Customer Reviews

The High King (Chronicles of Prydain)

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I'm always fascinated by books and movies that are parts of larger series, and yet win major awards entirely on their own. A good recent example of this might be the third part of the "Lord of the Rings" films winning the Oscar. Similarly, the final book in Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles won the coveted Newbery Award. I pity the graduate film and literature students that discover these award winners without having seen/read their predecessors. Fortunately, "The High King" doesn't require too much backstory or catching up. If you are reading this book on its own you'll undoubtedly be annoyed by its continual references to characters or situations you're not personally familiar with. My advice is not to begin with this, the last in the series. Find "The Book of Three" and carry on from there. "The High King" is good, but it's best within context.

When we last saw our heroes, Taran and Gurgi were finally returning to Caer Dallben after more than a year of Taran "finding himself" in the classic sense of the term. At last they are coming home, and to their delight everyone has turned out for their arrival. Unfortunately the joy is not for long. Prince Gwydion has been grievously hurt on his way to the party and his sword of Dyrnwyn has been stolen. Needless to say, this is very bad news. Soon the armies of Arawn-Death-Lord are marching and the time for an end to his reign is at hand. With Taran now a wiser steadier fellow, our band of ragamuffin heroes sets off once more towards adventures, traps, and triumphs. Old friends are met, new friends are found, and many good stout-hearted people die. Still, through it all our heroes never give up and the book is a stirring testament to the will of the average joe. By the end of the book Taran must face his greatest decision yet. And, as author Lloyd Alexander points out, "whether the ending is happy, heartbreaking, or both, readers must decide for themselves".

Out of all the Prydain books, this is the one that bears the most similarity to the aforementioned "Lord of the Rings". This is based on a variety of different factors. The types of battles waged. The evil lord's landscaping. The idea that the bad guy has gotten an object of particular power and can now wield it for evil. Even the ending is similar (though Taran makes a surprise decision that is the direct opposite of Frodo's own surprise decision). Don't feel that this book is a weak knock off of Tolkien's (admittedly) better written baby though. Alexander's at the top of his game here, posing as many philosophical queries as he does political jabs. The presentation of a former good guy who believes peace can only come by joining up with bad guys... heck we're talking WWII political theory here. On top of that Taran is at his wisest in this book. He's poised and confident without being cocky. There's the odd inclusion of a terribly annoying fellow named Glew in this book who serves only to create important plot points and a form of weak comic relief, but fortunately he is the sole flaw of the book. I was greatly relieved too. After the meanderings of Alexander's far weaker, "Taran Wanderer", I was worried that, "The High King" might bog down into dreary who-am-I? type speechifying. Fortunately Eilonwy is present and accounted for in this novel. She fights and gets captured, but at least she's a gutsy ball of gung-ho goodness. As the sole female of the novel she's a welcome relief to everyone's serious even toned conversations. Once again, Eilonwy saves the novel.

"The High King" is far longer than its predecessors, but that's fitting since it's the last in the series. Alexander keeps the action constant and upbeat. I doubt you'll find any serious objections to it. It is sad to say goodbye to the characters we've all grown to know so well in the books. I've always had a serious crush on Fflewddur Fflam so I think I'll miss him most of all. Fortunately there's always "The Foundling" and "Coll and His White Pig" to read for fun. They're not officially part of the Prydain canon but they belong squarely in that world. Consider checking them out if you fall into Lloyd Alexander withdrawal. "The High King" is rightfully considered the strongest book in its series. I recommend it with nary a reservation in sight.

Lloyd Alexander said in a Scholastic interview just how painful it was to end the Prydain Chronicles, and he definitely does quit while he's ahead. Did I mention I put off reading this book for ages because I didn't want the story to end?

"High King" is the most mature of all of the books, a hard story that ends bittersweetly. The sword Dyrnwyn has been stolen by the shapeshifting Arawn Deathlord, and the various cantrevs (kingdoms) of Prydain are launching a military strike against Annuvin, The Land of Death.

A scarred Taran and his friends set out on their most dangerous journey, along with the broken sorceress Achren, who wants to get back at Arawn. The end is sad but somehow necessary, though it's a bit reminiscent of the "Gray Havens" scene in LOTR.

Taran is no longer the naive boy we see in "Book of Three." Having had plenty of adventure, the events of this book end his adolescence and starts his adulthood, as a strong man. Eilonwy is a bit less twittery in this book, after her adventures and training in the Isle of Mona. Gurgi and Fflewddur are... well, themselves, as is Gwydion. Dallben is perhaps the most changed in Taran's view--in TBOT he was seen as a finicky old man, while here he is the great enchanter we always knew he was.

Other characters, such as the lovable bear King Smoit and the great warrior Gwydion. There are some character moments that, I promise, will wrench tears from you.

Those of you who are put off by the old-style language of "Taran Wanderer" or extensive battle scenes, be forewarned: There are plenty in this. But it's to be expected in the final chapter of an epic saga, that you'll never want to end.

"Chronicles" is, after "Lord of the Rings," my favorite fantasy series, and the High King won a Newbery for a reason. Read, and enjoy...

You will be sorely disappointed if you read this book before reading the first four Chronicles of Prydain. This allegedly children's series is actually a heart-rending tale of the tragedies and triumphs of the trip from teenager to adult. It is, I believe, one of the best stories ever written and a landmark in teenage literature. do yourself a favor--start with The Book of Three and read the other four books before you read The High King. If you do, Taran and his friends will remain with you for life.

It is NOT my intent to be inflammatory or insulting with this review. However, as humans, we live and die by comparing and contrasting, so I can't help it if I do so. Please don't shoot the messenger because I rate Alexander's series according to personal standards.

Second, I am not merely reviewing The High King here; this is the best place to review the entire Chronicles of Prydain, and so I shall.

I have also heard a little rumor recently that Alexander's books have been recommended in reference to Harry Potter, and I have nothing against Harry Potter other than it is a lukewarm, morally tepid tale in which the characters, magic and plot are only occasionally consistent; however, the likeness between Harry and Taran are, in short, the difference between heroism by circumstance and heroism by choice.

Now to the review and to more (unintentional) offense: The Chronicles of Prydain slightly resemble (especially in the first part, The Book of Three) The Lord of the Rings because they are both drawn from the same Welsh roots. The Chronicles of Prydain are better, hands down, no questions asked. I have always regarded Tolkien as the untouchable master of Fantasy, until now. Here is why Alexander tops the unbeatable:

1. His characters are closer, more human, and more real. They are all easily accessible. They are all ingeniously well-defined. I am not as well-read as I should be, but I have never read a more likeable, fleshed-out and consistent, large cast of characters. His genius shines through.

2. Where Tolkien is mythology, Alexander is what mythologies are made of. The Chronicles of Prydain cut right to the core of the greatest human stories and their humanity--their sacrifice. The individual acts of sacrifice in each of the books are heartrending, and somehow, almost in an act of divinely-inspired propitiation, heart-mending. Frodo's act of sacrifice at the end of Return of the King pales in comparison to the multitude of sacrificial acts that culminate with Taran's decision at the end of The High King. It is awe-ful.

3. The female characters are superb. Eilonwy is a likeable, strong and strong-willed female who is consistently Eilonwy, the perfect foil to Taran, and perfectly balanced. Alexander did not make her a shrew, a feminist, or anything overboard to the point of ruining the character, the story or the consistency. She is wonderfully written and no less a hero than Taran, though the spotlight is not always on her. Alexander was truly ahead of his time in making a female hero so real, so approachable, so likeable, and truly heroic.

4. The plot is seamless. Books one through five fit together as in a panoramic puzzle, with each thing building on the other. Granted, Tolkien wrote in the style of the medieval, and he did so without flaw, but with Alexander, every scene serves the plot. There is not one wasted word, and few unanswered questions, if any.

5. The plot is character-driven. Unlike Harry Potter, where the deus-ex-machina is unbelievably heavy, the plot in the Chronicles of Prydain is character-driven, and hinges on the characters making the right decision without regard to their personal desires. I have only seen one other author in whose books this trait is so pronounced (see Nicole of Prie Mer: Book One of the Latter Annals of Lystra, to start) and so perfectly wielded. However, it makes for the most satisfying plot resolution possible.

6. The characters are hopefully complex and dynamic. I have never read of so many characters that are redeemable--and indeed, we see many of them redeemed. I can only hope to look on life with the optimism that Alexander must have had. His characters, even many of his bad ones, are so lovingly handled, I must hope that my Author chooses to deal with me so mercifully. The Mercy offered in these books goes beyond the pity offered to Gollum and into the redemptive work of One who can transform lives. It is extremely powerful, and the same reason so many of the minor characters are beautifully real and dance off of the pages.

I could go on and on, and fortunately for you, I won't. I am so lucky to have found these books. I hope many receptive hearts will continue to find them for several generations. May Alexander rest peacefully, and I hope that somehow, somewhere, he knows that his Taliesin is smiling.

Imagine a place of magic, good and evil. You're an assistant pig keeper trying to help Lord Gwydion destroy all evil in the world. You have three helpers one a bard who whenever he lies one of his harp strings snap. His name is Ffleudder Fflam. You have a princess of Llyre who's the last person able to read old scrolls and inscriptions. Her name is Eilonwy. Then last but definitely not is loyal and faithful Gurgi. Gurgi is a talkative creature. He calls Taran his master because Taran saved his life by feeding him.

One reason you should read this book is that it has a lot of adventure. For example, Taran leaves his home in order to help Lord Gwydion, the Prince of Royalty in the Royal House Of Don, kill Arawn Lord Of The Dead. He also wanted to find honor in holding off the deathless Cauldron Born. The last thing he wanted to do was to marry the princess of Llyre.

The second reason you should read this book is that it's a breathtaking book. The reason I say that is because he describes everything deeply. For example, when he described the Red Fallows he described it as "a bloody war field scarred with the souls of the fallen." Another example of when he described really well was when he called the river that was frozen, "a wonderland of white ice and snow.

My last reason for reading this book is that it's a thrilling book. For example when the cauldron born, you will probably wonder will they destroy Caer Dathyl, the High King Math's castle, or will they perish fighting the deathless cauldron born. Additionally you wonder if they will kill the Death Lord. Lastly you wonder if Lord Gwydion will be able to make it to the Death Castle before the cauldron born are able to hold off the rest of the army that the good side has assembled.

Taran, the main character connects to me in some ways. Sometimes I feel like I don't know who I am. But in the end we usually choose the right choice.

This book is so good because of all the action. It's breathtakingAnd you can't wait to read and find out what's next. For example, you can't wait to find out if Taran can unsheathe Darwyn, the magical sword that only the people who have earned to be royal by helping the good side win and the bad side loose, and help kill the deathless cauldron born.

I recommend this book to ten years old or older. The reason I recommend it to this age group is that it has some scary scenes, in your head of course, in the book. I also would recommend this book to males because the main character is a male pursuing his dream of honor and glory.

So now it is up to you. Will you read the chronicles of Prydain and go on an adventure with Taran, or will you choose to just read this boring review and that be the end of it. The choice is yours to make. Choose wisely.

Book: The High King

Author: Lloyd Alexander

Number of Pages: 400

Publisher: Reissue edition

Publication date: January 12, 1999

ISBN: 0006714994

Price: $9.95 Hardback

This book is it. The climax. The payoff. The ultimate battle between good and evil, with a conclusion that moves me more than any other I've ever read.

The story starts with Taran and Gurgi reuniting with Eilonwy, Rhun, Fflewddur and Gwydion, only to learn that Gwydion's enchanted sword has been stolen by Arawn Death-Lord himself. They set out to find it, but soon realize that not only the sword, but all of Prydain is at stake.

Armies are rallied by both sides, battles are fought on a scale never seen in the previous books, and all the characters previously introduced return to take sides in the conflict.

Betrayal, greed and defeat are countered with courage, loyalty and sacrifice (watch Fflewddur in particular) time and time again. The price required to destroy the powers of evil is never higher, everyone loses something dear to them, many don't survive, and the land of Prydain will never be the same again.

When I re-read this in college I was surprised to learn that this was considered children's literature; the book's power only grows with the passage of time, and while it can be understood by children, its mark of greatness lies in its ability to resonate with readers of all ages.

This book could conceivably stand on its own, though reading the previous four books first is highly recommended. Doing so only adds to the power of this, the capstone of a beautiful series.

I've loved Lloyd Alexander's classic series ever since I read "The Book of Three" in elemantary school. A well-chosen Christmas gift from my parents ensured that I got my hands on the next four books, concluding with "The High King".

One of the strengths of this series is that the characters learn and grow from one book to the next; it's great to see Taran from "The Book of Three", who reminds me rather of myself at that age (*grin*) grow up to take the responsibilities he has earned by the end of "The High King".

Alexander's use of Welsh mythology is excellent and for the most part right on target, though Arawn isn't quite as malevolent a figure in myth as he is in the Chronicles of Prydain, and the Gwydion of the Mabinogion is as much a trickster as he is a hero. (This isn't really a criticism; these are books for children, and I know that making Arawn and Gwydion more ambiguous characters would have confused me when I was younger.) The Triple Goddess, the people of Twylyth Teg, the people of Llyr--they're all here, forming a seamless and very real-feeling backdrop to the main characters' adventures.

Older readers may be interested in checking out the Mabinogion, the main body of Welsh myth that has survived the ages, after finishing this series. Gwyn Thomas and Kevin Crossley-Holland's "Tales from the Mabinogion" is an excellent edition to try, with beautiful illustrations.

Overall, the Chronicles of Prydain remain among my favorite stories, with "The High King" the best of the lot. I highly recommend them.

I must confess that I was very surprised at the quality of this book. The others in the series were good, but this one was spectacular. It is definitely deserving of the Newbery award it won. This books is similar to the Return of the King in that it is the climax of the series and everything is finally resolved. Also similar is that the forces of good make a final march of the land of the dark lord, overthrowing him with the help of a evil creature not entirely meaning to help them (ala Gollum).

All of the main characters are back, of course, and Alexander masterfully weaves their personalities together in this story to make it very fun to read. Alexander empashizes friendship in this novel, as only the stong bonds between the members of Taran's party keep them from being swallowed up by the armies of evil.

Definitely a must read, as is the whole series. I highly recommend this book.

Overall grade: A

This book was most definitly the best in the series. It even surpasses The Black Cauldren and The Castle of Llyr for two major reasons. 1. The return of Eilonwy. At last! I thought she would never come back! 2. Because we finally get to meet the true enemy Arawn Death lord, and because it had such a heartrending ending. I'll even confess that the first time I read this book it had me in tears twice, both at the part when Flewder burned his harp so they could live out the night, and at the end which I won't talk about for those of you who haven't read it yet. The basic plot is Eilonwy at last returns from The Isle of Mona and shortly after all the usual companions are assembled, they discover that Prince Gwidion's sword Dyrnwyn has been stolen (a very bad thing) by Arawn Death Lord. They all set off on yet another epic quest to get the sword during which we get to know each of the characters better, since this was largely a book of self discovery as well as having tons of action. The ending is both happy and heart breaking and I really hated it at first, but then once I thought about it I realized that if it had happened any other way, than the series wouldn't have been as powerfull. I highly recommend this series to anyone, child or adult though definitly read the other four first, because it will have a greater effect that way. My one problem was that the womanly training Eilonwy was forced to have in The Castle of Llyr seemed to have worked, somewhat, and she didn't seem as strong as she usually is. But, other than that this book was flawless.

The swaord of Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom of Prydain, has fallen into the hands of Arawn-Death-Lord. Now Taran, Assistant Pig Keeper, and Prince Gwydion lead an army against the powerful lord. After a winter expedition filled with tons of danger, Taran's forces arrive at Mount Dragon, the Death Lord's Stronghold. There Taran is forced to make the most crucial decision of his life as he confronts the "evil" enchantress Achren and the diabolical Arawn... This book has a lot of action. Parts of the book are sad, and others execiting! If you loved this book you'll love to read the first ones. I loved this book so much that I read THREE TIMES! I recomend this book to anybody that loves action, adventure, and sorrow books! That my friend is YOU!