02.19.07
The Once and Future King
If you like stories about King Arthur, you must read The Once and Future King by T.H. White. It is an utterly charming version of the legend that makes Merlyn into at once a much more entertaining, endearing, and interesting wizard than in other versions of the tales. White’s book takes metaphors and details from tons of anachronistic periods and treats the legends more like a springboard for thought in the contemporary world than as a stuffy retelling of old lore. Much like the book Grendel which retells the classic epic Beowulf from a new perspective, The Once and Future King gives an entirely new perspective on all the characters you think you know as well as the general mythos of the knight. I love, love, love this book, and would recommend it to anyone, especially those that are still quite childish at heart.