Book Review - The Book of Three
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| Cover image courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Lloyd Alexander
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: March 12, 1964
Version I Read: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
I'll make no secret of it - I think The Chronicles of Prydain is one of the masterworks of the fantasy genre, children's series or no. So, bam, five star rating right there. Going into a bit more detail why:
The Book of Three is the first novel of the Chronicles of Prydain series by American author Lloyd Alexander. While not a retelling of Welsh mythology, the series heavily borrows elements and characters from the legends, while introducing new ones. Despite the title, The Book of Three and its sequel, The Black Cauldron, were mashed together to form the basis of the 1985 animated Disney film (that no one remembers) The Black Cauldron.
The Book of Three begins the story of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Caer Dallben. Taran, like the protagonists of most fantasy novels, dreams of being a hero but as his title implies, is stuck looking after the pig Hen Wen. Hen Wen, however, is far from ordinary: she is the only ocular pig in Prydain, with the power to show what one is asking for. When Hen Wen runs off, Taran sets off to find her, leading him to a group of odd companions and eventually to confront the dreaded Horned King himself.
Spoilers.
All of the books in the series feature a complex, uncommon moral/lesson/theme that makes them all stand out in one way or another. To illustrate this, I give you an exchange from the end of The Book of Three:
"I have no just cause for pride," Taran said, taking his usual place on the familiar bench. "It was Gwydion who destroyed the Horned King, and Hen Wen helped him do it. But Gurgi, not I, found her. Doli and Fflewddur fought gloriously while I was wounded by a sword I had no right to draw. And Eilonwy was the one who took the sword from the barrow in the first place. As for me, what I mostly did was make mistakes."
"My my," said Dallben, "those are complaints enough to dampen the merriest feast. Though what you say may be true, you have cause for a certain pride nevertheless. It was you who held the companions together and led them. You did what you set out to do, and Hen Wen is safely back with us. If you made mistakes, you recognize them. As I told you, there are times when the seeking counts more than the finding."
The writing itself is quite poetic and even beautiful in places. The pacing is good, the plot moves along logically without characters having to act stupid or random events happening, and there aren't any superfluous scenes. The world-building is simplistic - perhaps a little too simplistic, but I think it works okay in this book, at least. In fact, I think that's one of the only weaknesses of this series: that the world-building is a little confusing at times in later novels.
The characters are all quite memorable in their first appearances here and only become more so as the series goes on and they develop. Eilonwy is spunky and talkative, Fflewddur is the voice of reason in the group despite his tendency to exaggerate. And Doli, well, Doli is just a sourpuss, but his magical abilities make him extremely useful, and he genuinely grows to care about the band. Taran himself is in whiny farm boy mode for most of this book, but it serves to set up his development as a character over the course of the series and he genuinely realizes his mistakes. As the above exchange says, every character gets to do something that is important to the plot and they all have consistent and strong personalities. Gurgi in particular, I feel, is a lot less annoying in the books than in the film adaptation.
The Verdict: The Book of Three is a rousing adventure story set in an interesting fantasy world with complex and somewhat uncommon ideas about heroism and growing up. The characters are also well-developed and memorable.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
The Book of Three is the first novel of the Chronicles of Prydain series by American author Lloyd Alexander. While not a retelling of Welsh mythology, the series heavily borrows elements and characters from the legends, while introducing new ones. Despite the title, The Book of Three and its sequel, The Black Cauldron, were mashed together to form the basis of the 1985 animated Disney film (that no one remembers) The Black Cauldron.
The Book of Three begins the story of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Caer Dallben. Taran, like the protagonists of most fantasy novels, dreams of being a hero but as his title implies, is stuck looking after the pig Hen Wen. Hen Wen, however, is far from ordinary: she is the only ocular pig in Prydain, with the power to show what one is asking for. When Hen Wen runs off, Taran sets off to find her, leading him to a group of odd companions and eventually to confront the dreaded Horned King himself.
Spoilers.
All of the books in the series feature a complex, uncommon moral/lesson/theme that makes them all stand out in one way or another. To illustrate this, I give you an exchange from the end of The Book of Three:
"I have no just cause for pride," Taran said, taking his usual place on the familiar bench. "It was Gwydion who destroyed the Horned King, and Hen Wen helped him do it. But Gurgi, not I, found her. Doli and Fflewddur fought gloriously while I was wounded by a sword I had no right to draw. And Eilonwy was the one who took the sword from the barrow in the first place. As for me, what I mostly did was make mistakes."
"My my," said Dallben, "those are complaints enough to dampen the merriest feast. Though what you say may be true, you have cause for a certain pride nevertheless. It was you who held the companions together and led them. You did what you set out to do, and Hen Wen is safely back with us. If you made mistakes, you recognize them. As I told you, there are times when the seeking counts more than the finding."
The writing itself is quite poetic and even beautiful in places. The pacing is good, the plot moves along logically without characters having to act stupid or random events happening, and there aren't any superfluous scenes. The world-building is simplistic - perhaps a little too simplistic, but I think it works okay in this book, at least. In fact, I think that's one of the only weaknesses of this series: that the world-building is a little confusing at times in later novels.
The characters are all quite memorable in their first appearances here and only become more so as the series goes on and they develop. Eilonwy is spunky and talkative, Fflewddur is the voice of reason in the group despite his tendency to exaggerate. And Doli, well, Doli is just a sourpuss, but his magical abilities make him extremely useful, and he genuinely grows to care about the band. Taran himself is in whiny farm boy mode for most of this book, but it serves to set up his development as a character over the course of the series and he genuinely realizes his mistakes. As the above exchange says, every character gets to do something that is important to the plot and they all have consistent and strong personalities. Gurgi in particular, I feel, is a lot less annoying in the books than in the film adaptation.
The Verdict: The Book of Three is a rousing adventure story set in an interesting fantasy world with complex and somewhat uncommon ideas about heroism and growing up. The characters are also well-developed and memorable.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
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