After White's death a connected novel called The Book of Merlyn was published, but I don't find it as engaging.

The Once and Future King has the most complex depictions of Arthur, Lancelot and Guenivere I've read and I think no matter what version of them I read afterwards, these are the ones I imprinted on-this is my Arthur, my Guinevere and my Lancelot. The next parts are very much adult and much darker, particularly the final and poignant fourth part, 'The Candle in the Wind,' dealing with the fall of Camelot. I loved that first part of the book especially-full of wisdom and whimsy as Merlyn-who lives backward in time-turns Arthur into different animals in order to help him gain wisdom, and the characters are truly endearing and the story full of humor that makes this part stand alone as a classic children's book.

The best known of those was the first part, The Sword in the Stone, a great coming of age tale that was turned into a film by Disney. Show More parts weren't originally written as part of the integrated novel but published separately. ' mingles wisdom, wonderful, laugh-out-loud humor and deep sorrow-while telling one of the great tales of the Western world.'-Guy Gavriel Kay … ( more) But Merlyn foresaw the treachery that awaited his liege: the forbidden love between Queen Guenever and Lancelot, the wicked plots of Arthur's half-sister Morgause and the hatred she fostered in Mordred that would bring an end to the king's dreams for Britain-and to the king himself. During Arthur's reign, the kingdom of Camelot was founded to cast enlightenment on the Dark Ages, while the knights of the Round Table embarked on many a noble quest. A future that would see him crowned and known for all time as Arthur, King of the Britons. A future in which he would ally himself with the greatest knights, love a legendary queen and unite a country dedicated to chivalrous values. Once upon a time, a young boy called 'Wart' was tutored by a magician named Merlyn in preparation for a future he couldn't possibly imagine. White's masterful retelling of the saga of King Arthur is a fantasy classic as legendary as Excalibur and Camelot, and a poignant story of adventure, romance, and magic that has enchanted readers for generations.

The once and future king arthur