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For several weeks now, I’ve had just one final chapter yet to read in The Once and Future King, T.H. White’s novel about the legendary King Arthur.

I keep putting off reading that last chapter. I don’t want to let go of this book.

The novel brings together four shorter books. The Sword in the Stone, originally published in 1938, tells of Arthur’s childhood and his education by the wizard Merlyn. The Queen of Air and Darkness, first published (with a different title) in 1939, tells of Arthur’s early years as king. The Ill-Made Knight, published in 1940, tells of Lancelot and Guenever. The Candle in the Wind recounts the end of Camelot. It was not published separately.

The early parts of the novel are full of mythical creatures, magic and humor. Merlyn turns the young Arthur into various kinds of animals, so he can live among them and learn from them. As the story progresses, it grows more serious and more rooted in reality. By the end, we are left only with truth and consequences.

One legend says that Arthur did not die, but only sleeps under a hill in Avalon. He will return in England’s hour of greatest need. The legend is poetic and poignant and beautiful. That may be why three books about King Arthur were popular in the early years of World War II.

The legend is also, of course, utterly wrong. White’s Merlyn understands this. Early in the young king’s career, Merlyn refuses Arthur’s entreaties to tell him what to do. Arthur was educated so that he could think for himself. When the king finally does start thinking for himself, Merlyn’s relief and elation is electrifying.

In any era, people don’t solve their problems by waiting patiently for a hero to appear. Real heroes do not rise out of an enchanted mist. They are mortal people who step forward in a time of trouble to do what is needed. That kind of heroism is within the reach of anyone, yet it is so exceedingly rare that those who exhibit it become the stuff of legend.