Taran and Prince Gwydion raise an army to march against Arawn’s terrible cohorts, human and inhuman, in a decisive struggle that may be their last. The last and greatest quest of Taran and his companions begins when the sword Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom, falls into the hands of Arawn Death-Lord, threatening Prydain with annihilation. In this magnificent finale to the Chronicles of Prydain, the whole land is the stage for the ultimate clash between the forces of good and evil. The High King, by Lloyd Alexander, was published in 1968 by Henry Holt. Tomorrow I’ll be posting a review copy, then I’m back to my normal schedule of Tuesday and Thursday, with fairy tales/2015-2016 books on Friday! As always, my favorites, ranked from most to least: 1.) The High King 2.) The Black Cauldron It definitely has its own place in fantasy and is memorable because of it. The Chronicles of Prydain is not a series I find easy to reread, but it is one I enjoyed coming back to after eight or more years of not reading it. In fact, lovers of LOTR will probably enjoy Prydain if they keep in mind Prydain is a lesser being than LOTR. I do think my speculation that Alexander was influenced by Tolkien is correct, or at least hints at the truth, since Prydain is so LOTR-esque in every respect. But those are not large enough black spots to ruin the good things, at least in my opinion. Some things make less sense to me, such as how the entire plot of The Castle of Llyr hinges on Magg snatching Eilowny from the castle in broad daylight, the occasional stiltedness of the dialogue, and Eilowny’s presence as the only female young adult living in Prydain. Taran’s character development, the heroism in The Black Cauldron, and the general awesomeness of The High King are all what make this series stand out to me.

Series Rating: 3/5 Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain mix of medieval fantasy and mythology doesn’t always hit all the right notes, but when it does it hits them well.

The chronicles of prydain review