Product Description: ". . . a personal as well as historical story that crisscrosses the centuries on the question of war and peace." --New York Times This magical account of King Arthur's last night on earth spent weeks on the New York Times best-seller list following its publication in 1977. Even in addressing the profound issues of war and peace, The Book of Merlyn retains the life and sparkle for which White is known. The tale brings Arthur full circle, an ending, White wrote, that "will turn my completed epic into a perfect fruit, 'rounded off and bright and done.'"
Be careful when moving, amazon does not change shipping and billing addresses ^ Never got the book. Mailed to my old address. Amazon didnt change the shipping information.
different than the once and future king, but equally enjoyable ^ as i said in my title, this book is very different. if you're looking for an arthurian read with a plot, stay away. because this book has no plot. it is set just before arthur leaves for his fatal battle with mordred. merlyn and all of the animals he learned from as a boy have gathered together and are pondering different things, and the morals of the lessons merlyn teaches. arthur is taken on more journeys with the animals, with the ones of the geese and ants repeated (there are also additional ones). it really makes you think, and it delves deeper into the arthurian legend and its morals. this is a wonderful book, and should be read directly after the once and future king for the full effect.
It's Not What You Would Expect ^ I just want to start by saying, don't read this book if you are looking for a satisfactory conclusion to The Once and Future King. As a matter of fact, if you haven't read that yet then it's okay to read this, other than a bit of back story, the two are virtually separable. In The Book of Merlin, White displays his paranoia of the World Wars and his almost backward grasp on world politics by using the anthropomorphic characters from The Once and Future King and Merlin, who isn't so much a wizard in this book, but a raving anarchist. I'm not going to delve into the right and wrongs of the political spectrum represented, but a politically conscious reader would find most of what White has to say as absurd. Read this if you appreciate White, read this if you appreciate the political notions of a paranoid sadist, but by all means skip this and go read Mallory if you are interested in a good work concerning Arthur.
Believing in Camelot ^ White packs the politics and philosophy into Book of Merlyn, but if you believe that Might doesn't make Right, his foray into analyziing human conflict is welcome.
Still, there is plenty of moments in the Book of Merlyn that capture White's wonderful magical voice that permeates the Once and Future King.
It's a shame White never got it included with the full book.
A real enchantress said,"Thanks for this wonderful book." ^ Does life make any sense? Is there a meaning to our lives? Arthur gets his last lessons from Merlyn.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
