We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(7) Snow Line
Okay, the obvious thing here is the length. The Once and Future King is actually four separate novels that make up the cohesive whole story of Arthur, Guenever, and the fate of the fabled knights of the Round Table… so you've got a long row to hoe. Or, to go with a more appropriate jousting metaphor, a heavy lance to heft.
There are a metric ton of characters to keep track of, and most of them come with their own backstories, family relationships, motivations, goals, etc. White's a real name-dropper, too, so you'll want to keep the Internet handy to check out all those allusions (or check out our "Shout-Outs").
Plus, there are some Latin and French phrases thrown in to give you a bit of Middle Ages flavor. Finally, some of the passages can get pretty dense—with some long, compound-complex sentences—so you'll want to be on the lookout for those.
But even though the novel might sound daunting because of these elements, never fear. White makes things interesting (knights! who doesn't love knights?!), and before you know it you'll be knee-deep in Arthurian drama and happily working your way through the tough stuff.