Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first? ( )

I finished The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain #1) by Lloyd Alexander. It's not bad, but it's rather childish. Yes, yes, I knew it was for children/teens. But there are other fantasy series for children/teens that are quite readable for adults (Harry Potter, Bartimeus, Protector of the Small, Ranger's Apprentice, Percy Jackson...). In level of childishness, this was more in line with Narnia.

The book follows a traditional epic fantasy hero's journey. We meet Taran when he is Assistant Pig-Keeper and see him become a... well... hero. Although it's the first of a series it works as a standalone. It's funny how straightforward it is. The same story that other epic fantasies would take thousands of pages this one deals with in 150. It's a very fast read, of course.

One I got used to the style I did enjoy it. It has a certain charm, the young main character meets colorful companions, learns lessons about himself and about others... I would not recommend for adults unless they are sure they enjoy the occasional children's fantasy. ( )

In which Taran the assistant pig keeper sets out with a merry band of followers, to find a pig and thus save the world.

If the Amazon.com reviews are any indication, Lloyd Alexander's five-book series, The Chronicles of Prydain, has its detractors. They see it as a pale imitation of Lord of the Rings, complete with gollum-esque creature (who at least happens to be working for the good guys). They point out Alexander's expository dialogue, his rapid descriptions that leave little time for characters or sequences to make an impact, and the fact that - unlike the best children's fiction - his work is designed to appeal only to children and not to adults.

Well, I won't deny: all of those things are - to some extent - true. The obvious debt to Tolkien (and C.S. Lewis) is undeniable and occasionally uncanny. And Alexander is neither a literary giant nor a consummate non-literary storyteller on par with, say, J.K. Rowling.

Yet, I'm inclined to think the haters are being a bit unsporting about it all. The Book of Three, which opens the series, is a delightful little quest story. It's an easy, fast-paced read, which opens up an entire world of characters and species. The most delightful characters are the Princess Eilonwy, whose refusal to be relegated to the role of "female" is laudable, and the dwarf Doli, who wishes he could be invisible. Alexander's morals are in the right place for a book aimed squarely at children, but this is no bloodless Narnia. The injuries and horrors committed by the Horned King and his minions are all too real. It really raises the stakes, and if the book is about Taran learning there is more to the world than an idyllic life raising pigs, it succeeds.

There's also a great humanist skein running through the book. Medwyn, the protector of animals, eats only a vegetarian diet, while Taran is constantly forced to learn that there are many outlooks and ways of being in Prydain. And the dialogue is actually quite apt for each character. You know you're in safe hands when Gurgi - Prydain's equivalent of Gollum or, dare I say, Jar Jar Binks - is adorable rather than mawkish.

I do wish sometimes that Alexander would let each sequence breathe. I'm halfway through the second book, The Black Cauldron, and I feel like I've met an endless array of characters while drunk at a party, never able to get a firm grasp on them. But perhaps these are the limitations of a children's author when facing book length and the attention span of youngsters.

Either way, I'll give the thumbs-up to The Chronicles of Prydain so far. Even if it isn't always beautifully or densely written, it's intelligently written, and that makes all the difference. ( )

My husband's mother read this series to him as a boy, and they cried together when they finished the last book and didn't have any more to read together. I see why this is a class - I thought the characters were a lot of fun, and I love the concept of an oracular pig.

Taran was obnoxious and never truly learned from his mistakes. He said plenty of times that he was wrong and he would do better, and then next thing you know he's ignoring everyone else and insisting that they all do something stupid. This happened over and over again and it got tiresome. ( )