This year at LTUE there were several panels on Lloyd Alexander. I hadn’t realized the difficult time he had getting anything published, but that is a story for another day, and you should probably hear it from one of the experts, not me. The five books include: THE BOOK OF THREE, THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE CASTLE OF LLYR, TARAN WANDERER, and THE HIGH KING.
THE CHORNICLES OF PRYDAIN hold a dear place in my heart because I can remember my mother reading them to me as a child. It is a series of five fantasy novels that follow the course of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper who dreams of grandeur. He meets several people on his journey (my personal favorite being Fflewddur Fflam a bard who likes to elaborate his stories). Now on to the review.
The parts that draw me in:
I remember parts from when my mother read them to me. That is what makes a good story in my mind, when even after years of reading them I can still remember vivid scenes. This was most obviously seen in the characters. As I mentioned earlier, Fflewddur is my favorite and the reason behind it was because of how Alexander made his weakness something that was endearing. The same can be said for the other characters. They aren’t perfect heroes, but they are people I want to cheer for as they overcome their weaknesses and grow.
The other part that I truly loved about this series is the fact that although the books are for children, I remember being touched by what happened. He covers topics such as sacrifice, duty, and love in a manner that isn’t childish but that children can understand. I can remember in THE BLACK CAULDRON a part that made me cry, and I prided myself as a child who didn’t cry. There were other parts that stuck with me and I still think about on a common basis, like the idea that one person divides the cake and the other person gets to pick the piece they want first, though in Prydain they are dividing a flock of sheep or land, I don’t remember the specifics.
The parts that kick me out:
It has been years since I read the books and truthfully I can’t remember the specifics of the plot of the overall series. This isn’t a problem really since I can now go back and reread them and be surprised all over again, but it would be nice if something more stuck out the a few points. If someone were to ask me what it was about I wouldn’t be able to give a very good description without going to Wikipedia first. Though this could also be a fault with my memory.
And I recommend not watching the Disney movie based on THE BLACK CAULDRON. First off, why make a movie off of the second book in a series, and secondly, they leave out one of the most important characters so they had to change the ending which didn’t make it as powerful, but that isn’t why you shouldn’t read the books, that is why you should avoid the movie. Though if you have read the book, the movie will make more sense.
Conclusion:
Should you read the series? YES. And read it to your children. The books aren’t long and people of all age will enjoy them. They are classic.
Should you purchase the series? YES. There is an omnibus of the series or you can even buy a boxed set. You can also find them electronically though buying the boxed set is a little more economical (but that is a different type of argument).
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