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135 reviews for:
The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to the Once and Future King
T.H. White
3.56 AVERAGE
135 reviews for:
The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to the Once and Future King
T.H. White
3.56 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm glad this wasn't included in The Once and Future King!
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
I'm not sure how I feel about this one...
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This took my least favorite parts of "The Sword in the Stone" and added a whole ton of lecturing on WWII-era politics. I see why it was only published posthumously thirty-five years after it was first written.
There is a small disclaimer at the beginning of my copy of The Book of Merlyn that tells of White revising for the complete collection and that some of the stories will be repeated. The publisher left these repeats in there to maintain the author intent which was nice. These are events from the early years of Arthur so it was nice to revisit them because after so much and so many books I had forgotten these adventures. And after following Arthur's entire life it seemed a lifetime ago I had read them. But not only that, they were not exactly the same for they are written with the surrounds and eyes of the elderly king over the young boy but also these two tales are enveloped with new characters and events.
This book offers some very good insights into human nature and humanity, nothing to get offended at, well I didn't. In fact it is surprisingly very true what White/Merlyn tells Arthur, but you also know all these insights and suggestions and realisations are consciously included as messages to the reader to change humanity anytime soon, humanity is just too stubborn. But we digress.
The Book of Merlyn is the final book of The Once and Future King series. It is thoughtful and deep, and while we don't get to reflect a lot on the overall life and actions of Arthur like we see more in Candle in the Wind, this looks at the overall picture about the entire fate of the human race and Merlyn helps Arthur see why he is stuck in the situation that he is currently in. How humans act, interact and how we think we have evolved when we really haven't even started. In that respect it was profound, and I'd already gotten all worked up and involved and attached to poor dear Arthur at the end of Candle in the Wind so this was more focused on the philosophy which I really liked as well. Arthur was woven in there but there is a lot of long talking done by Merlyn about everything. When it does conclude White continues as he had done occasionally throwing in long bits about history but where he does it sort of helps you see how it all ended and what happened in the future. But I think he took it a little bit too far and too long with no real summarising points about what it actually meant for history to have a king like Arthur. I liked this for the philosophy but as an Arthur story it just seemed to be unfair on Arthur for the most part, even if it did help him in the end.
The Once and Future King is a brilliant story. You start at book one and you see Arthur, a young boy who is just trying to live his life and strive for whatever dreams he hopes for. We follow him through every single stage of his life, we see his teachings by Merlyn, his succession and struggle at the throne and we see his friendships, battles, loves and hardships while he continues to grow and age and become the great king. I can only speak of White but he manages to involve you in this young boy and this old king and you see these characters as real people who you feel for and pity. The way Arthur is portrayed is heartbreaking and spectacular and I think seeing this boy from the beginning to the very end makes it that much more emotionally driven, touching and sorrowful.
As this is the final book I will say that it does deserve a five star rating overall. I think the less amazing stories in between, the books that went up and down, and those that stayed strong constantly should all be ignored because as a whole this is a fantastic story. But if you break it into its separate books there are faults everywhere. But as a whole it was fantastic on every level.
This book offers some very good insights into human nature and humanity, nothing to get offended at, well I didn't. In fact it is surprisingly very true what White/Merlyn tells Arthur, but you also know all these insights and suggestions and realisations are consciously included as messages to the reader to change humanity anytime soon, humanity is just too stubborn. But we digress.
The Book of Merlyn is the final book of The Once and Future King series. It is thoughtful and deep, and while we don't get to reflect a lot on the overall life and actions of Arthur like we see more in Candle in the Wind, this looks at the overall picture about the entire fate of the human race and Merlyn helps Arthur see why he is stuck in the situation that he is currently in. How humans act, interact and how we think we have evolved when we really haven't even started. In that respect it was profound, and I'd already gotten all worked up and involved and attached to poor dear Arthur at the end of Candle in the Wind so this was more focused on the philosophy which I really liked as well. Arthur was woven in there but there is a lot of long talking done by Merlyn about everything. When it does conclude White continues as he had done occasionally throwing in long bits about history but where he does it sort of helps you see how it all ended and what happened in the future. But I think he took it a little bit too far and too long with no real summarising points about what it actually meant for history to have a king like Arthur. I liked this for the philosophy but as an Arthur story it just seemed to be unfair on Arthur for the most part, even if it did help him in the end.
The Once and Future King is a brilliant story. You start at book one and you see Arthur, a young boy who is just trying to live his life and strive for whatever dreams he hopes for. We follow him through every single stage of his life, we see his teachings by Merlyn, his succession and struggle at the throne and we see his friendships, battles, loves and hardships while he continues to grow and age and become the great king. I can only speak of White but he manages to involve you in this young boy and this old king and you see these characters as real people who you feel for and pity. The way Arthur is portrayed is heartbreaking and spectacular and I think seeing this boy from the beginning to the very end makes it that much more emotionally driven, touching and sorrowful.
As this is the final book I will say that it does deserve a five star rating overall. I think the less amazing stories in between, the books that went up and down, and those that stayed strong constantly should all be ignored because as a whole this is a fantastic story. But if you break it into its separate books there are faults everywhere. But as a whole it was fantastic on every level.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Written with all of White's charm, but it includes two stories that were published in The Once and Future King, and it is all, all political theory from an idealist. Our beloved Round Table folk get a glancing mention in the last chapter. Everything else is theory of political management.
I must say I prefer the ending of the fourth book. It is a lot less lofty and a lot more entertaining. This fifth book feels very unfinished, like a rough idea that needs some story to fold out onto. It was nevertheless very interesting to further dive into White's mind and I tremenduously enjoyed reading the foreword detailing the evolution of the whole series.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
According to what I've read about the Once and Future King books, this volume was initially intended to be included with the other four books in the omnibus printing. It was rejected due to wartime paper shortages, and was finally published a few years after White's death. I wanted to read this because I had liked The Once and Future King so much, and I was disappointed to find that this book was less a conclusion to that Arthurian tale, and more a philosophical look at war and its causes and effects.
The Once and Future King ends unresolved, though White sets it up so that we're pretty sure that the downward trend of the story will continue. He ends that story definitively here, but he does so really with the first chapter and the last two chapters. Arthur is despondent on the night before his final battle with Mordred, but he is then reunited with Merlyn, who takes Arthur off to the cave where he was imprisoned by Nimue. There, the two of them meet with the animals Arthur met through his transformations to discuss the nature of war. This convinces him of the futility of war, and when he returns to the battlefield, he convinces Mordred to make peace. Unfortunately, even that victory turns sour when a knight draws his sword to kill a snake, which is seen by the other side as treachery, and the battle erupts anyway.
The conclusion of the legend is appropriate and tragic, but it doesn't really tell us much more than what was revealed in The Once and Future King, and the rest of the book is more philosophical in nature. In addition, Merlyn has Arthur undergo two additional transformations, but when the book was initially rejected by the publisher for inclusion into the book, White went back and added the two scenes to The Sword in the Stone, making those chapters redundant here. In fact, I wonder if the book was initially rejected for its content and not for the paper shortages, since much of the book seems superfluous at best. Much of the discussions of war could have been included in an essay or a non-fiction book.
Those who enjoyed The Once and Future King might want to read this for its curiosity value, but I don't see it as an essential part of the Arthurian tale. It just doesn't add enough to the story to make it worth reading, unless you're curious to see what White thought about war before having to participate in it himself.
The Once and Future King ends unresolved, though White sets it up so that we're pretty sure that the downward trend of the story will continue. He ends that story definitively here, but he does so really with the first chapter and the last two chapters. Arthur is despondent on the night before his final battle with Mordred, but he is then reunited with Merlyn, who takes Arthur off to the cave where he was imprisoned by Nimue. There, the two of them meet with the animals Arthur met through his transformations to discuss the nature of war. This convinces him of the futility of war, and when he returns to the battlefield, he convinces Mordred to make peace. Unfortunately, even that victory turns sour when a knight draws his sword to kill a snake, which is seen by the other side as treachery, and the battle erupts anyway.
The conclusion of the legend is appropriate and tragic, but it doesn't really tell us much more than what was revealed in The Once and Future King, and the rest of the book is more philosophical in nature. In addition, Merlyn has Arthur undergo two additional transformations, but when the book was initially rejected by the publisher for inclusion into the book, White went back and added the two scenes to The Sword in the Stone, making those chapters redundant here. In fact, I wonder if the book was initially rejected for its content and not for the paper shortages, since much of the book seems superfluous at best. Much of the discussions of war could have been included in an essay or a non-fiction book.
Those who enjoyed The Once and Future King might want to read this for its curiosity value, but I don't see it as an essential part of the Arthurian tale. It just doesn't add enough to the story to make it worth reading, unless you're curious to see what White thought about war before having to participate in it himself.