The Sword In The Stone

“It is what I am for”. Merlin’s timelessly reassuring reply to the boy Arthur is one of many great moments in T. H. White’s magical tribute to Thomas Malory, The Sword in the Stone. Irresistible too is the book’s opening line: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it was Court Hand and Summulae Logicales”. With Merlin as his genial muddled mentor, “the Wart” learns chivalric ways and develops understanding of his own and other people’s characters by taking such shapes as those of falcon, fish and snake. Every page of this tale “of the merry old days of Gramarye” is jeweled with wit and medieval lore and, being reined back by listening, brings a richer appreciation of a book that has been deeply loved by generations of readers since it was published in 1938, and which was written as much for adults as for children. Neville Jason is in general an avuncular narrator well matched to White’s prose. This is education the way it ought to be.

Christina Hardyment, The Times, 7 February 2008

Neville Jason’s approach, he says, is to be ‘humble to the material’ he is working with and to let the ‘powers of absorption work.’ It is apt that in this classic retelling of the King Arthur legend, the wizard Merlin often teaches the boy Arthur (aka Wart) by changing him into other creatures &nash; a fish, a bird –to learn by absorption, by being, with empathy being the least of the lessons taught. It is a perfect fit of sensibilities. Jason, who was awarded the Diction Prize by Sir John Gielgud at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, delivers fully developed characters with such warmth and spark that listeners are instantly transported to Sir Ector’s castle. Originally written in 1938, this audiobook is perfect for any J. K. Rowling fan, as its humor, intellect and playfulness feels as contemporary as a Harry Potter novel. In fact, Rowling has described White’s Wart as ‘Harry’s spiritual ancestor.’ Combined with the brilliant performance by Jason, what more could a fantasy fan want?

Publisher’s Weekly, March 2008