Helpful Score: 3
It wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be full of the magic of Merlyn ... but instead it was about the philosphy of war and how man differs from the animals. Although I did find the Pros for war thought-provoking. It repeats the two parts from "The Once and Future King" where Arthur joins the ants and geese. It's more clear about Arthur's death ... yet also includes all the theories of how he's still alive. Perhaps a little too serious for a fantasy.
Helpful Score: 2
I LOVED this book as a teenager. Since I have not read it in at least 25 years, I will borrow a review from Amazon:
A Wonderful Piece of Wizardry, January 12, 2000
Reviewer: McCartnoid7@hotmail.com (Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania United States)
The Book of Merlyn was an incredible book, once again proving the genius of T.H. White. This book is the only sensible conclusion to the Once and Future King and should have been included in the original printing. In The Book of Merlyn, we revisit King Arthur on the night before his final battle with his son, Mordred. Feeling dejected and alone, Arthur's mentor, the lovably eccentric and ingenious Merlyn, returns and whisks the king away to learn two final lessons from the animals he knew as a child. This book is not merely a childish fairytale, but rather an in-depth dissection of human nature in which the human condition is explored in depth and the ever-elusive meaning of life is hinted at. A book for the serious reader or any serious fan of Arthur and Merlyn, The Book of Merlyn is a masterpiece from the mind of one of the greatest writers of the past one hundred years.
A Wonderful Piece of Wizardry, January 12, 2000
Reviewer: McCartnoid7@hotmail.com (Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania United States)
The Book of Merlyn was an incredible book, once again proving the genius of T.H. White. This book is the only sensible conclusion to the Once and Future King and should have been included in the original printing. In The Book of Merlyn, we revisit King Arthur on the night before his final battle with his son, Mordred. Feeling dejected and alone, Arthur's mentor, the lovably eccentric and ingenious Merlyn, returns and whisks the king away to learn two final lessons from the animals he knew as a child. This book is not merely a childish fairytale, but rather an in-depth dissection of human nature in which the human condition is explored in depth and the ever-elusive meaning of life is hinted at. A book for the serious reader or any serious fan of Arthur and Merlyn, The Book of Merlyn is a masterpiece from the mind of one of the greatest writers of the past one hundred years.
Donna E. (impossible) reviewed The Book of Merlyn (Once and Future King, Bk 4) on + 3352 more book reviews
This is the last book in the "Once and Future King" series, the wonderful novels about King Arthur's life and adventures. First printed in 1939 - and still a marvelous read.
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed The Book of Merlyn (Once and Future King, Bk 4) on + 1474 more book reviews
This "true last chapter of The Once and Future King" reprises Arthur's sojourns among the ants and the geese, and stumbles over itself as its characters ponder the nature of mankind and of war. While White died before making the final edit, it is still more a curiosity than anything else.
Frances M. B. (fmb) reviewed The Book of Merlyn (Once and Future King, Bk 4) on + 37 more book reviews
A continuation of White's The Once and Future King, it goes back to the animals who judge humanity through Merlin.
A classic.
Eve M. (newyorkeve) reviewed The Book of Merlyn (Once and Future King, Bk 4) on + 10 more book reviews
As the unpublished conclusion to The Once and Future King, this story tells how Arthur,Lancelot and Guenever come to their ends.
Please read Once & Future King 1st -- Both are wonderful.
M. Carol T. (mamatraub) -
I am very much a fan of King Arthur and Camelot. This is a great but sad story.
