Getting to the end of writing reviews around the Prydain Chronicles doesn’t feel too different from getting to the end of the Prydain Chronicles. The experience is bittersweet, my love of these stories remains complete. The High King opens with an intense moment, as Gurgi and Taran returning on the road are waylaid by their friend Caw the crow who reports danger along their way. They rush back to Caer Dallben, to find a council in place to determine how to finally end the threat of Arawn Deathlord once and for all.
The High King is the longest of the Prydain stories and the most tense. Every step of the story is beset by the deathless Cauldronborn, and defined by risks of ruined plans and betrayal. To begin with, the danger Caw reported was a trap laid for Prince Gwydion which results in Dyrnwyn the magical black sword being stolen. Without it, the odds of defeating Arawn plummet, and the Deathlord knows it.
The stakes for the final battle follow many high fantasy final battles, with everyone from the Free Commetfolk to the fair folk to the animals of Prydain joining up with Taran and Gwydion to face Arawn. The Deathlord is a threat to the whole realm, and everyone can sense it.
At the end of the story Taran finds himself at an inflection point where he must choose between essentially having all his dreams come true, but being forced to give up the essential struggles, pitfalls, and joys of being a mortal man. It’s not too much a spoiler to say that this moralistic YA novel takes the more practical and realistic choice, and it’s interesting how much more this resonated with me as an adult than as a tweenager. It turns out that with a little more experience under your belt, the promise of a land of milk and honey over one where things actually matter is the difference between boredom your brain can’t actually comprehend to a relatable and joyous life.
Pick up the entire Prydain Chronicles set today and read them all, you won’t regret it.
