OVERALL
8.5/10
The Once and Future King is a YA classic about King Arthur, divided into four books, each of which depicts a different time in Arthur’s life.
In this post, I will briefly go over the good and bad of these books and determine whether it is worth one’s time.
Spoiler: it is.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT
King Arthur needs no introduction other than his name, but here’s a quick synopsis of the book, anyway.
Once upon a time in Britannia (or Britain; there are still debates about what England was called during this time and specifically what Arthur would have referred to his homeland as), a young boy pulls a sword from a stone and becomes king.
He conquers lands, vanquishes the lawless, wins hearts and souls, and builds Camelot — a place of glory, chivalry, and justice.
But can he keep it going?
SOME INFO
Author: T.H. White
Genre: Chilvaric/Arthurian Romance
THE SWORD IN THE STONE
Arthur starts out as a kid called “Wart”. He is shy, kind, and wants nothing more than to be a sidekick to an older boy whom he grew up with. But Merlyn the wizard shows up one day, becomes Wart’s mentor and teaches him how to think for himself, preparing him for an unavoidable destiny.
This is pretty much what you see in the Disney animation The Sword in the Stone. It is whimsical, random, and slow. Wart is endearing and his innocent shown through his interactions with the other characters is the best part about this book. There are also lessons in politics and history inserted.
The book isn’t too long, but it does require a lot of patience to get through. T. H. White certainly took his time with the descriptions of medieval-related stuff – jousting techniques, hunting, hawk-training, castle defence tactics — the majority of which doesn’t have to do with the plot. But on the bright side, you’ll feel an awesome sense of accomplishment once you have read everything written in this first book.
THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS
Like the title indicates, this book is darker than the last. Right off the bat, a cat and a unicorn die.
The book also moves along faster. It is still not good pacing, but it’s definitely a better pace. There are still names and descriptions you don’t care about, but the story becomes more defined.
A group of people, who hate the Pendragon family, scheme the downfall of King Arthur. You can’t really blame them since it seems like the late king Uther Pendragon has done some really awful stuff to them.
This is also the book where King Arthur, now nineteen years-old, establishes the idea of the Round Table. He recruits knights from around the world, hoping to build a place where men only use their power to do good.
Oh, and his idea of Chivalry also includes each knight being faithful to one maiden for the rest of his life. Well, I know you can do it, Arthur, but… all right, no spoilers.
I want to say that you can skip the first two books — Sword in the Stone and Queen of Air & Darkness — and get to the exciting things right away, but I cannot recommend that. Without going through Book 1 and 2, the next 2 books would not have the same impact.
THE ILL-MADE KNIGHT
Mainly deals with Lancelot, his journey to become the best knight of the Round Table and his affair with Queen Guinevere.
The book retells a few selected adventures of Lancelot from La Morte D’Arthur.
Overall, the Ill-made Knight is more fast paced than the last two books. It is straight to the point: which is Lancelot, his fanboy love for Arthur, his struggle to be a knight pure of heart, and his inability to separate his fate from two women – Elaine and the Queen.
This book does well in making you sympathize with Lancelot and his struggle, and in introducing the most tragic love triangle:
Lance loves Gwen; Gwen loves Lance; Lance is Arthur’s beloved friend; Arthur is Lance’s beloved mentor; Arthur is Gwen’s beloved husband.
Some parts are pure comedy, some others definitely make you stop and think – whether about what on earth is going on in Lancelot’s head or the message being put across.
CANDLE IN THE WIND
The last book of the… book. The “candle” refers to the idea of Chivalry that King Arthur has worked all his life for.
Yep, one misplaced romance and the entire kingdom can be plunged into chaos.
By this point, the Round Table is divided due to the issue concerning Lancelot, and the fact that people usually turn against each other when they have nothing else to do. And then, there’s also Mordred – Arthur’s illegitimate son who can’t wait to take revenge on his father.
In short, Candle in the Wind makes all the previous books worth it. T. H. White weaved a tragic tale of a man who had great responsibilities thrust at him at a young age, who harbors an ambitious and revolutionary dream, but in the end is defeated by his own principles.
These messages are masterfully built into the story and pretty much leaps out of the pages as Arthur nears the end. Yes, that’s how good the writing is.
BOTTOM LINE
The Once and Future King is a piece of character study and war commentary that starts slow and ends in an epic fashion. It is well worthy of its status among classics and definitely recommendable. A must-read if you are a fan of Arthurian legends.
If you are looking for an action-packed hero epic with a lot of magic, however, this is not it.