Rating: 
Summary: I am, I said. To no one there.
Review: The Prydain series takes a turn for the introspective with this particular book in the series. Throughout the series our hero, Taran, has been sort of an everyboy. He's never physically described in the books, a fact I've always ascribed to the notion that the guys reading the books can picture him as themselves. Up until "Taran Wanderer", the boy's been alternately foolish and brave. In this particular adventure, however, author Lloyd Alexander decides to do an old fashioned boy-learning-to-be-a-man storyline. Though the writing is fairly fine, in the end this stands as probably one of the weaker books in the Prydain series.
As the book opens, we see Taran attempting to come to grips with two things. On the one hand, he has decided that he loves Eilonwy. On the other hand, he wants to know who he parents are. Unfortunately for the reader, Eilonwy remains in this story only as a pretty memory in Taran's mind. She never actually appears in the narrative. That leaves the parentage quest. Taran has decided that he is probably descended from noble lineage. Now, you might think this to be a pretty egotistical idea on Taran's part. But when you consider that roughly 50% of the people Taran comes into contact with in his adventures are either kings, princesses, or princes, it's not that crazy a notion. This series is rife with royalty. Setting off away from his beloved Caer Dalben with the faithful Gurgi in tow, Taran goes to find his destiny. What he finds instead is who he is as a person.
As I mentioned before, Eilonwy is missing from this book, and this is a serious failing. With Taran lovestruck and doe-eyed, the girl's caustic wit and good sense are sorely lacking. We get plenty of adorable Gurgi and funny Fflewddur and even a bit of Dolbi, but Eilonwy's space cannot be filled. The fact of the matter is, she always used to temper Taran's melodramatic musings and monologues. With her gone, Taran launches into huge bouts of self-pity and depression without respite. Other small flaws concern the finish of the tale. Though the ending is meant to give the reader an important, rather than easy, finale, it comes off as slightly disappointing. That's the problem with a book that's supposed to be "meaningful". If you haven't a good sense of humor and ability to laugh at yourself, what good are you to the reader? Taran's so doggone EARNEST all the time. You just wanna slap the little guy and tell him to lighten up. I'm sure Eilonwy would. If she were around.
Though the action and swashbuckling abound in this tale, it's not the same. I was disappointed in this particular installment. I'm certain it has its admirers, and certainly it's a fine book. The fact that it doesn't live up to its fellow books in the series doesn't mean it isn't worthy reading. Just don't expect to be blown away.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful character piece
Review: This book is definitely the most unique of all the Prydain Chronicles. Instead of urgent quests to find magical pigs, destroy evil cauldrons or rescue a beautiful princess--with good constantly pitted against the forces of evil--this volume is instead focused on Taran finding out about himself.Instead of a quest resolved in a matter of weeks or months, this story covers a couple of years, years in which Taran travels from one end of Prydain to the other, first in search of his parents and then in search of his own place in the race of men. His motivation lies in a desire to be worthy of the Princess Eilonwy's hand in marriage; she's absent from the story, still on the Isle of Mona, so Taran's only constant companion is the loyal creature Gurgi. Old friends Fflewddur and Doli make brief appearances, though the bulk of Taran's time is spent meeting new people: the old farmer Aeddan and his wife, who fight for survival on a land impoverished by the Death-Lord Arawn; Goryon and Gast, petty lords whose bark is worse than their bite; Morda, the enchanter who despises the race of men in its entirety; the outlaw Dorath and his men; the shepherd Craddoc; and the people of the Free Commots: Llonio the lucky, Hevydd the smith, Dwyvach the weaver, Annlaw the potter, and Llassar the farm boy. The lessons Taran learns in his travels aren't always obvious or profound for the casual reader, and the limited amount of swords, sorcery and peril may be unusual for some. However, the transition Taran makes into manhood is handled convincingly and realistically with each step he takes.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was the best and perhaps the most slow books of the series but I absolutely loved it? Who IS Taran?
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