The Once and Future King

By: T. H. White

Narrated by: Neville Jason

Length: 33 hrs

Publisher's summary

The complete "box set" of T. H. White's epic fantasy novel of the Arthurian legend. The novel is made up of five parts: "The Sword in the Stone", "The Witch in the Wood", "The Ill-Made Knight", "The Candle in the Wind", and "The Book of Merlyn".

Merlyn instructs the Wart (Arthur) and his brother, Sir Kay, in the ways of the world. One of them will need it: the king has died, leaving no heir, and a rightful one must be found by pulling a sword from an anvil resting on a stone. In the second and third parts of the novel, Arthur has become king and the kingdom is threatened from the north. In the final two books, the ageing king faces his greatest challenge, when his own son threatens to overthrow him. In "The Book of Merlyn", Arthur's tutor Merlyn reappears and teaches him that, even in the face of apparent ruin, there is hope.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1939, 1940, 1958 T. H. White (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

Critic reviews

AudioFile Earphones Award, 2009

"For those who have never read these five books, prepare to be surprised by their adultness, their laugh-out-loud humor and tongue-in-cheek commentary on modern life; for those who know them well, prepare to be delighted with Neville Jason's transcendent reading. The lovely timbre of his narrative voice, his rhythmic, easy pacing and host of individual characterizations transport listeners into White's weird and wonderful otherworld as quickly as Alice slipped through the looking glass. This long production is so entrancing that one wishes it would never end." (AudioFile)

One of the Greatest Fantasy Novels EVER!

*** First a preamble:

Just so you know, this audiobook contains Books 1 -4 of The Once and Future King AND Book #5 (The Book of Merlin). I didn't know #5 was included, but was thrilled to discover it came with the rest.

*** OK, preambulations are done, on with the real review:

I loved it and my two brats (11 & 13) absolutely enjoyed it, even if many of the jokes, the funky anachronistic blending of the Medieval with the Modern, might have floated a bit over their tiny wee heads.

Anyway, I think White perfectly captured the magic, power, fears and the joy of both youth and myth with this retelling of early Arthurian legend. White's theme of power and justice ("Might Makes Right") seem to perfectly capture the political Zeitgiest of now. Perhaps, White like Merlin was just writing through time backwards and wanted to capture the queer contradictions of Imperial Democracy in the global 21st century, but wanted to write it in the 1930s so Disney would be around to animate it (ugh) in the 60s and thus make his point resonate better in the early 21st century.

You might think a novel that basically focuses on a love-triangle (a quadrilateral if you include God), several affairs, a man's struggle between his love for a woman, love for God, love for his best friend, would not hold the interest of a 13 and an 11-year old for long, but this is T.H. White. The characters are so human, so filled with frailties, heroics, and insecurities that White could have written about cooking for 300 pages and my kids would have been rapt from page 1 to the end.

The story turns, about half-way through, solidly to Lancelot. It is impossible to understand Lancelot without looking at Arthur, Guinevere, Elaine & Galahad. And White digresses throughout TO&FK to capture these stories. The middle of the book pivots as Camelot, under Arthur's leadership, undergoes a change from physical quests (Round Table v. Might makes Right) to spiritual ones (Round Table > Grail quest). This change captures/mirrors the dynamic of Lancelot's own story (the vacillation between the physical and spiritual).

Finally, the weight of the conspiracies, the betrayals, the killings, and the expulsions are all there pushing against the King (I love when T.H. White calls Arthur - England) and his faith in man and justice. It just isn't to be. Do I need to hide the ending? Am I going to spoil the book for you? Come now, we are all mostly adults here. Camelot fails, but T.H. White explores the failure almost as beautifully as he does the magic of Camelot. He captures the magic of Camelot by focusing on the humanity of the people. He isn't satisfied with making (or keeping rather) Lancelot, King A, Guinevere, and even Mordred locked up in the stale symbols they often become. The trite shadows of type is not T.H. White's jam. He wants to humanize everybody. He wants to show the motives, the nuances of character that makes the reader LOVE these figures not because they symbolize things like bravery, chivalry, or justice ... but because they remind the reader of elements, times, moods and flaws found buried within. T.H. White started with a fantasy novel, but ended with an exploration of war, humanity, love, and hope.

Look, I'm skeptical of fantasy novels. They aren't my thing. I want literature. I want something that pushes you against the wall of your own head and dares you to think bigger. I think T.H. White was aiming for that -- and holy anachronisms - he nailed it.

Missing chapters

I'm reading this book as a summer reading requirement. I have been reading along with the audiobook when I'm with my book, but only listening when I'm out the house. I noticed that some chapters and sections were missing from The Sword in the Stone such as chapter 13 and 17

The narrator has a very nice voice.

Would you listen to The Once and Future King again? Why?

Yes, because it is a very good story. I also like to compare the first part of the book to the Walt Disney movie "The Sword in the Stone".

Beautiful

This book has helped me learn about myself. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Liked the first "book" of the compendium

What did you love best about The Once and Future King?

The first book was the Disney movie we have all come to know and love. The further you went into the stories, the more political it became. That part was not my cup of tea.

Exceptional

Excellent story read by a truly talented performer. Well worth your time to listen and enjoy.

Amazing Narrator!

What did you like best about this story?

I don't know how historically accurate it is because I'm rusty on that era of history, but I loved hearing about the different Caesars and life in ancient Rome.

What about Neville Jason’s performance did you like?

His reading was so smooth and correct for each part, it felt like you were there in the story. It never seemed like he was reading it, but that he was acting it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, if it weren't so long. I hated to stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I listened to it a second time shortly after finishing it the first time.

Delightful

What did you love best about The Once and Future King?

The tongue-in-cheek humor that runs through the narration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Once and Future King?

I was fond of Gawaine's story of his escapades in the crusades.

What about Neville Jason’s performance did you like?

The speaking mannerisms of each important character. He did a wonderful job filling out the colorful dialogue present throughout the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is FAR too long for that, but I do enjoy listening to long stretches of it.

Astonishing

A once in a lifetime read/listen. Outstanding performance. The story is unsummarisable, the life and deaths of King Arthur, Lady Guinevere and Sir Lancelot. A literary classic.

Lengthy and Essential

Choosing immersive reading for this lengthy work proved a wise choice. The Audible book reader, Neville Jason, performed the many voices of the narrative authentically. I especially loved the Scottish accents in his portrayal of Gawain.
While some of its parts seemed a little dry, irrelevant, or somewhat silly, overall it is one of the best books I have ever plowed through. Not a children's book, as some reviewer's claim, it is best offered to those who have had time to savor and survive decades and seasons of life and now have time to reflect and smile at it all. Go slowly, readers, and refresh your minds with the legends, histories, philosophies, allegories contained within this five-volume collection. Travel back and forth within beyond time and reversed chronologies and into the animal realm.
White states he wrote this book over the years 1936-1942 (and it felt like it was going to take that long for me to read it all) when countries were embroiled in war. Clearly, he read and studied all available versions of Arthurian lore as well as inclusions within works of Spenser, Wordsworth, Milton, Cervantes, and other notable authors. Passages in Latin, French, and perhaps other languages are sometimes translated, sometimes not.
I hope I have time to listen and read this great book again. But for now, it's on to Malory.