
The Once and Future King
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Narrated by:
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Neville Jason
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By:
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T. H. White
About this listen
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 AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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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)
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The Doones are a clan of murdering thieves, and among their victims is John Ridd's father. The strong, noble Ridd determines to avenge his father's death; but his plans are complicated when he falls in love with one of the hated family - the beautiful Lorna. Lorna is promised against her will to another; and that other will not let her go lightly. Set amid the political turmoils of the late 17th century, Lorna Doone brings West Country history and legends alive with wonderfully imaginative fiction.
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I fell in love with this book
- By Linda on 11-20-12
By: R. D. Blackmore
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Suldrun’s Garden
- Lyonesse: Book 1
- By: Jack Vance
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
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The Elder Isles, located in what is now the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of 10 contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious king of Lyonnesse. His beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is part of his plans. He intends to cement an alliance or two by marrying her well. But Suldrun is as determined as he and defies him.
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Not my cup of tea
- By Ann on 01-10-11
By: Jack Vance
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The Dragon Waiting
- By: John M. Ford
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
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In a snowbound inn high in the Alps, four people meet who will alter fate. A noble Byzantine mercenary.... A female Florentine physician.... An ageless Welsh wizard.... And Sforza, the uncanny duke. Together they will wage an intrigue-filled campaign against the might of Byzantium to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester - and make him Richard III.
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Read not listen.
- By Anna Marie on 08-08-21
By: John M. Ford
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Death and the Maiden
- Mistress of the Art of Death
- By: Samantha Norman, Ariana Franklin
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
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England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft—sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband.
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Wanted to love it
- By Jeffrey J. on 02-15-21
By: Samantha Norman, and others
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Heart of the Moors
- An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel (The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Series, Book 1)
- By: Holly Black
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
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Ruling a kingdom is challenging under any circumstances. But Aurora - queen of Perceforest and queen of the Moors - is reigning under the weight of two crowns. Caught between the prejudices that divide her kingdom and eager to establish lasting peace, Aurora is determined to sign a treaty to unify the humans and the Fair Folk. But as spiky dark flowers grow fiercely around Perceforest’s borders and a stable boy mysteriously disappears, tensions between humans and faeries are at a dangerous high.
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Fantastic exploration of the characters&universe
- By Kcow on 11-05-21
By: Holly Black
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The Last Unicorn
- By: Peter S. Beagle, Patrick Rothfuss
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Joshua Kane
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
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The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone...so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction....
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Wonderful story given mediocre treatment in audio
- By David A. Howarth on 08-23-22
By: Peter S. Beagle, and others
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Far from the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: David McCallion
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Far from the Madding Crowd, which first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in monthly installments back in the late 19th century, features the love life of the young Bathsheba Everdene who is as poor as she is beautiful. Fortunately, Bathsheba's uncle leaves her his farm, which she goes to manage in the small town of Weatherbury. Before she leaves, however, she has an interesting encounter with a young farmer, Gabriel Oak, for whom she does a tremendous favor ,and he becomes indebted to her....
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Loved this delightful listening experience !!!
- By Robin Wardle on 07-15-16
By: Thomas Hardy
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The Road to Jerusalem
- Crusades Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Jan Guillou
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
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Born in 1150 to a noble Swedish family and coming of age at a monastery under the tutelage of a Cistercian monk and a former Knight Templar, young Arn Magnusson is sent to fulfill his destiny beyond the cloister walls. But the world awaiting him is a place at odds with his monastic ways. And when the murder of a king engulfs Western Götaland into a whirlwind of intrigue and ruthless power plays, headstrong and naive Arn is forced to leave the woman he loves behind and take up arms to battle infidels in the Holy Land.
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Went looking for trashy historical fiction...
- By Anonymous User on 02-01-22
By: Jan Guillou
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A Wayside Tavern
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
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A Wayside Tavern tells the story of a Suffolk drinking place from the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, until the present day. The Roman veteran, crippled and left behind, worshipped Mithras, so the place became known as the One Bull and down through the centuries it became a clearing house for contraband, a miniature Hell Fire Club, a fashionable hotel, a mere pub. Across the yard, was the church of St Cerdic, king and martyr, who fought the Danes and was famous for the miracles performed at his shrine.
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An enjoyable tale
- By Gordon on 10-07-11
By: Norah Lofts
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Figures of Earth
- A Comedy of Appearances
- By: James Branch Cabell
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
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Figures of Earth, subtitled "A Comedy of Appearances", follows the vicissitudes of Dom Manuel the Redeemer from his lowly swineherd origins through his unlikely elevation to the Count of Poictesme, and beyond. Published in 1921, it was the second volume of “The Biography of Manuel”, Cabell’s great work about an imaginary land that also managed to skewer the world of his upbringing as a Southern Gentleman of Virginia, and nearly everything else, besides!
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The Ickabog
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
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The kingdom of Cornucopia was once the happiest in the world. It had plenty of gold, a king with the finest moustache you could possibly imagine, and butchers, bakers, and cheesemongers whose exquisite foods made a person dance with delight when they ate them. Everything was perfect - except for the misty Marshlands to the north, which, according to legend, were home to the monstrous Ickabog. Anyone sensible knew that the Ickabog was just a myth to scare children into behaving. But the funny thing about myths is that sometimes they take on a life of their own.
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Oh, dear...
- By ili pika on 11-11-20
By: J.K. Rowling
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American author Howard Pyle (who also wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood) weaves the tales of chivalrous knights, the magic sword of Excalibur, the magician Merlin the Wise, and the legendary Arthur, later to become King of Britain. Pyle describes bouts of jousting and knightly jealousies played out in grand style.
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An Entertaining Account of Arthur’s Early Days
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What listeners say about The Once and Future King
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- Jim "The Impatient"
- 05-07-13
People Who Say They are No Good are Always the
Good Ones.
Since you can get these five books for one credit, go ahead and get it, instead of one book at a time. Believe me if you buy the first book, you are going to want the second and if you buy the second, etc. Since this is five books I will go over each, in case you buy one at a time. I will try an be brief. I mean if if takes you as long to read the review as the book, why not just get the book.
1, The Sword and The Stone (1938). This is the best of the five and is mostly a fantasy. Wart/Arthur is turned into several animals to learn about life. There is also an interesting part on boar hunting. Did you know on a boar spear there is a cross piece to keep the animal from running up the spear to get to you.
2.The Witch In the Wood (1939) This is shorter, darker and not as funny, nor as good as the book before and after, but necessary as it explains the origin of the Round Table.
3. The Ill-Made Knight (1940) This is all about Lancelot. You really get to know his character, matter of fact there is more character building in this book then the others. This is the longest of the books and actually goes on about three hours longer then it should have. Did you know that Lancelot was extremely ugly? This is one of the reasons he became such a great Knight. It is such a big part of his character I can't believe so many movies chose to make him some stupid Handsome Hunk. He is a lot more complicated as an Ugly Man. You are introduced to the tragic character Elaine, who starts out as a trickster, but who you end up feeling strongly sorry for. Guinvere turns out to be one horny queen.
4. The Candle in The Wind (1958) Does Might Mean Right is the common theme in all these books. It is especially in this one and the book has several long speeches. I myself as a child never understood why John Wayne won ever fight he was in. Until True Grit, John Wayne strongly believed he should never be killed in a movie. Heroes don't die and never lose fights. King Arthur's mother dies at the age of 70, in bed with a young man she seduced. In the original "Once and Future King" this was the last book, as it should have stayed.
5.The Book of Merlyn (1977) This was published after T.H. White's death. He wanted it in the original (Once and Future King), but the editor would not allow it. That was one smart editor. This book brought the whole series down from Five stars to Four. This book has no plot and is 97% anti-war speeches. There is a part where the King is turned into a ant and then into a goose. Those parts and the end which explains what finally happens to everybody are the only good parts to the book. This is mostly a debate where White argues both sides. I also am aniti-war, but no explanation is given about what to do about people like Hitler. White seems to say let him keep murdering Jews.
All in all this is very well written, is very entertaining and if you are a fan of the Legend of Arthur, then it is a must read.
The narrator is excellent.
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- Mark and Amy Acker
- 05-02-12
Buy it for the first book.
The narration in this story is outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and was pleased to learn how true to the story Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" movie acutally was. The rest of the story focuses the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere. The moments when Arthur comes into the story are touching and my favorite parts, but they are few and far between. There are also several great side stories along the way that make it worth reading.
The final book, as others have said is completely different. It doesn’t really add anything to the story. It’s interesting, but only if you are really into sociopolitical theory, anthropology, and biology. That doesn’t make sense to you? Give it a try and see what I mean.
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- SerenaCeeZee
- 03-22-13
Best Narration
If you could sum up The Once and Future King in three words, what would they be?
Interesting things happen.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Once and Future King?
Oh I just loved it every time the Questing Beast made an appearance.
What about Neville Jason’s performance did you like?
What an amazing performance! He had unique voices for all the characters, and carried them consistently throughout, as the characters aged and matured their voice characterization evolved without changing into something unrecognizable. His narration was lively and intelligent, and he mastered many accents and even a bit of singing. I had to pause on many occasions, just stunned by how much he added to the story. I'm so glad I chose this one in audiobook format.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
It's not the same old story, it's so much more.
Any additional comments?
This set is entertaining and family friendly - although it's not a children's book, there isn't much that could be considered too offensive (I don't know, ages 8+ maybe 10+). It's inventive, beautifully written and superbly narrated. It's good enough to lure a teenager away from their video games because they become genuinely interested in what happens next.
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- Jillie
- 08-08-17
Classic Tale
This is a classic tale that is beautifully written and masterfully told. But somehow it left me feeling a bit depressed. Although I don't require a happy ending per se, the upbeat ideals of chivalry and might not making right at the beginning of the book devolve into betrayal upon betrayal and death by the end of the tale. It is an absolute classic, but I don't think I will be reading it again.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-04-18
Amazing
One of the best books I've ever experienced. It has changed me from my soul-out. An amazing blend of comedy, sorrow, and philosophy. One of the greatest books humanity has ever produce. Simply beautiful.
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- Kirk A Mann
- 05-23-18
Enthralling brilliant story
Remarkably deep and entertaining story of King Arthur and his round table. Finest narration possible!
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- jazz drummer
- 08-16-18
summer reading
book was ok, but the narrator's voice was a perfect match for this. ❤ fortnite
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- Gunjan Joshi
- 01-12-17
thought provoking book
a great story, timeless and fun and makes you look at the big questions without seeming to be doing so!
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- scott
- 04-12-18
Good Performance.
what a wonderful story. well performed. a real treat to hear. its length is only a bonus.
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- Lm
- 03-18-13
Even if your preferred genre is different...
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Don't pass this up. Love the performance, the book is a classic. Witty, engrossing.
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