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)

Truly exceptional vocal performance, classic work

The collection of White's contemporary writing of Arthurian legend is a fun and enjoyable read, certainly some things to think about especially for younger readers. The vocal performance is OUTSTANDING, he does distinct voices for each character, which are imaginative and compelling.

The narrator was excellent

One of my favorite books. The narrator did the book justice . I look forward to more from him.

A Modern Classic Epic Flawed by One Book Too Many

I eagerly purchased this audiobook of T. H. White's complete The Once and Future King, because for a long time Audible only had the individual books available. And I loved the first four books, which begin with the halcyon fantasy of The Sword in the Stone, in which the boy Arthur ("Wart") is educated by an anachronistic Merlyn. The scenes describing the daily life of a medieval castle during different seasons are vivid and beautiful, while those recounting Wart's fantastic adventures and transformations into various animals are imaginative, suspenseful, and humorous. White loved and respected flora and fauna (even snakes), and this first book is encyclopedic and fantastic, dense and rich, absorbing and moving.


From the second book, The Queen of Air and Darkness, which opens in the cold north as Queen Morgause boils a black cat alive while her four sons are telling the story of their grandmother's rape by Arthur's father, begins the increasingly dark movement of the novel, centered on the tragedy caused by Arthur's family history and the romantic triangle between himself, Guenevere, and Lancelot (The Ill-Made Knight). In the 2nd through 4th books White most closely follows Malory, though he also moves the era forward from the 11th to the 15th century and empathically imagines how medieval men and women felt and thought with modern psychological insight. At the same time, he writes plenty of joie de vivre, questing and combating knights, and fascinating details about medieval life (food, fashion, feudalism, etc.).


The novel really concludes with the 4th book (The Candle in the Wind) as the last battle between Arthur and Mordred is about to begin, but this audiobook then adds The Book of Merlyn, which may be good for completists, but which I found disappointing, as on the eve of the last battle Merlyn takes his former pupil off for a night of anachronistic political and philosophical debate with Badger and company about why humans wage war and what might be done to prevent it. Apart from Arthur changing into an ant and a goose to experience two different social systems, there is little "story" in this last book: too little Arthurian Matter and too much Whiteian Musing.


Jason Neville does a marvelous job reading the long work, effortlessly giving different characters distinctive voices and personalities without over doing it (so that, for example, his female characters sound like human beings rather than like a man imitating "women"). And his King Pellinore reminds me of John Gielgud.


I recommend this audiobook for anyone interested in the Matter of Britain or philosophical and well-written fantasy.

Not quite as I had remembered it

I loved this book when I read it as a teenager and so when I saw it on Audible, I couldn't wait to get at it. I can't say I was disappointed, but it was a lot different than I had remembered it. It is a well written book about the Arthurian legend, and I did enjoy it, but not as much as that first time when I could not put it down. However, Neville Jason's performance was wonderful, and I totally enjoyed listening to him read it.

Hit and miss

The Once and Future King is in places a great book but definitely could have benefited from a thorough application of "less is more". I was enthralled in places and then bored or frustrated in others. Here perhaps is the first book I've read that I might actually prefer a well abridged version.

An excellent story on morality and the heart

The story is a fantastic account of Arthurian Legend. The characters are done very well in their obvious traits and more subtle ones, which overall makes the dialogue feel real. The characters feel like people, which is the most important thing to me.

There is plenty of dissection of moralities from several points of view, both explicitly discussed in dialogue and implicitly shown in actions. Expect the need to pause and peruse your own thoughts on the subject matter that it covers.

The narration is good besides the Frenchmen not having French accents. Which is still fine for me as the story takes place almost wholly in England. It only bothers me to the extent that I do enjoy a good French accent among no one else who speaks French.

It's a great book which has given me a lot to think about over 30+ hours just listening to it, let alone the days I have spent in between listening. Now that I have finished it I know I will still be considering these thoughts for years or decades to come. And I will enjoy thinking about it.

A Classic

Beautifully written, well performed and quite enjoyable. If you have any interest in the King Arthur legend, it is a must read

Wonderful

The narrator made this fantastic, yet sometimes slow novel every bit as wonderful as reading it. His voices were varied and full of character, especially Merlin's. These books made me rethink or reaffirm many of my core beliefs, which I think is a wonderful quality possessed by only the greatest of literary works.

Lives up to its legend

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

Excellent performance by the narrator. A clear predecessor to some of the great modern authors, such as Pratchett and Adams.

What did you like best about this story?

Smart, insightful and cutting.

Which scene was your favorite?

The finale, where Arthur talks to Mallory.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

The subject matter may feel dated. The book occasionally veers into silliness that I found unnecessary.

great book, fantastic narration

Just want to write that I'm now a big Neville Jason fan - he did a wonderful job reading this excellent book. Definitely an A-list talent. His character voices really pulled me into the story and he obviously prepared quite a bit. I ordered a couple more books he reads already. The book itself seemed like it could use a little condensing in places but over all I really enjoyed it. And I probably wouldn't have bought an abridged version anyway. I would have liked to hear more about Galahad but maybe I'll find more there in a different book.