Six by Lloyd Alexander

Over the past couple of months I read the six books in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydian series.

The books are: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King, and The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydian.

The books were written in the 1960s and are loosely based on ancient Welsh legends. I chose to read them because The High King won the Newbery Award in 1969, and The Black Cauldron was named a Newbery Honor Book a few years before.

The books are best read as a set, although if the reader doesn't mind missing out on some background they can be read singly. This series is full of memorable characters who are, to name a few, kings, princesses, war lords, bards, enchanters, hags, fair folk, gardeners, pig-keepers, and a harry little creature named Gurgi. Each book centers around a battle of good vs. evil, and as the stories progress, the characters become stronger, braver, and more skilled because of their past experiences.

I usually don't read fantasy books and wasn't sure I would like these, but once I got used to the silly names and into the plot, I ended up finding them to be quite enjoyable and memorable.

After reading The Black Cauldron I watched Disney's version. The first two-thirds of the movie combine The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron and then I don't know where they got the ending. It's a fun movie in a creepy sort of way, but not at all for small children even though it's Disney and a cartoon.