Identify Books During The Prydain Chronicles (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-6)
| Edition Language: | English |
Lloyd Alexander
Hardcover | Pages: 767 pages Rating: 4.39 | 31 Users | 7 Reviews
Define About Books The Prydain Chronicles (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-6)
| Title | : | The Prydain Chronicles (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-6) |
| Author | : | Lloyd Alexander |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Guild America Book Club Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 767 pages |
| Published | : | 1991 by Guild America Books |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Mythology |
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“Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.”--“The Book of Three”
Growing up, I adored the “Chronicles of Prydain” which I read and reread every few years. They did more than speak to me -- they enchanted me. This series captures, for me, what a perfect Young Adult fantasy series looks like.
Loosely based on Welsh myths, the books tell a fairly conventional story: A young boy, Taran, bored with his ordinary life sets off on a series of adventures, learns some lessons, confronts a great evil, becomes a man, and assumes a place of leadership.
The books contain plenty of darkness, but they are not dark books, rather --old-fashioned. They turn on the classical virtues of loyalty, courage, and wisdom, and those values are ultimately rewarded. Good triumphs over evil. No one's head is chopped off, no one is raped, no one is flayed. Maybe it's just me, but darkness has become so vogue now, fantasy so cruel, the future so post-apocalyptic, that I find myself drawn to the old-fashioned.
Don't get me wrong: Taran loses people he loves, he experiences pain and betrayal, he makes mistakes and fights despair. If there's an overarching theme to the books, it's that becoming a man -- or, more broadly, discovering the adult you want to be -- is a difficult process and, often as not, filled with sadness and regret. But things work out for the best in the end.
“It is strange,' he said at last. 'I had longed to enter the world of men. Now I see it filled with sorrow, with cruelty and treachery, with those who would destroy all around them.'
'Yet, enter it you must,' Gwydion answered, 'for it is a destiny laid on each of us. True, you have seen these things. But there are equal parts of love and joy.”
-- "The Black Cauldron"
The books are between two hundred and three hundred pages each, but they pack in an extraordinary amount of life and wisdom. There isn't a wasted word among them. Like they were carved, whittled, and sanded until only what's necessary remained. The prose is lilting and rhythmic -- it practically begs to be read aloud, but never flowery. The sentences are short and unadorned, each one advancing the story or revealing character.
What makes “The Chronicles of Prydain” an enduring delight is Alexander's deep humanity. At pivotal moments, Taran learns it is best to swallow pride, to forgive or show mercy. He learns that power can corrupt and that diplomacy is often preferable to conflict. He learns that everyone, even those who seem twisted and unpleasant has good inside them, and that kindness can bring it out. The action is enough to keep the attention of young children, but the truths revealed by the action are profound -- enough that they strike the reader anew at each stage of life.
“Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.
Once you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.”
-- "The High King"
Adulthood brings more demanding critical standards, and many a childhood favorite has been booted off my podium of most cherished books -- but my admiration for Lloyd Alexander’s artistry has only grown with every rereading.
Rating About Books The Prydain Chronicles (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-6)
Ratings: 4.39 From 31 Users | 7 ReviewsCriticism About Books The Prydain Chronicles (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-6)
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was an influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books. His most famous contribution to the field of children's literature is the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. The concluding book of the series, The High King , was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1969. Alexander's other booksIt was fun to revisit these books that I haven't read since I was growing up. Definitely worthy of a place in fantasy canon.
Wandering through a book store I came across a box set of the Prydain Chronicles. It looked like something I might enjoy so I began reading the first book, "The Book of Three." It was enjoyable, but I wasn't hooked right away. I decided to continue on in the series (I just love a good series) and by the middle of The Black Caldron I was hooked.Set in the magical land of Prydain, Taran, an assistant pig keeper, dreams of becoming a hero with all the glory and fame that follows. Throughout the
Five novels and a collection of stories make up this volume. While the start and very finish are a bit too Tolkien for their own good, the rest of the series is its own thing and quite good. There are good lessons about growing up and learning to be a good person. It's good stuff.
Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart. --The Book of ThreeGrowing up, I adored the Chronicles of Prydain which I read and reread every few years. They did more than speak to me -- they enchanted me. This series captures, for me, what a perfect Young Adult fantasy series looks like. Loosely based on Welsh myths, the books
There are some people who love "The Lord of the Rings" with a passion, and then there are some, myself included, who probably could love it, but find Tolkien's prose and academic worldview ponderous. "The Chronicles of Prydain" is the antidote, a "Lord of the Rings" for people who couldn't stand "Lord of the Rings." Drawing on the same vein of Welsh mythology and folklore that inspired much of Tolkien's own epic of a fantasy-Britain past, Lloyd Alexander writes in the high fantasy vein with very
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