From wikipedia the free encyclopedia the book of merlyn is an arthurian fantasy book by british writer t h white it is the conclusion of the once and future king but it was published separately and posthumously. The once and future king is a work by t h white based upon the 1485 book le morte darthur by sir thomas malory it was first published in 1958 it collects and revises shorter novels published from 1938 to 1940 with much new material summary most of the book takes place in gramarye the name that white gives to britain and chronicles the youth and education of king arthur his rule as . The the once and future king quotes below are all either spoken by merlyn or refer to merlyn for each quote you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon like this one . Once and future king may be the finest fantasy novel ever written and its final page is consequently one of the loveliest parting sentiments given to its eponymous hero the book of merlyn takes place during the night prior to art. Each of merlyns lessons has a similar goal and merlyns ultimate aim is to ready the wart for his impending role as king arthur by the end of the candle in the wind however merlyn has almost wholly vanished from arthurs life but not from his memory for the wizards lessons remain with the king throughout his tumultuous reign