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mfkelly323's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
finneas's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
chloekg's review
4.0
One-half of the author believes in whimsy and magic and builds castles of words. The other half of the author is terrified of the world beyond his word-castles. Merlyn and Arthur never had to deal with such a menace as nuclear war. How can wise animals say anything useful in such a time? And yet they try. It's beautiful and touching and heavy. One feels sorrow for the old king and his author.
jason_pym's review against another edition
3.0
A dark and bizarre end to The Once and Future King series. However, this edition has great illustrations by Trevor Stubley which redeemed it for me.
Very heavily influenced by World War 2，there's a lot about war, and Communism (Arthur gets turned into an ant to experience totalitarianism) but nothing on Fascism oddly. Here's the kind of mood the book keeps lurching into:
"The treachery to which he had been subjected by his human race had only just begun to weigh upon him. He had never put it in plain terms to himself: But the truth was he had been betrayed by everybody, even by his own wife and his oldest friend. His son was the least of the traitors... For what hope had he among mankind? The had murdered, almost invariably, every decent person who had spoken to them since Socrates. The had even murdered their God. Anybody who told them the truth was the legitimate object of their treachery, and Merlin's sentence on himself was one of death."
Unlike The Sword in the Stone, I don't think this is going to be snapped up by Disney any time soon.
Very heavily influenced by World War 2，there's a lot about war, and Communism (Arthur gets turned into an ant to experience totalitarianism) but nothing on Fascism oddly. Here's the kind of mood the book keeps lurching into:
"The treachery to which he had been subjected by his human race had only just begun to weigh upon him. He had never put it in plain terms to himself: But the truth was he had been betrayed by everybody, even by his own wife and his oldest friend. His son was the least of the traitors... For what hope had he among mankind? The had murdered, almost invariably, every decent person who had spoken to them since Socrates. The had even murdered their God. Anybody who told them the truth was the legitimate object of their treachery, and Merlin's sentence on himself was one of death."
Unlike The Sword in the Stone, I don't think this is going to be snapped up by Disney any time soon.
maxpietersen's review against another edition
2.75
Well ended story, but a good half of this book is discussion on the political systems of animal species
lucieloureads's review
3.0
Due to its title I was hoping this final book of White’s series would focus on Merlyn out in his world, but rather Arthur is the focus again. A weary Arthur mirrors my own weariness of the series as he’s sent back to learn for the animals once more. Despite it likely being his final night alive, Merlyn seems to want to force the tired old man to consider philosophy and politics.
Not my favourite of the series.
Not my favourite of the series.
quixoticbee's review
5.0
Wonderful, enchanting, entertaining, and everything I needed. I'm so grateful to have ended the series on such a positive note.
magaramach's review
3.0
Just as everything is coming to its beautiful tragic end, we have to listen to why humans are terrible in comparison to animals for 50 pages, and instead of Arthur it turns into White’s own political opinions. I was so disappointed when I got to this - the reason it has 3 stars still is for the very beginning when Arthur is alone and sees Merlyn and convinced himself he’s a dream, how much Arthur tried to live up to what his tutor wanted and how hard it was for him. And for that last beautiful couple of pages with the fates of Lancelet and Guenevere.