Kevin's Watch

I know they are more juvenile books, But I have seen no mention of his works on any of the forums I have visited. Am I the Only one who thinks this is a great author ?
I would like to Have a PLace to expand on this more .
Favorite books, favorite characters.

Sorry, I'm drawing a blank here.

Sorry, but I've never heardof the guy....

me either...

Of course! The Prydain Chronicles, and The Beggar Queen trilogy! (Prydain is best known for it's Newberry Medal winning final installment, The High King; and for The Black Cauldron, which Disney made into a flop )

I love these books! Even though I only read them once, many years ago, they left a lasting impression on me.


*need to give these a re-read*

Ahh Prydain, I remember stealing those books from the library at tech school ... actually I stole about 200 books from the library at tech school ... i dunno how many of them I ever read.

TRC wrote:I know they are more juvenile books, But I have seen no mention of his works on any of the forums I have visited. Am I the Only one who thinks this is a great author ?
I would like to Have a PLace to expand on this more .
Favorite books, favorite characters.

They were an excellent set of 5 books. I first read them 30 years ago and still remember names and the basic storyline. I just had my 10 year old daughter read the series.

I am very fond of the stories of the assistent pig-keeper (I feel like an assistent pig-keeper quite often)...

Well I'm glad to see there is at least some acknowledgement to his works .
These novels were the bridge from reading Tolkien until years later when I found TCTC.
I will be posting a couple more Topics on this subject and hopefully can generate some interest.

I'm resurrecting this thread because I just finished TARAN WANDERER, the fourth of the series. My tastes have surely changed in the decades since I read them -- Then TARAN WANDERER was my least favorite of the series. Now it is my favorite so far. The story takes Taran forth into the world, to search for his identity in many strange and interesting places. He has to grow before he is even capable of recognizing it when he finds it.

The other two gwythaints were waiting. Shrieking in fury, they dropped toward him. Behind the crow his pursuer drive him closer to the oncoming creatures. Kaw glimpsed the flash of glistening beaks and blood-red eyes. The gwythaints' screams of triumph ripped the empty sky. The crow suddenly checked his flight, feigning confusion. When the gwythaints were nearly upon him, he summoned all his strength in a single lunge that carried him beyond the talons slashing like daggers.

THE HIGH KING, Lloyd Alexander

I missed the connection when I read it before. Noah is in this book, an incredibly old man still providing enchanted haven for animals.

Correct me if I'm wrong but- this thread should be moved to Gen. Fant./S.F.

I agree, Mhoram. Do you have any influence with the mod?

I read these books years ago, but do remember them as being very enjoyable. I'll have to get back to them one of these days.

I've found them to be relaxing interludes to the review books. It's supposed to be youth reading, but there is far more to it than normal YA, especially the character development and the life wisdom.

The Prydain Chronicles are among my absolute favourites in fantasy fiction, and don't be fooled by their label as juvenile fiction. They do actually hold up extremely well for reading or rereading as an adult.

The chronicles (five books in all) are loosely based on some medieval Welsh legends, from the Mabinogion and such, but recast in a classic and pretty Tolkienesque fantasy mold. It's classic fantasy stuff, good and evil, courage and betrayal, dark lords and dungeons, hopeless quests that succeed against all odds, etc - and it's damn well done.

The themes are generally pretty mature and very intelligently handled. Most of the main protagonists are initially flawed and weak and only gradually rise to heroic stature, and that road is edged by defeats, disappointments and often awfully hard choices. The books also don't shy away from having the "wrong" characters unexpectedly die or turn traitor. They also switch effortlessly between a fairly light, humorous tone to a much darker one - although a lot of the characters are comic, the forces of evil are genuinely menacing and there's a slowly growing undercurrent of tragedy in the series, although it does have a happy ending (though, like Lord of the Rings, it's a happy ending that still sees a lot of good things being lost and destroyed in the process). The final book, The High King, is extraordinarily sad and poignant.

I could go on for hours about this. Just do yourselves a favor and read the books, everyone. Their titles are in order: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer and The High King.

The books can all be read and enjoyed on their own, but as usual it's more rewarding to read them all and in order.

The fourth book is a bit of an interlude, where the main character wanders off to try and find his roots, and you can skip it without seriously impeding understanding of the last book. However, if you're anything like me you'll want to read every single paragraph there is about Prydain.

Good review, Theo!

They also switch effortlessly between a fairly light, humorous tone to a much darker one -

Often in the same paragraph. Alexander has very agile footing.

That fourth book you alluded to, the one that can be skipped? TARAN WANDERER. That's my favorite of the entire series.

I know you mean it doesn't interrupt the series plot. But it has a major effect on Taran's maturation. His personality changes quite a bit between CASTLE OF LLYR and THE HIGH KING.

I have tried in vain to find his books in the shops here. I will maybe order online. Do I start with the Prydain chronicles?

Prydain would be a good search word on Amazon. So would any of the titles Theo listed above. Any of them is bound to lead to the others.

Thank you Joy. I shall do so now...