Monday, December 10, 2018
The Once and Future King
by T. H. White
I've gone through many fixations in life--enjoying a season of enthusiasm for this, that, or another thing. One I had back in college was with the Arthurian legend. It was my ambition to collect every retelling of the story. Like most of my ambitions, my dedication wasn't up to the task. I purchased a handful of books for my library, but nowhere near all of them. And, of course, my rereading any of these fine books doesn't happen too often. Too many (other) books, too little time.
But every now and then, I do crack open an old favorite. I think I read The Once and Future King only once before, back when I purchased it in the ancient 80's. Recently I decided to give it another read, feeling a bit guilty as it stared at me from the shelf. It was a pleasant surprise to find the book better than I remembered. Mr. White retells the saga of Le Morte D'Arthur, vastly expanding it with more story and humor. (Though, to be honest, it's been years since I read Le Morte as well.) He chronicles King Arthur's life from childhood to the eve of his final battle, as well as taking forays into the lives of Lancelot, Guenever, and Gawaine. It's definitely a 20th Century book, however, as there are a number of side comments alluding to the events and mores of the middle of that century. I'm curious if younger readers who came of age in later decades would find the references as amusing as I did. Still, I don't think human nature has changed all that much, be it in the 6th, 14th, 20th, or 21st Century. I bet the story would still hold up. But don't take my word for it, read it yourself and make up your own mind.
LibraryThing link
I've gone through many fixations in life--enjoying a season of enthusiasm for this, that, or another thing. One I had back in college was with the Arthurian legend. It was my ambition to collect every retelling of the story. Like most of my ambitions, my dedication wasn't up to the task. I purchased a handful of books for my library, but nowhere near all of them. And, of course, my rereading any of these fine books doesn't happen too often. Too many (other) books, too little time.
But every now and then, I do crack open an old favorite. I think I read The Once and Future King only once before, back when I purchased it in the ancient 80's. Recently I decided to give it another read, feeling a bit guilty as it stared at me from the shelf. It was a pleasant surprise to find the book better than I remembered. Mr. White retells the saga of Le Morte D'Arthur, vastly expanding it with more story and humor. (Though, to be honest, it's been years since I read Le Morte as well.) He chronicles King Arthur's life from childhood to the eve of his final battle, as well as taking forays into the lives of Lancelot, Guenever, and Gawaine. It's definitely a 20th Century book, however, as there are a number of side comments alluding to the events and mores of the middle of that century. I'm curious if younger readers who came of age in later decades would find the references as amusing as I did. Still, I don't think human nature has changed all that much, be it in the 6th, 14th, 20th, or 21st Century. I bet the story would still hold up. But don't take my word for it, read it yourself and make up your own mind.
LibraryThing link
Labels: ArthurianTales, OnMyShelf
Friday, November 18, 2016
Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
First read in April of 2006
It's now on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
First read in April of 2006
It's now on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AnneMcCaffrey, ArthurianTales, OnMyShelf
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This is a very well written retelling of the King Arthur legends, focusing on the women of Camelot, specifically Morgan le Fay. That said, I was a bit put off by the pagan, or rather anti-Christian, tone of the book. If Ms. Bradley's portrayal of the Christianity of the time is accurate, all I can say is that I'm sure glad Martin Luther came along and made it fun again. I also often felt like I was reading a Mary Sue story. Morgan le Fay, or Morgaine, as she's called in the book, learns the druidic lore of Avalon, lends her magic to the power of Excalibur, and attracts the affections of Arthur and Lancelot. (though not to the extent of that simpering ninny Guinevere.) Then again, who's to say that every retelling isn't a bit of a Mary Sue tale? The old, lasting stories are often retold and infused with the passions and beliefs of the raconteur, claiming the tale for another generation. All in all, like I said, the book is well written. I enjoyed the drama and the truly three-dimensional characters. I'll probably hang on to the book, keeping it close to my beloved copies of White's and Malory's Sir Mary Sue tales.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
This is a very well written retelling of the King Arthur legends, focusing on the women of Camelot, specifically Morgan le Fay. That said, I was a bit put off by the pagan, or rather anti-Christian, tone of the book. If Ms. Bradley's portrayal of the Christianity of the time is accurate, all I can say is that I'm sure glad Martin Luther came along and made it fun again. I also often felt like I was reading a Mary Sue story. Morgan le Fay, or Morgaine, as she's called in the book, learns the druidic lore of Avalon, lends her magic to the power of Excalibur, and attracts the affections of Arthur and Lancelot. (though not to the extent of that simpering ninny Guinevere.) Then again, who's to say that every retelling isn't a bit of a Mary Sue tale? The old, lasting stories are often retold and infused with the passions and beliefs of the raconteur, claiming the tale for another generation. All in all, like I said, the book is well written. I enjoyed the drama and the truly three-dimensional characters. I'll probably hang on to the book, keeping it close to my beloved copies of White's and Malory's Sir Mary Sue tales.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: ArthurianTales, CheckItOut
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
A blurb on the cover of this one reads, "The story of King Arthur as it has never been told before..." This is true. It's true because this book seems to be as much about King Arthur's horse as it is about him. Now like I said before, I've never found horse stories to be all that interesting. Arthurian tales, however, I find to be quite enthralling. Mixing the two turned out quite successful and yielded an enjoyable tale. (Of course, Ms. McCaffrey's ability to create interesting characters might have helped a little...) The book tells the tale of a boy named Galwyn. As the story starts, he has lost his father and is apprenticed to his shipowner uncle. His uncle's ship has been hired by King Arthur--or Comes Artos as he's called here--who is heading to a horse fair down near the Pyrenees Mountains to buy some top quality African horses. Galwyn is totally unsuited for a seafaring life, but his skill with horses and knack for picking up languages makes him an ideal helper for Arthur. The story follows Galwyn's development as a servant for Arthur and the development of Camelot's new cavalry. I quite enjoyed the "behind the scenes" setting of the story. Much as I enjoy reading about the knights of the round table, I know that if I had ever been living around Camelot, I would never had made the cut. But I still would have wanted to do my part for the kingdom, in whatever trade I would have found myself in. So Black Horses for the King offers wish fulfillment of a different sort. I'm really glad I could check this one out.
LibraryThing link
A blurb on the cover of this one reads, "The story of King Arthur as it has never been told before..." This is true. It's true because this book seems to be as much about King Arthur's horse as it is about him. Now like I said before, I've never found horse stories to be all that interesting. Arthurian tales, however, I find to be quite enthralling. Mixing the two turned out quite successful and yielded an enjoyable tale. (Of course, Ms. McCaffrey's ability to create interesting characters might have helped a little...) The book tells the tale of a boy named Galwyn. As the story starts, he has lost his father and is apprenticed to his shipowner uncle. His uncle's ship has been hired by King Arthur--or Comes Artos as he's called here--who is heading to a horse fair down near the Pyrenees Mountains to buy some top quality African horses. Galwyn is totally unsuited for a seafaring life, but his skill with horses and knack for picking up languages makes him an ideal helper for Arthur. The story follows Galwyn's development as a servant for Arthur and the development of Camelot's new cavalry. I quite enjoyed the "behind the scenes" setting of the story. Much as I enjoy reading about the knights of the round table, I know that if I had ever been living around Camelot, I would never had made the cut. But I still would have wanted to do my part for the kingdom, in whatever trade I would have found myself in. So Black Horses for the King offers wish fulfillment of a different sort. I'm really glad I could check this one out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AnneMcCaffrey, ArthurianTales, CheckItOut
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
by Howard Pyle
If you've read a lot of my ramblings here, it probably won't surprise you to hear that I like heroic fiction. (It also marks you as one with way too much free time, but that's another topic.) And as one raised in an culture descended from England, King Arthur is one of my favorite mythical heroes. I've picked up a variety of retellings of the legends of Camelot and this is my latest acquisition. Written for children, it was originally published in 1903 and, according to the scholarly afterward, is a rather American flavored retelling of the legend. I can see that, as the knights are all very individualistic and self sufficient. The book focuses on Arthur: how he became king, how he gained Excalibur and won the hand of Guinevere, among other tales. The stories are rather simplistic and the characters are all stereotypes, but for some reason it's fun and I had quite a good time reading it. (Though I have to admit, towards the end, as yet another joust was being proposed, I was hoping that some lowly squire would break character and say, "you know, there are less painful ways to settle differences.") If you like Arthur at all (the king, not D.W.'s brother), I would suggest you check it out.
LibraryThing link
If you've read a lot of my ramblings here, it probably won't surprise you to hear that I like heroic fiction. (It also marks you as one with way too much free time, but that's another topic.) And as one raised in an culture descended from England, King Arthur is one of my favorite mythical heroes. I've picked up a variety of retellings of the legends of Camelot and this is my latest acquisition. Written for children, it was originally published in 1903 and, according to the scholarly afterward, is a rather American flavored retelling of the legend. I can see that, as the knights are all very individualistic and self sufficient. The book focuses on Arthur: how he became king, how he gained Excalibur and won the hand of Guinevere, among other tales. The stories are rather simplistic and the characters are all stereotypes, but for some reason it's fun and I had quite a good time reading it. (Though I have to admit, towards the end, as yet another joust was being proposed, I was hoping that some lowly squire would break character and say, "you know, there are less painful ways to settle differences.") If you like Arthur at all (the king, not D.W.'s brother), I would suggest you check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: ArthurianTales, CheckItOut
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