Rating: Summary: Click for great reasons why you should'nt read this book! Review: "The Book of Merlyn" is about the understanding of how cruel the common man is to nature. The main characters are King Arthur, who depends on other people, and Merlyn the great magician. I think that the book was very boring. It dragged on and on with unnecessary detail. "The Book of Merlyn" had small events like King Arthur turning into an ant, but it didn't have any major events throughout the whole story. This book had unrealistic characters, such as animals with human characteristics. This was not an enjoyable book to read because of the reasons I have listed above.
Rating: Summary: Just read the last chapter. Review: After reading all four books in The Once and Future King, I was eager to read The Book of Merlyn. But the book scarcely mentioned the characters found in TOFK; instead, White strays off on tangents and writes endlessly and blantantly his anti-war political views. The very last chapter--about 8 pages-- actually finishes the story by telling what becomes of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the rest. I wonder if anyone calling this book "stunning" has actually read it. I read the whole book, but really only got something from the last chapter. It is well written, but has little to do with Arthurian Legend. Not "exciting conclusion" here, just passive political commentary.
Rating: Summary: A real enchantress said,"Thanks for this wonderful book." Review: Does life make any sense? Is there a meaning to our lives? Arthur gets his last lessons from Merlyn.Charlie Turek, magician, Order of Merlin
Rating: Summary: It's Not What You Would Expect Review: I just want to start by saying, don't read this book if you are looking for a satisfactory conclusion to The Once and Future King. As a matter of fact, if you haven't read that yet then it's okay to read this, other than a bit of back story, the two are virtually separable. In The Book of Merlin, White displays his paranoia of the World Wars and his almost backward grasp on world politics by using the anthropomorphic characters from The Once and Future King and Merlin, who isn't so much a wizard in this book, but a raving anarchist. I'm not going to delve into the right and wrongs of the political spectrum represented, but a politically conscious reader would find most of what White has to say as absurd. Read this if you appreciate White, read this if you appreciate the political notions of a paranoid sadist, but by all means skip this and go read Mallory if you are interested in a good work concerning Arthur.
Rating: Summary: Didn't live up to expectations Review: I thought Once and Future King was excellent. So in this conclusion to Once an Future King, I thought it would be at least mildly interesting. Nope. White spends most of the time blabing on and on about how animals are far superior to humans. How humans are idiots and the animals are wise and good. This book is a real snoozer. I even fell asleep a couple times reading it. The reason I didn't give it 1 or 2 stars is because White wrote it during WW2 so I can understand why he seems so depressed in his writing.
Rating: Summary: Entertaining, but still... Review: I was rather disappointed at the novel. Not to say that I didn't enjoy it, for I zipped through it that afternoon. But "The Book of Merlyn" is not really a novel. White would have done much better to simply write an essay of his views of politics and morals, for much of the book was spent on that. However, this book was woven into "The Sword and the Stone," and later published on its own, so the actual story is a review. I was surprised at the speedy pace at which the novel went. I'm quite indifferent whether you choose to read this book or not, but if you do, you will find the tragic ending worth the wait.
Rating: Summary: from story to archetypal myth Review: If you like the Once and Future King as an amuzing story, then watch out, this book is not for you. Here White elevates his discussions to probe humanity's own lack of humanity. Having witnessed the horrors of World War II, White brilliantly exploits the Arthurian legend to analyze and discuss humans: are we as grand as we think we are? Is there hope? Are King Arthur's efforts (or, archetypally, the efforts of any human who is engaged in helping out the human race) fruitful or simply futile? This is a humanistic work that dares to challenge the assumptions of humanism. Merlyn uses strong polemic to not only argue that humans are bad for nature (this is an incomplete understanding of the text) but that we have less "humanity" than vrtually all other animals. This view seems to be in direct conflict to Arthur's wish to salvage humanity. Yet Merlyn does not see it as a fatalistic view, he very much still shows hope. The Book of Merlyn is a top-down, ideological examination of humanism enveloped in the archetypal Arthurian myth. It is not a bed-time story. It is not about lovely castles and romantic imagery. It is about humanity.
Rating: Summary: from story to archetypal myth Review: If you like the Once and Future King as an amuzing story, then watch out, this book is not for you. Here White elevates his discussions to probe humanity's own lack of humanity. Having witnessed the horrors of World War II, White brilliantly exploits the Arthurian legend to analyze and discuss humans: are we as grand as we think we are? Is there hope? Are King Arthur's efforts (or, archetypally, the efforts of any human who is engaged in helping out the human race) fruitful or simply futile? This is a humanistic work that dares to challenge the assumptions of humanism. Merlyn uses strong polemic to not only argue that humans are bad for nature (this is an incomplete understanding of the text) but that we have less "humanity" than vrtually all other animals. This view seems to be in direct conflict to Arthur's wish to salvage humanity. Yet Merlyn does not see it as a fatalistic view, he very much still shows hope. The Book of Merlyn is a top-down, ideological examination of humanism enveloped in the archetypal Arthurian myth. It is not a bed-time story. It is not about lovely castles and romantic imagery. It is about humanity.
Rating: Summary: T.H. White's best Review: In this often forgotten conclusion to the King Arthur legend, White recaps his thoughts and ideas about humanity, misery, hope, trust, where we have gone astray and why there is still hope. Subtle, bitter-sweet, and profound, this book is worth its price 10 times over.
Rating: Summary: Good,you will like it if your into fantasy stories. Review: it was pritty good but not as good as i thought it would be.Disappointing well describes it.If you liked this you will enjoy reading the sword in the stone and the once and future king.
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