The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

The Book of Three (Chronicles of Prydain, #1)

by Lloyd Alexander

The first book in The Chronicles of Prydain, a classic epic full of breathtaking action, humour, valour and excitement.

Taran is desperate for adventure. Being a lowly Assistant Pig-Keeper just isn't exciting. That is, until the magical pig, Hen Wen, disappears and Taran embarks on a death-defying quest to save her from the evil Horned King.

His perilous adventures bring Taran many new friends: an irritable dwarf, an impulsive bard, a strange hairy beast and the hot-headed Princess Eilonwy. Together, they must face the deathless Cauldron-Born warriors, dragons, witches and the terrifying Horned King himself. Taran learns much about his identity, but the mysterious Book of Three is yet to reveal his true identity.

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on

3 of 5 stars

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If you want to introduce your children to epic fantasy, I honestly believe The Chronicles of Prydain is the way to go. It's a stepping stone series - I saw another reviewer call it "Lord of the Rings for children" and that's a really fair assessment. There's adventure, humans and magical creatures, a main character with humble beginnings... and all of it is steeped in Welsh mythology. I really did appreciate it for what it was.

That said, if you're an experienced traverser in the genre, a little older, and don't have a nostalgic connection to it... The Book of Three may be a little boring. It moves so quickly and there's a he unbalance between action and dialogue. The characters have interesting backstories as they're spoken, but the writing still feels a bit shallow? If this had been written today with all the options available, I would expect much more. But this book is a little over 60 years old, and things that are tired to us were fantastic at publication.

I want to say that this three star review is based very much on me and where I am at in my reading journey *now*. I'm a seasoned reader of epic fantasy - it's my favorite genre - and as such, I'm accustomed to more complicated plots and a bit more depth to my characters. For what it is, when it was written, and the audience it was trying to reach - The Book of Three is pretty good! It was just too simple and trope-filled to get a higher star-rating from me.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 7 April, 2019: Reviewed