THE CANDLE IN THE WIND & THE BOOK OF MERLYN

Neville Jason is an acoustic acrobat and ideally suited for the diverse cast of T.H. White's retelling of the Arthurian legend. He deepens Guinevere's voice to show her maturity. King Arthur's querulous speeches evoke the good-hearted old cuckold's weakening body. Mordred sounds nasty enough to be X-rated, but this is a children's book, so Merlyn uses expletives like "Fiddlesticks!" The musical CAMELOT was based on White's seminal work, and J.K. Rowling has said he influenced her Harry Potter novels. In these closing volumes the writer distills the lessons of a lifetime. Which makes the listener yearn—as White might have done—for earlier and more ignorant books. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]