains King Arthur's youth throughout the book. His name is Wart in the book> From the adventures he takes with the other legends and queens to the learning experiences he has as animals, you won't want to put it down.
What makes this book unique is Warts learning experience. He changes into four animals and he turns invisible by Merlin, Warts tutor. The adventures he goes on are amazing. He goes to a giants castle and goes to Morgan le Fay's castle to rescue Friar Tuck. Coming out they had to fight big bird-lion things. The book had no real conflicts.
I don't really like reading, but this book is interesting. If you like fantasies then you would like this book. The reason is that he changes into different animals, turns invisible, and fights monsters. It is for readers 13+.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, whimsical and tragically flowed
Review: The five star reviews are right on and I have nothing more to add in praise of this book, but a word of warning: this book contains unacceptable racist language and excuses, even glorifies, slavery in language that though describing serfdom closes mimics arguements used to dismiss condemnations of slavery in the Americas. Any adult who purchases this book for children should be aware of this and make plans to discuss these passages together.
Rating:
Summary: The Sword in the Stone
Review: The Sword in the Stone is a fantastic book to read for several reasons.The first reason is the title, which sounds like an exciting adventure story. As soon as I looked at the cover with a magician and a young boy on it, I knew it wouild be something I would be interested in. The short summary on the inside of the cover told me enough about the story to know that I would read this from end to end. The other thind the summary told me was that the book was about King Arthur, who I've always wanted to read about. I picked out the book and immediately decided that this was something I would read.
The main character is young Arthur. He is a young boy who is typical of young people in his time. He is brave, thoughful of others, and very respectful to his elders. When his tutor, the Magician Merlyn, begins his education, Arthur's curiosity and talent for learning become apparent. Even so, Arthur and his brother, Kay, run and play as normal kids would. Not too much is made of the fact that Arthur is adopted.It would be fair to say that Arthur is shown to be somebody who will grow into greatness but will be perfectly normal getting there.
I really like this book because it is a fast-moving story with a great deal of adventure and magic. Arthur's adventures put him into all kinds of circumstances and problems. In fact, each adventure is a unique hapenning. The way the author weaves adventure and magic into his tales makes the book hard to put down. I especially liked the time when Merlyn turned Arthur into a bird. When Arthur was locked in a box and almost cooked by a witch, I enjoyed how Arthur used a goat as a messenger. This kind of descriptive writing made me feel like I was inside the book. I wouild have to say that this book is an exciting, magical adventure story, which I enjoy greatly.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: The Sword in the Stone is a truly wonderful book. It is the classic story of young King Arthur, but told in greater depth and detail, and filled with wonderful, humorous characters. The tale so many times retold suddenly becomes fresh and original, as T.H. White's stunning narrative sweeps the reader into the world of Midieval England, and makes the old story come alive in a new and delightful way. Never before has anyone been able to make the old characters of Arthur and Merlyn, Sir Ector and King Pellinore come alive in such a real and fantastic way. The story is brought to life, and is better by far then the traditional telling of the tale. White does not only tell the simple story of the sword in the stone- here he tells the story of the boy who pulled it out. He goes back and tells us about the growing up of this boy, that we might better understand why it was he that was meant for this destiny, and what it was that shaped him for this task. And throughout the entire story, the book sparkles with humour, wit and charm, which is all the better because it is told in Old English. There are too many books these days written in modern language, using slang and twentieth century dialect, so the Sword in the Stone is a delightful change of pace. And while the Old English sounds perfectly authentic, it is not overly used, and is never difficult to understand. My nine year old sister understood it perfectly, when I read it to her. All in all, this story is the best retelling of any Arthurian legend that I have ever read. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in King Arthur to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Book Review for the Sword in the Stone
Review: The Sword in the Stone is about a young boy called the Wart and all the interesting things he learns. His tutor, a magician named Merlyn, changes the Wart into many different animals. While he is an animal he learns there are many ways to look at life. He realizes life beyond castle walls is different and harder than most would think. The Wart becomes a well-educated young man who is very gentle but not afraid to stand up for what he believes. The book was very enjoyable because it always kept me guessing and had a good plot. The book kept me interested becasue the chapters never started slow and climaxed toward the end; for the most part the entire chapter was fun to read. I wanted to keep reading because the plot was never dull. In one chapter the Wart is on an adventure with Robin Wood; then in the next chapter he is watching an exciting jousting match. If you like a strong plot and exciting chapters, you will really enjoy this book.
|
