The Sword in the Stone

Rating:
Summary: The Sword in the Stone
Review: The Sword in the Stone is about King Arthur, as a boy called Wart, between the ages 10 to 16. Wart grew up in the castle of Sir Ector, with Sir Ector himself, and his son Kay. Wart is taught by the famous wizard known as Merlyn, how to be a man. Merlyn sends Wart on many magnificent and magical adventures, transforming him from one creature to the next and sending him on spectacular journeys and quests all through the land.

The Sword in the Stone was a book that was easy to pick up and get right into, but also easy to put down and feel like you could almost fall asleep if you read one more page. It would change from interesting to dull consistently throughout the book. There were parts that were very detailed, and exciting, but other parts that were very boring, and hard to understand.

The detail was so incredible that as you read you feel as though you are right there with the characters. The details help you to imagine things like Merlyn's blue and gold-starred robe to the exact movement of the sneaky snake as he approaches Wart. The exciting parts of the book tell fantastic fantasy stories that let your imagination run wild. The "Wizard Duel" between Madame Mim and Merlyn goes on for page after page as the two struggle to defeat one another. They use their enchantedpowers and fight for hours on end, until Merlyn thinks of a despising plan, and takes care of Madame Mim once and for all.

There are parts in the book that start to get boring and can lose your attention quickly, but as soon as you are about to put the book down,Merlyn has once again performed his magic, and Wart is experiencing yet another splendid adventure. There was a part where Wart and Robin Hood travel with their army to fight against the Anthropophagi (a wild variety of ferocious beasts). They walk throught the woods for days before reaching their destination. This really bores an interested reader. There were many sections of the books that seemed confusing to me. I didn't understand the part where Merlyn transforms Wart into a bird and Wart flys down to the barn to talk with the other birds and hawks. The birds were talking nonsense words that were very hard to catch on to. I must say though that The Sword in the Stone was very appealing to me, despite the parts that I struggled to understand and read through.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Educational
Review: The Sword in the Stone is set in the Middle Ages, in a time of knights and magicians. Actual historical details are presented in the context of a fictional story. It is about the upbringing of young King Arthur. With the help of his tutor, Merlyn, Arthur experiences adventures, which help him to see life from different points of view. These other perspectives of the world will help him when he becomes king. Merlyn is training Arthur with quests, and a little magic. The quests Arthur accomplishes help him to be a more understanding person. Merlyn subjects Arthur to many different situations, some of which include; being turned into animals, meeting new people, and seeing different people living different lives. A key revelation about the magic of Merlyn occurs the first time that Arthur is introduced to his future tutor. While eating a meal, a mustard-pot gets up and walks to Arthur's plate, adds some mustard, and returns to its place. Later, Merlyn explains the order in which he lives his life, which is different from most people. As most people live time forwards, Merlyn lives it backwards. The significance of this is that it open's Arthur's eyes to a completely different way of looking at life. This is an example of one of the many perspectives Arthur will gain from Merlyn's influence. This slightly whimsical way to introduce lessons for Arthur's life is part of what makes this story so popular. Merlyn explains his perception of time in one sentence, stating, "If you know what's going to happen to people, and not what has happened to them, it makes it so difficult to prevent it happening, if you don't want to have it happen," (39). This quote is essentially the reason Merlyn is tutoring Arthur. Merlyn's goal is to prepare Arthur for what is going to happen in the future. This gift of Merlyn's came in handy later in the story when Kay, Arthur's brother, and Arthur leave without telling their father. Sir Ector searches for them until he thinks of consulting Merlyn. "The magician for the sake of peace and quietness to go with his nap in, had used his insight to tell Sir Ector exactly what the boys were doing, where they were, and when they might be expected to come back. He had prophesied their return to a minute," (162). Part of what makes this book so fun is the fantasy that someone can be looking out for us and protecting us while we are impetuous youngsters.

While this was an entertaining and educational story, there were many unnecessary details. These frivolous details made for long stretches between the action sequences. I would recommend this book to those readers who prefer careful attention paid to details. For me, the stage setting tended to drag the story down a little. I would have enjoyed a little more action and frivolous and magical events. I like the way the character of the Wart was developed. I was able to notice his leadership ability and maturity level early on, and follow them as they progressed through the story. If knights in shining armor, castles, and mysticism fascinate you, this is the book for you. The Sword in the Stone is the most well known re-creation of Medieval England for young adults. It is a classic story that has been enjoyed by many generations and no doubt will be enjoyed by many, many more.

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Summary: Ornithology disguised as fantasy.
Review: The Sword in the Stone is the first part of The Once and Future King pentalogy (followed by The Witch in the Wood, The Ill-Made Knight, The Candle in the Wind and The Book of Merlyn).

The Wart is a young orphan boy who lives in the castle of Sir Ector, his foster father. The son of the latter, Kay, is his best friend and model, for one day he will be Sir Kay, the master of the estate.

One day, they decide to go hawking together on the edge of the Forest Sauvage, but they're inexperienced and Cully the hawk flies away. They have no choice but to enter the foreboding woods and go after it. And soon the Wart gets lost. In the forest, he meets with King Pellinore, whose Quest is to catch the Beast Glatisant, and later with Merlyn the Enchanter, who brings him back to the castle and becomes his tutor.

As the Wart gets turned successively into a fish, a merlin, an ant, yet several other species of birds and finally a badger to add to his education, the novel itself sort of turns into a book of natural science, more than an actual fantasy, and not much else happens. The author's tendency to address to the reader is somewhat annoying too, and in general The Sword in the Stone far from lived up to my expectations. Not to mention that you have to wait until the fifth to last page for the Wart to finally remove the actual sword from the stone.

Rating:
Summary: The Sword in The Stone
Review: There are parts in the book that start to bore you at times. T.H. White puts anachronisms to make it more interesting. The book was not very thrilling. The book can seem like it is never ending. But I'd say that this book is plain boring. It does have some adventure. I did not like it. I DONT RECCOMEND IT!

Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time
Review: This book was a WASTE OF MY SUMMER VACATION! I had to read it for school and I'm going into 10th grade which doesn't make any sense to me. The plot seemed to be directed at 4th graders but no 4th grader would understand the language. I might have given T.H. White a little more credit had this been entirely his creation, but he didn't make up the story; it's an Arthurian Legend (obviously). He even stole some lines from Shakespeare! All he did was write it, and the writing was unbearable. Unless you enjoy mind-numbing boredom, don't waste your time on the Sword in the Stone.

Rating:
Summary: The Sword in The Stone
Review: THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK ABOUT MERLIN AND ARTHUR BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND MARY STEWART'S AND SIR THOMAS MALORY'S BOOKS OVER T.H. WHITE. IF ONE UNDERSTANDS WHITE'S VIEWS ON THE WORLD POLITICALLY
AND MORALLY ONE WILL GET MORE OUT OF HIS BOOKS. HIS VIEWS ARE
VERY GOOD AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. ESPECIALLY HIS OUTLOOK OF
MAN AND HIS PLACE HERE IN THIS WORLD.

GOOD BOOK TO HAVE............

Rating:
Summary: GREAT READING.......
Review: THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK ABOUT MERLIN AND ARTHUR BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND MARY STEWART'S AND SIR THOMAS MALORY'S BOOKS OVER T.H. WHITE. IF ONE UNDERSTANDS WHITE'S VIEWS ON THE WORLD POLITICALLY
AND MORALLY ONE WILL GET MORE OUT OF HIS BOOKS. HIS VIEWS ARE
VERY GOOD AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. ESPECIALLY HIS OUTLOOK OF
MAN AND HIS PLACE HERE IN THIS WORLD.

GOOD BOOK TO HAVE............

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and satisfying.
Review: This is my first T.H. White book, and WOW I love it! The story was written in the 1930s, published in 1938. Around the time of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein. I would say this book is unique and outstanding of the Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. It is not comparable to any other books I've read. The Disney motion picture version of the book does not give away anything. I have the DVD and I find every detail of the plot is surprising. It is a great read for both children and the adults. I strongly recommanded it for readers of all age.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and satisfying.
Review: This is my first T.H. White book, and WOW I love it! The story was written in the 1930s, published in 1938. Around the time of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein. I would say this book is unique and outstanding of the Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. It is not comparable to any other books I've read. The Disney motion picture version of the book does not give away anything. I have the DVD and I find every detail of the plot is surprising. It is a great read for both children and the adults. I strongly recommanded it for readers of all age.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest Arthur tales ever.
Review: This is the book I read as a child and loved, then read again as a man and loved more. It is part of how I see the King Arthur legend. I will never part with my copy, and I will read it to my son when I have one.