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)

A remarkable book.

I wasn’t expecting much from The Once and Future King. I thought I’d listen to just the first book, believing the rest of the volume to be rather dull. Instead I found myself listening with increasing fascination as the lives of Gwenevere, Lancelot and Arthur became more fully realized. If you really want to absorb Arthurian legend, this book is a feast. Equally fascinating was the way TH White began formulating his very modern political theories in the context of a fictional medieval England. Merlin, who has lived backward in time and has seen the tragic wars of the first half of the 20th century, is the voice of these remarkably radical and very 21st century liberal political and social view points.
There are points along the way where this book seems dated or inaccurate and it is. This may bother some people. I encourage you to just keep reading and understand that the book is now 80 years old.
I think what kept me reading was turning pages and finding Arthur consistently at the center of the story struggling with his dream to create a realm where “might is not right” and law is rooted in justice. Arthur’s long life is a moral and spiritual journey.
This book develops the story of Lancelot’s life almost as fully as Arthur’s. He is a fascinating character and I found that his relationship with Arthur was more interesting and compelling to me than his relationship with Gwenevere. I say this because Arthur also loved Lancelot. Arthur depended on his friend and “commander in chief”. He was miserable if Lancelot was away. Arthur loved Lancelot despite the infidelity with Gwenevere.
There are a multitude of fascinating characters in The Once and Future King. It is not a dry book at all. It’s really worth reading!

Another Brilliant Facet

I have read many accounts of Arthur, the legendary king of Britain or England or the British Isles.from many and varied authors in my 74 years. I have enjoyed them all, some more, some less. My favorite rendition is recent...Bernard Cornwall's trilogy beginning with THE WINTER KING. His telling was, for me, the most gripping and real.

Nevertheless, in its own fashion, T H White's "The Once And Future King" was just as enjoyable and, though more sprightly in tone, nearly as dramatic. It did take some interesting tangents during the telling which were unexpected. Some might say that those twists were immature or for children and, certainly not for adult reading. However, I liked them pretty well. The novel was a bit heavily weighted toward British patriotism, but Arthur has always been England's legend and White concluded the book in the midst of WWII during England's darkest hours, so that was fine by me.

The reader, Mr. Jason, was just the right person to read this rather lengthy saga. He did it all with great skill and, as long as the book was, I never tired of listening to his reading.

Mr. White proves something about the subjects of great literature...that their stories can be told from many, many different angles and slants, and each can provide its own worth and beauty...like looking at single, gorgeous diamond from many different angles.

Tremendous!

I love this story! I would skip The Book of Merlin. "One of these things is not like the others".

Great book

This is one of the most entertaining book I ever read. The performance was incredible, I laughed out loud several times. I really recommend this book

long but enjoyable

The classic story of King Arthur, including his really life through to his death. slow moving at times, but builds all the characters to full depth, particularly Launcelot.

Thought provoking

Thought provoking subject matter and captivating narrative. This book delves into important debates about man’s governance and destiny but cleverly does so by weaving it into the great Arthurian legend.

A long but enthralling tale about glory, war, and King Arthur

This is beautifully read, more than just a book. It is a full on serving of English history.

Fantastic!

The story of the full life of King Arthur, with all the fun and sorrow of the animated Sword in the Stone and Camelot, overlaid with quiet and brilliant commentary on the human condition. Read wonderfully by Neville Jason. Can’t imagine it any other way.

Surpassed my highest expectations

Despite being a product of it's time in some ways, 6/5 stars easily. I came for The Sword In The Stone and got that along with exceptional tragedy and much more philosophy than I was prepared for. My only complaint I can muster is some of the language on race (see; "the savage Indian", noted for being inferior to the rest of man for "spitting on the ground when it wants rain".) but, again, it was a book written in the 40s so one can't expect much better.

Sweeping story

Knighthood and honor- chivalry and quests clothed in beautiful imagery and vividly colored scenes. Inspirational and delightful.