Bingo Square: Gateway
Bingo #1! Red/Gateway/Fresh Start/Cannonballer Says/Money
I have loved fantasy since I can remember. I don’t actually remember when I started reading it, but I credit it to my deep and abiding love for Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. Although I have no vivid memories of the first time I read it (aside from one shocking moment in The Black Cauldron), I reread the series regularly throughout my childhood and my teenage years. I loved them every time. Aside from The Book of Three, which I read to my much younger sister a few years ago, I haven’t picked them up again as an adult. This spring, a friend was telling me how much he enjoyed the audiobooks, so I picked them up and listened to them while I was alone in my house doing puzzles (this might even have been just pre-pandemic…).
Thankfully, I loved them just as much as ever.
For those who never had the fortune to encounter these books, either as children or adults, they follow Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper who wants to be a hero. Starting with The Book of Three, Taran is sucked into a quest when his land of Prydain is threatened by Arawn, the shadowy evil lord, and his henchmen. Along the way, Taran makes new friends: Gwyddion, the true hero prince of Prydain (even if he doesn’t dress like one); Eilonwy, the talkative princess-enchantress of a lost kingdom; Fflewddur Fflam, a hapless bard; Doli, one of the Fair Folk who can turn invisible; and of course, Gurgi, a loyal if cowardly creature obssessed with food.
The Black Cauldron is more focused on the threat from Arawn, who uses the eponymous Black Cauldron to create undying zombie warriors from the dead. Every time the combined forces of Prydain try to fight him, he only grows stronger. So they resolve to steal the Cauldron. It is a marvellous twist that the book seems initially to be about an all-around assault on Arawn, only for them to discover that the Cauldron is already missing.
The Castle of Llyr is Eilonwy’s moment in the sun, when she is sent to a neighboring kingdom to train as a lady (to her displeasure) and also possibly to wed the foolish Prince Rhun. (Side note: I adore Rhun). Taran is dismayed, but even more when Eilonwy is kidnapped by the evil enchantress Achren from the first book. I’ve always liked a side of romance with my fantasy, and I think Taran and Eilonwy are to blame.
Taran Wanderer was, as a child, my least favourite of the quintet. Taran journeys around Prydain, trying to discover his parentage so he would be worthy of marrying Princess Eilonwy. He encounters many different people and learns of their plight, and also tries his hand at various crafts. I can understand why childhood me was bored: it doesn’t have a tight plot like the others, and I missed Taran’s steadfast companions. But the themes of trying to prove yourself worthy and finding your place in the world hold so much more meaning as an adult. I listened to it with a lump in my throat and prickling eyes almost throughout.
Another thing I appreciated more as an adult during this reread of the series was Taran himself. When you’re a child, the bright, humorous characters of Fflewddur and Eilonwy are more appealing than Taran, who constantly seems to do the wrong thing. But as an adult, I loved that aspect to Taran. As a literary hero, Taran is a masterclass in character study, someone innately flawed and yet someone you can root for. He is brave but foolhardy; ambitious yet self-conscious; quick to anger but also to admit when he’s wrong. He loves and hates equally passionately, but is also able to realize when his grudges are unfounded.
And Alexander constantly forces Taran into situations that test not his bravery, but his kindness. His feud with Prince Ellidyr drives much of the plot of The Black Cauldron, but it is Taran who constantly swallows his pride and offers an olive branch. His relationship with the man he believes is his father in Taran Wanderer is bittersweet and poignant. He and Eilonwy may argue (especially when he tries to treat her as someone who must be protected at all costs instead of as an equal), but he always accepts her perspective in the end.
Unfortunately, the audiobooks seem to have been temporarily taken off the European market so I haven’t been able to listen to The High King, which may be the one I remember least from my childhood (aside from That One Scene with the harp that will stick in my mind forever). I will keep an eye for it to come back on Scribd.
The Prydain Chronicles followed immediately after The Chronicles of Narnia, and they cemented my love of fantasy 🙂
Over the past few years I’ve been re-reading them aloud to my kid. It was interesting to revisit them as an adult and see them in a new light. I have to agree about Taran Wanderer. Least favorite as a child and whole new appreciation as an adult.
Lloyd Alexander was a brilliant author.
I can’t wait until I have kids/they’re old enough for me to read them things like this. Chronicles of Narnia was a formative one for me too (my mum read them to me and my brothers, though I definitely appreciated them most!). My 13yo sister isn’t so much of a reader but she loves audiobooks, so maybe she’d like this set. I recommended The Enchanted Forest chronicles to her and she loved the first one! Maybe that’s something your kid would enjoy too?
I’ll have to look into those, thanks for the recommendation!
I loved these books! I should probably go back and read these again too, because I haven’t approached them as an adult either. I have my Grade 5 teacher to thank for introducing me to this series: we used to spend 10-15 mins eating our lunch in the classroom before going outside on break, and Ms Savvy would spend this time reading to us from her favourite fantasy books. So this included The Book of Three, the Hobbit and Babe (not true fantasy, but fantastical)
I don’t know if I ever thanked her enough
Your teacher sounds AMAZING!! What a gift to give to a class. <3 I was homeschooled as a kid but my mum read to me until I learned to read, and then I was too impatient to wait for her! I regret that a little now, but we had a lot of classics we enjoyed together (like The Secret Garden, and we sobbed over Black Beauty).
I think having a kid that outstrips their parents and gets too impatient to be read to is actually a sign of great parenting, right? It means their attempts to instil the love of reading worked!
I think the struggle was to get me to do anything other than reading, really… 🙂
My all time favorites. Taran Wanderer is definitely now my favorite (bored me to tears as a tween, and l love it to distraction in midlife). I read the books with my daughter who thought they were pretty good (Rick Riordan is more her jam). So it’s nice to hear of other people who love them. I do a reread every 5 years. It just stays good.
It isn’t every book that not only holds up but even exceeds expectations in rereads! We’re lucky to have both the nostalgia factor and new appreciation. Really, though, TW was super boring when I was a kid–I missed Eilonwy!
When I was a middle school teacher, the kids LOVED Rick Riordan. It was also the height of the Hunger Games craze (which I read and enjoyed, so I could talk to them about it!). It was nice to hear their thoughts on what books they found engaging and also that there were plenty of boys who did not mind reading about a female protagonist.
Just wait until adult you encounter The High King! It undid me. I loved these books as a kid, and love them even more as an adult. The character arc of Taran throughout the series is a definitive study of a hero, in my opinion. I really like it when fiction (intended for kids, especially) that shows the best of what humanity can be. This series and A Wrinkle in Time helped me develop courage and integrity, and I was grateful to be able to share them with the following generations when I could.
I definitely want to finish the reread, so maybe I’ll sit down one day and actually read it instead of listening. Taran really is the perfect hero, and by perfect, I mean he has imperfections and works on them, as I say in my review. A Wrinkle in Time is also great, though I never got grabbed by the sequels.
In my head I classify the T.A. Barron books (Merlin series and there was also a scifi trilogy) with Prydain/Wrinkle because I read them at around the same time, even though Barron isn’t as old. I wonder if they’d hold up too.
I have fond memories of that Merlin series!
Maybe we should try to organize a childhood favourites reread event for CBR 13! 🙂
THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!!!!
International Children’s Day is November 20th, to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1959. Perhaps November could be a childhood favorite re-read month?
Oooh, great idea. This week is a terrible week for me but I’ll try to remember to propose it once things have calmed down.
Just finished reading this series with my kiddos and The High King is absolutely the best of the bunch. What’s so great about this series is that all the characters mature and grow and part of their growth is a sadness of innocence lost. There is an ache and beauty to the finale that likely appealed to me far more than the kids. There are few brilliant 4 books series but this is one.
We haven’t gotten to Taran Wanderer and The High King yet. I know certain passages will have me crying but then again I’ve been getting choked up all through this re-read, so that won’t be new!
I agree about the growth of the characters. I’m sure that’s a part of this series’ timeless appeal.
Yes, I remember sobbing during a certain scene and I’m sure I will again… Like I said in my review, I listened to most of Taran Wanderer with a lump in my throat.