The Once and Future King (Penguin Galaxy)

Arthur was definitely a thinking man's king. If you've ever seen the Animated Disney movie 'The Sword in the Stone' the first part of this book will be very familiar to you. Disney licensed part one and was acceptably faithful to the book. The book is funny and heartwarming at times, and dark and frustrating in others.

Following Arthur from his humble beginnings to his fateful end is hard to put down. There is so much in here to enjoy, I highly recommend it.

This is one of the best English language book ever written. It is also one of the greatest love stories ever told. It is also a story of good versus evil. It is the story of the greatest human king that ever lived-Arthur of England. It is a double love story-the love of Lancelot for his king and for the woman who won his heart, Guenever-the wife of the king. It is the story that Malory told, much improved. It is the story of how Arthur fought evil and how evil fought back and destroyed Arthur and everyone Arthur loved. The story says that Arthur died but will come back to be king again. But Arthur still lives. He lives in the hearts of every good person on Earth. Every time a new leader is elected or comes to power anywhere good people wish the new leader to be as great and good a ruler as Arthur was. The reader will never read a better or more truthfull book than this, save for a good translation of the Bible.

I had never gotten around to reading this well-loved classic until now. An utter delight. Funny, sad, poignant, fanciful, intriguing and fascinating. Beautiful use of words. Masterful interweaving of the ancient and the present (at least at the time it was written) often with political tongue-in-cheek. Much old-English terminology the meanings of which are almost always clearly understood due to context and which lend such a lovely aura of time and place. Wonderful, quirky characters, fantasy and morality tales artfully told. A masterpiece.

What a fantastic way to learn about the stories of King Arthur! I expected it to be like Disney's Sword & the Stone, but only the first section held any similarity to it. T. H. White's distinctive way of weaving words together is enchanting and thoroughly enjoyable.

This is one of the most beautiful, most wise, most fun, most tragic books I've ever seen. I wish it were required reading everywhere. This book has a little of everything, in a good way, and is so well written, it is as easy to hear as a story told to you in the comfort of your own kitchen by a friend on holiday. You'll see.

This is my favorite book. I currently have it on my Kindle Paper-white. It is one of those wonderful books that, when one reads it at different times in one's life, it takes on a whole new dimension. It is exquisite and elegant. It is exciting and adventurous. It is hilarious and heartbreaking. AND It is the grand daddy of the modern fantasy stories.

A friend of mine mentioned she was reading this book, and though its been years since I have read it myself, I felt the need to. Loved it now as I did back then. As a true classic, it does what a classic is supposed to do, make you feel like you are one of the main characters. T.H. White was a master.

The Arthurian saga is a complex age to write about, the author does it in an amiable and almost authentic manner. The characters seem fresh and lively. It's a great book to read as an introduction to Arthurian legends, or as a somewhat humorous historical narrative. The description of the Orkney Clan is wonderful. I found the over emphasising on animals at the beginning and end of the book unusual and weird though. The book about Lancelot is slightly tedious, and it's tempting to skip some part of it. Otherwise, read it.

I love stories about King Arthur and that time period in general. I really looked forward to this book because of the high ratings and my special interest in the subject. There was a lot to like about the book. The author was imaginative and, at times, the writing and characters came alive.

I have to say sometimes it was kind of like riding in an old car over a road filled with pot holes -- I kept getting shook out of the story by either references to things not from that time period or the endless social commentary that seemed to be the real point in the author writing the story. By about halfway I was wondering why he didn't give up on the story and just write a philosophy book. He wasn't being subtle. I just wanted to get back to the action and felt like I was being preached at through the narrator and the characters. I also love historical details but be aware that this author tends to mention armor and then go on and on for a while to explain it down to the tiniest detail - same with jousting - the details of what the men are wearing as fashion - what is hanging in the room - and so on.

As for the characters, it was sad to see Arthur diminish to being almost a shadow or joke near the end. The glorious king who was supposed to be so strong appeared to have no power to do anything and even allowed himself to have no voice in his own court (Gawaine did the talking). He didn't have any real presence after the very beginning though - not even as a tragic character until the very end. The author didn't make him feel like a real person in what is supposed to be his story. Arthur is the shadow between Lancelot and Gwen (or Jenny), Arthur is the go-between for the vengeful knights in his failing efforts to keep peace... He stands back hoping something will happen to stop the burning of his wife... he is not instigating but moderating action. He is even described as plain, shuffling... Not the grand King Arthur.

Merlyn was a joke as well. His magic was more like a Disney cartoon special than anything resembling Arthurian legend and the constant references to things from the future (or Merlyn's past if you buy him living backwards) kept yanking me out of the "story world" and the other characters almost never reacted to it - as if it were normal. He leaves soon after Arthur becomes king and never comes back (you know the whole locked in the cave thing).

The character most fleshed out is Lancelot. The author spends a great deal of time into his motives, feelings and actions through almost the entire book. If it weren't for the very beginning, you might be able to make an argument that more is written of Lancelot than of Arthur. Lancelot seems stronger, more driven and more clearly defined nearly at all times in the book. You know what he wants and how far he'll go to get it.

In the end I am glad I read it, but it isn't my favorite Arthurian book and I doubt I'll read it again.

I've read this novel (and listened to the excellent audio book narrated by Neville Jason) in all its different versions over several decades and every time come away with fresh admiration not only for White's fantastic prose style but also for his insight into all aspects of human character and the workings of society. I cannot over-emphasise how rich it all is.

For those who have only read The Sword in the Stone (or seen the Disney version), it is important not to write this volume off as a children's story. Each of the four or five books that make up The Once and Future King reflects a different stage in life and experience. The greatness and the tragedy of the story is something we fully recognise only as we grow older. All of the books are wonderful, but The Ill-Made Knight (the third) is an education in adulthood.

The background of the entire work from individually-published volumes is a little messy. The Kindle edition I have seems to match the Harper Voyager paperback complete edition which has the integrated four-book version (with the geese and ants integrated into The Sword in the Stone, and Madam Mim removed) and The Book of Merlyn added at the end without any changes to fix the resulting duplication. This is the form in which I am most familiar with all the parts. The Neville Jason audio book available through Audible is synchronised with the Kindle book but actually includes a different version of The Sword in the Stone (Madam Mim included). When I first listened to this, it frustrated me, because the sections on the geese and ants seem so essential. However, taking it all in its entirety, it works very well and avoids the duplication that otherwise occurs. Neville Jason's reading is of the highest quality, with clearly recognisable voices for all characters.

This edition of this wonderful book should not be available. The typeface is literally smaller than that of the old telephone directory. The lettering is blurry and the shade of black in the printing varies from paragraph to paragraph. It looks like it was printed from a photocopy of a photocopy. the store should be ashamed to offer it for sale.