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The Once and Future King
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 33 hrs
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The Once and Future King
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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.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What the critics say
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)
What listeners say about The Once and Future King
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessica Antonichuk
- 2018-09-18
Fav!
One of my favorite stories as a kid and i cannot wait to listen. #Audible1
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eleena
- 2021-03-03
Amazing!
This book kept me company for many hours during the coldest part of winter, and when I finslly finished it, it was bitter sweet. I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend. I would highly recommend you listen. The performance is awesome, the book is so much fun and makea you think. Check it out!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JohnS
- 2019-12-31
A wonderful classic
No arguing about this book's classic classification. The five stories are told in wonderful, clear language and much humour. It is a long listen, but worth it. The narration by Neville Jason is outstanding.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Edward
- 2017-10-17
Five books for one credit
Non of the books are quite the fantasy adventure one would expect from king Arthur. They are about how the world works and how people interact with it. The books are different from each other for example the first book is full of magic and it is almost completely forgoten in the second
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-03-15
long but worthwhile
great performance from the narrator, total joy to have read this and have become knowledgable about the Arthurian legend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jackie Law
- 2019-02-25
Excellent
SO GOOD. Loved the stories, thought the narrator was truly excellent. I definitely get the impression of charming british storytelling from it in the line of 'winnie the pooh/wind in the willows' especially in the beginning. The warmth and empathy lent in this reading of it really give it something extra.
The books aren't really divided up in the chapter queue, so you'll have to pay close attention to when the title of the next book comes up. I'd suggest taking a break right after 'Sword in the Stone' since the subject matter gets quite dark very quickly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-12-22
Wow
Honestly I had no idea this was going to be this amazing. I thought it was a story for children.
It’s an amazing adult read.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2022-09-17
Divide It Up
This interpretation of the classic Arthurian Legend Cycle (following Malory's 'Le Morte D'Arthur' and others) shifts gears with every one of the five books in the collection:
• 'The Sword In The Stone' is a whimsical kid-friendly tale introducing a young King Arthur ("Wart") under the tutelage of Merlyn The Magician learning about the world through meeting talking animals
• 'The Witch In The Wood' (starting at Chapter 25) takes a distinctly dark turn - beginning with the nonchalant boiling of a cat alive; continuing through descriptions of brewing civil war; the meaningless murder of a trusting unicorn; and a pitched battle.. and ending with incestuous seduction triggered by a magical spell using a strip of human flesh
• 'The Ill-Made Knight' (from Chapter 39) is a chronicle of the struggles of Sir Lancelot balancing his friendship with Arthur, dedication to honor & chivalry, and love for Arthur's queen, Guenever
• 'The Candle In The Wind' (starting at Chapter 84) documents the involved efforts of Arthur's bastard son Mordred to overthrow the crown and Arthur's existential questioning of his own legacy.. ending with the implication that Arthur's dream of a world without War will happen someday - perhaps with a return of the monarch
• 'The Book Of Merlyn' (Chapter 98) reintroduces the timetraveling Magician and acts as a treatise: following his expounding on a range of philosophical questions - in front of Arthur and a council of the talking animals from Book One - ultimately concluding that Man is simply an animal.. and thus should live by "natural" rules and abandon nonsensical activity like War
To be certain, T.H.White maintains a lighthearted "storytelling" tone throughout the series.. but the shifts in atmosphere, theme, and seriousness are striking - this sweeping collection feels like five distinct offerings.
Reader Neville Jason provides some of the best narration I have heard in a long time - exhibiting peerless diction, cadence, timbre, and tone - but demonstrating straight-up spectacular voice-acting: realistic, distinctive, well-conceived, and well-executed (hissing the voice of a talking snake without overdoing it, for example). The narrator chants and actually sings some dialogue where T.H.W. intended it. Jason's dedication to the project is impressive.
Altogether, this Naxos Audiobooks production rates 9 stars out of 10. It's extremely well-written, clear, and entertaining. The menu doesn't make it clear where the books are divided, but the PDF is helpful for that purpose (as well as containing a very good essay about the works). If you decide to give this recording a try, I recommend listening to something else between entries, however - rather than listening to all Five Books in a row. It's otherwise a little overwhelming and moderately hard to follow.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 2018-04-28
Great work on this one.
The reading of this one was spot on. It is a must get. I really enjoyed this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- nyerpo
- 2020-11-26
What a narrator
An excellent book I wish I had encountered earlier in life. And what a narrator!
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