5 out of 5 Covers
The final book of the Prydain Chronicles really is the
culmination of everything that came before it.
All of Alexander’s work in creating Taran’s journey from boy to man and
subtly weaving together the mythology of the land comes to a head in a final
battle with Arawn, Lord of the Land of Death.
It is a desperate time as the most powerful weapon in the
land has fallen into the hands of Arawn.
Battle plans against the villain’s forces a nothing as his armies decimate
the land. The only hope lies in a risky
gamble to take the fight to the Land of Death.
Taran and his allies must make a perilous journey in the dead of winter
if the final battle is to succeed.
There is true tension that Taran’s mission may fail as
friends are lost, allies are betrayed and hope falters. But the depths of despair are necessary for
the any contrasting victory to be truly triumphant.
Alexander’s prose is at its best here. The characterization sings. The situations are dire and provide ample tension. My one complaint is that Arawn is a bit of a
straw tiger. The reader had only
encountered him through his proxy generals, so little was known about him
except he is evil. The final
confrontation was over very quickly and would have been anticlimactic if not
for the author’s skill.
The book would be excellent as a stand-alone story, but its
true power comes as part of a series. As such, the emotional climax equals that of Lord of the Rings. This is a book that truly deserved the Newberry award.
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