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

by Lloyd Alexander

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

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.