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Summary: You've seen the movies, now read the books
Review: You think you know this book - after all, you've seen the Disney classic "The Sword in The Stone" and the movie version of President Kennedy's favorite musical, the Lerner and Lowe "Camelot". And heaven knows there are plenty of movies about that time period - and who has the time to read a 639 page book about stuff you already know? Make the time to read this book - you won't realize how fast the time goes while you reading about one of the most famous love triangles of all and getting an education about swords, armor and knights at the same time. Guinevere is not some heartless flirt, she genuinely loves Lancelot and Arthur. Lancelot fights hard to hide his feelings for Guinevere as he loves Arthur, too. Arthur loves them both. This set-up alone would make for an intriguing story, but set it against the background of politics, castles and quests it's truly a fascinating read. The book is not just about the love triangle, though "Camelot" would have you believe it. Arthur works hard to civilize the people he rules and succeeds to a large extent. There are various quests that must be made - the Holy Grail, for example. Arthur strives long and hard to make his kingdom a civilized one.
He succeeds, to a certain extent, but the dark cloud on the horizon looms and it's .... Read the book yourself and find out what happens - trust me, you'll really enjoy this book.
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Summary: Second best book ever
Review: Other than the Bible, this is my favorite book. Each time I read it, I get something different from it. One time I will see the philosophy of T. H. White, the next time a good love story, the next an excellent book for my pre-teen daughter. This was the legend that Lerner and Lowe used for "Camelot," and Disney used the first section for "The Sword and the Stone." If you are only going to read one book on the Arthurian legend, read this one. Once you have, you will not need to read any others.
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Summary: One of the most wonderful books ever written
Review: Since I love this book above any other I have ever read, I need to get my prejudice out of the way.
So--what exactly is White's classic? It's not really a children's book, although the first part is a delightful fantasy. It's not really a fantasty, although it does have a wizard and magic. I think it is a totally unique retelling of The Matter of Britain, utilizing anachronism, medieval history, Arthurian legend, and anything else that was in White's marvellous brain.
What makes the book great, in my opinion, is how it draws the reader into its story and leads him or her into its plot, switching imperceptibly from the light sunshine of The Sword in the Stone to the blackness of the end and the faint hopefulness of the final encounter with Thomas Malory. If you can read this book without weeping, you are not human!
Give it a try! Let White/Merlin enchant you with the Middle Ages not as they were, but as they should have been.
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Summary: This is what "Children's" Literature should be
Review: Look, so many people have reviewed this book that your never going to see mine on here, so I'll be brief. I first read this book on the verge of adulthood, and it made a marked change in my life. Since then I have read it many times, in many moods, in many places. While I have learned different lessons in these different stages, one central feeling has remained the same...that this book beyond being one of the best fantasy and mythic tellings of all time, will forever temper your feelings about the tragic nature of life and the mercy and understanding that it should require. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be better for reading this book.
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Summary: So good I'm sharing it with my kids
Review: This is my absolute favorite book. I've read it 5 times now and every time I find some nuance that I'd missed before. It's a wonderfully descriptive commentary on culture, religion, and social-economic structures while all the time holding your imagination with a very simple and easy to understand story that can be embraced by all...It's appeal is universal and the language is poetic, especially the phonetic colloquial accents of the Scotch and Irish. Read it, buy it, borrow it and you might forget to take it back, I did... Great literature, great story, great fun.
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Summary: a great book and well worth reading
Review: I very highly recommend this novel. If tyou like the musical Camelot or anthing abouit, you will really enjoy this book. It's really good!
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Summary: A Great Classic Fantasy
Review: This is an excellent fantasy classic. Over the centuries there have been many different telling and retelling of the classic tale regarding King Arthur, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, etc. Moreover, many movies, and television series have been made about these same stories. Of all of these, this book stands out as one that has stood the test of time. White has given us, back in 1939, a magical epic of King Arthur. In fact, this book is read not only in public schools (I first read it as required reading in High School), but is still selling strong today to the general public. In fact, when this work was first published it was herald as being the most original retelling of the Arthurian legends in centuries. The book includes elements about Camelot, Merlyn, Guinevere, war, wizards, strange beasts, etc. The book takes it reader on a fantastical ride with high emotions of joy as well as sadness. It details the lives of the knights of the round table, the making of Camelot, the lives of King Arthur, Merlyn, and others. White is very descriptive and uses language quite well to weave a great yarn! This book will be and has become a great literary classic.
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Summary: Enthralling and tragic.
Review: This is a review of The Candle in the Wind, the fourth book in The Once and Future King pentalogy (after The Sword in the Stone, The Witch in the Wood and The Ill-Made Knight, and before The Book of Meryln). This volume tells the story of a Mordred on the onset of madness, of his attempts to overthrow his own father King Arthur out of thirst for power, and hatred for trying to drown him as a baby, by exposing Lancelot and Guenever's treason. As the story flows, Arthur slowly witnesses the fall of the Round Table, sees the work of a lifetime, his ideal of Justice, and everything he has ever fought for, collapse. The Candle in the Wind is an enthralling tragedy, ending in a wonderful speech against war, against all wars, which seem to rise again despite humanity's innumerable attempts to eradicate them. I read it avidly.
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Summary: A very entertaining and interesting summer reading book
Review: First of all, "the Once and Future King" is an amazingly written novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was quite lengthy (about 640 pages, and small font). I'm usually not the kind of person to be able to sit down and read for hours, but it definitely had me hooked after the first book.
The best thing about the book is that it isn't just an amusing story about Arthur and his reign over Camelot, it is also a parable in a sense. The book satirically discusses the problems of humanity and government, as Arthur learns these things for himself. Merlyn teaches Arthur that brute force isn't the only way to get things done and rule over a country. Arthur tries many times to come up with a plan to abolish might, though failing due to difficulties of society. It is wonderful how the book can be enjoyed at any age, and for different reasons. Younger audiences may find the adventure aspects of the story amusing, such as the tales of the sword in the stone, and Wart (Arthur's younger self)'s animal experiences. Others may read deeply enough to find the second story written between the lines. The book tells the stories of Arthur's progression into adulthood, and his realizations about society, how it can almost never be stable.
By far, I recommend this book to anyone who can read and has at least some traces of an attention span. You should purchase T.H. White's "the Once and Future King" today, just for the joys of reading such great material.
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Summary: Good But not Magnificent
Review: T.H. White's The Once and Future King is an incredibly detailed story of King Arthur's life and reign as King of England. While the book looks intimidating as one picks it up, in reality it is somewhat of an easy read. Once into the book, the reading seems to get easier and more exciting. Although White does overwrite many portions, and seems to attempt to make the book longer, sacrificing quality, he does still manage to maintain a flow to the book. The first book, The Sword in the Stone, is the same story that everyone knows from their childhood. King Arthur, known then as The Wart, meets a wizard named Merlyn, who using various animals teaches Arthur what he needs to know to be a king. However, White does a good job of including minute details to keep the book far from basic. Although portions of the book including characters such as Robin Hood really have nothing to do with the basic theme, I enjoyed them. These little additions keep the mood of the book from becoming monotonous, and are very insightful. The second book, The Queen of Air and Darkness was the only book that I truly had trouble reading. It is a poorly written section, and although it does show the Orkney's during the period of their youth, I did not feel it was very important. The only thing it does is to attempt to establish the mindset of the power hungry Orkney family, and to show that their greed and viciousness pose a threat to Arthur later in life. This did not have to be made into another book, and certainly could have been demonstrated in less than a hundred pages. In contrast to book two, the third book , The Ill Made Knight, was very well written. This is the story of Lancelot, beginning in adolescence and moving forward. It tells the story of his worship of Arthur, and the quest to be a perfect knight. Then it progresses to Lancelot jealousy of Guenever, until that changes into love. This book also describes in detail Lancelot's quest, and then the conflict that arises between the two lovers upon his return. Overall, this was a very well written book, and for pure reading enjoyment, was definitely the best.
Although book three was the easiest to read, book four was by far the most thought provoking. The Candle in the Wind told the story of the downfall of Arthur's kingdom, ranging from the Orkney's greed, to the love affair between Lancelot and Guenever, and Arthur's indecision. I could write much more about this final story, but than I would spoil the ending. This was easily my favorite section because of the depth of it. It may seem boring at first, but if gone over closely, the depths of Arthur's feeling become clear, and the book is very, very moving. Overall, this was a fairly good book. Books three and four were easily the best, but book two was awful. It is not the kind of book I would suggest for a younger audience to sit down and read because there is little action. People wanting to read it because of the glory of Arthurian legend may be disappointed, but someone willing to get into a book would probably enjoy it very much. I would not suggest anybody younger than a freshman in high school read it, but for anybody older who is interested in classic books, this is a very good book to read.
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