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)

Even if your preferred genre is different...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Don't pass this up. Love the performance, the book is a classic. Witty, engrossing.

A toboggan sits on a hill...

This one sat in my library for quite a while, and I could never really get into it. When I finally buckled down and started really LISTENING, I couldn't stop. It was a joy, and by the end you really understand White's perspective on humanity, and the whole Arthur legend with it's actual purpose brought to fruition. One less star because it dragged a little at the beginning and end. The Lancelot stuff was genius and would make an excellent movie trilogy in and of itself.

the version skips all the good bits

and focuses on the whole Lancelot drama llama. struggled to finish the book even though it was well narrated.

Fun if you're into the genre

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

Neville Jason's reading is amazing. He truly brings the characters and stories to life.

What does Neville Jason bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does really great character voices. Honestly, it's long and at times I was losing interest but Neville's voice would catch my attention and I'd keep going.

Any additional comments?

Lots of fun details that I'd never heard about King Arthur, Merlin and other well known characters. I have never studied these legends so these things may be well known to others who have, but I found it interesting and engaging much of the time. It's also quite long and detailed and at times I felt like I'd had enough. That said, I'm glad to have listened.

First Half Is Great...Second Half Is Not

The first section of this book is the inspiration for the Disney movie, the Sword and the Stone. It's a fun read and child-appropriate. The second section of the book is markedly darker--the contrast between the two is disturbing, though both can stand in their own right. The final section is, well, not really worth reading--it's really just a lengthy discourse on political and social philosophy. I read the book cover-to-cover many years ago but could not bring myself to listen to the entire final section again--I started it, remembered how boring it was, then fast-forwarded to the end. I recommend approaching the book with the attitude that the first section is really good, the second section is decent but the final section is better skipped.

great

it was great and everything difficult book, helpful to listen to while reading so get it

Beautiful, philosophical. Not Disney!

Such a wonderful wandering story full of Arthurian legend, yes, but also on the meaning of life, the futility of war, the transcendence of love.

Masterful Performance

Mr. Jason's performance of this must-read classic is exceptional. His consistency in affectation of character voicing is among the best.

As for the story, it's simply a must-read; it is a classic which is unsurpassed in its class.

Fun companion to Le Morte De Arthur

The first book in this series is almost a children's book, focusing on Arthur's childhood, Merlin's teaching via transforming him into various animals, and some fun and very silly antics of people like a befuddled king's lifelong search for The Questing Beast.

The last book returns more to this light-hearted feel and the conversations with animals, learning from their world views and politics.

The in-between books are more serious, grappling with morals and write and wrong choices and how they affect those around you.

This book mentioned Mallory's Le Morte de Arthur many times, saying it wouldn't expound on this or that because the other book already had. In that way it seemed very much intended to be a companion series, which was slightly disappointing for me since I haven't read the other and only know vaguely the legeons, so there were gaps in the stories. But I was still able to follow okay.

I got a bit tired of Lancelot's ongoing affairs and continuing to give in to the temptation. But there were other thought-provoking ideas about morallity, especially in reguards to war.

I know it's a classic but...

... It's a bit of a slog in parts, isn't it? I mean there are some exciting posts in the middle and there's some incredibly witty stuff, too. But it always felt a little bit like homework.