Rating: 
Summary: The search for the past
Review: Taran Wanderer is perhaps the most personal of all the Prydain Chronicles, as the story focuses on Taran searching for his lineage. Taran is an orphan, raised by the wizard Dallben, and he wondered for a long time who his parents really were. Now he has an intense urge to find out if he is of noble line, because he wants to marry Eilonwy, enchantress and princess of Llyr. Of course he didn't tell her his feelings, as he is not sure that he worthy to ask and also because Eilonwy is not in Prydain throughout the story of Taran Wanderer. As a result, this Chronicle has a distinct feel from the other Chronicles. Taran roams around Prydain, looking for clues and having his own personal adventures, and the book really shows that he is clever and intelligent. There's a part that ties the third Chronicle in very good with this one. Taran finds out many different things about himself, but what he set out to look for yields surpising results. A good book, but a bit slower than the others in the series. It has many life lessons though, and it's still interesting despite not having large battles; it has personel encounters and small skirmishes. However, Lloyd Alexander more than makes up for that in the last Chronicle, The High King.
Rating: 
Summary: a boy becomes a man
Review: Taran, who we met as a boy in The Book of Three and whose splendid adventures we breathlessly followed in The Black Cauldron and The Castle of Llyr, decides to find himself and his past in the fourth marvelous Prydain Chronicle by gifted storyweaver Lloyd Alexander. An orphan raised by the wise Dallben, he has none of the history and connections that come from parents and family. Now, he off alone to find some answers - hopefully noble ones - so he can be "worthy" of his royal love.If you're like me, you didn't love Taran automatically - he could occasionally be sullen, petty, and prickly during his "growing up" phases in Books 1 to 3 (necessitating Eilonwy's great put-downs and quips). Continuing his growth, Taran Wanderer marks his first journey into adulthood. This is the one where my respect for this character solidified and I really began to care for him. This is the least "heroic" of the books, and yet, I believe this is one where Taran is most admirable. He explores the land he has been fighting for by connecting to the common people as well as kings and wizards. We are introduced to more excellent characters (besides some old ones) and a deeper understanding of Prydain with the intricate ties that bind all of them together. On a quest for the Mirror of Llunet, Taran roams old and new territory from the Marshes to the Free Commots doing everything from making pottery to facing off against kingly challenges. The change is how he sees the world, with its ugliness and beauty, as he searches for his place in it. Along the way, he learns about himself: humbly, intelligently, honestly, and courageously. As it closely builds on the last book in particular, and is in general an evolution of his maturity, reading the books in order is strongly recommended. (Considering how wonderful the others are, this is no chore.) It's a relatively quiet book compared to the rousing chases of the previous ones, but Taran Wanderer is ultimately more powerful and moving.
Rating:
Summary: Book 4 of the Prydian Chronicles
Review: In this volume Taran decides to search for his heritage. Taran finds his way hard due to his desire to have noble blood (in order to marry Eilonwy who is, after all, a princess). He has to face his fears, prejudices and the prejudices of others before he finds the truth. Of course, truth is relative and Taran doesn't get a totally satisfying answer. My favorite part of this book are Taran's interactions with the Free Commots, people at ease with themselves and each other, who allow Taran to be whoever/whatever he wants to be. In Wanderer, Taran becomes a man, leaving behind most of his more childish ways. He finally returns home to Caer Dallben just in time to join in the final push against Arawn.
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Summary: The best series of children's fantasy literature
Review: A friend of my father's brought me a box full of used books when I was 9 or 10. Tucked away in the bottome was The High King, actually the last in the Prydain Chronicles....it sat for quite awhile in my bookcase before I picked it up and began reading. What an experience it turned out to be! The adventures of Taran (Assistant Pig- Keeper), Eilonwy, Gurgi, Prince Llyr, and all the other charming charaters in their quest to beat the evil Horned King opened my eyes to the wonderful world of fantasy in children's literature. Indeed, after reading the High King I ran out and spent all my allowance (preciously saved) on the rest of the 5-book series. Lloyd Alexander writes with a refreshing and unpretentious stye, neither speaking down to kids nor falling into any of the cliched storylines or dialogue of many writers of fantasy literature. Indeed, I believe many authors of modern adult fantasy would greatly benefit from studying Mr. Alexanders writing style. I credit this series for the beginning of my 25+ years of affection for Celtic, Gaelic, and Welsh mythology and would strongly recommend this series for any lover, young and old, of fantasy and mythology.
Rating:
Summary: Clever
Review: This is the 4th book in a series called "The Prydain Chronicles." This book is about Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and his quest for himself. His quest is to find his parents and to gain the hand of the Princess Eilonwy. When he goes to see the Witches in the Marches of Morva they send him on a wild goose chase to seek the Mirror of Llunet. On the way he gets himself into crazy situations and he finds creative solutions for complicated problems. I really liked this book because it's easy to read when it is really late and you are very tired. There aren't a lot of hard words so you don't have to think, and you can just read for the fun of it. I also liked this book because I liked the way he creatively dealed with his and others problems. I never would of thought of some of his solutions. I would definately read this book and the other three books before this one in the series because they are classic children's literature. Your probably saying to yourself "But I'll look silly reading childrens books!" Everyone should indulge their inner child. Especially an inner child with a love for adventure!
Rating:
Summary: The best of the series
Review: The Chronicles of Prydain is my favorite series of young adult writing. I highly recommend this series to any child or adult who likes Harry Potter or any other series of fantasy fiction. Taran Wanderer is my favorite of the series because it brings into view the changes the main character has made in the three previous books and sets the stage for the final episode. A wonderful book about the journey to find 'self'.
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Summary: "Taran Wanderer", most powerful and poignant installment
Review: I read many Newbery Award winners as a child, and none has affected me as much as "Taran Wanderer," the penultimate book in Lloyd Alexander's "Pyrdain" series. I was fortunate enough to have found the book at age 12, and the protagonist's coming of age experience paralleled my own coming of age as a reader. Although the first three installments in the "Pyrdain Chronicles" are beautifully written children's fantasies that teach important life lessons, "Taran Wanderer" possesses a maturity and complexity making it the jewel of the series. No longer seeking magical cauldrons and oracular pigs, Taran embarks upon a vague quest for self discovery that finds him engaging in lackluster tasks such as weaving and pottery-making that rarely appear in a children's fantasy. While "Wanderer" still contains the requisite evil wizards, talking crows, and magic harps, somehow Pyrdain has become a less black-and-white world. After reading "Taran Wanderer," both Taran and myself were no longer children, and the action-packed finale of the "High King," despite being wildly entertaining, could not recapture the innocence of the earlier books. The work introduced me to an adult world demanding diffuclt choices and temperance, a world which sadly replaced the delightful child's land where a magic sword could vanquish evil. However, despite this sacrifice, Taran's journey is one worth making, and Lloyd Alexander gracefully introduces his young readers into an adult world surrounded by a subtler type of magic. Ten years later as a computer science graduate student, I can honestly say that the impact of "Taran Wanderer" has not faded.
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: Taran becomes a man
Review: One of the great joys of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles series is the steady progression from lighthearted children's fantasy to more adult themes and a grimmer tone, allowing the reader to grow along with the characters. By the end, you feel as if the characters have taken a lifetime of journeys, learning from them as they went. This is very much front and center in "Taran Wanderer," a sad, lonely tale of Taran's quest to find out who he truly is. While appropriate for all ages and sure to be enjoyed by young readers, older readers will find the harrowing decisions Taran has to make gripping and heart-wrenching. Because Alexander draws his stories from ancient myth and legend, the themes and situations here will feel familiar, like stories you've read many times before. Yet that never comes across in a tiresome way. It's a story that operates in a welcome comfort zone, nice in a time when so many books try so hard to be different solely for the sake of being different. The story told in "Taran Wanderer" is a timeless tale because of its familiarity and will engage readers for many years to come. The focus here is more strongly on Taran than in any other volume, though the rest of the cast of characters returns: Eilonwy the stereotypical spoiled princess, Gurgi the crazed Gollum-like creature, and Fflewddur Fflam the hapless bard who is prone to exaggeration. Others from the past also rear their heads. The pacing in this, the fourth of five books, is more deliberate. Some would say slow, but this being the type of story it is, that would be an unfair description. Rather, it lingers in Taran's quest and Taran's sadness and uncertainty. "Taran Wanderer" and the rest of the Prydain Chronicles are recommended reading for anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially classic children's fantasy, walking the fine line between being accessible to young readers and being appealing and engaging enough for adults to enjoy.
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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