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Summary: One of the greatest books for young adults ever
Review: The Book of Three, and the following books in the Prydain chronicles, are perhaps the greatest fantasy series ever written for younger readers. Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, dreams of being a hero. During this coming of age story, Taran realizes that a hero's life contains much more hardship than glory. The series is loosely based on Welsch folklore and is a enjoyable read for adults too
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Summary: This is THE series that got me into fantasy.
Review: Buy this book for your kids or kids school, they will REALLY
enjoy it!! A Semi-Heroic Pig keeper searches for a more important
role in life. He is plunged into a world of adventure he isn't ready for.
Lord Theasa
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Summary: A review of the first installment of Lloyd Alexnder's series
Review: Mason Souza 11/30/03
The Book of Three, Llyod Alexander
Has something ever happened to you that seemed small at first, but then snowballed into a major problem involving many people? That is exactly what happens in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy epic, The Book of Three. In the land of Pyrdain, Taran is a nobody living in a small, sleepy village called Caer Dallben. One day the psychic pig, Hen Wen wanders off. Taran tries to find her, but instead meets Lord Gwydion who tells him about the Horned King who plans to take over the land of Pyridaian.This book was very good and very easy to read. It changed very frequently which made it easy to move along. It was easy to concentrate on the story because you were sometimes given a vague description of a certain place, like if the characters were in a dark cave or grotto. This made you pay more attention to details than with other books and that is why I like that particular writing style. There were also surprises that you had to keep reading to find out about. All of this helped keep it from getting boring. And even though the story wasn't incredibly original, it did offer some unique twists that set it apart from other books. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and doesn't want anything to be revealed too early in the story. I also think that fans of series like The Lord of the Rings should get this book, or even a realistic-fiction fan that is looking for something a little different.
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Summary: ANTHONY'S OPINION
Review: I've been tutoring a fifth grader for sometime now and I assigned this book as an enjoyable read capable of truth and debate. This is a fabulous story with great characters, great adventure and some real values as well. The dynamic between Taran and Eilonwy [a positive woman character] is strong and Gurgi provides comic relief. For a young child who's seen Lord of the Rings but can't wrestle with Tolkien this is a good fit. This is up there with C.S. Lewis Narnia chronicles for best fantasy to read for third through seventh grade in my opinion.
I loved it as a child and it provided a needed escape rereading it as an adult. This book provides the eternal truths of classic mythology - heroism, persistence, courage - with great lovable characters and engaging storytelling.
5 stars!
--SD
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Summary: I LOVE THE PRYDAIN CHRONICLES!!!
Review: I learned to love reading through The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander... They also inspired me to become a Writer. If I ever get the chance, I would like to met Lloyd Alexander simply so I can say "Thank you for writing these wonderful books - They mean so much to me!"
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Summary: The Gateway to My Love of Fantasy Novels
Review: More than any other series (other than Tolkien) this series of books firmly solidified my love of the genre at an early age. I read them over and over again in the late 1970's and into the 1980's, and still have my original copies that i plan on giving to my son when he is old enough...
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Summary: The first of a classic series
Review: "Book of Three" kicks off the classic Prydain Chronicles, a six book cycle of stories set in Prydain, "where evil is never distant." In the first book, author Lloyd Alexander sprinkles his story with Welsh mythology, then tempers it with humor, action, and a unique coming-of-age story.
Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper at Caer Dallben, is bored stiff by his duties -- caring for the oracular pig Hen Wen. Though both the crabby enchanter Dallben and the gentle ex-warrior Coll tell Taran that he shouldn't complain, he wants to be a hero. Taran inadvertantly ends up in an adventure when he chases Hen Wen into the woods - only to be chased by a masked, horned man on horseback.
Taran is rescued by Gwydion, Prince of Don, who agrees to bring the overeager young man with him to another city to warn them about the Horned King, who is a servant of Arawn Deathlord. But the undead Cauldron-born capture Taran and Gwydion and bring them to Spiral Castle, the home of the enchantress Achren. Achren imprisons Taran; but he is set free by her "niece," a flaky-seeming but very sharp girl named Eilonwy. With Gwydion presumed dead, Taran must set out to warn his allies about the growing threat of the Horned King. Going with him is Eilonwy, a pleasant bard-king who frequently stretches the truth, the twiggy and ever-loyal Gurgi, a crabby dwarf, and a very special sword...
There are virtually no epic adventures for kids, let alone ones that adults can find absorbing as well. But the Prydain Chronicles definitely fit the category. Even though the action focuses primarily on Taran and his friends, the repercussions and events in them stretch all across Prydain, and Alexander never lets you forget it. And Gwydion's presence gives the feeling that rather than being the pivot of the conflict between good and evil, Taran is one of many cogs in a larger machine.
Alexander is at his most versatile in the Prydain Chronicles, varying between a formal "ye olde" style and then switching to one of the comical arguments between Taran and Eilonwy. Eilonwy and Fflewddur Fflam add humor, with Fflewddur's frequent fibs causing his magical harp strings to break and Eilonwy puncturing Taran's ego when he gets a little too pompous. Yet Alexander includes sinister moments as well as well: The evil Horned King, and the silent, unkillable Cauldron-Born.
Taran is an entirely human hero -- he longs for adventure but doesn't know what it's really like, takes himself too seriously, botches things, misjudges others, and has to learn from his mistakes. Eilonwy is a great counterpart, who keeps us from getting bored with Taran and by providing witty commentary on the proceedings. Gurgi initially seems sinister, but shows beginning signs of his steadfast loyalty.
Though Lloyd Alexander informs readers that Prydain is NOT Wales, it definitely has the the Horned King, Gwydion, and the sword Dyrnwyn are carefully woven into the plot. But as J.R.R. Tolkien did, Alexander doesn't simply cut-and-paste them from a mythology book. Instead, he makes them essential parts of the story, and thus makes them his own.
"The Book of Three" is not quite the same as its sequels -- it's not quite as grim, and it has a "younger" feel to the story. But the solid adventure, excellent writing and mythic clash of good and evil make it a good start to a classic series.
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Summary: As a fantasy fan, I recommend it
Review: I grew up with fantasy books, totally on my own. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were my favorites, and were the books that I thought defined the genre. I vaguely remember coming across the Chronicles of Prydain in a library catalog while I was looking for something to read, and my take on fantasy has never been the same since.
The five books in this series are usually marked as "Young Adult," But as a thirty year old man, I have just read them for the umpteenth time and been totally enchanted. Yes, they are written for youngsters, but that just makes an adult voracious to read them faster. What drives these books are the characters, hilarious and tragic at the same time. Alexander's chronicles will always hold a place in my bookshelf as long as I live.
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