I'm a guy who likes his fiction thoughtful, and fantasy just ain't there too often when it comes down to it; give your characters a sword, staff and an undefeatable evil to defeat, and suddenly you've got a good cartoon.
But, like any rule, there are exceptions, and some are truly.. well, exceptional. T.H. White's The Once and Future King is most definitely one of those.
Based around the classic Arthurian legend written in the Mallory, this set of five books puts an entirely new spin on Arthur, Lancelot, Gueneviere et. al, and actually turns it from just another legend into something very, very relavent to today's society. White's characters are a joy to watch unfolding; Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Mordred; they're all atypical and completely unexpected.
The novel is surreal in places, and is often more of a metaphor than a story, but it still holds together well. If you like your philosophy, and if you're set for a whirlwind assault on politics, philosophers and society in general, this is for you. I'd recommend it as one of my favourite books of all time, just because of the thinking it makes you do when you're done. A real tour de force.
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Canary word: Present
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@xe quét rác I have read it many times; it's very good and meaningful.
Okay, this is from over eleven years ago (this site is older than I thought), but hey, I've wanted to read The Once and Future King for a while, so why not review?
I liked that you didn't spoil anything, but you gave a good idea of what the novel is about.
One minor criticism: What is the Mallory? Maybe you should explain that for uninformed readers like myself.
Yeah, I have a first edition of it, spiffy huh? Its the one that inspired the musical Camelot. I always really like it.
Bett