When I was a kid I devoured fantasy novels. I was thrilled whenever I ran across a good series, because then I could revisit my favorite characters in book after book. Among these series was Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, five books set in a sort of pseudo-Wales. They are, in order, The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. Two of the books won Newbery awards: The Black Cauldron is a Newbery honor book, and The High King received the 1969 Newbery Medal. Disney combined the first two books into their regrettable animated film The Black Cauldron. Apparently, they plan to tackle the series again, and I have high hopes that they will do a better job.
The books have plenty of fans, but I’m surprised at the number of people who are completely unaware of them. Alexander wrote ripping good stories with believable characters, and he did a marvelous job of developing the main character, Taran, throughout the series. The main female character, Eilonwy, is a strong princess whom I somehow forgot when I was putting together my list of strong princesses. Her only flaw as a female role model is her stereotypical response to Taran when he angers her: “I’m not talking to you.” Beyond that annoying characterization, Eilonwy is exactly the sort of princess who appeals to girls who dream of adventures.
“They’ve made me sleep in beds with goosefeather pillows enough to stifle you; I’m sure the geese needed them more than I did — the feathers, that is, not the pillows. And servitors to bring you exactly what you don’t want to eat. And washing your hair whether it needs it or not. And sewing and weaving and curtsying and all such I don’t even want to think about. I’ve not drawn a sword for I don’t know how long…” (Eilonwy in The High King)
Along with these characters is the bard-king, Fflewddur Fflam; Prince Gwydion, who reminds me a little of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings; Gurgi, who reminds more than a little of a benevolent Gollum/Sméagol; Doli, the dwarf; Hen Wen, the oracular pig; Arawn, the chief villain (though by no means the only one); and many other colorful characters.
Although I did notice occasional similarities between The Chronicles of Prydain and The Lord of the Rings, the book that Alexander acknowledges as an influence on his work is a collection of medieval Welsh tales, The Mabinogion. For the most part, Alexander borrowed names from the tales, but he made the characters his own. Gwydion and Arawn both play roles in The Mabinogion, but they are very different from Alexander’s characters. Fflewddur Fflam’s name comes from a ridiculously long list of King Arthur’s warriors. Probably the biggest contribution the Welsh tales made to Alexander’s books was the black cauldron, which can be used to transform the dead into an army.
Alexander also borrowed from his own work: You can see the seeds of Eilonwy in one of the characters in his first children’s book, Time Cat.
In addition to the storylines and the characters, Alexander gifts his readers with occasional bits of wisdom that never come across as preachy. Among them is this nugget from The Black Cauldron:
“There is much to be known,” said Adaon, “and above all much to be loved, be it the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.”
Isn’t that enough to make you want to read the series?
Not all of these books are of the same quality. The Book of Three is the weakest of the bunch, but The Black Cauldron is excellent, so if you aren’t enchanted with the first book, please give Alexander a chance and read the second before you make your decision about the series.
There is one more Prydain book: The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain, a collection of short stories. The book has a very different feel from the novels — reading it is a lot like reading fairy tales — but the stories are lovely. I recommend reading it after, not before, you read the Chronicles.
Alexander was a prolific author, but somehow, even though I loved journeying to Prydain, I only remember reading one other book by him when I was a child: The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man. I read a few more in preparation for this post, and I was surprised to find his work was very uneven. I felt like the characters in Time Cat were flat compared to the well-fleshed out characters in the Prydain series. Likewise, when I read the first book in his Vesper Holly series, The Illyrian Adventure, I found the heroine too perfect. She also was annoyingly cheery, no matter what the circumstances. I had no desire to continue the series.
On the other hand, the Westmark trilogy has everything I loved about the Prydain novels — a gripping story and strong characters who grow and change throughout the book. The trilogy is excellent, but dark — for that matter, the Prydain books can be pretty grim, though Westmark is darker. It represents Alexander at his best.
If you love fantasy and good children’s literature, I encourage you to pick up the first two Prydain books and give them a try. If my guess is right, by the end of The Black Cauldron, you’ll be hooked.