"Lancelot had noticed a ladder in the garden, which was long enough for his purpose - and although they had made no assignation, the Queen was waiting."
The Ill-Made Knight is the third book in T.H. White's The Once and Future King series. It comes after The Queen of Air and Darkness and before The Candle in the Wind. During T.H. White's lifetime there was a fifth book in this series, The Book of Merlyn, which was later incorporated into the earlier books.
The Ill-Made Knight is centered around Lancelot, Guenevere and Arthur's love triangle. The Lancelot depicted in this novel is not a handsome man, but his skill with arms earns him the admiration of Arthur's growing circle of knights. Guenevere's love for him is born not of lust but rather a shared affinity, and at no point in this book is Arthur forced to confront his mounting feelings of jealousy towards Lancelot.
Arthur's attempts to "civilize" England are the backdrop against which this interpersonal conflict unfolds. It is in The Ill-Made Knight that Arthur finally stumbles upon the idea of the Grail quest, and of using it as a pressure valve for the blood feuds and ethnic rivalries which beset his kingdom. He later repents of this idea, realizing that its spiritual character might be at odds with his more pragmatic goals, but for most of the novel he is content to sit in his throne room, awaiting the return of various knights from various adventures.
Of the three books I've read, The Ill-Made Knight is by far the best. It meanders a bit of course, but this meandering is in keeping with the tales of chivalry which inspired it. What's more, in Lancelot and Guenevere the author draws upon all his reserves, creating complex personalities locked in a compelling struggle to be loved, to be understood, and to rise above the failings of the human animal.
I'd recommend The Sword in the Stone and The Queen of Air and Darkness if you're bored and looking for some light reading. The Ill-Made Knight? It exists on another level entirely, and those venturing into its pages will find a richly rewarding story of love, empire and forgiveness.
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