Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: The Book of Merlyn Author: TH White ISBN: 0-425-03826-2 Publisher: Shaftesbury Publishing Company Part of a Series: The Once and Future King Type of book: Boring dialogue, King Arthur, Merlyn, Great Britain, animals, philosophy, man, Medieval Ages Year it was published: 1977 Summary: An evocative and exciting tale of wizardry and war, this magnificent fantasy of the last days of King Arthur, his faithful magician and his animal teachers, completes the tragedy and romance of T. H. White's masterpiece The Once and Future King. Characters: Its endless dialogue, literally. I think the only thing of note is that Arthur might have cheered up. Don't remember, sorry. Theme: I have no idea what the message should have been. Plot: Just endless talking between Merlyn and Arthur. From Merlyn's point of view. It's Arthur's last day of life, Merlyn finds him to cheer him up or to have him relive the scenes he relived as a child tha...

Name of Book: The Ill-made Knight Author: TH White ISBN: 0-425-06310-0-395 Publisher: Berkley Novel Part of a Series: The Once and future King Type of book: messed up details, King Arthur, Fantasy, Holy Grail, relationships, cuckolded husband, friendship, Medieval Ages Year it was published: 1958 Summary: The Candle in the Wind is the fourth book from the collection The Once and Future King by T. H. White. It deals with the last weeks of Arthur's reign, his dealings with his son Mordred's revolts, Guenever and Lancelot's demise, and his perception of right and wrong. Characters: There's really nothing to tell about the characters. Somehow the author certainly makes the exciting parts boring, thus the characters become boring as well. I wish that he could have explored more of the father-son dynamic between King Arthur and Mordred, and why Mordred was like that. I also would have wanted more exploration on between Mordred and his, well, siblings. ...

Name of Book: The Ill-made Knight Author: TH White ISBN: 0-425-06310-0-395 Publisher: Berkley Novel Part of a Series: The Once and future King Type of book: messed up details, King Arthur, Fantasy, Holy Grail, relationships, cuckolded husband, friendship, Medieval Ages Year it was published: 1940 Summary: The Ill-Made Knight is based around the adventures, perils and mistakes of Sir Lancelot. Lancelot, despite being the bravest of the knights, is ugly, and ape-like, so that he calls himself the Chevalier mal fet - "The Ill-Made Knight". As a child, Lancelot loved King Arthur and spent his entire childhood training to be a knight of the round table. When he arrives and becomes one of Arthur's knights, he also becomes the king's close friend. This causes some tension, as he is jealous of Arthur's new wife Guinevere. In order to please her husband, Guinevere tries to befriend Lancelot and the two eventually fall in love. T.H. White's version o...

Name of Book: The Queen of Air and Darkness Author: TH White ISBN: 0-425-06310-395 Publisher: Berkley Part of a Series: The Once and Future King Type of book: King Arthur, government, round table, incest, Medieval Europe possibly 1100s or 1300s?, myth, fantasy Year it was published: 1939 Summary: The Queen of Air and Darkness, originally titled The Witch in the Wood, is the second book in his epic work, The Once and Future King. It continues the story of the newly-crowned King Arthur, his tutelage by the wise Merlyn, his war against King Lot, and also introduces the Orkney clan, a group of characters who would cause the eventual downfall of the king. First published in 1939, it was re-released under the new title after some editing. Characters: The author tries to make the characters round and interesting, but I feel he doesn't do a good job of it and the characters tend to blur in my mind, or perhaps the plot and story are dead which causes me to lose inter...

Name of Book: The Sword in the Stone Author: TH White ISBN: 0-425-06310-0395 Publisher: Berkley Part of a Series: The Once and Future King Type of book: Fantasy, Medieval, legends, myths, England, 1200s, childhood, animals, lessons Year it was published: 1939 Summary: The whole world knows and loves this book. It is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlyn and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly; of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged. Characters: I think that the only character that does change through the book is Arthur because he has observed the animals and so forth. But I think the character remain the same and flat and nothing else changes about them. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't wondering whether or not what's accurate and what's not. Theme: Learn from animals. Plot: Third...