The Once and Future King

published	1987 by Ace
first published	1939
binding	Paperback
isbn	0441627404 (isbn13: 9780441627400)
pages	640
description	An Arthurian tale that takes a somewhat different turn from the older tales of King Arthur. A model of the "modern" conception of King Arthu [close] An Arthurian tale that takes a somewhat different turn from the older tales of King Arthur. A model of the "modern" conception of King Arthur.
date added	01-29-07 edit book

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | more...

discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

groups with this book

friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3565)

Jeremy rated it:

01/17/08

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: anyone who enjoys adventure, romance, history, or fantasy

I read this book about every two years. It is one of my absolute favorites. The stories and the characters are so well-crafted that I can read it over-and-over time and again with just as much pleasure as the first time.
This novel is actually divided into four 'books' within itself, and while you can read the four books out of order, it really is meant to be read from front to back.
The first book, "The Sword In The Stone", is much like the Disney animated movie that was adapted f...more I read this book about every two years. It is one of my absolute favorites. The stories and the characters are so well-crafted that I can read it over-and-over time and again with just as much pleasure as the first time.
This novel is actually divided into four 'books' within itself, and while you can read the four books out of order, it really is meant to be read from front to back.
The first book, "The Sword In The Stone", is much like the Disney animated movie that was adapted from it. There are a few scenes in the movie which are not in the book, and quite a bit in the book which is not in the movie, but the overall flavor is the same, and the essence of the story is there. The main thing lacking from the movie, which is quite important in the novel, is that Merlin is teaching Arthur (Wart) about the ways of humanity, civilization, and society, so that when he becomes the King he will not just continue with things as they have been, but learn to reason and think for himself, to try his best to make the world a better place. These lessons are referred to again and again later in the novel. This first book has far more magic and fairy-tale qualities than any of the rest of the book.
The second book is called "The Queen of Air and Darkness", and primarily has to do with Arthur's nephews from his half-sister, Morgause, and ends with Morgause, not knowing that Arthur is her half-brother, bewitching him and seducing him to give her a child. This child, Mordred, is the essence of fate of Arthur and what makes this novel such a tragedy. White reveals this information as well, and knowing it here does not spoil the remainder of the book in anyway. This second book is one of the shortest of the four.
The third book is easily my favorite and is called "The Ill-Made Knight". It is the story of Sir Lancelot. This portion of the novel (and many smaller pieces of it) are where a great many Hollywood movies pull their King Arthur and Lancelot material from, only they usually get it all wrong. Lancelot, in this book, is the greatest knight in the world, though he is quite ugly - not the sexy and charming knight as is always portrayed in the movies. His face is often compared to a gargoyle. I believe this is quite important. It helps the reader to better understand his relationship with Queen Guenevere ("Jenny") and to understand that the Queen does not have this lifelong affair with her husband's best friend simply because he is charming and handsome and the best knight in the world. The character of Lancelot (as are Arthur and Guenevere) is so richly charactered. His struggles with his faith and humanity, and how those play against his love for his best friend's wife, are his lifelong struggles. Lancelot is shown to be an honest person, of the truest sense, even though he lives this lifelong struggle of adultery with his best friend's wife. The love triangle between Lancelot, Guenevere, and Arthur (and Qudrangle with God, as White often represents it) is the heart of this book, though the book really focuses on Lancelot's internal struggles. This book also serves to explore Arthur's attempts at removing the "Might Is Right" mentality of the Middle Ages, and gives us the Quest for the Holy Grail stories. This book, along with the first book, represents the bulk of this novel's content.
The last book, "A Candle In The Wind", brings together all the elements of Arthur's tragedy. The irony in this book is how Arthur's own new system of "justice" is used against him bring to light (publicly) the affair between Lancelot and Guenever.
This novel is a wonderful exploration of humanity, society, and civilization, and a beautiful fairy tale tragedy....less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comments

megan rated it:

02/11/08

bookshelves: fantasy, political-theory, romance

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Angelo, Mara, Jeremy

This is an entertaining and accessible novelization about political theory, told through a rather extraordinary re-imagining of the beloved mythological characters of Arthurian legend. I found White's characterizations of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere to be psychologically probing, nuanced, and fascinating, if a little overly tragic. His Merlyn however, was so doddering and wonderful it made me want to cry. If only Merlyn were in more of the book; he was by far my favorite. The Once and Future...more This is an entertaining and accessible novelization about political theory, told through a rather extraordinary re-imagining of the beloved mythological characters of Arthurian legend. I found White's characterizations of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere to be psychologically probing, nuanced, and fascinating, if a little overly tragic. His Merlyn however, was so doddering and wonderful it made me want to cry. If only Merlyn were in more of the book; he was by far my favorite. The Once and Future King focuses mostly on the triangle between Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenevere, and has long portions on both Arthur's and Lancelot's childhoods, but not much about Merlyn's or Guenevere's background. Many famous tales of the knights of the Round Table are skimmed over or omitted in order to focus more on the story of Arthur's experimentations with political justice, but that's what makes this a novel, rather than a collection of myths and legends, and for this it has a coherence that other books about Arthurian Legend lack.

I had read this as a kid, and enjoyed it because I loved King Arthur, but I remember at the time being frustrated about the reality of the affair between Lancelot and Guenevere. I identified with Arthur so much it hurt to see him so... put aside, and by people who did actually care for him. Now as an adult I understand there's so much more to it than I had originally understood as a child, and I identify more with Lancelot than I did before, though I still feel horribly sad when I think of poor Arthur, and the two people he loves most not loving him enough to remain faithful to him, or at least to not recklessly cast all he had worked for into ruin for selfish pleasure. His character, though, as the book goes on becomes painfully thin - he turns the other cheek far too often with no seeming cause or without much thought; it's rather frustrating. I like to think of Arthur, despite his failings, as a powerful and wise king, not a sad sap to afraid to move for fear of upsetting something. It's hard to read about his downfall and watch accept his fate without much of a fight at all - though I guess why he does so is sort of modestly explained.

I wish I could read this a third time, when I am older, and identify with Guenevere, but the female characterizations in White's novel (partially perhaps not his fault as he didn't have much to work with from Malory, his greatest source) are woefully absent. The text just doesn't have much to explain Guenever or Elaine, at least not with the same depth and comlexity with which it explores Arthur and Lancelot.

I want to read The Book of Merlyn, because it was supposed to be the end of the cycle, and I was hoping it would have more to say about my favorite character. So there's hope yet that Merlyn's curious motivations might be explored someday, but the women of Arthurian legend will have to wait for another writer to take them up some other time.
...less

Like this review? yes

title link
avg rating
small image
med image
large image

The Once and Future King

discuss this book

groups with this book

friend reviews (0)

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3565)

book data (includes all editions)

blog this book

popular shelves

other editions

quote

trivia question