4 out of 5 Covers
The Chronicles of Prydain are a much-loved children’s book
series by Lloyd Alexander, and reading through them it is easy to see why. The series is inspired by the legends of
Wales (something the author came across while researching his first book, Time Cat). Set roughly during the Middle Ages, Prydain
is a magical land threatened by the forces of King Arawn, the Death Lord. This first book establishes the world very
well and introduces the main characters of the series.
The protagonist is Taran, recently promoted to assistant
pig-keeper. But this is no ordinary pig;
Hen Wen is an oracular pig. When the
Horned King comes for the pig, Hen Wen runs off and Taran seeks after her,
setting him on a course of adventure that forces him to realize that his dreams
of glory don’t match up with reality.
Along the way, Taran gathers a delightful cast of friends,
such as the animal-like Gurgi; Princess Eilonwy, who always speaks her mind;
Fflewddur Fflam, a minstrel whose harp strings break whenever he tells a lie;
and the cantankerous Doli from the underground kingdom of magic folk. All are delightful and well-rounded
characters, especially Eilonwy; the story really comes alive when she is
introduced.
The story itself is episodic in nature. Each chapter brings a new threat or a new
location, so it is milieu story exploring the land then really following a
plot. But the episodes are short so the
reader can never really be bored with any location. And the threat of the Horned King hangs over
the whole story, driving it to the exciting conclusion.
If only Taran wasn’t so much of a pill through most of the
book. It is one thing to be headstrong,
but to be uncompromisingly so becomes irritating. Still,
it is worth putting up with his temperament to explore the rich world of
Prydain and reach the exciting conclusion.
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