The Sword in the Stone

J'avais entendu parler de cette série de romans du britannique T. H. White réinterprétant le mythe du roi Arthur dans un excellent MOOC sur la fantasy, puis plus récemment dans un livre passionnant de William Blanc sur le mythe d'Arthur et ses incarnations contemporaines.

The Sword in the Stone est le premier volume de ce cycle intitulé The Once and Future King et relate la jeunesse d'un garçon surnommé Wart, et son éducation par un drôle de tuteur, le magicien Merlyn. Je ne pense pas révéler de grand secret en dévoilant que Wart est le surnom du jeune Arthur Pendragon, le futur roi mythique d'Angleterre.

The extraordinary story of a boy called Wart – ignored by everyone except his tutor, Merlyn – who goes on to become King Arthur. When Merlyn the magician comes to tutor Sir Ector's sons Kay and the Wart, schoolwork suddenly becomes much more fun. After all, who wouldn't enjoy being turned into a fish, or a badger, or a snake? But Merlyn has very particular plans for the Wart.

I enjoyed this book although the beginning was slow, but after Merlyn appear I really enjoyed it. I thought the animal transformations were entertaining, I also didn't expect Robin Hood to appear in this story, I also didn't expect Arthur to be sad about being king.

I love this book.
I love the characters
I love the style - it is written a bit like a school boy story, reminds me of Edith Nesbit and Kenneth Grahame
And the end breaks my heart. :´(