The Witch in the Wood & The Ill-Made Knight

The second in the trilogy of T.H. White's retelling of the Arthur legend finds the king on his throne and his romantic rival, Lancelot, in love with Queen Guinevere. This well-told tale is blessed with the insight of narrator Neville Jason, who affects the same offhanded tone and dry wit of the author's prose. At times thoughtful and emotional, at other times cool and intellectual, this academic examination brings psychological insight and contemporary references that expand and invigorate the classic story. Frequent references to Thomas Malory's LE MORTE D'ARTHUR allow listeners to better understand the text. Neville Jason is an outstanding interpreter of this work who makes an enjoyable tale of knights in armor a rousing adventure. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

July 28, 2008
Images of leprechauns and clover may dance in listeners' heads after listening to Neville Jason's reading of the second part of White's Once and Future King
. Jason amplifies the twee aspect of his reading to an overwhelming extent, sounding like a parody of an Irishman at times—a strange fit for this most famous of English stories. When Jason settles down, and cuts back on the whimsy, his reading proceeds far better, settling into a comfortable routine. But such periods, however long they may last, are inevitably interrupted by Jason's simpering and cooing. The fault may possibly lie with White, and his taste for overripe dialogue, but listening to Jason read it is more of a challenge than simply reading it on the page.